Maxpedition Pygmy Falcon II Backpack 18L

I'm a big fan of Maxpedition bags and I already had one of these in my collection which is growing all the time. Maxpedition's legacy gear is practically bombproof. I have a few of their bags that must be getting on for 10 years now but you wouldn't know it! They still look brand new. Only reason I got a second one of these is I wanted an extra one for my fishing gear. This is perfect for the roving lure angler, sits nice and high on your back so wading isn't a problem and doesn't give me any back ache after a long day, very comfortable.

I have many packs but have to say that the pygmy is my go to pack for my needs, from day 1 which was recieved Monday morning from a Saturday evening purchase from Heinnie "amazing as always" I took.it out for a 2 & half hour walk with it weighing 15lbs that left plenty of room for more. My thoughts were it's a very comfy carry, hardly noticable, the chest strap is good and I think the shoulder straps are very sturdy making on off a breeze, I purchased a matching phone holster too to attach to the strap leaving my phone in an easy to access area for use of speech. The internal storage is great but if your going light it closes up real tight with its narrow fitting it's great on footpaths where your going over stiles etc as you dont get caught up in narrow crossings. The usual Maxpedition quality in a great size for a 1 possibly 2 day pack, very happy with my buy and thanks again to H H.

This replaces a Tactical Tailor Urban Operator, which, whilst superb, was really quite bulky - OK it was 30 litres, but somehow I couldn't comfortably fit everything I needed to carry in any reasonable order - it's a great bag though, and some of the things like the orange interior for easy viewing and the zippy expanding bottle pocket were really great. Anyway, after a ton of research I settled on the Pygmy Falcon and I couldn't be more delighted. It is overbuilt for a rucksack, but I rather like that. All the stitching is REALLY first class, the materials are tough and a great deal of thought has gone into it. I've seen a few complaints about the compression strap, but it is logical because not only will it compress, it also acts as a deterrent for the zip pocket on the outermost face of the bag - if someone was trying to pick this in a crowd, they'd have a job because the strap covers the zips progress, and if you've got it tight, well . . . The Pygmy holds a lot of stuff - more than you would think, but it also makes you think about not over-packing - again a great bit of thinking. When I got it, I filled it with kettle bells, clipped the sternum strap into place and went and did the hoovering - and it was brilliant - stable, easy to carry, comfortable and didn't wobble all over the place. Also, because it is quite narrow and sits high it really doesn't impede your progress when going through tight spaces. The vinyl (?) bottom of the bag is tough and gives the impression it'll last for years, as does the rest of the bag. The organisation is just right and works well. To sum up, this is an awful lot of bag for the money - made in Vietnam too - so fantastic workmanship and quality control - if you've dithered at all and can cope with an 18 litre main compartment and a (approx) 5 litres of other pockets then go for it. Oh yeah, and the bottle pockets will each hold a 14 oz/approx 500ml Nalgene with the blue top . . . I am really chuffed with my purchase, and with Heinnie - ordered Thursday, received Friday on their standard service! SUPERB.

I've had this pack for easily over 6 years through an arduous military career and it has taken everything I can throw at it. Including being run over by my car when I left it outside! A good size for a day exped. Might be expensive but you will definitely get your moneys worth and then some.

This Backpack is very good on every day use for a Photojournalist. It can take all I need on job . So just buy this product! :-))

This bag is great for the daily commute. The main compartment is perfect size for A4 files. The middle compartment is perfect size for iPad & there's loads of room left for other daily essentials like food & drink. I chose this as it doesn't take a hydropack. I prefer my drink in a bottle that I can transfer to my desk or car cup holder. This backpack is built like a tank. I'm sure it will out live me. Great service from HH as usual.

I bought this for my teenage son to use as a school bag having gone through several other branded bags in no time. He has been using it daily for 2 terms, and despite being used and abused, it still looks new. It has been kicked along school corridors, rained on, and generally badly treated, as you would expect from a teenager, but it is utterly brilliant. It is SO robust. Clearly built to last. Expensive, but worth every single penny.

As always, a great product from MaxP. Sturdy and well built, with a host of features. My only complaint is that the front compartment doesn't have a bi-directional zip. I added a triad pouch onto mine, and It's in daily use at work, gets treated very harshly, and shows no wear whatsoever.

This daypack is very well made, sturdy reinforced cordura, strong stitching, YKK zippers and paracord pulls. It is very low profile (my main reason for buying this model) but at he same time it has lots of attachment options when needed: molle straps on the back, sides and shoulder straps, strong mesh pouches on the sides and weaved cord webbing underneath external compartment. One thing which can improve otherwise amazing bag would be addiction of waist strap - even detachable one.