3-day pack needed
 

Gentlemen,

I have searched the "Rucksacks", "Rucks" and "small pack" threads but couldn't find quite what I'm looking for.

I need some help finding a suitable pack for me.
So far I've been through 2 "cheap" packs from amazon, both in the $40 range. They lasted me about a year each, but they were made cheap and eventually tore apart. The zippers gave up on one of them too.


The pack goes with me on weekend trips on the motorcycle, 35 liters is the ideal size. If possible it should have some velco/hook&loop backing so I can stick my blood type ID and some med information on there.

Color wise OD or FDE would be nice.

Any ideas or suggestions? I know $40 is aweful cheap for a piece of gear that gets used quite alot, but I don't want to spend a fortune on a backpack.

Thank you very much in advance!

I've heard good things about these guys - no experience though.

http://www.maxpedition.com/

Range friend of mine has one of their gun bags. Not bad at all, but a little pricey. Maybe somebody has some input on their 3-day packs?

Thanks MR2!

How much money are you willing to spend for the pack? That's going to inform your decision more than anything else.

Well, since the products in the $40-$50 range are not holding up very well I was thinking about maybe $150 if that gets me something more durable and sturdy.

I have used a Camelbak BFM for almost ten years without any issues.

It is a bit big, but you can close it up easily with the built in compression straps, and let it back out when you need to.

Lots of handy pockets as well.

MSRP is a little high, but you can get them on sale or used occasionally.

TR

If you're willing to pony up another $50, You'll be in range for a Kifaru Urban Zippy. Kifaru makes durable kit and has great customer service. I doubt you'd ever need to buy another bag unless your needs changed. Good luck!

http://store.kifaru.net/mobile/urban...ters-p150.aspx

Looking at the link Doc provided, I'm reminded of the large selection of equally priced packs down at the Denver Gun Show. Some real fancy looking packs, in a wide range of colors. As a guy who has designed his own gear, at first glance, I'm impressed with all the pockets, zippers, flashing lights, etc. Then I see the price and all I can imagine is a seam, panel or zipper blowout.

Now either someone has a line on a massive stockpile of packs and they can afford to sell them at ridiculously low prices or else they are being made by a member or friend of the family who has no understanding of the cost of materials, processes, nor the value of their labor. Or they are made by someone with no interest for quality control-like Blackhawk. Then again, Blackhawk packs are built with materials that make them unnecessarily heavy and priced way higher than they are worth, IMO.

Now you can get around the issues of cheap packs simply by purchasing multiples of them so you can replace one when it fails. Carrying a decent sewing repair kit might also be in order. (As is the case with all Blackhawk bags/packs). Or else you can look at a better quality pack from outfits like Gregory, Maxpedition, Kelty, Kifau, REI, etc. One of their packs will likely cost more but would have a much greater lifespan, provided you take care of it like you would any other piece of equipment.

I've had a TAD (Triple Aught Design) pack for 8 years. The pack has held up for 4 deployments an since my retirement from AD it's my go to pack for everything. Hope this helps.

I've had the Haversack Depradador from Comandos De Selva http://www.comandosdeselva.com.co/ for about 6 or 7 years now and it's as good or better than anything I've found made here in the states. I paid about US$75 for it plus shipping of about $25. Great quality. I've never busted a seam, buckle or zipper and the ability to unzip the outer pack and turn the bottom half into a three day pack (that actually holds as much as an Alice Large) has been invaluable. Oh, and did I mention that one of the outer sections has a velcro holster and magazine straps at the top where you can get to it quickly if needed?

I use this as my primary luggage now. If you can go up to $100 you wouldn't be sorry. It's gone through everything in the civilian world plus two deployments with me and is still going strong.

Maxpedition's address is here in Southern California so I called them. They do not have their own retail outlet. The woman I talked to said that a retailer called Recon1 carries most of their gear. It is in the San Fernando Valley. Unfortunately, I live about 5 minutes from Disneyland so these guys are about 80 miles away from me. I did order a .pdf catalogue from them...

Thank you very much Gentlemen. Lots of input to work with now.

I'll have a look at every single one of your suggestions. Unfortunately some are out of my price range ($250+), but many of them would fit my budget.

I saw a Maxpedition Vulture II on Amazon for around $144, with free shipping to my stateside address. There is also a 5.11 3-day rush backpack in the same price range, but I don't know what the quality is. I have some 5.11 clothing and it's pretty decent.

Buying multiple cheap ones and just throw them away as they fade isn't something I really want to do.

The Camelback that TR suggested looks good too, plus it would give me the opportunity to hydrate while being on the motorcycle. I do have a Camelback, but it's the 3L hydration system only.

The Kifaru X-Ray would be the right size, but $376 is way out of my range.

LA Police gear has the kind of packs that I've used so far.

I have also found this: http://www.amazon.com/Operators-Mili...ct_top?ie=UTF8

The price seems good, has the velco panel and small pouches that can be taken off or added if needed. Ever heard of VVV?

There is a Condor backpack as well that I haven't heard of (I have a rifle sling from them, didn't know they made packs):

http://www.amazon.com/Condor-Assault...=ATVPDKIKX0DER


Thank you again for taking the time and looking at this. I appreciate it.

I've got two of these and they are excellent packs. I was looking at the website and I think they have even streamlined it a bit. Served me well in A-Stan, and now at home for Bugout Bags/camping/dog walk bags/travel.

43L, Great quality, semirigid frame (sort of), lots of storage, hydration pocket, compressible, antenna ports (hey, you never know), lots of places to add attachables, and good solid padded shoulder straps.