More affordable alternative to smaller Kifarus and Mystery Ranches

Hey Kirk

Im currently deployed to a hot spot in afghanistan, and i carry an eberlestock pack here with me, I already owned 2 kifaru packs but i was so impressed with the eberlestock (halftrack) that i bought another one, the dragonfly which is now my go to bag (back in the states) because of its modularity, When i went fishing during leave i could use it to haul a tackle box my rods and a cooler. But i digress. Eberlestocks are great packs and i rank them just behind mystery ranch and Kifaru in terms of quality.

The way i see it is like this. Kifaru's are the toughest packs on the planet. Mystery ranch are probably the most inovative (kifaru's innovations tend more toward there gear than packs Which are very straightforward) , and maybe a touch more comfortable than a kifaru. But an eberlestock Is just a great pack, plenty tough and straight forward. I really cant recommend eberlestocks enough. I put so much stuff into mine that ihave to kick and step on it to close it up, and then i tug with all my strength to close the zippers while im kneeling on it, and the zippers havent even shown any wear, which is amazing because ive broke the zippers and zipper pulls on many a lesser tactical pack. The material is very abrasion resitant, and it also resists discoloration to an astonishing degree. The pull-out rain cover is a life saver, its big enough to cover the pack even when its stuffed so you can keep your clothes and socks bone dry even in one of these afghani rainstorms (yes we get rainstorms, they look amazing rolling over the plains before the mountains) The harness is very adjustable and quite comfortable allowing you to fit the pack to your back or loosen the straps enough to get it on with full kit and sinch it down, the straps look puny but they are actually quite comfy and the waist belt is wide and stiff, with a big buckle that ive stepped on a ton and still havent broken.

So basically you cant go wrong with an eberlestock, i highly reccomend them, and the tan/brown/olive drab colors are actually quite handsome.

Also if you look hard you can find factory seconds, This is a campo one for 150: http://craven1.apollohosting.com/mi..._Code=E1&Product_Code=F3HB-D&Category_Code=BB


As an update, I went with the Eberlestock X2 (smaller than the half track). I have now put it through the paces to some degree. I have gone on two outings with it--the first was an afternoon hike where I hauled two full 2-liter bladders of water in the side compartments that are specifically designed for that purpose. I learned that (1) the pack carries the water weight very, very well (sounds like carrying the water in the side packs may be a lot more user friendly than in the middle), and (2) that is a ton of water to carry, and in the future I don't need to carry that much.

The second outing was three days of whitetail hunting in the snow, at very cold temps, over a lot of layers. I didn't need to carry any water, and I just took the essentials--first aid kit, emercency bivvy, small survival kit, some ammo, etc. It was pretty tough country, and hiking through the snow is no walk in the park. But even though there was a good amount of weight in that pack, it didn't slow me down much. Unlike most of the packs of its size, it is built as a great weight-bearing system.

I have found that the 5.11 tactical 6.10 vertical pounch almost seems custom made to hook onto the PALS webbing on the side panels, and I need to order another one of these as a way to increase the carrying capacity if I need to. I use one for my first aid kit. Eberlestock has some side pouches that they sell, but the 5.11's are a lot cheaper.

I would echo everything that razor says about the quality of the pack and the materials and workmanship that went into it. It is obviously very tough, and the attention to detail and creativity seems to surpass its price. Attention seems to have been put into even the smallest details.

The flap design is made to allow you to come up with creative ways to comfortably carry awkward, cumbersome gear. There are dozens of different configurations that can be used.

In the end, it seems to be a great amalgam of some great features of a lot of different types of packs--the materials and toughness and PALS webbing from military packs (like, say, an ATS RAID), the hydration and load bearing construction of a hiking pack, and the awkward gear carrying capabilities of a hunting pack (like, say, a badlands). That is why it was a clear choice for me and it turned out to be exactly what I had hoped for.
 
In case anyone hasn't noticed, Tad restocked their LiteSpeed and EDV4.
 
Hey Kirk

Im currently deployed to a hot spot in afghanistan, and i carry an eberlestock pack here with me, I already owned 2 kifaru packs but i was so impressed with the eberlestock (halftrack) that i bought another one, the dragonfly which is now my go to bag (back in the states) because of its modularity, When i went fishing during leave i could use it to haul a tackle box my rods and a cooler. But i digress. Eberlestocks are great packs and i rank them just behind mystery ranch and Kifaru in terms of quality.

The way i see it is like this. Kifaru's are the toughest packs on the planet. Mystery ranch are probably the most inovative (kifaru's innovations tend more toward there gear than packs Which are very straightforward) , and maybe a touch more comfortable than a kifaru. But an eberlestock Is just a great pack, plenty tough and straight forward. I really cant recommend eberlestocks enough. I put so much stuff into mine that ihave to kick and step on it to close it up, and then i tug with all my strength to close the zippers while im kneeling on it, and the zippers havent even shown any wear, which is amazing because ive broke the zippers and zipper pulls on many a lesser tactical pack. The material is very abrasion resitant, and it also resists discoloration to an astonishing degree. The pull-out rain cover is a life saver, its big enough to cover the pack even when its stuffed so you can keep your clothes and socks bone dry even in one of these afghani rainstorms (yes we get rainstorms, they look amazing rolling over the plains before the mountains) The harness is very adjustable and quite comfortable allowing you to fit the pack to your back or loosen the straps enough to get it on with full kit and sinch it down, the straps look puny but they are actually quite comfy and the waist belt is wide and stiff, with a big buckle that ive stepped on a ton and still havent broken.

So basically you cant go wrong with an eberlestock, i highly reccomend them, and the tan/brown/olive drab colors are actually quite handsome.

Also if you look hard you can find factory seconds, This is a campo one for 150: http://craven1.apollohosting.com/mi..._Code=E1&Product_Code=F3HB-D&Category_Code=BB

Thanks for your service! I also enjoyed your review and took the plunge and got an Eberlestock Terminator in ARPAT. I'm looking forward to trying it out on my next outdoor excursion.
 
Click on the order button. It's available in solid colors: "Ranger Green" and "Dry Earth", but you have to look around at other items to see what those colors look like, since they apparently don't have a comparison table or similar showing the different ones.

You can find examples on the Eberlestock site. Look around, i agree.

Personally, I am very sold on this brand. Look at the rave reviews in this thread and at its site. I just bought two for Christmas, a Just One for me and an X Project ($122.50 on eBay) for my 12 year old son. Both camo, since more useful for our intended uses.

Norm
 
For your price range, Maxpedition or Camelbak are going to be your best bets.

You can easily find something to suit your needs from either of these, and the quality of both is outstanding. Very comparable to Kifaru, Mystery Ranch, Eagle, and Eberlestock, in my opinion (I own, or have used, all of them).

Kelty is another good option, but their selection (of military style rucks, as opposed to recreational packs) is more limited.
 
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