Useful tool or gimmick? I'm speaking of the style like Maxpedition produces. Useful as a minimal bug-out kit to get you to a larger BOB? Or useless as your BOB shouldn't be that far away in the first place and/or the murse doesn't have enough space to begin with? Useless as it screams tactical to those in the know? Or useful as it can be carried somewhat inconspicuously around the sheeple? ("It's a heavy duty camera case my brother in law got me for Christmas") To small to be practical as a minimal bug out kit? To large for EDC? To "tactical?" Or just tactical enough to be effective and still hide in plain sight? Who carries them and what do you stuff into them? I use one for duty purposes and have my accident investigation gear thrown into it, but was wondering if it screamed out what it really was. And how others are using theirs.
I am a pretty loyal fan of maxpedition, I have a jumbo and colossus Versipack, and a Sitka and Kodiak Gearslinger. I keep the Colossus behind my seat in my truck, and when I'm headed to school I usually am wearing My Kodiak. I keep some basic get home supplies in the Colossus,including a pair of broken in shoes and mores socks and skivvies. I am working on supplementing my IFAK with the fatboy. All of my "Murses" are either OD or Khaki and my area being quite heavily populated my Military, I don't even get a second glance. although some folks ask why my bags aren't camo. Some of my friends and workmates think I am a packrat, so my bags fit my persona to a "T".
Love Maxpedition. Can't stand the murse. It's a fanny pack taken too far. My EDC bag is a Falcon II in straight Foliage Green. It might be a tad large for most people to use as an EDC bag but for the things I do it's perfect. The Pygmy Falcon II is a smaller option. They offer some great non-tactical color options for the Falcon II as well. The Pygmy has less color options. If they offered it in Hi-Vis yellow I'd order another one tomorrow. It'd match my riding jacket! You know what? I'm gunna jump on their website and request just that! Byte
If that front pocket will take a laptop, I'm going to get really interested in a yellow one. Let us know if they'll do it.
I know that the Monsoon gearslinger will hold a 14" laptop in it's main compartment. I know I am going to sound like a broken record before this is over with but if you guys PM me I can save you some cash on Maxpedition gear as well. I am a certified Maxpedition dealer and would give you guys some special rates as a new guy just to earn some brownie points with the gang here.
I have the jumbo my wife has the next size smaller. She used it instead of a "stylish" purse. I actually stopped using mine when I started carrying a laptop. I now use an "Operator Tactical Attache" bag. Works great, but I managed to break one of the clips for the shoulder strap. When i called Maxpedition they wouldn't replace it (had the bag less than 6 months when it broke), so I just used some 5.11 cord and fixed it up. The owner of a range where I used to work carried one as well. He clipped a pacifier on it and called it a "diaper bag".
The front lower pocket is about 7" wide, 9.5" tall & about 2" deep. The middle segment is about 8" wide, 15" tall & 3" deep. The rear segment is about 10" wide, 16" tall & 4.5" deep. It's overall about the size of any regular sized book/backpack. It's a just about 4" taller and about 4" deeper than my old school Jansport single pocket book bag I got back in high school. The Falcon II has a waist and chest strap for added comfort and stability. Wide and well padded shoulder straps. It has torsion adjustments for the top of the straps vs just at the bottom like low end packs. And it has a bladder pocket that holds my 3L bladders perfectly. Did I mention all the MOLLE? It really is the perfect 'day pack' pack. When I saw the price I was a bit put off but after receiving the pack I can see where the price is derived. No feature on this pack is overlooked. Well, that might not be 100% true. It could use a lower lumbar pad to help me with my terrible posture! Still gets 10/10 in my book. I haven't tried a 15" laptop yet. It may fit but I think it'd be a tight squeeze. Mine is a 17" that weights like 12 lbs! I rarely lug the beast around. Definitely not and EDC item for me and a laptop wasn't part of my criteria when I considered a new day pack. Byte
Thanx for the scoop. Mine is 15 the long way, so would have to go a larger size. "The Plan" is backpack on the bike so yellow or other LOUD color would get the nod.
OK. I just slipped my mom's 15" HP laptop in the rear compartment and it fit perfectly. Like a glove. So if you're sporting a laptop of <=15" you'd be good to go with the Falcon II! Byte
I actually like the Gearslinger bags over the versipacks. I carry this bag Maxpedition Monsoon Gearslinger - PlanB outfitters fits my 14" laptop in it and will store a water bladder.
Working in a white collar urban environment, a black messenger-type back is much less conspicuous than a tactical-looking backpack. It can be worn alongside business casual attire without drawing any unwanted attention. I know I always pay a little more attention to people walking around downtown Philly with hiking, camo, or tactical packs.
I EDC a Maxped Fatboy Versipack as my tier two bag. I love it, and the quality is the best out of all of the tactical brands out there.
