Bag Fail

[2die4]

I took my SUV into the shop this morning to get some routine maintenance done. Because this task was going to take several hours I decided to load up my EDC bag with my gym essentials along with my mac book pro and plug and make the 2.10 mile walk to the local YMCA. My EDC bag is a Condor Urban assault pack. It normally only carries my Mac and some office/computer supplies. With all the gym gear, plus my computer, added 14lbs to the bag and made it bulge considerably. I thought I did a very decent job packing so it wasn't just "thrown" in there.

So after a few hours I get the call from the shop and start the 2.10 mile journey back. On the way back I decided to run the last mile to see how the bag would handle. I buckled the chest strap, Cinched up the main straps high like I did in basic training I took off. I wasn't the Flash by any means (10:36min mile). The bag sat comfortably on my back even with no waist strap.

So as I am taking my bag off and throwing it in the trunk, I noticed the main compartment of my bag halfway open with my gym shirt hanging out. If I would have ran any faster or further my gym gear would have been all over the road. I immediately thought "what if I was running from some thugs or evading the zombies with this bag?" My much heavier survival gear would have been definitely been scattered all over the road and lost.

So much for "tactical". This bag was going to be used as a secondary bob for ammo but, this bag will be retired to forever hold my macbook. After today's little test, I'm taking the General's BOB and my BOB on a road test when I take leave next month.

Moral of the story: TEST YOUR GEAR!

EDIT:
I noticed nothing out of the ordinary. I originally thought I busted the zipper open but when I took some of the gear out of the bag to air out I zipped the bag back up with no problems. I think with the pack bulging, it just opened on its own.

As far as securing the zippers up prior to running...I rather have a bag that didn't require it.

[IMG] bagfail2 by alika2die4, on Flickr[/IMG]

Crap that was in the main compartment:

bagfail by alika2die4, on Flickr

[Echo2]

Yup....have to test everything.....hard.

[The Stig]

Excellent reminder and thanks for posting it.

We would all be wise to follow this example.

[GunnerMax]

Thanks for reminding me that condor stuff is crap.

[Brownwater Riverrat 13]

"Love your gear, it'll Love you Back" Can't tell you how many times my Chief drilled that one into my head. "What's your contingency Shipwreck?" Of course choking on water helps a bit too! Yes, test your gear, check and re-check. Did you determine the cause of the casualty? Faulty zipper? Maybe securing the zipper before the "bouncey-bouncey"? Did it rip? You never mentioned it, unless my old brain missed it. By the way, your wife has an interesting way of stowing her shoes. (one foot in front of the other) She has good sense..............



Be safe.............the night is your friend.

[ak474u]

I've had ok luck with. Condor stuff, I won't buy a pack from them, my lower end would be Maxpedition, and they've never failed me. I use a few condor pouches, the only deficiency I've seen on the MOLLE gear is the straps are about 1/2" too long, and I have to sew down the slack to prevent movement otherwise the pouches hold up well. I would never trust one of their bags to hard use, but the rifle cases are ok, and the pouches do ok. Thanks for the reminder about abusing gear pre-SHTF though.

[2die4]

"Love your gear, it'll Love you Back" Can't tell you how many times my Chief drilled that one into my head. "What's your contingency Shipwreck?" Of course choking on water helps a bit too! Yes, test your gear, check and re-check. Did you determine the cause of the casualty? Faulty zipper? Maybe securing the zipper before the "bouncey-bouncey"? Did it rip? You never mentioned it, unless my old brain missed it. By the way, your wife has an interesting way of stowing her shoes. (one foot in front of the other) She has good sense..............

Be safe.............the night is your friend.

I noticed nothing out of the ordinary. I originally thought I busted the zipper open but when I took some of the gear out of the bag to air out I zipped the bag back up with no problems. I think with the pack bulging, it just opened on its own.

As far as securing the zippers up prior to running...I rather have a bag that didn't require it.

[Brownwater Riverrat 13]

Understood..............


Be safe.............the night is your friend.

[Willie51]

I noticed nothing out of the ordinary. I originally thought I busted the zipper open but when I took some of the gear out of the bag to air out I zipped the bag back up with no problems. I think with the pack bulging, it just opened on its own.

As far as securing the zippers up prior to running...I rather have a bag that didn't require it.

I had the same thing happen to me last month while hiking a trail at Mt. Ranier. It was a light duty day backpack (Jansport) and not my regular BOB which was in the car. This day pack was loaded with water, snacks, light jackets, cameras, a few essentials, etc. My wife noticed it had opened up and things were falling out. I thought that I had not zipped it up all the way, so I rezipped it and carried on. About a 1/2 mile down the trail it happened again. This pack zipped up from each side and I had zipped both sides up to meet in the top center for easy access. Because it was so full of stuff and bulging, it kept pushing the zippers open further and further as I hiked and climbed a little. So, I zipped it all the way around to the other side by using just the one zipper. No more problems after that. I'm not claiming the Jansport bag is as good as the really heavy duty BOB or backpack. Just an example of the same thing happening to me under light conditions. By changing the way I zipped it up, it solved my problem. Before I figured that out, I was ready to throw it away.

[NWPilgrim]

Good example of why not to rely on cheap gear. A Condor or similar pack may be fine for stationery storage, but there is a reason folks who hike many miles cough up good money for proven brands. Sure some folks will pay a lot to pose with big name gear even though they rarely use it. But those who rely on their gear don't hesitate to pay for quality. Zippers are a good indicator. Look at the hefty ones on top brands. I have cheap zippers pull apart in my younger days but never a quality one. Seam stitching is another critical area.

Personally, I prefer the low profile non-military look for packs and outerwear so I favor brands like REI, Gregory, Camelback, Mountain Hardware, Northface, Lowe, Black Diamond, etc. I am sure there are similar top brands for tactical style packs. A good pack even if used hard should last many years so over the long run it really is not expensive.

Your advice to test one's gear before it is needed is wise.