Anyone have any of the kelty military-style packs? (like the eagle or falcon)

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Kirk_Ferentz

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Feb 16, 2010
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I'm considering the kelty falcon 66 (fka falcon 4000 I think ... not sure if they are actually different at all). I have wanted a military style pack with PALS webbing and tough nylon construction, but I don't need a super heavy pack that can handle huge 100+ pound military style loads. If my pack weighs that much, I will leave some of the gear at home. I'm more about 40 or 60 lbs. It looks like this pack is made more for what I want, as it is less heavy duty, and weighs quite a bit less as a result (under 7 lbs and under 6 without the lid).

The thing is, while I don't need it to be tough enough to carry 130 pounds, I do want it to be up to carrying a 60 or 70 lbs load many miles without failing. Also, I know that it probably is not going to rival to an osprey in terms of comfort and ventilation, but I'd like it to be fairly good in those departments. Bottom line is that I'd rather have a pretty good pack with the military style features than a great one like an osprey that doesn't have them.

Anyway, if any of you have experience with the kelty military packs like the falcon 66/4000 or the huge eagle pack or the smaller MAP, I'd appreciate your impressions of their build, toughness, and functionality. The reviews that I have seen have been good, other than a few people who seemed to be expecting an eberlestock or kifaru bomb-proof type packs.
 
Hi. I don't have any first hand experience with Kelty products, but I'm looking for a similar pack as you... I was considering a Kelty too, but they're quite hard to find here in EU. Now I'm leaning towards Tasmanian Tiger packs (Germany), you might want to take a look at them. I've done quite deep research and they've got really good reference. TT is a military department of Tatonka and uses their patented fully adjustable X-lite back padding (as well as their other systems) which I think is great, makes the packs as comfortable as modern trekking ones (only a little heavier but more durable). I believe this is one of the most critical feature of a larger rucksack. Good luck with your choosing...
Olda
 
I've hiked a little with the Kelty MAP 3500, and liked it. It is rugged enough for day hikes and weekend excursions, but the fabric seems a little thin if you are going through brush. Build quality is good, and it's functional, but there's very little external webbing/lashing, so if you are looking for that, look elsewhere, I'd say. I had about 30 lbs in it, and it handled that very comfortably. The bottom attachment points are too thin to get webbing through, that's how I usually carry my poncho, so that was a minus for me.

Overall, a good pack, but I'm still looking.
 
As an update, I picked up a Kelty Falcon 4000 at a great price ... my initial impressions are that its general construction like a typical civilian pack except that the nylon is more heavy duty -- just enough to be able to support PALS webbing, which I'm guessing would not work with the thin material that civilian packs are typically made out of. It feels comfy enough and able to support a heavy civilian load well. My guess is that it is on the same level as your typical Kelty pack. The belt seems to be very good. Time will tell though--hard to say without a lot of use.

In addition to the heavier material, it might be a little more toughly built than a typical civilian pack, but it definitely is not to the level of an eberlestock (and, although I have never held a kifaru or mystery ranch military pack, I'm sure that the kelty's build is also a lot less "bomb-proof" than theirs). But for those of you buying a pack for civilian use (meaning, not having to carry a 100+ pound load of hard equipment), that is not necessarily a bad thing, as the kelty can probably carry a heavy civilian load just as well, but weighs a good deal less. The bigger eberlestocks seem to me to be too much pack for carrying camping/hiking equipment, clothes, food and water, etc.

The general workmanship in the details seems pretty good. I think that the $300 MSRP is quite a bit more than what this pack is probably worth (given the way that the $400 eberlestocks are built, they seem like they would be MUCH more costly to manufacture). But if you can get these for the low $100's like I did, it seems like a good or maybe great deal. We will see.

In the end, it seems like what I wanted, which is a lighter civilian style pack that has PALS webbing and other military style features on the outside. I think I will end up really liking it.
 
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Hi. Good to hear you're satisfied with your pack. :thumbup:
I'll probably buy the TT Pathfinder tomorrow... Good deal works for me too.
 
Might as well throw an initial review on here ... to me, those looked like they were along the lines of an eberlestock. Not sure about the conversion rate, but looked like they had a pretty hefty price tag.
 
Kirk,

I am very interested in this pack (the 4000.) Can you tell me if the hip belt is easily removed. My reason is that I want to keep it in my truck, but often times packs with stiff or well made belts tend to get in the way or wont allow them to lay flat.

Thanks for the great review. Any more insights on it, now that you have had it for a few days to play with?

Ready
 
I haven't dealt with the military models but I have a Kelty Varanger and its awesome. I got it super cheap from Sportsman's Guide. I think I paid $50 and it normally sells for about $160. It got a ton of storage space and just seems very well built. It might be a model you would like if you can't get the Falcon, but its w/o webbing. Here's a pic of it
large-161104.jpg
 
Kirk,

Any chance you got to take a look at the belt and see if it was removable? I want to also be able to wear it as a day pack of sorts without the top (fanny pack) and without the belt. Without having a big belt get in the way, but also want the belt for heavier loads and hiking. This bag will go between my truck and the house mostly and belts get in the way sometimes.

Thanks.
 
I did not want to go to the trouble of taking the belt off, but I took a look at how it comes off, and it looks easy enough. I think that it is just a matter of detaching the straps that pull the belt off your body and un-velcro-ing the belt from the back of the pack. There might be some other steps, but it is obvious that it is designed to allow the belt to be detached fairly easily, so I wouldn't worry about it. A few calls to Kelty or some dealer who knows their stuff can probably give you 100% confirmation though.
 
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