Maxpedition: Jumbo or Colossus?

M

Moving Target

Joined
Feb 8, 2000
Messages
617
Anyone own or used both of these who can compare them for me?

I'm looking for a bag to carry some everyday gear (light, cellphone, first aid, raingear, lunch, handgun, etc) and still have some space left over for some additional items I may want to pack on the way home (sweatshirt, souvenirs, snacks, etc).

The Jumbo looks more comfortable but it's size seems strictly limited to small items. The Colossus looks big enough to carry everything I could want or need, but is it too bulky to wear comfortably?

Any opinions or experiences would be MUCH appreciated!
 
I have the Colossus and to be honest I know now I F-----! Up, The Jumbo would be much better especially if you are carring a hand gun.

RickJ
 
The biggest mistake, especially if you plan of carrying defensive weapons, is going large. The more stuff you can pack into a bag the more you will and each additional items makes it harder to get to your SD device whether it is a firearm, knife, pepper spray, etc. I think the Fat Boy is just about right and for purchases get a canvas shopping bag. It can be kept folded up and used as needed for excess purchases.
 
I have both a fatboy and a colossus. The colossus is maybe 2x the size of the fatboy. I was really shocked to see how small it was once i got it. I was purchasing it for a large items bag/bob and to be perfectly honest I should have gone with a backpack because the colossus is really an awkward size/ shape for me. It might get used on a day trip but for every day carry I do not see myself using it.

Now depending on what you are trying to carry I agree with Absintheur, the fatboy is a much more user friendly bag for SD and general stuff. The size is right and the lack of space makes you think about what you are going to carry rather then just stuffing everything in the bag. I think you could get everything but the sweatshirt and lunch in the fatboy no problem. It also has lots of MOLLE attachment points for a carabiner or grimblock to hang your additional purchases.

This site has a decent review of most of the Maxpedition products

http://www.milspecmonkey.com/maxpedition.html

Also check out the the gadgeteer for a review on the colossus and the fatboy. - I like these because they offer a different point of view from a techie rather than tacticool person.

http://the-gadgeteer.com/review/maxpedition_colossus_versipack
http://the-gadgeteer.com/review/maxpedition_fatboy_versapack

Billyp
 
I researched and handled/tried on both of these before I purchased the Colossus. The biggest difference and main point that pushed me to the Colossus over the Jumbo was the fact that the main compartment opens away from you, which makes it tons easier to access it while you are wearing it. The CCW compartment is the same for both. Since I live in the godforsaken state of Illinois, this is a moot point anyway, I cannot legally CCW.:grumpy: I attached a small roly-poly to the side, it fits a 32oz. nalgene bottle perfectly. Also, there is no "sided-ness" to the Colossus. It fits well on either side symmetrically. There are right and left sided models for the Jumbo, I didn't want to limit myself.

I do not find the Colossus unwieldy at all. I have used it out on several dayhikes without any discomfort. You can swing it around to your back when needed. I do not find it too big either. I like being able to tote enough stuff when necessary. Today, the family and I are venturing into the wilds of Chicago and I will bring it with for those just in case situations. (no, sadly no firearm...)
 
So..the overall impression that I'm getting is that the Jumbo is more useful and comfortable as a dedicated piece of CCW gear, but leaves very little room for anything but the smallest common/everyday items (i.e. things you would normally carry on your belt or in your pockets). It is a true "man-purse".

Whereas, the Colossus bridges the gap between shoulder-bag and a true backpack. Offering locations to carry a handgun but also added capacity to keep additional gear for day trips. Downsides seem to be less comfortable fit and the potential for over-packing(?)

My problem is that I don't normally carry enough items on my person to need a man-purse...just wallet, keys, comb, pen, mini flashlight, cellphone, Glock19...

...but for the work and travelling that I will be doing in a couple months, I will be carrying all the usual things plus a digital camera, snacks, raingear, a small first aid kit, maps, and sunglasses. None of this stuff is particularly heavy or bulky, the worst perhaps being the raingear, but looking at the Jumbo it doesn't look like it will carry more than what I EDC on my person already(?)

I'm not worried about overpacking, because I've carried all this stuff in the same situation before...but that is why I know I don't want a regular backpack - too much hassle taking it off and on constantly while going from the street to public transportation to boats and back again, not to mention every time I need to access something.

I have some doubts but I guess I'm leaning toward the Colossus for my needs. Thanks for all the ideas so far...any more opinions?
 
For what you want to carry a regular fatboy would be fine
 
rycen said:
For what you want to carry a regular fatboy would be fine
Click to expand...

Everyone is saying that a Jumbo isn't big enough to hold raingear and a bag lunch (along with the other things I mentioned)...isn't the Fatboy even smaller than the Jumbo(?)
 
Moving Target said:
So..the overall impression that I'm getting is that the Jumbo is more useful and comfortable as a dedicated piece of CCW gear, but leaves very little room for anything but the smallest common/everyday items (i.e. things you would normally carry on your belt or in your pockets). It is a true "man-purse".

Whereas, the Colossus bridges the gap between shoulder-bag and a true backpack. Offering locations to carry a handgun but also added capacity to keep additional gear for day trips. Downsides seem to be less comfortable fit and the potential for over-packing(?)

My problem is that I don't normally carry enough items on my person to need a man-purse...just wallet, keys, comb, pen, mini flashlight, cellphone, Glock19...

...but for the work and travelling that I will be doing in a couple months, I will be carrying all the usual things plus a digital camera, snacks, raingear, a small first aid kit, maps, and sunglasses. None of this stuff is particularly heavy or bulky, the worst perhaps being the raingear, but looking at the Jumbo it doesn't look like it will carry more than what I EDC on my person already(?)

I'm not worried about overpacking, because I've carried all this stuff in the same situation before...but that is why I know I don't want a regular backpack - too much hassle taking it off and on constantly while going from the street to public transportation to boats and back again, not to mention every time I need to access something.

I have some doubts but I guess I'm leaning toward the Colossus for my needs. Thanks for all the ideas so far...any more opinions?
Click to expand...

Moving Target... I cannot PM you, but it sounds like you and I are in the same boat. I was fortunate enough to have a brick and mortar that had the Versipack, the jumbo versipack, (both the left and right sided versions of both) and the Colossus. I tried ALL of them on, on both sides, both the R and L models. The Colossus won because it was by far the most versatile. The CCW compartment IS THE SAME IN ALL. I would suggest that you add some sort of differentiating feature for that particular pull string on that particular zipper that accesses that particular compartment. ( a monkey fist, skull bead etc.)

So, I got back from my trip to the wilds of Chicago. My butt-head sister-in-law made fun of my "boy scout bag", but I used it's contents at least 4 separate times, where noone else, even the purse carriers, had what was needed. Used my first aid kit to bandage my "graceful" oldest daughter's toe when she fell and split her toe. Later gave her some ibuprofen from my little medicine kit when she complained it hurt. furnished napkins at ice cream time. Supplied a field wipe/wet towellete when the bathroom on the train didn't have a working faucet. (they are called "Hoo-ahhs"! name made me laugh, good product too!:thumbup:) Now, if the train crashed... I would have had on me all the necessary tools too. Mini pry-bar, light, med kit, gloves, medicines, multi-tool... yep, I guess "boy-scout bag" ISN'T an insult.

Get the Colossus. Seriously. PM me, and I'll give you a full inventory of what I have in it, and STILL have enough room for more.
 
I wouldn't want any more then fits into a jumbo on a single shoulder. The stadnard fatboy seems a little small but I do fit walking gear including bit of food, drink, FAK, coat in the jumbo.
No guns in the UK but it seems to me like it would be difficult to access something there if you have much in the main compartment.
 
Mongo said:
I researched and handled/tried on both of these before I purchased the Colossus. The biggest difference and main point that pushed me to the Colossus over the Jumbo was the fact that the main compartment opens away from you, which makes it tons easier to access it while you are wearing it. The CCW compartment is the same for both. Since I live in the godforsaken state of Illinois, this is a moot point anyway, I cannot legally CCW.:grumpy: I attached a small roly-poly to the side, it fits a 32oz. nalgene bottle perfectly. Also, there is no "sided-ness" to the Colossus. It fits well on either side symmetrically. There are right and left sided models for the Jumbo, I didn't want to limit myself.

I do not find the Colossus unwieldy at all. I have used it out on several dayhikes without any discomfort. You can swing it around to your back when needed. I do not find it too big either. I like being able to tote enough stuff when necessary. Today, the family and I are venturing into the wilds of Chicago and I will bring it with for those just in case situations. (no, sadly no firearm...)
Click to expand...

You say true and I say thankee sai! I want a black colossus.
 
Mongo said:
Moving Target... I cannot PM you, but it sounds like you and I are in the same boat. I was fortunate enough to have a brick and mortar that had the Versipack, the jumbo versipack, (both the left and right sided versions of both) and the Colossus. I tried ALL of them on, on both sides, both the R and L models. The Colossus won because it was by far the most versatile. The CCW compartment IS THE SAME IN ALL. I would suggest that you add some sort of differentiating feature for that particular pull string on that particular zipper that accesses that particular compartment. ( a monkey fist, skull bead etc.)

So, I got back from my trip to the wilds of Chicago. My butt-head sister-in-law made fun of my "boy scout bag", but I used it's contents at least 4 separate times, where noone else, even the purse carriers, had what was needed. Used my first aid kit to bandage my "graceful" oldest daughter's toe when she fell and split her toe. Later gave her some ibuprofen from my little medicine kit when she complained it hurt. furnished napkins at ice cream time. Supplied a field wipe/wet towellete when the bathroom on the train didn't have a working faucet. (they are called "Hoo-ahhs"! name made me laugh, good product too!:thumbup:) Now, if the train crashed... I would have had on me all the necessary tools too. Mini pry-bar, light, med kit, gloves, medicines, multi-tool... yep, I guess "boy-scout bag" ISN'T an insult.

Get the Colossus. Seriously. PM me, and I'll give you a full inventory of what I have in it, and STILL have enough room for more.
Click to expand...

I would be more than happy to see your list Sir. ronfinkbeinerjr@gmail.com
 
Moving Target said:
Everyone is saying that a Jumbo isn't big enough to hold raingear and a bag lunch (along with the other things I mentioned)...isn't the Fatboy even smaller than the Jumbo(?)
Click to expand...

Fatboy is very small. Main portion of the bag can hold about two 0,5L cans of beer. I haven't used mine really that much in years, mostly in walks with my dog recently. It's more of small gear pack for camera or gadgets than anything where you can put stuff in as the day goes.
 
Have you considered the Mongo. I've owned just about every bag Maxpedition makes. Still own quite a few of them. The colossus is odd. The whole two part pocket thing it has on the front is usless IMHO. I didn't find it roomy for it's size. And I didn't like the setup of the CCW situation.

Between the two... I'd definitely get the Jumbo. But the Mongo has a lot of advantages. The four things I appreciate MOST about the Mongo is the bottle holder, the slit pocket on the side, the clamshell pouch on top, and the fact that the front pouch is lined with loop velcro.

The Bottle holder is large enough to accept a 2 liter soda bottle. That's quite an advantage all things considered. It will also hold the large 2 liter gatorade bottles and a 64oz Kleen Kanteen stainless steel bottle. It will of course hold a 32oz bottle easy... but you have MANY options with the larger drink pouch.

The slit pocket on the side is PERFECT for a fixed blade. It can easily allow you to carry a 5 to 6 inch bladed knife daily.

The clamshell pouch on top... is just the right size to fit an iphone and a wallet. So you can get at them in a seconds notice. I used the phone pouch on it to hold an altoids tin with lighter, fingernail clippers, advil, burts bee's wax lip balm ext. Plus the clamshell pouch has a cargo net pouch on the underside for other stuff.

And the loop velcro field in the front pouch lets you set it up how you want it. If you wanna put a flashlight pouch and their 6x6 flap pouch in there... you can. If you wanna put one of their hook and loop organizers in there... you can.

You don't have to pack it full. I find the extra room I have in the mongo to be an advantage... because I can put stuff in it on the go. The main compartment is huge and can hold all kinds of stuff. And the CCW pouch is big enough for your gun and a double mag pouch.

So far my two favorite bags from Maxpedition have been the Mongo and Kodiak.

You can also see in this pic I replaced the factory shoulder strap with OD Green seat belt material. It's softer, smoother, and more flexible. You can swing the pack from your back side to the front much easier and without it trying to saw off your head with that coarse webbing maxpedition uses.

408994154.jpg
 
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I carried the Jumbo as an EDC for about two years. I found that it had more than enough room for what I needed (although additional clothes was usually only an extra pair of wool socks) I actually found that over time it was easy to get it to an uncomfortable weight. I've since switched to a Remora, but I'm finding the same thing. Its fine for an hour or two, but if its on your back all day, it can be a bit much. My compromise to this is to also carry a sea-to-summit folding daypack in case I need to carry light bulky items.

If you are only carrying a few items, then the main pocket of the jumbo should hold a compact rain coat, or some other things.

Personally I think you'd be happier with either the mongo or jumbo, the top flap allows a much great range of size, and you can tighten everything down if the pack isn't very full, where as the colossus is pretty limited by the zippers. If you look at the different Jumbo options (gtg, edc, leo) you can probably find one that suits your needs better.
 
Moving Target said:
Everyone is saying that a Jumbo isn't big enough to hold raingear and a bag lunch (along with the other things I mentioned)...isn't the Fatboy even smaller than the Jumbo(?)
Click to expand...
Yes, the FatBoy is even smaller than the Jumbo. I carry a Jumbo every day and it is not large enough for the volume of the gear you have listed.

If you are willing to carry your rain gear externally the bottom of the Jumbo has straps onto which you can lash your rain gear. If you willing to do that the Jumbo would carry your gear listed. Add a Roly-Poly (spelling) and you have enough volume for your gear list with the rain gear lashed to the bottom straps of the Jumbo.
 
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