Best day pack?

W

WBaaijen

Joined
Jan 10, 2011
Messages
47
Im considering buying a day pack, aprox. 25L with a camelback, lots of compartments good zippers and if possible a belt strap/loop (whatever you call it). Ive seen several post here in BF about Maxpedition bags but dont know much about them. Price isnt too much of an obstacle Im looking more for a guarantied cuality product than a cheapish one. Ill be glad to hear about all your recomendations and/or opinions.

Thanks in advance
Wouter
 
I have a Maxpedition Monsoon. Overall it's a great pack, but a couple of minor design details keep me from calling it "the best" or "perfect".

The pack is "tear-drop" shaped, which it seems some people find makes it awkward to load, especially if they want to use it to carry a lap top or books or something like that. Everything I carry is relatively small, and I don't have any trouble arranging it in the main compartment. The part that I have a problem with is the front pockets. There's a mesh pocket and another pocket behind that. Because of triangular shape, the openings are narrow and the pockets get wider at the bottom. I don't have any trouble with the mesh pocket, but the opening for the other pocket is a couple of inches higher up and is narrow enough that my hand just barely fits through.

The other small detail is the CCW compartment. It's just not easily accessible. The opening is on the right side when the bag is on your back, but it's awkward to reach back, unzip a zipper and draw. When you swing the bag around onto your chest, the opening for the CCW compartment is facing down toward the ground, and even less accessible. This is not a big deal for me. . . I prefer to keep my handgun on my belt rather than in a pack anyway, but it may be a factor for you or others. One good thing is that the strap goes from the right shoulder to the left hip, which means that it doesn't interfere with strong side carry unless you're left handed.

Enough of the down sides. . . The pack really has a lot going for it. It's definitely built tough. The single shoulder strap design allows it to easily swing around onto your chest, and the zippers for the main compartment are situated so that you can open it up and access your gear without removing the pack. It does have a belt to help stabilise it, and the belt rolls up and stows in a little mesh pocket to keep it out of the way when you're not using it. If there aren't enough pockets built in to keep you happy, there's webbing all over the place to attach your favorite molle pouches.

I used the pack on a trip to San Francisco as a carry on on the plane and as a day pack for wandering around the city. It was comfortable and very handy. . . Being able to shift the pack around to the front made for an easy time getting on and off the trains and buses, and also probably helped to keep me from knocking things over when manoeuvring through crowded shops with narrow aisles in china town.

This is the only Maxpedition product that I own (so far) but based on the quality of it, I'd definitely recommend any of their other products. The overall design and quality of materials and construction far outweigh the couple of little details that I don't like.
 
your best bet is to look at what you want to carry and what activities you plan on doing. Back packs are personal choices


Although I like maxpedition, I think a smaller lighter camelbak works better for my active activities

to each his own
 
I really liked the Maxpedition Kodiak Gearslinger, However I was presented with another option, I found a second hand timberland backpack that was left at here by some family friends, turns out the shoulder strap padding was twisted and because of that it was left behind. All that had to be done was acomodate the padding. thanks anyways for the input.
 
For a day pack I just wear a normal ole Kelty Range backpack.
2000 cu. inch.

Light and strong. I do enjoy Kelty products.

Kelty-Range-Backpack.jpg



No camelback, but I don't like them anyways. :) Had too many of them bust on me to keep buying the things.
 
If you want lots of compartments and pockets, the Maxpedition Falcon II simply can't be beat in that size range. And, it has a hipbelt. And it comes in like a million colors (if that's important).
 
If you want quality materials and durability, Maxpedition, Camelbak (military), and similar tactical brands are hard to beat. If comfort and ergonomics are more important (they are to me), then go with one of the outdoor oriented brands like Camelbak (sport), Osprey, Arc'Teryx, Gregory, etc. The outdoor packs are not easy to destroy by any means, but they will generally not be using the 500-1000 denier nylon like the tactical brands.

We just got the Osprey Hydraulics (hydration) packs in and I have been very impressed so far. They are the best designed hydration packs that I have encountered, but they do not get as big as the rest of their lines.
 
I just recently purchased a Camelbak Rim Runner, and couldn't be happier with the results. Not as big as my old day pack (jansport) but the new and improved bladders are a plus. You get 2 compartments (3 if you count where the bladder goes), one fleece lined pocket for phones, glasses, etc, 2 side pockets, and an organizer inside one of the compartments.

1344186-p-2x.jpg
 
I don't know about the best anything, but I know a nice bag when I see one and I'm a fan of the TAD gear fastpack EDC and the Kifaru XRAY. They're both pretty stupid-proof and they're both well thought out yet simple... Depends on if you wanna shell out 300+ for a bag, I've got an xray but I also use it every day so it was worth it to me :)

That said, you really can't go wrong with a Maxpedition bag either. I've got a Condor and it's plenty nice and rugged. You won't be disappointed with them... Good luck :)
 
JohnWayne360 said:
I just recently purchased a Camelbak Rim Runner, and couldn't be happier with the results. Not as big as my old day pack (jansport) but the new and improved bladders are a plus. You get 2 compartments (3 if you count where the bladder goes), one fleece lined pocket for phones, glasses, etc, 2 side pockets, and an organizer inside one of the compartments.

1344186-p-2x.jpg
Click to expand...

The Rim Runner is my go to day pack. I have several
, but keep reaching for the Rim Runner when I head out.
 
I'm not huge water bladder guy. My wife and I have a stack of Nalgenes though. Have to love being dishwasher safe, BPA free etc.

Sooo, since water bladders aren't an issue for me I run a Chrome pack for day in day out stuff. For BOB, serious hiking etc...Eberlestock!
 
I have the Camelback Talon jump ready version and I'm really happy with it. The jump ready version has two small exterior pockets for some of the jump straps but since I don't jump I cut the straps off and use those pockets for my cell phone charger and extra .380 magazine. It also has jump rigging covered under a velcro panel on the bottom which I was able to cut free allowing me to remove the whole exterior "admin" section and carry it inside the main compartment. If I want to free up space inside, I just snap and velcro the admin section back on the outside and it also allows odd shaped stuff (like flip flops, shemaghs, or anything to large to fit inside) to be cinched down between the admin pouch and the rest of the pack.
I also removed the water bladder as I carry a kleen kanteen as well as removed the plastic back reinforcement since it has more than adequate padding against your back. I probably would have been happy with the regular Talon but I don't think it has the velcro at the bottom and it doesn't have the two smaller external pockets. They're both expensive but I feel they're worth the $$$.
I take this bag everywhere, work, play, weekend trips, it's very versatile.
Admin off:
IMAG0181.jpg


Admin on:Left toe for size perspective :)
IMAG0182.jpg


Also, it's a top loader, not clam shell so it doesn't have the potential to zip open and dump all your stuff everywhere. You can really cram it full.
 
Last edited:
storl said:
If you want quality materials and durability, Maxpedition, Camelbak (military), and similar tactical brands are hard to beat. If comfort and ergonomics are more important (they are to me), then go with one of the outdoor oriented brands like Camelbak (sport), Osprey, Arc'Teryx, Gregory, etc. The outdoor packs are not easy to destroy by any means, but they will generally not be using the 500-1000 denier nylon like the tactical brands.
Click to expand...


Good advice right here. Ive got a Max Pygmy Falcon II as an edc bag. Its good and durable, but its not in the same league as my Osprey when were talkng about hiking.

storl said:
We just got the Osprey Hydraulics (hydration) packs in and I have been very impressed so far. They are the best designed hydration packs that I have encountered, but they do not get as big as the rest of their lines.
Click to expand...

Yeah, ive been drooling all over the new Manta. Im even considering selling the Maxpedition and getting the Manta instead.
 
Lots of folks love maxpedition/tactical packs/bags on this forum. I haven't tried them, but a basic rucksack design w/o zippers or only on the top portion, is a proven design without much to every break or fail. I guess it depend on whether your criteria includes hydration needs, the ability to lask on gear, etc.

I guess think about your intended use and go from their. Regardless of style or brand, there are a myriad of options out there for good prices.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top