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Hey guys, I got the pack today. Initial thoughts are good. Its well made and study feeling. Its pretty darn big. I have been through 3 iterations of my load out. the first one was waaaayy to heavy, this pack can hold alot more than I can handle. I have had to reduce the load out twice now. Its good though as it really is forcing me to consider what I need. The main thing that I'm running into is water. its heavy. I want to have 3 liters, one per day. the pack and I can handle the volume of the pack all day, its just that overall weigh that is a killer. so i have been purging dense items in order to accommodate more water.
So far I have:
Tarp
blanket
emergency blanket
poncho(2)
Plastic sheet 8x12
paracord 50 ft
string 25 ft
duct tape 10 ft
clips
nails(4)
3 ltr water:
1 plastic canteen 1 lrt
1 metal canteen 1 ltr with metal cup bottom
2 500 ml water bottles
food 3 lbs main kit
food 1 lbs snack kit
Med kit
hygiene kit
fire kit
fishing kit
sewing kit
sunscreen 50 spf
bug spray 100 % deet
1 mora knife orange sheath/ handle
knife sharpener
compass
survival guide mini book
trash bag
zip ties
shemagh
clothes:
outdoors pants(zip off bottoms)
pfg long sleeve shirt
two pair socks
1 pair boxers
1 white under shirt
1 bottom thermal
hatchet
gerber survival knife
metal wire saw
flashlight(s)
emergency radio/ crank generator/ charger/ light
life straw
250 ml whiskey flask
2 150 ml emergency water pouches
wet wipes
head lamp
extra batteries
pen paper
can opener
multi tool
bug net
dry bag
wet bag
That May not be an exhaustive list, still would add a pistol and at least a mag or two of ammo.
Currently coming in at 29 lbs.
The only complaint I have is with the waist strap, it comes loose where it connects to the bottom rear of the pack, I think i can fix it but it should hold from the factory. Other than that it is a very solid pack.
I have decided not to use the RDP, rapid deployment pack, the one that attaches to the molle on the bottom of the Paratus. I was able to get everything into the main pack and I dont want the extra weight of the additional Cubic inches. the RDP is a well made pack, however I found it too small for its weight. plus when loaded up it really sags form the bottom of the pack and hangs away form the center of gravity. I think that I will use it as a range bag for pistols and ammo. so Its still a bonus as its comes with the $80 bag and sells for $25 buy it self.
The side pouches are very large, much bigger than they look in the pictures. I can easily fit 2 500 ml water bottles in each one with room to spare for smaller items like paracord or a lighter etc.
At first I was concerned about the lack of storage compartments. But after playing around with it I have found that by using gallon and quart sized heavy duty zip locks I can organize the large open pockets pretty well and really get alot of stuff in them. Plus it helps water proof and separate different categories of gear.
I think I'm going to give it a one night test here soon. It's been over a year since ive been camping and it will be my first time here in Colorado so I want to ease into it. I will post pics and an update after I've tested it out. The pics include my Max Ped Pygmy Falcon II, what I consider my favorite pack ever, its my every day pack. but its holds about 1/3 what the Paratus does. but it does it with grace and style. I have had the MaxPed PG2 for 5 yrs and it still looks almost new. I just needed something bigger. Large Maxped packs are out of my price range and I'm not crazy about the new designs.
Until then Molon Labe and Semper Fi
.
