Maxpedition Prepared Citizen Deluxe 32L

Overall the design is almost perfect for me. The thing that lets this bag down are the straps, they well made but poorly executed. They are so slippery they just slide off my shoulder they also cosmetically do not suit the design of the rest of the backpack. It’s like the design team got bored and thought that will do and moved on to the next project. If they just have a slightly grippy material on the part the comes into contact with my body I could have lived with it.

I don’t know how this bag isn’t way more popular. Im a medic and I use this as my day to day going to work bag. As such it holds the MacBook, charger, snacks, flask, toiletries etc all the usually stuff I take to work every day. All that fits in the main body of the bag. The front zipper opening holds a full set or an ancillary medical trauma supplies and I do mean a full set. I’m order to do this I had to add two pull out pouches with hook and loop backing to the Velcro panel but this was easy. Even with all this the external pockets still have plenty of space for ID badges lanyards, my raptor shears, PPE gloves masks etc and things like flashlight, pens, sunglasses note book etc. I should add this bag goes from my house to my duty vehicle and back again. I don’t go hiking or yomping anywhere with it, the straps and harness system are great but it’s not meant for that. The thing is as usuals with MXP built to last build quality is amazing. Great bag with many many different applications.

This backpack's design is amazing. Very rugged, very discreet, lots of pockets placed in the right places. But it has one major flaw - the shoulder straps!!! they are by far the worst (and I had more than 20 backpacks over the last 15 years - Deuter, Lowe Alpine, Osprey, and also cheaper brands) and practically make the whole thing unusable - I wore it for one day with less than 15 punds of weight in it and it was so uncomfortable that I had to put it aside. Too late to return it and will probably try to replace the straps or at least add a chest strap to alleviate the problem. So I cannot recommend it, hopefully they will release a V2 to address this flaw, until then - avoid!!!

I am a bit biased because I love Maxpedition products but have held off buying a back pack because, for me and until recently, they all had a military feel which was not what I wanted. SO I was very excited when this product was launched and bought one straight away. I have had it for about a year and carry it every day to work and back so it's had quite a lot of use. I absolutely love it. I has so much space and so many pockets for organisation. There is an inner "wall" of velcro backed fabric so I have been able to really customise what I carry with bespoke pouches attached for pens, cables, chargers and power banks etc. I have added a coulple of Maxpedition pouches which I store in two roomy inner pockets, one with some rudimentary tools and a torch and another with a first aid kit so, even without the external Molle option, there is plenty of choice for customisation. There is an additional Velcro backed panel, which would be against your back if you were wearing the pack, which I do not use as my pack is heavy enough. I think this is for discreet carriage of a firearm but that is not necessary (or legal) for me. The bottle pockets at the side are fantastic and securely hold a 1l water bottle with ease. I think they could hold a bottle double this size but I haven't tried. This is by far the best rucksack I have ever owned. It is made of very durable high quality material that shows no sign of wear after a year of heavy use. It is roomy, with lots of pockets and very customisable and it has a stylish but non military feel which is important to me. I absolutely love it - so why only 4 stars? The straps. They could have made this the finest rucksack of all time if they had put some more thought into the straps. They look like they have been lifted of a £20 kids school rucksack and, although well padded have no chest strap and feel cheap. I don't think this pack would be suitable for use on a long walk when it is well filled and heavy. I would also like to see a few discreet loops to attach things to on the straps. If they release a new version of this pack with improved straps I will buy it immediately. Highly recommended but make sure the straps are what you're looking for.