New Maxpedition Falcon-II

[Todd Murphy]

I picked up a new Falcon-II last week along with a couple of bottle holders. I had planned a big hike on Saturday with my Brother-in-law to break it in. Unfortunately, he backed out Friday night. Undaunted, I decided to shorten the hike a bit and take one of my 9-year-olds with me instead. We drove up into the foothils above my house and took off! The hike was a 7.2 mile (round trip) trail to a giant rock protruding from the side of the canyon. The rock has been named (appropriately) Big Rock (or, Elephant Rock by some). I gotta tell you, I love that pack! It was extremely comfortable, and with all of the adjustable straps, I was able to jog with it without any problem at all. The Rat Pack Forum Knife is going to look AWESOME strapped to that bag! Here are a few pics. Sorry about the crappy cell-phone quality.

 

[Todd Murphy]

Here are a few more pictures. We saw a few chipmunks, a bunch of lizards, and a couple of deer. I tried to get a picture of one of the deer. It is circled in yellow. His girlfriend took off as soon as we rounded the corner.

 

[hansli]

Nothing like a smiling kid to improve the day. Scenery is nice too. Thanks.

 

[kgd]

Good trip report.

What are your thoughts on the bag? Comfort, organization, volume? Did it work for you?

P.S. I have the same bag. Its my favorite daypack and short stay bag I have yet to encounter. I have a couple of bottle holders on order, but I think that will make an improvement over the bladder. Plus extra pockets.

Where do you plan on strapping the forum knife?

I found that I don't like any of my rats connected via molle clips. The side webbing near the bottom seems the most logical place, but that real estate is going to go to the bottle holders. The front panel is good, but you need to take the bag off of you for access (Good spot for the RC-6 though). I've tried attaching them to the strap webbing. I don't like this either. The knife holds too tight to the strap. A quick jerk of the knife results in an uncontrolled draw. I can see myself getting cut in the arm. I obviously wouldn't orient the knife blade up - don't want to slit my own throat.

What does work for me really well is the izula. I dangle it on the last molle web on the right hand strap via a carbiner hooked through the molle loop and through the bottom hole of the sheath. When I grab hold of the izula, the freedom privided by the carbiner allows me to tilt the handle up and away from me, drawing the knife away.

 

[Todd Murphy]

What are your thoughts on the bag? Comfort, organization, volume? Did it work for you?

P.S. I have the same bag. Its my favorite daypack and short stay bag I have yet to encounter. I have a couple of bottle holders on order, but I think that will make an improvement over the bladder. Plus extra pockets.

Where do you plan on strapping the forum knife?

I found that I don't like any of my rats connected via molle clips. The side webbing near the bottom seems the most logical place, but that real estate is going to go to the bottle holders. The front panel is good, but you need to take the bag off of you for access (Good spot for the RC-6 though). I've tried attaching them to the strap webbing. I don't like this either. The knife holds too tight to the strap. A quick jerk of the knife results in an uncontrolled draw. I can see myself getting cut in the arm. I obviously wouldn't orient the knife blade up - don't want to slit my own throat.

What does work for me really well is the izula. I dangle it on the last molle web on the right hand strap via a carbiner hooked through the molle loop and through the bottom hole of the sheath. When I grab hold of the izula, the freedom privided by the carbiner allows me to tilt the handle up and away from me, drawing the knife away.

I had no comfort issues at all with the pack. I really like the numerous pockets for organization. That is main reason I wanted to upgrade over my existing on or two pocket packs. I used both a 1.5 liter bladder as well as the bottle holders on this hike. The size of the bag will be great for any day hike I plan on taking with my family. I loaded the bag down with consideralby more than I needed for the hike just to see how it would ride. No complaints whatsoever. I considered getting the Condor-II instead of the Falcon-II, but decided I didn't need the additional room. Especially with the two water bottle holders. I haven't decided where to strap the Forum knife yet. I strapped a knife behind one of the bottle holders, and it worked out, but I didn't really use the knife on the hike. I drew it out a few times to see how easy it would be, but I don't know if I will leave a knife there, or now. I will play with it and try out different locations. I appreciate your feedback kgd.

 

[Any Cal.]

I got the Condor version of that in a trade. It is layed out really well, and built like a tank. I assume the Maxpedition is probably a little better, I know the straps are a little different. Really seems like a nice pack to beat up on for years with no issues.

 

[texastonydobbs]

Thanks for sharing , I love to hear people's opinions on different gear,Great looking set up !