Maxpedition Neat Freak "review"

[Sproles]

OK - this is not really a true review because there are no pics yet, but I will try to post some this weekend.* I received my Neat Freak earlier this week and spent some time Thursday night outfitting it.* Overall it is a great bag...of course the construction is very well thought out and it is built like a TANK!* The siz (for me) is just right.* Let* me tell you the purpose of this bag for me, what I plan on carrying in it and then give you the layout inside.

I work in a corporate environment and carry a leathe briefcase in/out of the office everyday, but there are those things that I really want to have near me.* Well, a backpack or similar would not really cut in that culture.* I also have the evening/weekend outing wih the family when you never know what you will need or want to help take care of 2 young ones.* SO - this is nice to carry the essentials of first aid, lights, multi-tools, wipes, kleenex, etc.* So - this bag has fit that bill perfectly.* I have a bigger Maxpedition Pygmy Falcon for the all day outing to the zoo or small hike or etc, but this bag needed to be smaller than that.

So far the bag seems to be very comfortable to carry and I love the handle on the top. That makes for a nice way to carry to/from the house when throwing over the shoulder is not needed. It also look very unassuming when carrying it alongside the briefcase by the handle. If i threw it over the should - it would be a little too tactical for me.

The other application that I will use this for are those weekend trips that you are going to see family or friends and you need one small place to carry the items you never travel without.* No matter where I am going overnight, I carry the tool, the knife, the light, small first aidkit, iPod, iPaq, etc.* So - I had no easy way of carrying all of those items without packing them in the suitcase (which was not accessible enough in my opinion.)* SO - this bag will (once again) fir that bill nicely.

Now - the contents:
Leatherman Xti-charge
Leatherman Charge's extra bits
Inova TL3 light
Leatherman Squirt
Chris Reeve Small Classic Sebenza
Atwood Imp in kydex
various Sharpie markers
a 20' hank of 550 cord
County Comm 1x3x2 clear plastic cases (3) filled with:
-band aids, neosporin, etc
-lighter, cable ties
-Shout! wipes, (and something else - I cannot remember what it is and I am too lazy right now to go and see)
A 7 day pill reminder filled with meds (you know that Soonday - Saturday pill boxes?)
20gig 4th Gen iPod
iPaq
Super Glue pen
WD40 pen
(going to add) Tide pen
and room to move around and find stuff.

The next thing to add (and will not be shown in the pics yet) is a custom kydex sheath for my:
Sebenza, TL3, Charge, Squirt, Fisher Space Pen and mini Bic lighter that DH is making for me - that will fit nicely inside the bag to keep everything there nice and neat and quickly mobile.

So - overall I give the bag 2 thumbs up! O0 O0
I do NOT own a Spec Ops Pack Rat to compare, but if you are looking for a bag that could fit a similar "interim" calling, I think that you woul dbe pleased with the Maxpedition Neat Freak.
Sproles

-stay tuned - pics to be posted soon- :worthless:

[parnass]

Enjoyed reading your article on your intended use of the Neat Freak. I have eyed them in the store and they look like the ultimate organizer.

You listed listed several hundred dollars worth of contents. Do you plan to lock up the Neak Freak inside your desk or filing cabinet when you are at work and leave your office for a short break or a meeting?

[Deaths Head]

Great review Sproles! I didn't think the Neat Freak could hold so much stuff. Impressive! I look forward to seeing your pics.

[ZenEngineer]

Good review. I picked up a Neat Freak a couple of weeks ago at the TAD store. I love my FAST pack, but for weekday lab/office work, there wasn't enough space for pens/pencils/calculator/etc. So I attached the Neat Freak on the outside of the Transporter Tail. Now I have lots of storage and on weekends I just take it off the pack.

[Sproles]

Enjoyed reading your article on your intended use of the Neat Freak.* *I have eyed them in the store and they look like the ultimate organizer.

You listed listed several hundred dollars worth of contents.* *Do you plan to lock up the Neak Freak inside your desk or filing cabinet when you are at work and leave your office for a short break or a meeting?

Fortunatley I have the abiliy to lock things up at work. Although I am not too concerned with it, I will play it safe. :-X

Thanks for the comments...I carried it to the soccer field this morning for my son's soccer practice and it never ceases to amaze me how UNPREPARED some people are. It is beyond my scope of reason that you go anywhere without at least a pen/pencil and the other basic "necessities." I got it the bag 4 times today in the span of 1.5 hours...all for different items that someone else needed. I get by chops busted sometimes for being anal about being prepared, but who do people go to when they need something and THEY don't have it??? You guessed it - us prepared people.

Sproles

[nystrpr]

Bring on the pics ! I'm interested to see more photos of this bag, including photos of it full of items.

[ZenEngineer]

Here is the one good pic of the bunch, showing a Neat Freak attached to a TAD FAST Pack.

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k261/ZenEngineer/BackpackNew.jpg

[Sproles]

OKAY - here are the pics that we have been looking for...hopefully they are helpful.*

I DO want to stress that I am missing a few of my current EDC items as they are being carefully laid in Kydex by DH in a monster sheath (more on that later.)* They are:
-Leatherman XTi-Charge
-Leatherman Squirt
-Inova TL-3 light
-Small Classic Sebenza
-Fisher Telescoping Space Pen
-Mini bic lighter

So, all that being said - here are the views and some descriptions:
Main picture of the Neat Freak
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c91/Sproles/DSC01407.jpg
Open - from the top
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c91/Sproles/DSC01402.jpg
Contents - strewn all about
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c91/Sproles/DSC01404.jpg
Some close ups of the small plastic cases
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c91/Sproles/DSC01405.jpg
A view of the rear of the bag and it's various straps and hook/loop features
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c91/Sproles/DSC01406.jpg
My "working man's EDC"
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c91/Sproles/DSC01400.jpg
A close up of the "Levenger Folding pocket briefcase"
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c91/Sproles/DSC01401.jpg

Hope these are helpful-
Sproles

[wolf]

Good review and thanks for adding the pictures - they're very helpful. Now I really NEED one of those... Well.. Ok.. I WANT one. I don't need one. Need, want... it gets so confusing. ;)

[Deaths Head]

Thanks for the pics. I have the Spec-Ops version. It is cheaper, but it doesn't have the flap with the pockets nor did it come with a shoulder strap. Your Maxpedition looks much better made.

[dinoadventures]

thank you so much for the review...

that is way bigger than i expected. Anything that requires a carry strap is overkill for my purposes.

looks like an awesome organizer, though!

[Lunal_Tic]

Need, want... it gets so confusing. ;)


Wolf, you crack me up. :laugh:

Sproles, how do you find it when you put stuff in all the opposing pouches? Does it get all bloated? I've got a PackRat that is OK until really filled then it looks a bit like a football.

-LT

[Sproles]

Lunal-

It does not seem to get too big at all. I have to still add a LM, Squirt, TL-3, Small Sebbie, Space pen and mini lighter, but those things should bot make TOO much of a difference.

I looked in there yesterday and I still have a number of pockets I have not even used yet - so - I should be in pretty good shape. Will update in a few weeks once I get my stuff back.

Sproles

[charlie fox]

Great piece of kit! Thanks for the review...one more thing to add to my list! The man-purse comes of age! :lolhammer:

[KDOG]

So lets' hear more on this giant Kydex holster!

[Sproles]

I have not received it back yet - it is still "under construction." Will post reviews and pics once I receive it...

[Sproles]

Here is the Kydex rig I have ordered...
Sproles
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c91/Sproles/kydexedcrig.png

[Edwood]

OKAY - here are the pics that we have been looking for...hopefully they are helpful.
Open - from the top
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c91/Sproles/DSC01402.jpg
Hope these are helpful-
Sproles


Thanks for the pics.

Is that rear main pocket inside one large pocket? Or is it subdivided? If it's one large pocket, what's the internal dimensions? I've been looking for a small day bag to carry my small Fujitsu P1610 ultraportable Tablet PC.

-Ed

[Akilae]

Thanks for the pics.

Is that rear main pocket inside one large pocket? Or is it subdivided? If it's one large pocket, what's the internal dimensions? I've been looking for a small day bag to carry my small Fujitsu P1610 ultraportable Tablet PC.

-Ed


Main pocket is one larget pocket, not subidivided. No idea what the dimensions are... my own Neat Freak is at the tailor's for some customization (removing the velcro system and replacing it with an entire panel of PALS webbing). But if memory serves, I once stuffed a stack of 2 DVD cases in there.

[Edwood]

Main pocket is one larget pocket, not subidivided. No idea what the dimensions are... my own Neat Freak is at the tailor's for some customization (removing the velcro system and replacing it with an entire panel of PALS webbing). But if memory serves, I once stuffed a stack of 2 DVD cases in there.


Were the DVD cases a snug fit, or was there plenty of room around the outer edge of them?

[Akilae]

Were the DVD cases a snug fit, or was there plenty of room around the outer edge of them?


There was comfortable slack all round I think. If nobody else gets around to measuring, I'll be able to measure my bag next week if you can wait that long.

[Edwood]

I send an email to Maxpedition asking as well. The dimensions of the Fujitsu P1610 with the 6 cell extended battery are 9.13" x 7.32" x 1.46".

-Ed

[Edwood]

Well, I snagged a khaki Neat Freak off of eBay. So I guess I'll find out for myself if my Fujitsu P1610 fits or not. I think it will most definitely fit with the standard battery, but I'm hoping it fits with the extended battery.

-Ed

[Lugsalot]

Moved and bumped. I know it's an old topic, but it *technically* belonged here even before the pics came up. :knuppel2:

:mm:

[Safety1st]

Great review and pictures O0

Thanks very much for taking the time, effort and trouble to help others... :thumbsup:

[Deanster]

I've got the PackRat, and I've tried three or four times to make good use of it, but I keep on running into two difficulties - the first is that the pockets (almost identical arrangement to the Maxpedition version), aren't arranged quite right for my stuff - too many large/deep pockets, not enough small pockets sized for one small item.

The second, and more critical, is that all the things that I'd like to keep in it are my true EDC items, that I'd like to have easy access to, and switch between bags. However, by the time I toss the PackRat into a larger bag, they're now behind the zippers of the first bag, the packrat zippers, and quite hard to get at. Organizer panels in most bags are MUCH easier to get at, and it works out better to just move the items into individual slots, at least for me.

I've kept the PackRat because I LOVE the concept, but in reality, I just can't make it work for my specific needs. I've handled the NeatFreak, and it's much better built, but the overbuilt Maxpedition style is maybe a bit much for a 'bag-in-a-bag', and ends up being bulkier than I'd like. It's better than the PackRat as a stand-alone bag, but IMHO, a bit thick and heavy for carry inside other bags.

No intent to be negative here - but I did want to share that depending on what your intended use is, there may be some specific differences between the bags which might make a difference, and also that a clear understanding of what works well with this bag is helpful - it's great for a 'kit' of items you might need, but less perfect for easy access to items in frequent use.

[Edwood]

Just got my NeatFreak today. A lot smaller than I thought it would be. A perfect "Man Bag" or "Murse" for EDC.

My Fujitsu P1610 just barely fits in there with the 6 Cell extended battery in place. It has to be right in the middle of the bag, as it won't fit into any of the largest pockets with the extended battery. It does just barely fit in one of the pockets with the standard 3 cell battery. But I rather enjoy having 4-5 hours of computing time.

Other than that, not much else fits. I agree with Deanster that there aren't enough small pockets. There are no dedicated pen slots so to speak. Is there a tiny external organizer with pen slots that can be attached to the PALS webbing on the front, and not be too large to be attached to the NeatFreak?

Although there is just enough room on the very sides of the front mesh pocket for me to slide a pen into on each side. Two pens are all I really need on a daily basis. A sharpie and a ball point.

There is quite a lack of padding that has me concerned carrying around a tiny laptop, but the bottom does have a little bit of padding, and the removeable velcro'd divider panel is large enough to offer rigid protection internally. It's the sides and front I'm concerned. So as long as I don't fall on this bag or swing it around, it should be all good.

Otherwise, this is about as compact as it gets for me to EDC a full Windows XP based computer, and not just my Pocket PC Phone.

One feature that I've seen on quite a few Maxpeditions that is present on the NeatFreak is the Zipper retaining snap thingy. It's a little bit of pick pocketing detterent, and overall extra secure to prevent your zipper from opening accidentally. I love it!

-Ed

[Akilae]

Sorry for not getting around to measuring my own bag for you Edwood, tailor wasn't quite done with my modifications.

One of the reasons for my modifications is very much related to the criticisms: not enough small pockets. I'll get getting my hands on a Maxpedition Manta soon, and I plan to make full use if its full panel of PALS webbing by attaching the Neat Freak onto the main panel (the funky velcro system leaves the sides of the Neat Freak sagging, hence my mods), two Rollypollies (or one Rollypolly and one smaller zippered pouch), a Janus on the shoulder strap (has pen slots! yay!). The Manta also comes with it's own flat zippered compartment I think.

I thought about getting a Fatboy of sorts, but the Neat Freak has two major draws for me:

1) It's flat! Almost all other Maxpedition pouches/bags/slings jut out far too much for my liking.
2) It fits perfectly on the front PALS panel of my TAD Fast Pack. Attach it when relocating, detach it and use shoulder strap for a much lighter stroll down the street.

[Edwood]

Anyone have removeable velcro'd divider they'd be willing to sell me?

This thing:
http://www.maxpedition.com/store/pc/catalog/0211b4_484_detail.jpg

-Ed

[Vinosaur]

Sproles, Awesome set-up.

I see you are a CR fan. Both a Sebbie and an Mnandi. I am impatiently awaiting my sebbies return from Idaho. I sent it in to have a Raindrop Damascus blade made for it and then will be doing some more mods.

How do you like the Mnandi? It has been on my list for a while.

Vino

[Deanster]

Glad this is working well for you - that is a tremendously small kit for a full-on Windows computer.