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- Sep 2, 2008
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Fonlys recent review of his Maxpedition Lunada inspired me to do a review of my new Maxpedition Falcon-II. Specs for this pack can be found here. I purchased this pack after deciding I wanted a durable daypack for hiking that could double as a BOB. I went with the Falcon-II instead of the Pygmy Falcon for several reasons including: I am a recent convert to hydration packs for hiking, I love daypacks with separate compartments, and I wanted the little bit of extra cargo space in the Falcon-II. The separate compartment thing was key for me, since I dont like repacking/reorganizing my hiking pack for every hike. I want to be able to leave lesser used items like my FAK and cordage in a one compartment, and use another compartment for items that are changed every hike or used often on hikes (food, items for different activities, etc).
I only received this pack a week or two ago and have yet to take it out on a hike. Therefore, this review will be broken into two parts:
1) Initial thoughts and pics of interior
2) After-hike impressions and pics of it in use. (Post with Part 2 is here)
Alright, lets begin with Part 1!
This is the khaki pack as depicted on the Maxpedition website:
Maxpedition is moving to matching zippers and buckles on all of their products, so this is what I actually received (next to 10x4 bottle holder and M2 for size reference):
The fabric is robust as with all other Maxpedition products and has a solid feel to it. Although I dont think rigidity necessarily equates toughness, Im pretty confident this pack will hold up to whatever I could throw at it. The shoulder straps are nicely padded and should function very well. The shoulder straps have one compression strap each that allow the user to adjust the fit of the pack. It feels quite comfortable so far, well see how it feels on a hike. The pack also has a great sternum strap. The waist belt doesnt seem to be very effective, as its positioned pretty high up on my torso; I will take pictures of it in part two. The good news is that the waist belt can be removed completely.
This should give you an idea of the slimness of the empty pack. I dont have it cinched down all the way in this picture, but basically the pack condenses such that the front two pockets collapse into the secondary large compartment, and all three collapse into the main compartment.
This is the bottom with the pack nearly completely cinched. There are 7 compression straps in all: 4 on the sides, two on the bottom that can be used to hold gear below the pack, and one Y strap that can be used for further horizontal compression. The Y strap can be removed completely if you get annoyed with it. The black you see on the bottom is a synthetic abrasion resistant material.
The zippers are YKK and sturdy, and all seams are double stitched. I replaced the stock khaki paracord zipper pulls with black paracord ones to make finding the zippers quicker and easier.
This is the pack in its current set-up. I have attached a mini-rollypoly that contains a guyot and an M-2 via Tac Ties. The M2 is there for small items or snacks to which I want quick access. I wanted to carry a guyot because although I love hydration packs, I often find myself needing to pour water (e.g. washing hands, rinsing a cut, rinsing food), especially if hiking with my lady. I have also attached 2 carabiners for miscellaneous gear, a RAT Izula, and a County Comm Spotlit LED blinker.
The bladder is a 100oz Camelbak bladder. The drinking tube exit hole opens up both in the bladder pocket and the main compartment and is secured with velcro. I dont really like the bladder-hanging strap as its too wide to use easily with the Camelbak bladder hook. Sometimes the bladder manages to slip off the hook as well. However, the problem is easily remedied by tying a small loop of paracord onto the existing hanging strap; then it'd be just like a normal camelbak hanging look (I just havent done it yet). The velcro closure is a bit awkward, and I think a simple elastic hole like that found in camelbaks would have been better. Its not a big deal though. There are also two drain holes at the bottom of the bladder pocket for leakage or condensation. The insulating material used on the bladder pocket flap seems to be rather absorbent though, not like the non-absorbent material used in camelback bladder pockets. I also thought it a little odd that the same insulating material wasn't used on both sides of the bladder pocket. I'll see how it handles a full bladder of cold water over the course of a hike and post pics with part 2.
I only received this pack a week or two ago and have yet to take it out on a hike. Therefore, this review will be broken into two parts:
1) Initial thoughts and pics of interior
2) After-hike impressions and pics of it in use. (Post with Part 2 is here)
Alright, lets begin with Part 1!
This is the khaki pack as depicted on the Maxpedition website:
Maxpedition is moving to matching zippers and buckles on all of their products, so this is what I actually received (next to 10x4 bottle holder and M2 for size reference):
The fabric is robust as with all other Maxpedition products and has a solid feel to it. Although I dont think rigidity necessarily equates toughness, Im pretty confident this pack will hold up to whatever I could throw at it. The shoulder straps are nicely padded and should function very well. The shoulder straps have one compression strap each that allow the user to adjust the fit of the pack. It feels quite comfortable so far, well see how it feels on a hike. The pack also has a great sternum strap. The waist belt doesnt seem to be very effective, as its positioned pretty high up on my torso; I will take pictures of it in part two. The good news is that the waist belt can be removed completely.
This should give you an idea of the slimness of the empty pack. I dont have it cinched down all the way in this picture, but basically the pack condenses such that the front two pockets collapse into the secondary large compartment, and all three collapse into the main compartment.
This is the bottom with the pack nearly completely cinched. There are 7 compression straps in all: 4 on the sides, two on the bottom that can be used to hold gear below the pack, and one Y strap that can be used for further horizontal compression. The Y strap can be removed completely if you get annoyed with it. The black you see on the bottom is a synthetic abrasion resistant material.
The zippers are YKK and sturdy, and all seams are double stitched. I replaced the stock khaki paracord zipper pulls with black paracord ones to make finding the zippers quicker and easier.
This is the pack in its current set-up. I have attached a mini-rollypoly that contains a guyot and an M-2 via Tac Ties. The M2 is there for small items or snacks to which I want quick access. I wanted to carry a guyot because although I love hydration packs, I often find myself needing to pour water (e.g. washing hands, rinsing a cut, rinsing food), especially if hiking with my lady. I have also attached 2 carabiners for miscellaneous gear, a RAT Izula, and a County Comm Spotlit LED blinker.
The bladder is a 100oz Camelbak bladder. The drinking tube exit hole opens up both in the bladder pocket and the main compartment and is secured with velcro. I dont really like the bladder-hanging strap as its too wide to use easily with the Camelbak bladder hook. Sometimes the bladder manages to slip off the hook as well. However, the problem is easily remedied by tying a small loop of paracord onto the existing hanging strap; then it'd be just like a normal camelbak hanging look (I just havent done it yet). The velcro closure is a bit awkward, and I think a simple elastic hole like that found in camelbaks would have been better. Its not a big deal though. There are also two drain holes at the bottom of the bladder pocket for leakage or condensation. The insulating material used on the bladder pocket flap seems to be rather absorbent though, not like the non-absorbent material used in camelback bladder pockets. I also thought it a little odd that the same insulating material wasn't used on both sides of the bladder pocket. I'll see how it handles a full bladder of cold water over the course of a hike and post pics with part 2.
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I think either this or the pygmy would fill that role perfectly for you :thumbup:
