CNOC Vecto Review

Overview

The CNOC Vecto is a collapsible TPU water container with two openings: a wide mouth sealed by a slider, and a soda-bottle-style threaded neck that accepts a filter. It is built for backpackers who squeeze or gravity-filter and are tired of the narrow-necked pouches bundled with their filters. The trade-off is weight and longevity: a 2L Vecto weighs roughly twice what a Platypus Platy does, and thin TPU does eventually wear out.

Key Specs

Spec	Detail
Weight	69–105 g depending on capacity and thread
Capacity	1 L, 2 L or 3 L
Material	FDA-approved TPU; BPA, BPF and BPS free
Thread options	28 mm (Sawyer Squeeze, Mini and Micro; HydroBlu Versa Flow; LifeStraw Flex) or 42 mm (Katadyn BeFree)
Packed size	7 × 2 × 1.25 in (1L); 7 × 2 × 1.5 in (2L, 28 mm); 7 × 2 × 2 in (3L)
Filled size	About 10 in (1L), 13.5 in (2L), 17 in (3L), all 7 in wide
Breaking point	220 lb, per CNOC
Operating temperature	20°F to 120°F (-6°C to 49°C)
Closure	Slider-sealed wide opening with hanging loop; tethered cap and slider

Performance

Filling

Filling is the reason the Vecto has a following. The wide mouth takes a swipe or two through a stream, where a Sawyer pouch, which fills only through its narrow neck, needs many. At a shallow trickle or a silty seep, that gap decides whether collecting water takes thirty seconds or ten minutes. Hikers in group settings often report that the Vecto fills where other bladders will not. Still water is fussier. Owners describe needing two hands, one to hold the mouth open and one to dunk the bag, and plenty of hikers simply scoop with a cook pot at ponds.

Filtering

The threaded neck mates with 28 mm or 42 mm filters, depending on the version. Users report a tight, leak-free seal with Sawyer filters when the threads are started carefully and not overtightened. A few Trailspace reviewers had trouble getting a filter to engage; seating the gasket squarely before tightening solves it.

For gravity filtering, the loop on the slider lets the bag hang from a branch or a trekking-pole tripod. Hang it, thread on the filter, and go pitch the tent. Squeeze filtering is no strain either. The TPU rolls easily and resists the kinking that gives stock Sawyer pouches their pinhole leaks. One group of hikers reported filtering four liters in under ten minutes with a 2L Vecto and a pair of bottles, while companions with stock pouches took far longer.

Carrying Water

The Vecto collects water better than it carries it. It tends to squirm out of external straps unless full, and CNOC’s own FAQ advises against packing a full bag inside a pack if leaks are a concern. Many owners do it anyway without incident. A hard bottle still earns more trust next to a down quilt.

Durability

Longevity is mixed. One Trailspace reviewer reports years of use from two 2L bags without a single issue. Another longtime owner got close to two years before a leak showed up after roughly 150 days on trail, a pattern that looks like fatigue more than puncture. Long-term users also describe occasional pinprick leaks on older bags, which CNOC appears to have addressed in newer production. CNOC says pinholes from UV, cold and abrasion are not covered by warranty unless they appear on a new bag. A round patch of Tear-Aid Type A or a drop of superglue handles the repair and weighs next to nothing.

The slider and cap are tethered, so neither gets dropped in the dirt or lost in the dark, and any standard PET bottle cap will replace a lost one. The slider is the weak point. Owners report it stiffening after several days of grit, and a broken one cannot be fixed in the field.

Hikers who are hard on gear have a built-in alternative. CNOC’s VectoX uses 0.4 mm TPU in place of the Vecto’s 0.3 mm and weighs 92 g in the 2L 28 mm size against 77 g for the standard bag.

Cleaning and Taste

The bag turns inside out, and the wide mouth lets a hand in for scrubbing. It dries in about twenty minutes after washing. New bags give water a faint plastic taste that fades with use, so CNOC recommends washing and airing the bag before the first trip.

Choosing a Version

The design is the same across the range. What changes is capacity and thread size, and the weights follow from those two choices. Listed weights for the same bag can differ by a few grams between retailers and production runs, which is why the 2L appears at 76, 77 and 79 g.

1L (69 g) is the lightest and smallest, packing to 7 × 2 × 1.25 inches. It suits solo hikers who filter at the source and drink as they go, and anyone who wants a dedicated dirty bag with minimal bulk.

2L, 28 mm (76, 77 and 79 g) is the all-rounder and the version most owners mean when they talk about the Vecto. Two liters covers a solo hiker’s evening cook water plus a refill, and the bag packs to 7 × 2 × 1.5 inches. The 3 g spread across listings is not something a pack will register, so choose by price and availability. This is the one for Sawyer Squeeze, Mini and Micro, HydroBlu Versa Flow and LifeStraw Flex users.

2L, 42 mm (87 g) is the same bag with the wider thread for the Katadyn BeFree and other 42 mm filters. It costs about 8 to 10 g more than the 28 mm 2L and packs slightly thicker, at about 1.8 inches. BeFree owners have no choice here, because a 28 mm bag will not fit.

3L, 28 mm (84, 91 and 105 g) is the dry-camp and shared-camp size. It packs to 7 × 2 × 2 inches and stretches to about 17 inches when full, which hangs well from a tree. CNOC lists the standard 28 mm 3L at 91 g, and one reviewer weighed it at 84 g. The 105 g listing is the heaviest 3L and 14 g over the standard figure, so weight-focused buyers should favor the 91 g bag. A couple’s cooking and drinking water fits in a single filtering session.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Wide mouth fills quickly from streams, seeps and shallow sources
• Threaded neck fits 28 mm filters, with a 42 mm option for BeFree users
• Built-in loop and slider make gravity filtering simple
• Cap and slider are tethered
• Turns inside out for fast cleaning and drying
• TPU resists the kinking and pinholes that plague stock Sawyer pouches
• Three capacities, from 69 g (1L) to roughly 91 g (standard 3L)

Cons

• Heavier than minimalist soft bags: a 2L Platypus Platy weighs about 37 g against roughly 76–79 g for the Vecto 2L
• Pinholes can develop with age, UV and cold, and are not covered by warranty after purchase
• CNOC advises against carrying it full inside a pack
• A broken or gritty slider cannot be fixed on trail
• New bags taste of plastic until washed and broken in
• No drinking hose

Who Should Buy This

The Vecto fits backpackers who filter with a Sawyer, HydroBlu, LifeStraw Flex or BeFree and want a collection bag that does not fight them. The 1L and 2L suit solo hikers who filter at the source, and the 3L suits dry-camp hikers and pairs sharing a gravity setup. Anyone who sips from a hose on the move, or who wants the lightest possible bag for the least money, should look at a plain Platypus Platy or an Evernew bottle instead. Hikers headed out for months and rough on gear should step up to the VectoX.

Verdict

The Vecto does one job, collecting and holding untreated water for filtering, better than the pouches that come with most filters. It adds weight and wants a patch kit on long trips, but the fast fill and easy gravity setup justify both. For a Sawyer or BeFree water system, it is one of the better upgrades available.