There's not a huge amount of info on the ol' interweb regarding the Dart24 pack, so I thought I'd post some pics for your delectation. I liked the pack so much that I ended up buying two of them in different colourways - Black and 'Grenade' which is a kinda OG & Foliage hybrid.. You can find the specs on the official website, but the main points are: 30 Litre Capacity 410D Nylon (except for the grey version, which I believe is 210D) 'Semi' Roll Top Large main compartment with removable laptop/organiser insert. 1 x Fleece lined small outer pouch 1 x PALS-lined front slip pocket 1 x Organiser slip pouch 1 x Hydration/CCW compartment. 2 x Side Stretch Pockets 2 x Side Slip Pockets I'm really into this pack at the moment, it hits the sweet spot of being greyman in it's appearance but tactical in it's features.
Curses! Now I may need to buy one. Been looking to replace an old Eddie Bauer pack and this may fit the bill perfectly.
What's the bag like when not fully loaded? Since there are no compression straps, does the center get weird if it's lightly packed but the admin pouches on the front are loaded? Originally was leaning towards the amp24 as that's all that's available in Canada right now, but for office carry like this look more. Was thinking if going the amp24 route adding an admin pouch or double deploy pouches to tame down the tactical look. Thanks. Sent from my SM-N950W using Tapatalk
At the moment, I’m only using the front pouches (Fleece-lined upper Pouch, left side org sleeves and right-side MOLLE panel) with nothing in the main compartment and the bag doesn’t look weird at all - I’m a bit obsessive about the silhouettes of my bags but there’s no turtle-shell effect with the Dart24
It seems to stand up on its own just fine when using the laptop/organisation insert in the main compartment. It gives the pack a degree of rigidity.
Some pictures of the removable laptop insert. Edit: I should point out that the yellow/orange insert is from the black model. The 'Grenade' model has a lime green coloured insert.
I've just been watching the Gideon's Tactical review on youtube. It echoes my concern with some roll-top bags, that require you dig deep from the top to get at your gear. In the case of roll-tops, the waterproof nature makes a single opening necessary though I struggle finding stuff in such packs.It is a pain leaning over and difficult to do on a countertop. On the 5.11 the side access zippers - if the admin sheet is in the hydration compartment - helps, but even this access requires faith and feel. I really like the styling and the colours, especially the brighter interior. Unfortunately I'm not sure it will work for me without at least part-clamshell opening. tbzbbt
For the type of loads that this pack is intended to carry, the straps are just fine. The padding isn’t super dense but comfy enough, and the width is good. My one gripe with the shoulder straps is that it’s the same 410D material front and back, no mesh/non-slip on the rear of them - it’s really smooth and can make carrying the pack on one shoulder awkward as it tends to slip.
I hate straps that do this, it gets much worse when you wear the pack over a synthetic outer layer like a hardshell or similar. As the poster above said as well, I’m not sure I can go back to a top loading pack. Do the side entry zips work well in practice?
In terms of the right-side pocket with the PALS channels I think it could be a little awkward to mount a pouch in there, but I'm using a kifaru chamber pocket which attaches with triglides, rather than a traditional MOLLE stick, so that makes mounting a little easier. Once it's in though, the pocket works just fine. The left side organiser pocket is very useful and, I think, designed well - The various slots are oriented horizontally and deep - I worried that if the bag was ever rotated all of the contents of the organiser sleeve would just fall out, but that hasn't happened yet.
