Condor Compact Assault Pack (small)

This is a very handy small pack, as long as you understand its limitations. I have had it a couple week, used it for day-to-day work/gym commuting and one weekend camping. The size is just about perfect- the main compartment easily holds workout gear and a pair of sneakers, the middle compartment my lunch, and the outer compartments my ID, sunglasses, keys, etc. The main compartment even holds a full" business casual" out fit (dress shoes [size 9], slacks, shirt, undershirt, belt, socks), if a bit too snugly to really want to rewear them. Kindle fits nicely into the internal mesh pocket, and it all looks nice and tacti-cool in basic black.For our family camping trip, this was an excellent little day pack, very comfy for a moderate hike (5 miles, moderate terrain) with a couple young kids. Carried a full water bladder, lunch for 4, snacks, and all the miscellany I carry because I am a former Army guy and can't go out with (ie compass, knife, 550 cord, first aid supplies [A tactical tourniquet? Really man? yeah....], emergency poncho, etc). The first aid stuff fit so nicely in the larger outer pocket it now lives there full time.There are a few quibbles, but they are pretty minor:1. The shoulder straps have a lot of room for adjustment, but for me, with no body armor etc, the lower portion of the webbing could be 6-8" longer, and the top proportionally shorter. I had no issues adjusting it to be comfy, but there is a lot of strap flopping about.2. The waist belt is pretty short, but I am also a pretty stout guy. Ok, I'm full on chubby, but its still pretty small, and on a pack this size, it is really needed?3. Sternum strap- I probably could have used this on the hike, but normal use I don't miss it.Again, this is a SMALL pack. It's not good for a 72 hour bag, IMO, unless you are packing very light, nor would it be my first choice for a bug out bag with a full basic load, extra mags, frags, etc. 15-20 pounds probably max out its usefulness. There aren;t any good external straps for snivel gear or such, but the webbing looks sturdy for more pouches and such. It expands from fron to back, versus side to side, so the more stuff you stuff in it, the higher your prone profile would be. I can't either recommend it as a basic book bag, the main compartment is too narrow for anything but a small lap top, and the tall, narrow design would be hard to retrieve stuff out of, while making larger textbooks a tight squeeze. but for my general purpose use as a gym/commuter bag with occasional weekend hikes, it a great bag, and a great value.

I originally intended to use this bag as just a day bag with the everyday essentials. Wow was I surprised with how much I can fit in this bag comfortably! This has become not only my every day bag, but it has enough supplies for me to confidently use it as my 72 hour bug out/get home bag as well.Some of the items I have in the bag I wasnt expecting include:3 days worth of food bars - 1 total3 days worth of water packets - 6 totalLarge tarp - 8x10Med first aid kit - including large trauma pads5 inch blade survival knife and sheath with fire starter and sharpener2 flashlights: 1 full hand size, 1 smallWater filter kitEmergency chargerFire kit - Med size kit with matches, lighter, tinder, fuel, etcAll these items are in addition to my normal every day carry items such as meds, items for work, rain gear, pack towel, winter items (large gloves, face mask, hat, etc), water bottle, etc. Note, I still have room in this bag, its not stuffed. If you are looking for a small 3 day bag or just have lots of stuff to carry on a day to day basis, this is the pack for you.Another thing I found particularly helpful was the front compression strap. This bag can be forward heavy if not packed right, however, if you cinch down the front/top compression strap, it pulls everything toward the back of the bag and makes it sit upright. Its also great because, along with ALL that other stuff, I have a 32 oz Nalgene water bottle that the "v" straps on the top hold onto nicely. Even full of liquid, it keeps the weight central to the bag so it doesnt feel like its pulling away from you.As always, Condor provides quality workmanship with the options you want at the right price. Excellent bag.

I needed a get home bag for the wife. My typical buy when it comes to bags is 1000d or 1050d Nylon. Though heavy nylon increases the price of a pack a great deal. For this buy, I was looking for a good combination of cost vs. performance. If you are looking for an EDC that will get some hard everyday use, I won't kid you and tell you that this bag will hold up over the long haul. 1000d and 1050d combined with the right stitching and buckles/fasteners just can't be beat.However, if you are looking for a pack that will get light to moderate use, (like a purpose built get home bag) and will spend most of its time riding in a vehicle (used for short periods of time during an event), this bag might be a good option for you.The bag is well built and provides a fair amount of room for the basic essentials (estimate around 22-23L capacity) . Since the material is not as heavy as 1050d it is not as stiff and results in easier accessibility to the pockets. The zippers are decent quality, stitching is reinforced appropriately and the buckles are adequate. Don't get me wrong the material is not thin at all, it is a decent thickness and appears to be of decent strength. This bag follows the common "compact assault pack" design and build out. A higher quality and more expensive version of this bag is the Maxpedition Falcon II. The Falcon II offers higher quality materials, and more compression but at a higher price point. The Condor Compact Assault provides some compression straps which are nice, and the bag is fairly comfortable after adjusting for fit.If I had to identify possible failure points for this bag it would be buckles/adjusters and stitching in the high stress spots (shoulder strap attach points to the bag/tightly pulled compression straps). These are typical failure points.Overall, depending on your use case, this bag might be just the right price vs. performance you are looking for. I wouldn't hesitate buying this bag again.