6 Attachment(s)
Flextail Max Pump 2 Pro Review
Why the Flextail?
Recently my Black Diamond Remoji lamp has been dying into the second night of use. At 122g it was a luxury item and served me well over 5 years in the back country, but the cold does take its toll on battery life. I've noticed the same has been happening to my Nitecore 10000 battery bank. So, I thought I'd look at getting a replacement for the lamp. And being a gear nerd - off into the gear black hole I went (excellent). I came across the Flextail pumps in some hiking reviews, and noticed a model which had a number of benefits beyond just inflating/deflating of sleeping pads (which I thought was stupid/lame tbh). Given a lamp is a lamp, I was really interested in the ability to vacuum seal my dry clothing and sleeping gear (keep waterproof, and compress them for space savings) in addition to the back up battery bank.
Cost $80 NZD sourced on line from Lifestyle Gear in Clevedon
I've had this product for about a month now, and taken it on one x 4 day trip.
Flextail is a Chinese company. They have been around for about 10 years and produce some awesome products. If you want a giggle watch their lifestyle video for the pump. Top notch videography. The dialogue... not so much :)
Flextail Max Pump 2 Pro
https://www.flextail.com/en-au/products/max-pump-2-pro
Air Pump - inflating and deflating sleeping pads
Camping Lantern - 50 - 500 lumins, they say up to 10 hours life
Vacuum Pump - to inflate/deflate Flextail/Vacuum seal bags
Battery Bank - can charge Iphone up to 1.5x
Weight 161 grams weighed at home
Attachment 251880
Next to my Nitecore 10000 battery bank. I wanted some additional battery juice and this helps!
I purchased this initially on Ali Express on a killer deal. This arrived in the post (the one on the left):
Attachment 251882
Well this was a mistake. Despite using 100% of Flextail's advertising the Chinese dealer sent me this piece of crap. Which didn't perform well at all on the Flextail vacuum bags I ordered separately. In theory I have a 50% refund coming from Ali Express, but I doubt I be seeing it.
Caveat emptor, Lesson learned. I ordered locally from Lifestyle Gear which arrived in a timely manner.
The Pump:
https://lifestylegear.co.nz/products...43471319531738
Vacuum Bags:
https://lifestylegear.co.nz/products...44431637414106
So, how does it perform? Here's an example of my sleeping gear/puffer jackets, compressed down using the Flextail 40cm x 60xm bag:
Attachment 251883
Revelation Quilt from Enlightened Equipment about 650g, Puffer Jacket 300 grams and Vest 170g
Attachment 251884
Before vacuum sealing. To vacuum seal you unscrew the black plug, and use the Flextail with the right valve attached (comes with four different types). You need to really tighten down the ziplock type bag seal. Took about 15 seconds to seal.
Attachment 251885
Compressed. Based on the skirting board as a plum line, I'd suggest 15-20% compression.
General Findings
So, compressed by 15-20% (you judge!) Also, water tight. Contrary to popular opinion, you can compress high quality down. I do so the night before when packing, and unpack as soon as the sleeping pad is inflated. I use 2 x 40x60cm bags to pack my dry gear. Each bag is 50 grams. So now, instead of a large drybag (170g), I use 2 of these bags. I'm tempted to try one of these on a meat bag carry out, but the last trip got 2 deer, so a bit too much for this bag size. I noticed you can source different bags from the Warehouse locally for much less.
Sleeping Pad/Light/Battery Bank
I used it on my sleeping pad (with another valve fitting) and it did the job in about 45 seconds. It is actually a nice to have after a 4-6 hour hike. I generally just undo the valve and let the pad self deflate at the end of the trip. The light in the tent is good, has a high setting and a standard low setting which is perfectly adequate. The battery bank option has already come in handy on a four day trip when the Nitecore was through, allowing me to top up my phone. Think of it as a top up device, given you may be using it for other functions that drain the battery.
Pros
4 functions in one device
Compact, easily rechargeable via USB
Lightweight at 161 grams
Cons
Vacuum Bag - you have to use a lot of strength to seal it before compressing. You can't overfill them either. They may deflate over time if there is not a good seal, but that doesn't bother me as they are in the bag already packed.
Cost - $80 NZD, but it replaced my Remoji Lamp at the same price
Verdict
At 161 grams I'm stoked to have a multifunctional luxury product that performs 4 functions that I use to replace my 122gram lamp (nerd). It's tiny, compact, and does a number of things well. I'm still trialing it, but am enjoying the vacuum sealing and space saving, in addition to the back up battery juice.
Attachment 251889
Stoked.
