Forloh Method Backpack Test and Review Complete on Page 2

[ForlohFamily]

The Texas quote was funny because I have used it my entire life as I grew up in Alaska. After spending five years active in the Marine Corps, I settled in Arkansas so it’s a small world.

I have had a different experience with Forloh however. While I don’t own all their gear, I have been incredibly impressed with every item that I do have and will continue to acquire more of their gear in the coming years.

While the prices are a little higher and there is certainly a marketing gimmick that revolves around “made and sourced in the USA”, I haven’t found a quality product that totes the same quality for a lower price and would gladly pay an extra $40 for a quality product that is sourced from the country I love. Considering the current environment, that isn’t easy to do as most of our manufacturing has been outsourced for too many reasons to list in this post.

My real concern is that I was seconds away from buying this pack and thankfully was able to abstain because I did my research and simply didn’t see the relevant reviews from trusted sources. “Influencers” are for sale but Rokslide serves as a counterbalance to that dynamic IMO and this only serves to enforce that belief for me. Forloh is a sponsor and we still got an honest review? that’s the way business should be done from both sides.

I trust the reviewers in this process and now more than ever I trust Forloh because of their response to the situation. Sure they should have done more testing but there is a big difference between making high end technical hunting apparel and packs. Sure their CEO came on and touted the technology but for those of you that have never been a CEO (I have), that’s the job. You create a product that you think is better than everyone else’s and preach that gospel until your proven wrong by a discerning group of consumers. Focus groups can only carry you so far; you need real world experienced users to carry a product across the finish line where quality is concerned.

Mistakes will be made in all new endeavors but I for one will be standing at the front of the line to buy this pack if/when they get it right and will continue to acquire more Forloh gear as they continue to innovate.

On a completely separate note: their solair pants are freaking amazing. The insect guard or whatever it’s called actually works and the cooling thingymawhatsit actually works as well. I can shoot my bow for an hour in 90+ degrees with high humidity and while my torso is drenched in sweat (wearing a cotton T shirt) my legs have little to no perpetration. It could simply be that they are the lightest pants I have ever worn, it could also be the UPF, or any number of factors but at the end of the day, they have been the only pants I’m comfortable wearing this summer.


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Thank you! Our SolAir Collection is top notch, keeps you cool, less smelly (odor crunch, polygiene) & super light! Insect Shield is the best and we working so hard to keep all of these items in stock, they are best sellers!

 

[Venom One]

Thank you for supporting Made in America!

I applaud you guys and all of the other companies manufacturing in the USA. It's tough to make that decision given the inherent increased costs, but you did it and deserve credit for doing so. Many American's, myself included, are willing to pay more if the quality is there and the cost is reasonable.

Unfortunately, some of your decisions have tarnished your reputation. My personal experience happened on this forum, about a year ago. I was looking for rain gear and I asked Ryan Guay, your VP of Sales, about your rain gear rating because it was confusing on your site. He professed to not know, but he was going to find out. When he never answered, it became clear that the rating was written to be purposely misleading to give the impression that it was better than it really was. I also thought that having a VP of Sales tell me that FORLOH rain gear is "waterproof AF" is quite unprofessional.
Thread is here: https://www.rokslide.com/forums/threads/forloh.206340/page-5#post-2245229

The shadiness of that incident left a dubious impression, and when combined with the issues surrounding both of FORLOH's packs, I started to really question the honesty of the company.

I was actually quite pleased to read Christopher.Reed's post above because he gave a glowing review of some FORLOH gear, while still acknowledging that shadiness was going on. This tells me that FORLOH has the ability to produce good gear. The issue lies in the poor and misleading messaging which leads to questions about honesty and forthrightness.

 

[fwafwow]

Thank you! Our SolAir Collection is top notch, keeps you cool, less smelly (odor crunch, polygiene) & super light! Insect Shield is the best and we working so hard to keep all of these items in stock, they are best sellers!

Off topic. Fwiw - the Insect Shield pants run short. I think they kept the bugs away, but I had to tuck them into my socks because they are too short to tuck into boots.

 

[ForlohFamily]

I applaud you guys and all of the other companies manufacturing in the USA. It's tough to make that decision given the inherent increased costs, but you did it and deserve credit for doing so. Many American's, myself included, are willing to pay more if the quality is there and the cost is reasonable.

Unfortunately, some of your decisions have tarnished your reputation. My personal experience happened on this forum, about a year ago. I was looking for rain gear and I asked Ryan Guay, your VP of Sales, about your rain gear rating because it was confusing on your site. He professed to not know, but he was going to find out. When he never answered, it became clear that the rating was written to be purposely misleading to give the impression that it was better than it really was. I also thought that having a VP of Sales tell me that FORLOH rain gear is "waterproof AF" is quite unprofessional.
Thread is here: https://www.rokslide.com/forums/threads/forloh.206340/page-5#post-2245229

The shadiness of that incident left a dubious impression, and when combined with the issues surrounding both of FORLOH's packs, I started to really question the honesty of the company.

I was actually quite pleased to read Christopher.Reed's post above because he gave a glowing review of some FORLOH gear, while still acknowledging that shadiness was going on. This tells me that FORLOH has the ability to produce good gear. The issue lies in the poor and misleading messaging which leads to questions about honesty and forthrightness.

We hate that this was your experience and we genuinely are working hard to provide the most accurate and honest information to all of our customers. Our customer service team is always available to help and answer all of your questions. Here is a review of our Rain Jacket. Please let us know if you have any other questions. Thank you for supporting American made gear.

 

[ForlohFamily]

Off topic. Fwiw - the Insect Shield pants run short. I think they kept the bugs away, but I had to tuck them into my socks because they are too short to tuck into boots.

Thanks for the feedback. Tall lengths should be available by the end of the year.

 

[Christopher.Reed]

Thanks for the feedback. Tall lengths should be available by the end of the year.

My pants ran short as well but I am 6’2” and was hoping there would be a tall size available in the future.

I don’t mean to hijack the thread but I do have a question; will the long sleeve, hooded, insect shield solair shirts be available anytime soon? They have been OOS for ages.


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[ForlohFamily]

My pants ran short as well but I am 6’2” and was hoping there would be a tall size available in the future.

I don’t mean to hijack the thread but I do have a question; will the long sleeve, hooded, insect shield solair shirts be available anytime soon? They have been OOS for ages.


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Thank you for the feedback on the pants. Yes, insect shield will be back in stock soon, end of Sept. Please be sure to sign up for our email notifications so you are messaged as soon as they are back in stock. They will sell out quickly.

Insect Shield® SolAir Hooded Long Sleeve Shirt

Check out our Insect Shield Shirt with Built-in Bug Protection. Insect Shield® protection for long-lasting and effective Mosquito and Tick protection. Shop now!

forloh.com

 

[KickinNDishin]

@robert_cpo_forloh got a smaller waistbelt and taller frame pack to me. We will see how it goes this weekend.

 

[josef]

In their defense that was pretty quick. What length stays did they get you?

 

[KickinNDishin]

In their defense that was pretty quick. What length stays did they get you?

26 inches

 

[ljalberta]

I might have missed it, but @robert_cpo_forloh, are you able to shed some light on the following aspects:

1. Can you give us some details about what design changes were made to address the sagging/flexing pack that Andy used and shared pictures of from his moose hunt?

2. Are you able to provide us some details as to what about the design of the shorter frame/pack the Forloh team originally thought would overcome the need for a taller frame? Specifically, I’m wondering if the idea is that the taller frame is required for some tall-torsoed body types, but other tall-torsoed body types can still take advantage of the design of the shorter frame that carries a load as well as a traditionally taller frame would?

I love the idea of Forloh and some of the clothing options look great on the website, but some of the still-unexplained claims about the development and design of this pack make it hard to take Forloh serious as a producer of quality gear, and not just a marketing machine.

For instance, when the Exo crew was developing their pack, they were about as open book as you can get (and they continue to be) for why certain changes were made throughout product design.

 

[robert_cpo_forloh]

First-off, sincere thanks to everyone on this forum for your feedback; knowing we all ultimately share the same goal, your honesty & forthrightness is appreciated on all levels. I’d like to keep this response specific to the Method Pack System including the progress we’ve made in the last few weeks; however, let me clear up some of the fringe/FORLOH questions first, as it influences how we are perceived.

From yarn packet forward in raw materials to c/s > sew-free > laser-cut > bonding > welding in manufacturing, our packs are 100% Made in USA (continental West Coast). Unsure where the left-turn comments came from in here regarding our packs supposedly being manufactured in Puerto Rico, but that’s entirely untrue. Also, be assured that our product management/design/development team at FORLOH is a combined 180+ years’ experience with major brands such as KUIU (& other high-end hunting brands not going to name), The North Face, Black Diamond Equipment, Oakley, Under Armour, and Cabela’s to name a few. We take product creation, innovation, and development seriously as if our own names were attached to the products themselves; our awards received to-date represent this dedication.

Since Sept 2019, the idea-in-design for the Method Pack System was to draft off both the military (and expedition-mountaineering) concept of building a ‘versatility-ultimate’ hunting pack; having a highly adjustable hip belt & adaptable torso fit that’s expandable enough to have this pack run as a heavy-weight hauler yet shrinkable-enough to be a solid day-outing pack – both, in the field, same pack. For us to accomplish this, it took calculating an average in torso lengths plus frame heights (w/internal tab adjustment) along with a hip belt designed w/generous-enough room under its lumbar pad to stuff hip belt-wing pads underneath it to accommodate the smallest possible hip belt sizes) which is where we landed in our original offering. Although accomplishing this adjustment isn’t fast-intuitive, we decided to launch with this ‘one-pack-fits-most’/’two-packs-in-one’ idea/concept.

As we all know on this forum, packs happen to be one of the most personal pieces of gear we own. And we’ve found that preferences, in this case overall frame height/shoulder strap tensioner-angles, hip belt wearing location and overall carrying weight-balance load (hips vs shoulders) at times outweigh this creative ability to have a day pack and expedition backpack in the same pack. So, being FORLOH and having the ability to meaningfully create, innovate, and produce rapidly here in the USA, there’s no reason why we wouldn’t try to accommodate more hunters by adding additional hip belt sizes & frame heights for hunters that have certain preferences, which is ultimately what we decided to do. We will have in the next few weeks production of new ‘S/M’ hip belts w/circumference 25”-34” (current hip belts are ‘L/XL’ w/circumference 34”-44”) as well as a new frame height size of 26”. We are also currently in the process of contacting all customers who’ve purchased the current build and are offering free-of-charge/shipping of replacement hip belts/frame sizes if they wish an exchange.

Lastly, we at FORLOH pursue continual innovation and we’ll never stop improving upon our products, ever.

 

[robert_cpo_forloh]

I applaud you guys and all of the other companies manufacturing in the USA. It's tough to make that decision given the inherent increased costs, but you did it and deserve credit for doing so. Many American's, myself included, are willing to pay more if the quality is there and the cost is reasonable.

Unfortunately, some of your decisions have tarnished your reputation. My personal experience happened on this forum, about a year ago. I was looking for rain gear and I asked Ryan Guay, your VP of Sales, about your rain gear rating because it was confusing on your site. He professed to not know, but he was going to find out. When he never answered, it became clear that the rating was written to be purposely misleading to give the impression that it was better than it really was. I also thought that having a VP of Sales tell me that FORLOH rain gear is "waterproof AF" is quite unprofessional.
Thread is here: https://www.rokslide.com/forums/threads/forloh.206340/page-5#post-2245229

The shadiness of that incident left a dubious impression, and when combined with the issues surrounding both of FORLOH's packs, I started to really question the honesty of the company.

I was actually quite pleased to read Christopher.Reed's post above because he gave a glowing review of some FORLOH gear, while still acknowledging that shadiness was going on. This tells me that FORLOH has the ability to produce good gear. The issue lies in the poor and misleading messaging which leads to questions about honesty and forthrightness.

Echoing our FORLOHFamily response, it pains me personally to hear this as it took years to create our award-winning waterproof/breathable 3L fabrics from scratch 100% made in the USA and to have it's effectiveness not explained correctly nor eloquently/professionally to you. I'm hoping you have that knowledge now (it can also be found on our site), but know my background in fabric technologies and the outdoor industry has led me to be a believer in 'real-world/real-use' numbers not just lab results. More importantly, this 'real-world/real-use' set of numbers is NOT just the waterproof/breathable membrane layer (what alot of brands out there tout in their product descriptions) but instead are the set of numbers after testing the full production 3L fabric/all three layers combined and tested as finished garments. Both our AllClima Softshell 3L and AllClima Rain 3L fabrics 'real-world/real-use' test at a minimum of 20k gm²/24hr MVTR and 20k mm Water Resistance (although we include the information separately that our membrane alone tests at greater than 35k gm²/24hr MVTR and 35k mm Water Resistance; but again, that's for the inner membrane only and we only include it so we can be competitive with those that speak to their membrane lab test results only. Hope that clears things up.

 

[fngTony]

@robert_cpo_forloh Roksliders likes to know the background of hunting brands, can you elaborate on the industry experience that you mentioned above? Any specific products or materials that your team worked on while at other companies?

 

[Christopher.Reed]

@robert_cpo_forloh Roksliders likes to know the background of hunting brands, can you elaborate on the industry experience that you mentioned above? Any specific products or materials that your team worked on while at other companies?

No offense intended Tony but this was answered in the original post and it begs a question:

Do you scrutinize all products you consume with this level of rigor? If so what is the staff experience at Nabisco as it relates to GMO’s? Pepsi as it pertains to High Fructose Corn Syrup? Chevrolet with foreign production? Energizer’s sourcing of Lithium for trail cam batteries?

While my questions above are mostly in jest, the reality is we are marketed to (the disgusting politics of commerce IMO) every waking hour of every day. That is a simple truth. As a consumer you can try a product or not try a product but expecting a detail staff resume from a company seems excessive and no company without massive scale and staffing would have the time to even answer that question let alone the desire.

I have tried Forloh’s products and am beyond satisfied. Unfortunately as it pertains to this discussion I have already purchased a pack due to their initial production issues but I will be buying the bulk of my gear as needed from these guys because their products earned my trust, I believe in buying from American made/sourced products, and their response to the rigorous scrutiny and ridicule of this forum has convinced me of their intent.

They are reaching out to previous purchasers of the method pack and offering a free exchange based solely off consumer feedback?!? Thats out ******* standing and the way consumer loyalty is earned.

At the end of the day their products have a lifetime warranty and while I haven’t ever had to return anything, I’m sure they have a return policy if you aren’t satisfied.

Just my completely unaffiliated and unrequested take .


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[fngTony]

No offense intended Tony but this was answered in the original post and it begs a question:

Do you scrutinize all products you consume with this level of rigor? If so what is the staff experience at Nabisco as it relates to GMO’s? Pepsi as it pertains to High Fructose Corn Syrup? Chevrolet with foreign production? Energizer’s sourcing of Lithium for trail cam batteries?

While my questions above are mostly in jest, the reality is we are marketed to (the disgusting politics of commerce IMO) every waking hour of every day. That is a simple truth. As a consumer you can try a product or not try a product but expecting a detail staff resume from a company seems excessive and no company without massive scale and staffing would have the time to even answer that question let alone the desire.

I have tried Forloh’s products and am beyond satisfied. Unfortunately as it pertains to this discussion I have already purchased a pack due to their initial production issues but I will be buying the bulk of my gear as needed from these guys because their products earned my trust, I believe in buying from American made/sourced products, and their response to the rigorous scrutiny and ridicule of this forum has convinced me of their intent.

They are reaching out to previous purchasers of the method pack and offering a free exchange based solely off consumer feedback?!? Thats out ******* standing and the way consumer loyalty is earned.

At the end of the day their products have a lifetime warranty and while I haven’t ever had to return anything, I’m sure they have a return policy if you aren’t satisfied.

Just my completely unaffiliated and unrequested take .


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Na, I wasn’t looking for anything that detailed. Just an “about us” type of background, not a resume.

 

[Christopher.Reed]

Na, I wasn’t looking for anything that detailed. Just an “about us” type of background, not a resume.

Ahh, sorry for the misunderstanding and happy hunting this season .


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[robby denning]

They are reaching out to previous purchasers of the method pack and offering a free exchange based solely off consumer feedback?!? Thats out ******* standing and the way consumer loyalty is earned…


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Agreed, very cool.

Saw First Lite do that way back when over some lame pants they produced. Won a lot of hearts.

 

[KickinNDishin]

After receiving the new belt and frame, I submitted a few observations to FORLOH.

1) The vertical stays are too flexible, I think they need to be stiffer at least so that they do not flex under a load or when the load lifter straps are tightened.

When tightened to the max, the pack flexed into my neck.

2) The ghooks for the load lifters slide out (disconnect) too easily. I also don't like the ghook for the weapon area.

3) The compression straps make it hard to get into the second compartment and don't compress the second compartment well. Loosening the compression straps to access the secondary compartment causes the load in the main compartment to no longer be secured, requiring me to reorganize both compartments. Since the two compartments are layered on top of each other, they should have layered compression so that accessing one doesn't result in losing compression on the other.

4) The loop at the top of the stay doesn't allow both the load lifter strap and the meat shelf to work at the same time.

5) I dislike that the bow/gun holder is sewn in because I would prefer my arrows to ride with the fletching up. It is also hard to thread the webbing back through the ladder locks.

6) I prefer gatekeepers over side release buckles and think that they would compress the bag better (in combination with layered compression #3) to be small in day pack mode.

With my hunting season in full swing, I have concluded my testing. Overall I'm impressed with the responsiveness of FORLOH and look forward to their updates.

 

[robby denning]

After receiving the new belt and frame, I submitted a few observations to FORLOH.

1) The vertical stays are too flexible, I think they need to be stiffer at least so that they do not flex under a load or when the load lifter straps are tightened.

When tightened to the max, the pack flexed into my neck.

2) The ghooks for the load lifters slide out (disconnect) too easily. I also don't like the ghook for the weapon area.

3) The compression straps make it hard to get into the second compartment and don't compress the second compartment well. Loosening the compression straps to access the secondary compartment causes the load in the main compartment to no longer be secured, requiring me to reorganize both compartments. Since the two compartments are layered on top of each other, they should have layered compression so that accessing one doesn't result in losing compression on the other.

4) The loop at the top of the stay doesn't allow both the load lifter strap and the meat shelf to work at the same time.

5) I dislike that the bow/gun holder is sewn in because I would prefer my arrows to ride with the fletching up. It is also hard to thread the webbing back through the ladder locks.

6) I prefer gatekeepers over side release buckles and think that they would compress the bag better (in combination with layered compression #3) to be small in day pack mode.

With my hunting season in full swing, I have concluded my testing. Overall I'm impressed with the responsiveness of FORLOH and look forward to their updates.

Thanks for taking all this on Cindy. Very thorough. And thanks to @robert_cpo_forloh for coming on and being willing to listen