Kea Stash System: does it actually stop your pack smelling like a bin truck?

Anyone who's unzipped a pack three days into a backcountry trip and been hit by the ripe smell of old gel wrappers, a banana skin, meat cans and whatever's leaking out of last night's dinner scraps knows the problem the Stash is trying to solve. Trash isn't glamorous gear, but it's the stuff that actually wrecks a trip when you get it wrong.

What it is: A dual-layer bag with a TPU liner and an oversized press seal, designed to keep anything nasty in including those smells from following you around. Roll it up, cinch the compaction straps, and it crushes down small enough to disappear into a frame bag, or your backpack. It comes in as a 20L XL sizing is ideal for base camping/hunting, Day trips, or doing a proper multi-dayer with a crew.

On the trail: Over the course of multiple multi-day hikes, overnighters, and bike missions, I've managed to truly test the stash in both the XL and the older Go (a discontinued 6l). True to their description they perform the brief in what Kea seats out to achieve. Not once have I had either stash leak into my pack nor become a bundle of stench while cinched down and in its travel mode. The hooks, straps and cords mean you can clip it to the outside of a pack or sling it off a branch at camp rather than having it rattling around, which is a small but a genuinely useful addition.

Where it falls short: This is where I'm clutching at straws to truly find flaws in the product's design. My only observation is around picking the right size for the trip you're taking. The XL is big, very big, and subsequently takes up more real-estate in your pack. The draw card here, multi day hikes, often have multi day rubbish problems and associated multi day space allowance problems too. I wouldn't call it falling short, I'd call it a consideration and balancing act. Its also a well played move by Kea of having to buy both sizes.

Verdict: Does the stash address a real life issue, and does it offer a real life solution? I sure think so. And I sure rate it as a top buy purely buy it's ability to cinch and compact your smelly waste in a solution far better than a dry bag or plastic bin liner could ever achieve.

Disclaimer: Kea Outdoors supplied the Stash XL System and Kit Mini for this review free of charge. I haven't paid for either item and Kea had no say over what I've written here — if either product was rubbish, you'd be reading about that instead.