|
Maxpedition Jumbo Versipack Review |
|
|
|
Written by Mikey P
|
|
Page 2 of 4
|
Outer & Bottom
The pack is constructed of heavyweight 1000 Denier, Teflon-coated, Nylon Cordura. This means it is tough, abrasion-resistant, and water and dirt resistant. Colours are black, olive green, desert tan and ACU digicam. I chose desert tan because: I didn’t want camo, olive green is a little too ‘military’ for what I wanted, and I didn’t fancy black. So, a wholly objective decision as you can see. I actually chose tan because it’s neutral, it doesn’t scream ‘army!’ but can still be used for ops (somewhere nice and sandy – oooh, like a desert, perhaps?). Basically, you can take it anywhere and you don’t stand out.
 Figure 1 - Top of Bag With Lid Pockets
The design consists of a main compartment, closed using a large plastic buckle and strap, with a large zipped pocket on the front, a smaller zipped pocket on the side, and a pouch on the other side that (conveniently) accommodates a one litre Nalgene bottle. Fancy that, eh? There is a smaller, long and thin, zipped pouch on top of the lid, which also sports an integrated, zipped pocket. Behind the main compartment is a zip that runs the length of the back of the bag – the wide flat pocket underneath is the CCW portion. On the bottom of the bag, the bottle pouch has a drain hole and there are three loops of webbing made from a single strap running lengthways. A padded shoulder strap is securely attached to both rear corners and the rear of the bag sports softer padding in key areas, as well as a great little Velcro belt loop – more of which later. The workmanship is excellent, with neat double stitching and bar-tacks where necessary, and a strong looking thread with no loose ends.
|
Main Compartment & CCW Pocket
At 9” x 9” x 3” the main compartment is not that large. However, it has what we would usually term a ‘snow skirt’ if it were on a rucksack, which extends the volume a little further. It could extend further still but the strap that closes the lid of the main compartment is not long enough. I puzzled over this for a while and came to the conclusion that, if the strap were longer, the bag would actually look ‘awkward’ and over-stuffed. Perhaps this is Maxpedition’s way of making sure you don’t put too much in it? There are two subdividers – basically flat pockets – on the front and back walls of the compartment – handy for thin objects like books or maps, pencils, compass, etc. The lid is closed with a strap and large black plastic buckle. Once the buckle is snapped shut, the strap can be cinched tight by pulling down on the large black D-ring at the bottom of the strap itself. The wide strap keeps things stable and doesn’t squash the lid as it might if it were narrower. On the lid itself there are two pockets: one on top, 6.5” x 3” x 1”, and one flat pocket on the front. Both are zip fastened and it should be pointed out that all zips have large Paracord loops to help you grip them with gloves on. Both of these pockets also have Velcro patches. The top pocket patch position matches nicely with the bottle-pouch keeper strap (more later) and could be used to keep it secure and out of the way when the bottle is out of the pocket. Alternatively, you could stick anything with Velcro on it to either patch – a name badge, small pouch, small item…perhaps even a BushcraftUK badge?  Figure 2 - CCW Pocket (note Velcro strips on top pocket and inside CCW pocket)
Finally, the CCW pocket, where you would normally sling your six-shooter. For Bushcraft use, this feature is best thought of as a map/book pocket. It is handily placed and easy to open and close. There are two strips of Velcro against the back wall of the pocket: these are where you would anchor your pistol holster if you had one. I reckon that, with a bit of Velcro and webbing, you could also attach your knife sheath into this pocket – making it easy to access when needed, but not visible to all and sundry, like when hanging off your belt or around your neck. This is a little project I will have a go at soon – I’ll let you know how it goes.
|
Review on the Web-tex Warrior Cooking Unit, in this review John tells us what he thinks of this military type cooker, mug and bottle system
Review on the Thatchreed Catering Size Group Nesting Set, in this review John tells us what he thinks of them
Such is the lure of these shiny objects on the male psyche that a
number of dedicated collectors’ forums exist, inhabited by the
silhouetted forms of men squinting at light meters, bathed in the
brilliant glow of their own personal supernovas, mumbling incoherently
about Lux, Lumens and thermal runaway.
I've been playing around with various Pepsi can stoves for a while now and was intrigued when I saw how many reviews this little stove was getting, light and efficient what more could you want???
How many hats are guaranteed for life with a no quibble agreement? The
T3 is! How many manufacturers insure the hat against loss or damage?
The T3 has a 2-year, all perils 50% deductible policy attached!
The jungle is a harsh environment for such an item because the tool was
wet or the majority of the time. However, it stood up very well with
little sign of rusting or corrosion even after coming back and allowing
it to stand for a while.
The F1 is a basic fixed blade knife with a 'drop-point' 3.5inch blade (made of VG 10 stainless steel) and a man-made (Thermorun) handle. Originally designed for use by Aircrew of the Swedish Defence Forces as a survival knife, as any survivor will tell you a 'survival-knife' is the one you have with you at the time, so the F1 is designed to be small & light enough to be carried at all times but robust enough to withstand the abuse it would encounter in a survival situation within the Arctic Circle...
I rate these knifes very highly. Both in design and construction
I was intrigued by Spamel’s thread on the Snugpak Response Pak – or their other types of ‘grab-n-go’ bags - and what people carried in them. I’m a bit of a bag junkie, partly because of my work (military) and partly because of a quest to be able to carry the right equipment for the right job in practically any situation. I guess the ‘Holy Grail’ is effectively a bag that you instinctively grab, without thinking about it, before you go off for an adventure.
The sparks that come off the steel, burn longer and hotter than anything I have used before. Sometimes they can sizzle away at 3000 degrees centigrade for a second or more,
The mess tin is a solid stainless steel and relatively lightweight cooking vessel. It comes with a well fitting lid, which is a bonus compared with the old aluminium version which came without a lid. It saves precious fuel and makes your water (or whatever you are preparing in it) come to a boil significantly faster.