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Jarrbear Join the Cnoc Outdoors newsletter! All the recipients were given the opportunity to be part of the VectoPlus test group. I am happy for the opportunity and even more impressed by the integrity of Cnoc Outdoors to ask all testers to be fully transparent about receiving the gear in exchange for an honest review.
I own 8 Vecto products plus several other accessories from Cnoc. I love that their gear is ultralight, durable, and versatile. The VectoPlus is no exception. I am a weekend warrior backpacker in the Pacific Northwest. I would choose to bring a VectoPlus on some solo trips where I am going to be camping away from water sources. When backpacking in a group of 3 or more people, I am going to bring this 8 Liter on almost every trip! On my last trip where I was filtering water for 5 people, including myself, I brought 2 - 3L VectoXs and 4 - 2L VectoXs. In the future, I can leave most of those bladders at home and just bring the VectoPlus! I'd love to see a version with the 42mm threads because my filter of choice is the Katadyn BeFree. As pictured, I like setting the system up as a gravity feed. In my case I would buy 1 more 8L bladder with 42mm threads and set up a gravity feed system between the two 8L VectoPluses.
I tested the VectoPlus as a "clean" reservoir on one trip and as a "dirty" reservoir on the other. For clean water, it's easier to use than the standard Vectos because of the convenient handle! For unfiltered water, the wide opening makes it easy to collect from a fast moving stream. The wider body and larger capacity do force you to scoop several times before filling, especially with minimally flowing water sources. I paired it with the platypus quickdraw, and the filtering process was fast and seamless. I purchased a Sea to Summit Watercell 10L in the past to up my storage capacity on some trips and found that I never bring it into the backcountry because it's not compatible with any of my filters. Had the VectoPlus existed at the time, I would have chosen it over the water cell! It's lighter, easier to use, and appears to me to be more durable.
My final note on Cnoc products in general. In the backcountry, I have never had significant gear failures with their products. However, if you use their Vecto or VectoX products enough, you may experience pinhole leaks that are easy to fix with a TEAR-AID Repair Patch, which Minimal Gear sells on their website for $0.50 (your sleeping pad repair kit might even come with one - mine did!). I also believe that gear that you are able to repair in the field is definitely worth a spot in your kit.
Having the larger capacity also makes it a good choice to bring on car camping trips! The VectoPlus is going to come with me on many adventures!
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Finding joy in the journey This bag is a tank! My wife and I have 8 children and gone are the days of making multiple runs to a water source as kids wait to fill up their cups! We have the 8L and are very pleased with how it handles despite its size. Empty, the Vecto Plus weighs 7oz and packs nicely away. We have used collapsible buckets and multiple bags through the years and the Vecto Plus surpasses them all. The handle is a great addition and supports the weight of the 8L well. The extra thick TPU feels robust, and we do not feel like there will be any leaking problems. The first time we went to hang it up we were holding it from the slider, and the weight of the bag made the slider slide off. Not a big issue, we know now that due to its size we cannot hold from the slider but utilize the grommets instead. I am not sure that over time the hanging loop on the slide will withstand the weight. We added 3/4" nylon straps to hang the Vecto Plus. With a slide release buckle, we are now also able to hang from larger branches to create more hanging options. We filtered into cups and water bottles. An added plus was that the weight of the water created some nice pressure for a gravity feed through our sawyer filter!
We also do bikepacking. This will be a game changer in being able to carry more water for longer distances. The durability of this bag and the grommets will make it easy to lash to panniers. There are also slots on the carry handle to run some 1" straps through to potentially make a shoulder strap if you had to carry it long distances.
The only concern that we have is how long the grommets will hold up. At face value they seem to be the exceptional quality that we have come to expect from CNOC.
We received this in exchange for a review. We are very impressed by this bag and will be buying another for our big group. This bag is the answer to so many issues for larger parties! Thank you CNOC for another great product!
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Al Stokes I received the Vecto Plus in exchange for a review.
TL,DR - I like the 4 Liter Vecto Plus and will happily continue to use it.
I received the 4 Liter Vecto PLus to review. I have been using CNOC water storage/filtration bags since the 2 Liter came out. I currently use the 3 Liter bag and my clean water carrying capacity is 4 Liters - 2, 1.5 Liter and a 1 Liter bottle. I don't carry 4 liters routinely, but that capacity does meet my needs for extended 20 mile carries and dry camping. I like that with the bag I can filter enough water to fill all my bottles in one trip. I find that the handle makes it much easier to collect water when the source is off trail and/or downhill. I leave my pack and bottles at the trail and just take the Vecto Plus bag. The lash points are a nice addition and now I have the ability to tie cord at the upper points for a more secure gravity filtration system. The weight and size of the bag are similar to the 3 Liter and I haven't found it to be a problem. In sum, the Vecto Plus meets my needs. I will be using it for a long time. I tried to find a negative and the only one is the (temporary) increased weight with a full bag.
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Kalamazoo292 Disclosure - This product was donated for the purpose of an honest review.
I have been using the 2 liter Vecto for several years as a long distance hiker and swear by it. I was intrigued by when I heard about the VectoPlus specifically for when I am camping/backpacking as a Scout Leader. We tested it recently at camping trip on the shores of Lake Michigan where the potable water had been shut off for the season. We used the VecoPlus to collect water from a nearby stream and then set it up as a gravity filter with a Sawyer.
This feels very similar to the Vecto - the materials feel the same and it employs the same slide and tethered cap. The VectoPlus though has three significant improvements: tie outs to support the additional weight when hung as a gravity filter or strapped to a pack, a carry handle, and internal stays to help it keep its shape when full. The tie out points feel sturdy and have a large enough hole to pass decent sized rope through. The handle, honestly, is a game changer based on it's placement. Anytime you are using a bag to collect from a natural water source one of the tricky parts is keeping the bag from collapsing. This handle is not just useful for carrying the full bag, but also helps you to support the bag and keep it open while filling. With this handle we were able to collect nearly a full bag of water even though the creek was only a few inches deep. The handle is ok for carrying short-ish distances, but as you would imagine with 8L of water it gets pretty heavy to go longer distances. You would probably want to put it in or strap it to a backpack to carry it in those situations.
For this trip, we filtered into a pot. I plan to purchase a second VectoPlus for collection. Though the VectoPlus currently only comes with one color slide and cap, they offer replacement parts in multiple colors so that you can have one color for clean/potable water and one for unfiltered water. That would also allow us to use the clean water bag when we have a potable water source that is a good distance from the campsite - as is frequently the case in group campsites. It would be great if they added that as an option, or even as a matched pair printed with "Clean" and "Dirty" since I have to imagine lots of folks are going to use it in a gravity set up.
Overall I was really impressed with the VectoPlus. My original Vecto has over a thousand trail miles on it and is still going strong. I feel confident the VectoPlus will last just as long, even in the hands of a bunch of rowdy Scouts!
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TheWAnderingPagan Full disclosure, I was provided this product for free in return for an objective review. I did not receive any compensation nor was I asked to say anything in particular.
I received the 6 L version. I’ve had the chance to check this out at home and use it in the wilderness.
My initial thoughts: this is well-made, and I believe uses the same thickness of material as the Vecto X. I believe the handle and attachment points are made of TPU. It is easy to fill and seems to be sturdy.
Personally, I like the fact that it is translucent as you can see inside to scope out any potential debris or, over the long run, the development of any possible mildew. I don’t think there are any other products quite like it out there on the market that I’m aware of.
I see a few different uses for this product. If you are backpacking, and your water source is a significant distance away, it can be helpful to be able to have a large container of water so that you don’t have to make multiple trips to and from your water source from camp. I often camp near lakes or streams, but there are instances where the best water source is 100 yards or more from the campsite. In these instances, it is nice to be able to go and fill up a large water bladder.
This product can also be used as a gravity filter. I set it up on a large boulder at an angle with a Sawyer squeeze on it and it worked great. It has attachment points, so in the right situation you could hang it from a tree branch or similar.
It might also be helpful for thru hikers who are hiking a significant distance without any known water source.
The negatives that I observed, which are not very significant, is that the TPU handle might not be very comfortable if you were required to carry this in your hand for any length of time. The edges are almost “sharp”. Full of 6L of water it is also decently heavy. Also, depending on how you intend to use this, I think a sport cap or some other kind of lid with a valve would be helpful. When I go backpacking, we sometimes like to have a water bladder in camp just to use for handwashing, etc. There are other brands who make a somewhat similar water bladder that have these attachments built-in. Again, depends on how you intend to use this.
The 6 L seems to be a good size. I do think anything larger would be cumbersome, a bit ungainly and uncomfortable to carry for any significant distance.
I look forward to using this for many years to come and would recommend it to anyone who has a need.
