I've used the TT ROP, which uses the same system. The strap system on the Kifaru is also the same principle. It's a good enough compromise and does work well enough. I've yet to hear anybody complain about either systems pinching the shoulders or being set too wide apart. However, I'm always paranoid that the D-rings would snap, being plastic and all... wonder how people have found it to hold up on the long run? If this thing really does come together with compression straps, it would be great if the straps could be standard 1" wide straps, with the female buckles closer to the backside. Makes it so much easier to swap out for G or K-hooks... then again, I'm imposing my own personal pet peeves, lol.
Thanks for the info. I have the older Kifaru packs and none have this. Must be the new ones then. I've seen this concern with plastic hardware many a time and I can understand but quality ones will go a long way. Let's put it this way, I have produced and sold thousands of our TCC (Tac Carbine Cases) in the last 11 years and they all use plastic hardware and none have ever been return for repairs. One sling did have to be replaced because the swivel snap came loose but that was it. Can you imagine how much crap we all put into rifle cases? Some I've seen are like 40 to 50 pounds! Anyway we use WooJin/Duraflex. Anyway I just thought of a new idea to combine this shoulder strap concept and width adjustability. Not sure if it's been done before but I'm gonna R&D it first before I start running my mouth.
Camelback packs used the plastic D-Rings as well, though they seem to have moved away from them recently. Most packs have the lower part of the straps connected by a small plastic adjuster. Just some food for thought when discussing the durability of plastic on a backpack. For the ultimate adjustable strap setup look at old external frame packs for inspiration. I have one that allows both the width and height of the straps to be adjusted. These packs are still popular with youth groups as they allow the pack to ajust to the growing owner with ease. I'm sure it's not the route you would want to go, but you might get some inspiration if nothing else.
To Helm 1. a 1200-1300 (true ci) version of the comm pack would be ideal (especially with some more slack for the beaver tail) and see #10, at least in appearance for me, never had one. I have a litespeed, a slick version of that would also be ideal with a better admin pocket and true side pockets for 32 oz klean kanteen/guyot bottle. Non tactical colors is a must. Having a molle and a slick version (kind of like the urban zippy vs the regular zippy) would be good as well. I guess you cover that in 5. 4. yes. 7. I would vote no, but that is not me. Most people in an edc dont need a hydration carrier, however, doing a port with sleeve like the litespeed would work 8. No. Backpacks are not the right place to carry your firearm. (Note, I don't carry, so what the hell do i know). If it was a sling or convertible to a sling (sotech has some stuff that is), then it would make sense. 10. A small belt like the litespeed could be nice, detachable it would make sense. 11. I am still trying to get some time to use the SERT pack. I will say that the organization options of the two admin pockets are great. I have one small concern about them, but really they are great. I would be more likely to fill them out then the ample sized Hazard4 patrol admin panel which is very well made and huge. The tad one is almost more annoying than useful. Top and side handle is useful. Actually, that is what attracted me to the Blade series. It almost looks like an attach/brief case.
This thread is awesome. Thank you for taking our input. I don't have a lot of bags compared to some dudes on here, but here is what I like: I like the idea of non-tactical colors (greys) The water bottle pockets on my 5.11 RUSH Messenger are my favorite on my current bags CCW pocket is a must for me Shock cord on the bottom of the bag to attach things Thanks again, I will probably be buying one.
Big thanks for floating this out there and taking ideas! 1. Pack Size at around 1,300 cu in, and 18-19" tall would be nice. 2. Panel loader sounds great. 3. Carry EDC stuff, along with tablet *or* laptop, but not both at same time. 4. Back wall notebook/tablet sleeve ok. 5. Slick, with no external MOLLE. 6. Bottle holders sound awesome. At least to accommodate 0.5L bottles. 7. Hydration compatible with internal attachment point and tube routing port. 8. Hidden CCW compartment would be nice for hiding important stuff while traveling. 9. Internal PALS webbing would rock. 10. Side pockets for light and multitool would be amazing. 11. Mesh compartments would be nice. I don't know how doable this is, but it would be interesting to have an internal pocket somewhere, but made out of a neoprene/wetsuit material or otherwise padded. This could be used to hold a hard drive / P&S camera / radio / GPS / sensitive electronics (but not all at once). External access to side storage for a tactical light and a multitool sounds like a great idea. Beats digging around looking for them. A bag or pack in a gray color, with a lighter-colored interior would be nice. A little bit of Velcro (maybe 2x3 or 3x3) inside the pack somewhere for holding unused/hiding patches. No pressure.
@HELM Cheers mate, much obliged! As i don´t think there anything that special in my shoulder straps, i´m really looking forward to see what that idea is I agree; waterproof zippers are an overkill. Plus, sooner or later the water proofing wear out. A stromflap will be enough to protect the zipper from the rain. And besides; even when coil zipper is left unprotected, it still holds water pretty good. And another point that is sometimes forgotten about stromflaps is that not only does it cover the zipper from the elements; it also protects the coil from a mechanical damage. Personally, i wouldn´t buy a pack which zippers are not protected by a stromflap, unless the zipper has reversed sliders, which enables the zipper to be installed "bottom side up", leaving the coil inside the pack
Two of my must haves for any future bag purchase is clamshell opening and a dedicated CCW pocket. Clamshell opening is obvious so let's discuss the CCW pocket. Upon seeing your pic of the gun, light, magazine, and multitool pocket, my first reaction was that's awesome! Upon further reflection, my concern would be that it would weigh down the front of the bag and may negatively impact the bag's ability to stand on its own vs tip forward. Not sure if the design of the overall bag could mitigate that issue or not. Plus if that's your front pocket, then where is the admin pocket. The potential CCW pocket you showed in the video I do not like. The main problem I have with it is no access on the top of the bag. While I like the stealth factor of just having the hidden zippers on the side, I want to be able to access the pocket from the top as well. In fact I don't care about side access at all with my CCW pocket as long as I can access it from the top. The absolute best design in my personal opinion would be a 5.11 Moab10 type hidden pocket behind the admin pocket but in front of the main compartment for CCW. Although having it with a hidden zipper instead of opening with Velcro might be better in my opinion. EDIT: I should mention I like the two zippered pouches in the main compartment you keep mentioning. Love those on my Rush 12. Honestly if the Rush 12 had the MOAB 10 CCW pocket (preferably with hidden zipper instead of Velcro opening) then that would be my Perfect EDC bag right now. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
GatorMedic, thanks for the comments. I just wanted to make it clear that what was shown in the video are just examples and not necessarily ideas nor concept that has been finalized for this daypack project we're working on. What I'm trying to do is show what I've done, crowdsource ideas and combine these with whatever out there that currently works before coming to a final baseline for the pack. On a separate note, I've mentioned this before that I don't believe any CCW should be in a bag. Maybe it's me but no matter where it is in a bag, you can't access it fast enough compared to drawing it from your strong side, SOB, appendix, etc. With "Off Body" carry there is always the chance that you might leave your pack somewhere, unattended or otherwise. At the moment when you need your CCW, you could be 'separated' from it. Btw that photo of the pistol, mags and tool is not from a pack, it's from a discreet rifle case. It was to show the Velcro holster kit and not anything else. Sorry for the confusion. I have to take a look at the Moab 10. It's a sling bag isn't it? Let me go have a peek. Thanks again for the comments. Much appreciated.
jma78, FYI, I actually get a lot of requests these days from clients who no longer want flaps over the zippers. Most are requesting reverse zippers now, as you've alluded to. I've been given a number of re-design projects for older packs and the first thing they always ask me to do is remove those flaps.
I agree that on body carry is the best. But a CCW spot is good for two reasons: 1. when you can't carry on body for whatever reason (due to limited clothing--at the beach for example--, when I'm playing sports, at night when I'm sleeping over someone else's house, or any other plethora of scenarios) and 2. for a backup gun. Folks on here talk all the time about one is none and two is one. They use that as justification for carrying more than one knife or flashlight, etc. Same can be applied to guns. I plan to carry my new Shield on body and probably bag carry my XDs when I get it back from the recall. If something happens to my Shield like it malfunctions or something, I will have another option available to me. Yes, the Moab 10 is a sling, but it's built exteriorly the exact same as the Rush 12 (which is a traditional backpack), except for the added CCW pocket, a comms pocket on the strap, and it's narrower.
Helm, what are your thoughts on having a beavertail? It's a feature I really love but may not be for everyone.
He's serious. I believe Jon would like more participation. We have an opportunity to have a group sourced bag, custom made to specs that we all have suggested, even if it's not exactly like any one person would like. It's a good deal.
i love what jon and helm are trying to do but the problem is that if any one person doesn't like the bag what is the indication that any other person will like the bag...it would have to be a truly unique bag for me to purchase another bag not already in my queue..i already have my next and last bag in mind..a kifaru x-ray to go with my zippy and maybe an e and e with x-ray straps for my granddaughter to use as a school bag for the next 8 years of school... maybe if we all listed the things we don't want vs. the things we wish for in a bag we have a better chance of getting to a finished product but we still run into the problem of "deal killers" for a lot of people...
All good points. Helm has indicated that he has done this sort of idea campaign before, so I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that he has a way of organizing the details in an efficient manner to let folks see how the project will unfold. I have a shoe ready to chew on if I'm wrong. If a good majority of folks find the end result pleasing, regardless if it has all of their needs met, or if it has extra features that are unwanted, then it will be a success. The next project after that will only be better off for what we learn in this project. Like you, my bag needs are mostly filled, and what I have fulfills my daily needs well. This may not be for me at this time, but it won't stop me from participating even a little, and even enjoying the experience of being able to contribute in a small way to a final design. Even though you may not purchase this particular bag, I've seen you participate in giving ideas to help shape its form. Even these back and forth conversations in the thread help shape the final design.
Sorry for the delayed reply guys. It's been (good) busy on my side these few days. @GatorMedic - Absolutely concur with what you said about the times when "off body" is required. @Myrddraal - Beavertail has its uses and I honestly am rather in the middle about it. There are times when a BT is a great option to have and times when it's just redundant. That is why I suggested that a detachable/removable BT offered as an option is a consideration. Once again, not set on this but I am thinking that we could offer the base pack and let folks decide on options they wanna add. It needs to be a valued option that would provide additional pockets and a BT one could use to hold helmets, outerwear, etc. @cowsmilk @twogunmojo - crowdsourcing for ideas is never an easy thing because everyone has their own thoughts on what works for them and what doesn't. I doubt we would ever be able to create one pack that is going to meet the needs of all, more the needs of as many as possible. I also understand that most on this forum already have their bags of choice and trying to pitch yet another is not the idea. If one decides that this pack is the really the way to go, then great but we also need to keep all those new forum members in mind, folks who are just getting on-board the EDC wagon and are looking for such packs. It is the collective experience from us seasoned folks that is going to benefit our new friends. To do something like this requires a lot of patience too but the one thing I see among us 'bag aficionados', etc is the passion. We share our thoughts, chime in, debate, etc because we love the subject at hand. I've been doing product development since the early 90s including a stint at 240 West 40 in NYC (DKNY) and if it wasn't for the passion, I would not have suggested this. I have more bags and luggages than most folks I know but I am always interested to hear what others have to say. If for a moment I thought that I already know more than everyone out there, I might as well hang up my shoes and retire. But I don't. Sometimes I go down to my basement and look at all the Rinowas, Tumis, Mandarina Ducks, Porters, Patagonias etc that I own and I am reminded that I am just one big 'bag queer'. Anyway, I have tendency to blab too much so let me just end by saying that I am already seeing a baseline design in my head, in fact @bigfoot kinda summarized it in his last reply. There has been a lot of feedback as far as I am concern and I cannot thank you guys enough for participating in this thread. Helm
I'm of the same mind as @HELM on the off body CCW - but that's my personal preference - YMMV. I have had a MOAB 10 as my EDC bag for a little over a year. I originally thought that the CCW slot would be a good thing in case I really had to carry in there. I even got one of the 5.11 velcro holster rigs for it. But, no dice. Using my tiny double stack 9mm (Sccy CPX-2) and the holster rig, I could barely get the pistol in or out of the CCW slot. Once I removed the holster, the pistol fit a little better but was moved around depending on what was in the main compartment behind the CCW and the admin compartment in front of it. My experience is that, with a mostly empty bag, it might work. For me who carries a decent amount of stuff in my bag, it just doesn't. Again, YMMV with the MOAB and with CCW in your back pack or sling bag.
@helm... when you are ready to do a mock up/prototype would it be possible to do it in a color besides black/foliage/coyote... just a heads up but i bought a couple of the eula bags from timbuk2 for my granddaughter and wife and they have 24 colors of cordura...a teal or turquoise or kelly green or yellow might be nice... i know the yellow would show dirt like crazy but for those screaming about no molle i would ask them how can a couple of rows of molle look militant or ominous on a torquoise bag...
