Tactical Looking backpack at school?

I doubt they'll throw you out of the school for having a "tacticool pack" but you will probably be socially ostracized for it. Like that weird kid who goes to school with camo BDU pants, army boots and a mullet. You are not doing yourself any favors. The Japanese have a saying... The nail that sticks out gets hammered. There is not benefit to standing out. My advice; get a standard book/laptop bag from the usual suspects.

The whole dual purpose reasoning that it's for school and outdoors stuff is false by the way. There is nothing about tacticool packs that makes them superior to standard bags for outdoor use. In many ways they are worse. They weigh more and generally have poor hip belts. All that counts in a hiking pack is that the suspension system is good and that you can fit your stuff in it. That second part is worth considering since if you can fit your camping gear into a school bag it means either your school bag is waaay too big or you have an admirably compact camping setup.

tl;dr Get a normal bag for school
 
sideways said:
I doubt they'll throw you out of the school for having a "tacticool pack" but you will probably be socially ostracized for it. Like that weird kid who goes to school with camo BDU pants, army boots and a mullet. You are not doing yourself any favors. The Japanese have a saying... The nail that sticks out gets hammered. There is not benefit to standing out. My advice; get a standard book/laptop bag from the usual suspects.

The whole dual purpose reasoning that it's for school and outdoors stuff is false by the way. There is nothing about tacticool packs that makes them superior to standard bags for outdoor use. In many ways they are worse. They weigh more and generally have poor hip belts. All that counts in a hiking pack is that the suspension system is good and that you can fit your stuff in it. That second part is worth considering since if you can fit your camping gear into a school bag it means either your school bag is waaay too big or you have an admirably compact camping setup.

tl;dr Get a normal bag for school
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I am not worried about being ostracized at all haha I am very popular at my school and have many friends. I dress very Southern Cali not tacticool. And am very social so I am not a outcast or someone who people stray from at all. Nobody would care what backpack I had if we are talking about only my peers. I am only concerned about what the teachers might think.
And about the whole standing out thing. I agree with that in some cases. ( like this case wearing a bunch of tacticool stuff haha ) In other cases I think standing out is a very good thing, but ya I promise not to go all tacticool :)
Regular backpack just as good as a Maxpedition?? I cant agree with you there. Maxpeditions are tanks, they aren't that heavy and weight doesn't bother me im ( 6'2 185)
They are extremely spacious inside and very very comfortable to carry ( I have used them in the past)
And the zippers wont get stuck on ya too haha
 
knifeandgun said:
I am not worried about being ostracized at all haha I am very popular at my school and have many friends. I dress very Southern Cali not tacticool. And am very social so I am not a outcast or someone who people stray from at all. Nobody would care what backpack I had if we are talking about only my peers. I am only concerned about what the teachers might think.
And about the whole standing out thing. I agree with that in some cases. ( like this case wearing a bunch of tacticool stuff haha ) In other cases I think standing out is a very good thing, but ya I promise not to go all tacticool :)
Regular backpack just as good as a Maxpedition?? I cant agree with you there. Maxpeditions are tanks, they aren't that heavy and weight doesn't bother me im ( 6'2 185)
They are extremely spacious inside and very very comfortable to carry ( I have used them in the past)
And the zippers wont get stuck on ya too haha
Click to expand...

If you are ok with the tacticool look that is your business. Different strokes for different folks and all that. ;)

The weight-to-capacity ratios, street prices and poor suspension systems are not as easily dismissed.

Your strength does not matter. Ask any experienced hiker/soldier and they'll tell you weight is always an issue when you are carrying it long distances. How you are carrying the weight is also huge. You want your pack and it's contents to weigh as little as possible. You also want the weight distribution to sit "right"

A poorly engineered or ill fitting suspension system will ruin a trip. Don't look at the padding on the shoulder straps. Look at the hip belt and check that the size/torso length fits you. Since 80% of the weight should be carried by your hips you need a hip belt that will take the weight.

The hip belt is obvious, if it is floppy or undersized it will not transfer the weight to your hips. Torso length comes into it because with the wrong length backpack the weight stays on your shoulders (too short) or things start flapping around (too long). A good outdoor equipment retailer will be able to help you with this. Testing packs out in the shops to see what fits you is vital. It's like shoes, you can't just order online and expect to get something that fits.

Lets compare a few packs. From the Maxpedition range I'm looking at the Xantha. My reasoning for the specific pack being that it was the only one that had a proper hip belt. Compare that to an osprey atmos 50 or Osprey talon 44. Or look at something bigger like the kelty coyote 80.

Xantha:
32L capacity, 1.7kg. Questionable ergonomics. 230$

Atmos 50 (size large):
53L capacity, 1.5 kg. Excellent ergonomics. 200$

Talon 44 (size large):
44L capacity, 1.2 kg. Excellent ergonomics. 120$

Kelty Coyote 80:
80L capacity, 2.4kg. Huge pack ergonomics (lots of weight because you packed a whole lot of stuff). 150$

If you start comparing value for money things get even more interesting since you could get multiple packs for the price of one xantha. Then there is the little detail that getting your camping gear to fit in a 30litre pack is challenging? The standard old school camper has a 60 liter pack for a weekend camping trip.
 
knifeandgun said:
I know this isn't knife related, but my backpack has recently begun falling apart and I need to buy a new one soon. I thought it would be a good opportunity to kill 2 birds with one stone and get a backpack I could use for hikes and camping, but also to take to school.( im currently 17 years old and enrolled in high school in California..)
I have my eyes on either a Maxpedition Condor 2 or the Vulture 2. Problem is I am slightly worried that I could get in some sort of trouble for having a "tactical looking" backpack at school. I have heard of kids getting suspended for wearing camo or anything military looking. Recently a friend of mine was suspended at his school for wear pants that resembled tactical pants! Not even the real thing and he was suspended.
I would really love to get one of them but I'm worried I might get in trouble.
Do you guys think I should just go for it?
Any parents/teachers familiar with their schools policies tell me what you guys think please.
All opinions are appreciated!
( if this should be in a different forum area let me know please)
-Sebastian
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We gotta live in different worlds. My old AP Human Geography teacher was a combat engineer in desert storm, and every veterans day he brings in all his old military stuff, guns, and pictures from desert storm. He brought in an ar15, m1a, ak47, m92, and a glock like it was show and tell. And my schools fine with it! In his military history class I took he brought in old surplus weapons and all that. Come to Georgia!
 
G.Moll said:
We gotta live in different worlds. My old AP Human Geography teacher was a combat engineer in desert storm, and every veterans day he brings in all his old military stuff, guns, and pictures from desert storm. He brought in an ar15, m1a, ak47, m92, and a glock like it was show and tell. And my schools fine with it! In his military history class I took he brought in old surplus weapons and all that. Come to Georgia!
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God bless the south!
 
knifeandgun said:
I know this isn't knife related, but my backpack has recently begun falling apart and I need to buy a new one soon. I thought it would be a good opportunity to kill 2 birds with one stone and get a backpack I could use for hikes and camping, but also to take to school.( im currently 17 years old and enrolled in high school in California..)
I have my eyes on either a Maxpedition Condor 2 or the Vulture 2. Problem is I am slightly worried that I could get in some sort of trouble for having a "tactical looking" backpack at school. I have heard of kids getting suspended for wearing camo or anything military looking. Recently a friend of mine was suspended at his school for wear pants that resembled tactical pants! Not even the real thing and he was suspended.
I would really love to get one of them but I'm worried I might get in trouble.
Do you guys think I should just go for it?
Any parents/teachers familiar with their schools policies tell me what you guys think please.
All opinions are appreciated!
( if this should be in a different forum area let me know please)
-Sebastian
Click to expand...

sounds like a great way to pay for your college education - bait the lib school district into suspending you and then sue the shit out of them. Trial Laywer's association exists for a reason.
That being said, I'd look at kelty or osprey (skip the north face sorority uniform crap) for a non tactical pack.

ETA: Maybe we have different definitions etc but I would not use a bookbag for a camping trip and visa versa. Have dedicated gear and your life will be easier. Here in CO, it's much easier to get away in Arc'teryx pants, TAD hoodies and lowa boots b/c the outdoors community is so prevelant. People just think you're another hippie going bouldering.
If you don't buy in Multicam, UCP, or maybe even tan/khaki, nobody will think it's 'tactical' - just outdoorsy
 
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Multi Cam is the worst. I wore camo often in high school and used a molle bag for high school and college wrestling practice, and I would probably think someone decked out in multi cam was a dweeb.
 
Why not just get a hiking backpack?

I found a cheap hiker's backpack with comfortable spine pads and padding for laptops and tablets.

It was under $40 and it's very durable (won't fall apart on you anytime soon).

Sporting stores carry a bunch, online, or used here. Personally I avoid anything that looks tactical, but you are young, maybe you need to explore your tastes.
 
Thanks everyone for your input on the matter and on what type of bag to look for :)
It's been a real help! That's why I always look to BF for answers.
 
bradpierson26 said:
sounds like a great way to pay for your college education - bait the lib school district into suspending you and then sue the shit out of them. Trial Laywer's association exists for a reason.
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Now that's a line of thinking I can appreciate. If people want to play hardball, they shouldn't cry when they actually get hit. Sometimes a dog is going to bite you until it learns you're not to be messed with. Same thing in this case.

Just in case, keep a few lawyer's business cards handy and inform them of what's going to happen.
 
I have a friend who uses a maxpedition bag at school. All black and covered in molle webbing. We joke about buying an ar mag pouch to hold his pencils in lol. There's also tons of people using military surplus bags or bags from the ROTC room and I've never heard anything even related to that. Btw you also can't have your hair spiked higher than 1.5 inches if that gives you any bearing on the rule structure.
 
I'm a school administrator in Florida. I have both the Condor II, as well as the Vulture. Mine are both in the Maxpedition digi-camo that I love. I edc them to work daily and I would never reprimand a student for doing the same. If I have reason to check a bag I do, whether it's tactical or a flowery Jansport. It's solely based on suspicion/reason to do so.

As far as the two bags are concerned, the vulture may be too big for a school bag, although I find myself using it more often than the condor. It's more comfortable for carrying books and a change of clothes to go the gym after work...if it were just books it would be the condor II.
 
I would suggest that you talk to the principal or asst principal on back pack selection. I would hate to have you spend $ and then be told to leave it home "or else". I have to admit that this would have been very difficult for me when I was in high school.

I like the 5.11 Tactical bags; have a couple of them. They are well made. The most recent was a Traveler which I am using for lap top carry duty for out of town jobs.
 
sideways said:
The whole dual purpose reasoning that it's for school and outdoors stuff is false by the way. There is nothing about tacticool packs that makes them superior to standard bags for outdoor use. In many ways they are worse. They weigh more and generally have poor hip belts. All that counts in a hiking pack is that the suspension system is good and that you can fit your stuff in it. That second part is worth considering since if you can fit your camping gear into a school bag it means either your school bag is waaay too big or you have an admirably compact camping setup.
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This is good advice. Tactical backpacks are pretty horrible for hiking. I would suggest getting a normal pack. It will be lighter and it will probably fit better. Two things you'll appreciate on a long hike. If you want to tough out more weight that's your choice but I'm also a big guy and I opt for the lightest backpack that fits me and my gear. Take the machismo out of it and your hikes will be a lot more enjoyable. There's a reason backpacking packs aren't the same as military packs and it's not because of looks.
 
knifeandgun said:
Regular backpack just as good as a Maxpedition?? I cant agree with you there. Maxpeditions are tanks, they aren't that heavy and weight doesn't bother me im ( 6'2 185)
They are extremely spacious inside and very very comfortable to carry ( I have used them in the past)
And the zippers wont get stuck on ya too haha
Click to expand...

Maxpedition quality is available from the better hiking and camping gear companies. I have several LOWE packs that are every bit as tough and durable as Maxpedition. I also have gotten great service from Osprey packs.

Camelbak military division packs are MUCH BETTER than the commercial stuff you see at the mass market places in the shopping malls. Black or Red doesn't look near as "tactical" to most reasonable people as the military camouflage patterns.

The fact you even have to worry about things like this is one of several reasons why I wonder why freedom loving "normal" people would want to live in California and deal with all the issues that arise from social engineering experiments. Really, what's the real difference between a Hawaiian shirt or some ghastly colored slacks and a pair of BDU 'camo' pants?
 
personally I would go for as low profile, invisible, and anonymous as I can. Yes I EDC a remora, and used to use a jumbo. The jumbo was the black/brown, and everyone assumed it was a camera bag. The remora is pretty tiny, I've got all kinds of bits and bobbles hanging off of it, and it's not too threatening.
There are two reasons why I would go for anonymous bags at school. First is image. Not the image of you, but of whats in the bag. Tactical bags have tactical toys, just like swissgear backpacks have high end laptops, lowepro bags have expensive cameras, and pelican boxes have something cool in them. You don't what people wondering "whats in there?" Second is comfort. tactical bags make huge sacrifices for the sake of toughness, reliability and adaptability. even a relatively low end consumer pack is going to be lighter and more comfortable than its tactical brother. Finding a bag that fits you is going to give you much more joy out on the trails. for the price of most maxped packs you can get a Timbuk2 that will be as tough, and have some great features as well. Take a look at the civilian bags in your price bracket and I'm sure you will find something that really stands out to you.
 
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