Maxpedition Sitka Gearslinger

Sitka Gearslinger by Maxpedition.. I will give a quick review of this bag..I am not going to go into specifics because they can be found on the numerous posts both here and on YouTube and on Maxpeditions website. That said let me explain a little about my needs when it comes to an EDC bag. I live in a suburb bordering an urban center. I basically travel from my house to my car and from there into a building, for work and other business. On rare occasions I will travel by mass transport. On a whim I might stop at a park or go shopping. This being my daily schedule I was searching for a durable bag that was not to big which can carry my basic needs and have a little flexibility for specific items. Now I have viewed a lot of reviews that break down their EDC load out. Because of my situation I do not need half of the stuff I see people carrying. I have a basic bag in the car that I carry my "get home" equipment since I am usually no more than 3 blocks from it on any given day. This allows me to pack my EDC light. So far the sitka has fit my needs very well. It is a sling bag so I decided to go for the sitka as opposed to the kodiak. I wanted the biggest bag possible that would still be comfortable as a sling. The Sitka is very comfortable even though I haven't stuffed it yet. I am a good sized guy about 6 feet 230 pounds..pretty solid:) At this size I find the Sitka to be a good size. It does not look like a child's bag as someone wrote, but it is also small enough that it doesn't look out of place anywhere. As for the concealed carry compartment. I live in NJ so if your not LEO it is almost impossible to get a permit. So I use that pocket for flat items like a towel a cap and 550 cord. It is nice to know that it can be used for a quick transport if necessary :) It also works well for me when I am walking and want to listen to my IPad2, I can put it back there and feed the headphones through the bladder straw hole then feed them through the molle webbing on the strap to a point where they can fit in my ears comfortably. I just thought I would mention this since I haven't seen anybody do this in a review. I don't have a smart phone so I'm sure this won't be used this way once I upgrade to a multimedia phone. Then I can just use a phone holster and use the molle webbing for cable managment. In conclusion I find this to be a comfortable versatile bag..It will not replace a back pack for long hikes and the such but that's not what I bought it for. If you like sling bags this is a perfect EDC in my humble opinion.

I bought this bag for school. I needed something durable because in the last three years of school I've gone through at least six different bags. It is fairly small, but I like it. It fits everything I need. The build quality is amazing!!! The zippers feel really good and strong and it has lots of pockets. I use the MOLLE webbing mostly to clip pens and mechanical pencils to the outside of the bag and make them easy to access. The bag goes on and off easily and feels very secure and comfortable. The material and stitching are top notch, and it's all extremely strong. Overall, a great bag. Its a lot to spend, but it will last me for many many years. Hope this was helpful. UPDATE Well, I've now had this bag for several months. I use it every single day, and I'm not exactly very nice to it. It has seen a lot of abuse and such, but it has stood up to it all incredibly well. I don't use it to carry all my textbooks, it isn't big enough for that, but I use it to carry a lot of my school stuff: iPad, computer, pencils, folders, calc book... Honestly, I haven't washed it once, and I've used it every day and it still looks brand new. Every stitch is still in perfect condition, the zippers are incredibly heavy duty, and the MOLLE webbing is very sturdy and helpful. I know there are some complaints that the single strap messes with your shoulders or something like that, but I carry it around all day every day with about 15-25 pounds and it hasn't had any effect. I guess if you put fifty pounds in it then it would be an issue, but you would have to load it with weights to do that anyway, and most bags will hurt after a while with fifty pounds. I find the single strap very comfortable and convenient. When I'm walking around campus, I can slide it around to the front of my body and pull anything out of it. Overall, still INCREDIBLY pleased with this product. Definitely worth the money.

I purchased the Maxpedition Sitka GearSlinger (in black) as an upgrade / replacement for a "UTG Multi-Functional Tactical Messenger Bag" (Which itself is a knock-off of Maxpedition's Jumbo Versipack). The Sitka's quality of materials & construction are immediately evident. I use the bag as a combination laptop and E.D.C. bag. A standard H.P. business laptop fits snugly in the main compartment (in terms of length & width), but there's sufficient depth to add pencils, pens, tablet cords and other small peripherals without further straining the zippers. The lower front zipper pocket manages to hold a fully stuffed "Maxpedition Individual First Aid Kit" (not included) and two epinepherine pens, but little else can be put in the generous, deep, angled pocket inside, without seriously straining the high quality YYK zippers. Without the First Aid Kit, this is a very flexible compartment. The upper zippered admin pocket is well thought out, with multiple elastic straps that readily hold lighters, chap sticks, mini altoids canister, and other such items snugly while the bag is jostled around, and Is plenty deep to also hold larger items like cigarettes, or wallet, or smartphone. The outside of the bag is designed with several adjustable straps coupled by durable plastic clips, and the front and sides of the bag are trimmed with MOLLE straps, allowing you to customize the Sitka with whatever pouches & pockets, sheathes & straps you'd like. With all of the retailers out there that market MOLLE modular tactical gear, it's hard to imagine all of the ways this bag can be customized. Finally, the GearSlinger / single strap design is intended to permit you to swing / sling the bag from your back to your front in order to quickly access items inside without having to take it off. The bag performs very well in this regard, and using the bag in this way is oddly satisfying and fun. I have used this bag every day since getting it about a month and a half ago, and have found it to be comfortable, practical, flexible, and just plain fun to wear and use. I could not recommend it more highly!

Being a Maxpedition product, this deserves 5 stars for quality, durability, and overall construction. No problems there at all as expected from them! I've downgraded my personal rating based on why I originally intended to purchase this, how it fit that role, and why I've eventually sent it back to Amazon for a refund. My intent in ordering this product was for an every-day-carry (EDC) item primarily for work, with the option of changing the load-out for the occasional boonie stomp. I won't go through a laundry list of what I took to work daily, just suffice to say I had to add the Maxpedition 10x4 bottle holder for water and other small items in addition to the small thermos I bring, which fits nicely into the integrated sleeve. This left the main compartment all but empty except for a few nice-to-haves in the pockets. So between carrying a water bottle in the 10x4, a small thermos and some basic tools (multitool and flashlight), I noticed the weight getting uncomfortable for the 200 yd trek to the office from an offsite parking area. I'm in decent shape and *really* want to like this bag, it's just I can't imagine a several mile hike with it fully loaded. My epiphany was when I had to hand-carry a standard office folder and binder, since they wouldn't fit in the now smaller main compartment between the thermos and bottle carrier. In my mind that completely defeats the purpose of having a backpack in the first place. As it is, I think this is more well-suited as a commuter bag for short trips. It's very easy to overload given the actual capacity, and will outlast the average person's shoulder. In my opinion, it's a bit big for an EDC "man purse". An EDC item should stay within arm's-reach, and I found myself leaving this in the car since it was "too bulky" to lug around with the nice-to-haves I want to keep on me. As such, I've returned this to Amazon in exchange for a Falcon 2 as a proper backpack, and am eyeballing the Remora as an actual EDC. This works great and is the ideal solution for some, it just wasn't for me.

When I was looking for EDC bag, I didn't want a over the shoulder satchel type bag like the versapack, I wanted a backpack. I also wanted the ability to add a water bladder (the platypus 3L bladder specifically) and could also carry my CCW. It had to have the extra molle type straps so I could add to it in a pinch. This pack meets all those requirements perfectly. I use this pack as my EDC bag. It's also been used as a school backpack. Has a good deal of room, very well constructed, and I love the side pouch for my water canister. Back pouch can be used for a 3 liter water bladder or a concealed pistol (I purchased the Maxpedition universal CCW with the pack) without any discomfort. The back can be moved from the back to the front of the body to become a chest carry position with easy access to the concealed pouch, though the water bottle may fall out if it's not secured properly. I have continuously worn this pack fully loaded (food, water, extra tools and stuff totaling about 40lbs), for about 8 hours straight, no discomfort at all. Shoulder strap is wide and well padded. Material is very heavy, designed well. I love this bag. Update - March 2014: I've had this bag for about a year now, carrying it daily. I am not loving this back as much. The biggest problem is that since it only has 1 strap that is designed to be worn over the body, you can't just grab it and shoulder it, it slides off easier because the thick strap goes across the bag instead of straight down. However, I still leave it at 5 stars, it's held up without a single sign of wear and tear, and it's been beat up pretty good with my daily routines, given the amount of stuff I have in it.

Unlike a lot of people who purchase this bag, I am not looking for the perfect bug out bag or CCW carrier. I am a doctoral student and full time university employee that carries a wide variety of items with him all day long. I need something that can function from 6am to 9pm most days of the week carrying my work materials, school materials, and food. Living in Boston and using the public transportation system I spend a lot of time reading and accessing the items in my bag during the commute. While a normal messenger bag is adequate for this purpose, I like the organization and the swing around strap positioning of this bag. The exterior pockets are large enough to be useful and accessed easily while the bag is accross my chest. I use the larger of the two to carry my food for the day when I pack lunch and it is perfect. The main compartment is big enough to carry my ipad, several books, and a small portfolio to carry printed documents. There are a number of internal pockets that keep my pens, keys, leatherman, knife, etc seperated and secure. The straps keep everything locked down and it fits well. The only improvement I would make is a small pocket on the chest strap for a phone or mp3 player. That said, I am ordering another Maxpedition pocket to attach to this area. I am thing of getting another one for my day hikes and tracking trips. I will definitely look at Maxpedition for any of my future bag needs.

This bag has somewhat changed my life. I truly love it. I only off body carry with it when i am biking, then shift back to an IWB holster that just isn't secure while biking. I keep school books, and some military references in it all the time. I can put my 15' Dell in it, but not easily. The one thing that drastically effects the way i use this bag is the third strap. I keep it connected all the time. I will disconnect the main strap to take it on and off. I don't have to throw it over my head, and i can carry it with the one strap like a backpack only being carried with one strap. I have also attached several aftermarket pouches, only one maxpedition. I run a headlamp through some of the MOLLE on the strap to make it easily accessible to point at things I need to see. I also have a multtool pouch, and a gear re tractor with my bike lock key. I removed the elastic tie string over the top section, the compression strap, and the zipper pull tie down. I replaced the zipper tie thing with a grimlock clip. I also added a grimlock clip to the front to hold in a pair of trauma shears. I have no real complaints other than the back i received was not fully quality checked, one of the zipper ties was sown into the bag. I cut it out and just don't have a pull tab on that one. Not a big deal for me. Update 6/12/15: After using his for over a year and a hlf I have some addendum. #1 I rarely use it for off body carry. The concealed carry pouch is perfect fir for my Yoga 2, it also adds much appreciated stability to the pack. #2 I have added two new triglide sliders to both of the mainbody straps. I found when I had it heavily loaded (which is easy to do) it was more comfortable cinched up tight. It loosened easily though, so I modified it. It is starting to show visible wear after a year and a half of daily use. 5 countries, and about 5 military schools and trainings. But it is not wearing out at all.

Actually got the bigger version (Kodiak?).....item was listed as used (it was) and listed (honest mistake) as a Sitka, instead of it's bigger brother, the Kodiak. Described as having a broken buckle (the whistle buckle on the secondary strip connecting the bottom of the bag to the main shoulder strap - keeps the pack from swinging). Easy to find and replace. The stain is no big deal (also listed in description). Likley I can wash and get rid of most of it. Still, a great deal consdering the discount the vendor gave. To the pack itself. I like sling bags. Don't know why, but they have worked for me in a number of different environments. They are not for everyone, the way they carry and balance won't sit well for all, but i like it. The pack it the usual high level of quality in material, workmanship, and design I've always gotten from Maxpedtion. I do wish there was some interior MOLLE webbing inside for attaching secondary items internally. Suppose I could add them. The exterior MOLLE webbing seems helpful enough. Might put my 1st aid pack there. In addition to the internal MOLLE webbing issue, I wish there was more compartments inside. Love the big pockets as well, but some don't have a way of being buckled/zippered inside. Stuff doens't seem to move around too much, but I like everything to stay put when being opened in a hurry. Still, not a huge issue. Would be a tight fit for a true three day bag, but it could be done. I am able to keep the following well placed, secure, and easy to carry: Pistol/Mags fixed Knife, multitool, and folder Fire kite Two metal waterbottles/water First aid kit 6-12 engery bars (depending) Drink mixes (coffee, tea, hot chocolate) electrolyte mix Straw type filter Pencil/paper etc Small wrench and multi-screwdriver Dual band radio plus one extra battery set up emergency poncho Leather gloves Clear safety glasses (these are a WAY-UNDERATED piece of gear, they are extremely handy and useful) 150 (3 x 50') feet cordage Contractor gargbage bags socks light pants t shirt light jacket (on outside) Sometimes keep an alcohol stove and fuel, depending on location Sometimes a small, nylon tarp (8X10 ripstop) Wouldn't mind adding some light footware (flip flops might be bottom-end, viable solution) just in case I need a quick get-out-bag in the middle of the night. Would also make a good book bag, carry-on, or even computer/commuter bag. I definite win in my book