Backpacks. If they do a good job, you won't even know they're there.
When we started planning our most recent trip to Italy, we decided that this time, we were going to go as light as humanly possible. Our ultimate goal: to get away with only carry-on bags, despite the fact that we were traveling for 3 weeks, packing electronics, and taking goodies for our Italian friends. With the luggage we owned, it seemed like a tough task. But, through some research, a few good blogs, and some luck, we were fortunate to stumble on the Blackhawk 3-Day Assault Pack
Want to know how it held up on our trip? Keep reading to find out our thoughts on how well the Assault Pack performed.
Before I jump into the details, I want to give you an idea of what we were able to cram into the bag on our way over to Italy. We were both carrying one of these bags, mine black and Kelly's olive green. Crammed into mine were 3 thinner short-sleeved button-up shirts, 4 t-shirts, 5 pairs of socks, a pair of jeans, 2 pairs of quick-drying boxer-briefs, our netbook (in the front pocket), a few boxes of jello pudding, an empty expansion bag for dirties, our assortment of liquids...all packed in a government approved, clear plastic bag, AND my digital SLR in its own bag. I don't even think there was air inside.
These bags were full. And fairly heavy.
After three weeks with our Assault Packs, it was pretty clear that we'd made good choices in packs. While we didn't have to carry them every day, we did have to lug them around enough to form an opinion (and a good one, at that!)
What I liked:
It's comfortable, even when packed to the gills.
As I mentioned before, we loaded our bags as full as they would go. But, thanks to some good design, we didn't end up a contorted, painful mess. The Assault Pack has a padded, contoured back and thick, comfy straps, so it fit well on my back. It was easy to adjust, so I was able to find a comfortable position on my back without much effort. Unlike some other bags I've tried, it fits my long torso quite well. Unfortunately, it's not quite as comfortable for folks with short torsos. Gals, keep in mind that the chest straps seemed to have been designed with a guy in mind.
It's carry-on & train sized.
In all my plane-riding days, I've seen some ridiculously sized bags make it on as "carry-on" luggage. But these bags, even when crammed full, fit easily into the luggage compartment of most airplanes (regional jets excluded). Our bags fit easily, when other people's wheelie bags were hanging precipitously.
But the plane wasn't the only type of transportation we had to endure. We carried & stowed our bags easily on just about every type of Italian train, from Eurostar to regional trains. On every train, they easily fit into the luggage rack (when they had a luggage rack.)
Heck, on our way back from Rome, we were crammed into Francesco's Volvo - with my backpack on my lap and Kelly's under Fabi in the front seat. Let's see you try that with a suitcase.
It's expandable.
If you happen to need some more space, you can attach 3 different expanders to your bag: a compression bag
It'll take a beating.
The Assault Pack has fared well on the two trips we've been together. Nothing has broken, the zippers all work flawlessly, and all the straps are still intact. No cuts, no holes. (The only thing it hasn't done well is repel cat hair.)
But, this durability shouldn't come as a huge surprise: these bags are standard issue for everyone in the US Army, so they'd better be able to take a beating and stay in one (functioning) piece.
Compares well to full-size backpacks AND travel bags.
I've traveled with full-size backpacks and tried in vain to find a good travel-sized bag, and have never been truly satisfied. Big bags are far too big: you have to check them when you fly and then stumble around, unbalanced for the duration of your trip. Most travel bags, on the other hand, are too small to be useful, so you end up having to pack additional luggage. The 3-Day Assault Pack combines the best of both of these worlds, living at the sweet spot between the full-size pack and the travel bag. For the numbers folks, it measures at 6" X 13" X 20" and carrying a little over 36 liters worth of stuff.
What bugged me:
It's strappy.
By the end of the trip, only one thing really bugged me about the bag, it has a ton of straps. They're great for compressing the bag, but when it comes to considering checking one of these, I get really nervous about getting them back in one piece. I've had less strappy bags come back butchered by airlines, so I'm hesitant to hand over another bag to be rendered unusable by a box cutter-armed airline thug. (no, I'm not bitter)
Would I recommend this bag? Absolutely. If you're looking to pack light on your next trip and avoid baggage checking fees, without having to use a dinky roller-suitcase, this bag would be a great choice. It's comfortable, holds almost anything you could ask for, and should stand up to the test of time. For around $100
How about weight when carrying it onto a plane? Some airlines, Lufthansa in my experience, weigh carry-on items. My guess is that the airlines aren't going to weigh a backpack (esp. if it is on your back) but I've encountered (when I moved to Lebanon) a clerk that weighed my carry-on bag, even when it was within the dimensions of what was allowed. As a result I had to carry my garment bag on the plane and check my carry on suitcase with no lock and full of electronics, books, and climbing gear.
My little $10 red backpack I got several years ago is lasting well for me but next visit back to the US I may have to check one of these out.
Hi man, nice review. I just thought I'd add a few points as someone who was in the military. Unfortunately it's not true that they are standard issue for all soldiers, we are all issued an assault pack but while it's fine it's not nearly as nice as the blackhawk bag. I know this because I shelled out a hundred bucks of my own money to buy one before a deployment.
That being said, I used it for almost two years of extremely heavy patrols in Iraq and it held up so well that I use it as my back pack at school now that I'm out of the military. I had the desert tan version and I came across your review while shopping for a new one. The old one is just fine after about 5 years of hard use but the color doesn't blend in to civilian life as well as the black does.
As for the straps, yeah military types have to have straps, this bag is actually kind of minimalistic compared to many military bags since it doesn't have molle attachments all over it. However, most of the longer straps can be rolled up and taped flat once you figure out exactly how it fits you. If you want to take a more drastic step they are nice thick material and if you cut the strap to length then slightly melt the cut edge with a lighter it will never unravel on you. I wouldn't do that until I knew for certain exactly how it fit though.
Anyway, good review.
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