Showing posts with label Maxpedition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Maxpedition. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Review: Maxpedition - SITKA-S Gearslinger Pack

A friend of mine recently "downsized" his regular daypack, and tells me he's very happy with the choice he made, so I wanted to have a look at the pack, and share his feelings and my own observations. This is the Maxpedition SITKA-s Gearslinger. The "S" is for "sinister", as this is the "lefthander" version of the pack. The regular version is exactly the same, just mirrored for ease of use for righties. That was a really nice touch right off the bat, and i was impressed that they offered this version as standard. It may need to be ordered in, but the fact the manufacturer offers it is a big tick in my books. The good folks at LE Gear got this one in for my friend.

The idea of this particular pack is that it will carry all your needfuls, without bulking up or weighing you down. It is jam packed with attachment points, pockets and pouches, but most importantly, it compresses and packs your gear down to reduce bulk. Very important if you have a lot of traveling to do, which is one of the reasons my friend got it, for a long trip OS.
Right from the get -go you can see that the pack has a lot of features, and I'm going to try to cover them as best I can. It is made from the same 1000d Cordura, triple polyurethane coated for water resistance that features in a lot of the gear that I have reviewed. I love this stuff, its hard wearing, and when coated with Du Pont Teflon® fabric protector, sheds rain and crud and takes a beating. Its single-sling layout puts the strap crossing your body, and it sits nicely. When tightened there was no feeling of it slipping around when walking about, but for additional security, there is a "third-leg" strap tucked away in the bottom to make an inverted "Y" of strapping should you feel the need.

The padding at the back is really nice, and the top handle is also padded.



Behind the padded backing is a pocket with ports for a 3L / 100oz hydration bladder, with all the fittings, including retention cords and loops on the main shoulder strap for the tube. There is also a 1L / 32oz Nalgene bottle pouch off to the shoulder-side edge. It looks like it would also fit my 1L SIGG bottle too. (Although the dimensions are different).

As well as the hydration bladder pocket, there are three main equipment pockets: The large compartment is 15"x 8" x 3" and features a variety of internal storage, including a Fastex stule compression strap, a zippered pouch and a wide  loop-field panel for presumably attaching a concealed-carry holster, or your collection of patches, in my case... A small laptop might fit, my iPad certainly would.




The top-front pouch is 7.5” x 4”  x 2”  and features internal organization in the form of wide elastic loops, and a pocket, as well as externally, with  a wide belt of hook-and-loop loop-field running the width of the pocket, over which is stretched a loop of shock-cord. This pocket sits up high and is good for a lot of smaller items, as you can see, my friend left his iPhone earbuds in one of the loops, to give you an idea of scale.

The "Y" shaped compression strap has its arms crossing this top pouch, with a Fastex style clip joining the leg between the two front pockets.

All the zipper pulls feature a paracord toggle, rather than a metal tab, removing  the metal-on-metal noise generation these can otherwise give, a great addition I thought.

The bottom front pouch measures 8” x 7”  x 2”  as is also jam-packed with internal organization, pockets and pouches in the lid and the body of the pocket, as well as a retention lanyard give you a wide range of locations to stash your needfuls and keep them in place for when you need them.




Another great feature of the bottom front pocket is that it has a theft-deterrent  press-stud, which holds the zipper in place to reduce the success of a "yank-and-grab" thief.

The bottom front pocket also features a four row, 2" wide tow-channel band of  PALS/MOLLE loops, as well as running the compression strap through to the base of the pack.

Ther is also a channel of the same 2" wide PALS/MOLLE loops along the "off-shoulder" side which, as well as two at the base of the shoulder strap, giving a wide variety of accessory attachment points.





One of the outstanding features of this pack though, is its ability to be accessed whilst still being worn. Being a single-shoulder pack, it can be slid around the body, much in the same was as my Crumpler Messenger bag, allowing access to all the pockets and pouches, one-handed, to get at your needfuls, (or those sneaky CCW panels) without dropping your load, or having to unsling anything you might have loaded up over your other shoulder.

My friend is really happy with his pack, and I was impressed too, it was really well put together, with all the internal finishings well-sealed and stitched, I expect it will last him a long time. Apparently it makes a good pillow too, there is something to be said for a daypack that you can rest your head on when the opportunity arises. As the man said "Somebody wake up Hicks"













Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Review: Maxpedition iPhone holster

On ANZAC day, after going to the parade with Triceratops Girl and Tactical baby, I visited my good friend at his place, and she showed me his new daypack, which I reviewed the other day, he was quick to point out that the pouch on the main chest strap was a separate piece. I was taken by that piece too, pulled it off to look at as well. Turns out it was the Maxpedition Phone 5" Holster in the "clip" configuration. I borrowed a spare phone, slipped it in and took some snaps.
 The construction is a taco of 1000d Cordura type fabric, again Teflon coated for grime resistance, and heavily bartacked throughout.


 Like all Maxpedition gear, the internal seams are fully taped and sealed. This might be overkill for a phone pouch, especially one that is only a partial cover, but it shows consistency of construction and attention to detail. Apart from the webbing loop and Fastex style clip closure, the pouch features a wide band of elastic to cinch the phone in place. These combined methods ensure a very firm hold on the phone, with no slip or sway noticeable.

The back of the pouch features three bands of webbing, which act as an attachment point for the heat treated heavy duty spring steel clip, which has a jet black powder coat, which will accommodate a belt loop up to 6.35cm (2.25") wide.


The clip can be replaced with MALICE clips or Maxpeditions own TacTie attachment strips to affix it to PALS/MOLLE webbing. this variety of attachment options appeals greatly to me. I also liked the way the pouch was able to take the phone seen here in a case, with both plenty of room, but also held it snug, still leaving the camera exposed. Whilst leaving the device somewhat exposed, would allow for timed photos or video to be taken whilst wearing the phone, an idea that greatly appeals to me. This is a cool little pouch, and I may well consider picking one up for myself.


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