I’m loathe to call this a review, to say that would suggest I am an expert and know what I’m talking about. I’m not and I don’t, I’m an auditor by day not an “operator”, I run a paintball site on the weekends and occasionally go for a hike up the mountains, or if you prefer a gentle stroll up some bumps in the Irish ground  This is merely a collection of my thoughts on the Maxpedition Pygmy Falcon II / 2 backpack.

I’m aware of the history of MaxP stuff in relation to this forum, I don’t necessarily agree with the proprietors conduct but equally the guy has never done me any harm. I like the kit, this is my first bag purchase of theirs and so far it seems to live up to the hype. Sturdy enough for my use, spacious enough and cleverly laid out, I can fit everything in it I need to, and for that which I cannot fit IN it, I can strap to it.

Usually I’ll carry it to work, 5 days a week. I’ll bring it in my car on the way to the paintball site at weekends,I carry the same stuff to both places. Even when reasonable well packed as in the photos above, it sits nicely in the footwell behind the driver’s seat in case I have a passenger.

Here’s a list of what’s in the bag for work.

Lunch if I make some………
Tea/coffee/hot chocolate/condiments box
MaxPed micro pocket organiser pouch thing
Diary
Headlamp
Led Lenser Flashlight
Spare batteries for the above two items.
Pens
Notepad
Fleece gloves
Buffs
Flask
Fizzy drink or aluminium water bottle.
Snack bars/choc bars/biscuit bars or similar
Some emergency food, not for survival but in case I forget my wallet or lunch, so some noodles and cup a soups with a fork and spoon.
Book
Hand sanitizer
Spare portable usb device charger pack and usb cables
Small Vaseline tin
Apple headphones (as a hands free kit for driving)
Heat spray.
Disposable hand warmers.

I’ll describe the contents of the edc pouch another time, but it’s your standard stuff.

This will all fit comfortably in the pack with the flask in the side pouch and the fizzy drink can or water bottle on the other side. The outside front pouch while slim, is deep. Deep enough for the battery, hand sanitizer and Vaseline. Here it is in its native habitat under my work desk 

Bearing in mind it is brand spanking new, I haven’t had time to properly break it in yet or get up the mountains to see how it wears there. It is definitely fairly slimline and low profile so less likely to snag on branches and other people in an urban crowd setting. The straps are well padded as is the back but it is still a little on the firm side when packed, though it certainly isn’t uncomfortable in any way. Though there is an elasticated sternum strap I do miss the added security of a waist belt for hiking but that’s something I think I will get used to with time. I think the compression strap can get in the way occasionally for daily use but it seems to serve a good purpose for longer treks by pulling the weight and centre of gravity back towards you a little, thus helping to alleviate any pressure on my ageing joints J All in all a balanced little bag to carry, even with a flask on one side albeit a small one.

Looks wise, well they’re fairly subjective but I personally like it. I don’t find it too tactical looking and it hasn’t drawn any sarcastic comments from co-workers so far….

Overall I can only judge the bag on how I find it, whether I’m happy with the purchase or not. Well, yes, I am. There are a few niggles, a few more internal pockets wouldn’t have gone amiss, maybe a larger zip internal pockets but the bag certainly doesn’t suffer for it.

I can’t say yet how it will hold up over time, I’ve only had it a couple of days however the fit and finish overall is good, sturdy feeling. The material is consistent and there’s a great thick rubbery plasticky feeling stuff on the bottom which should protect it from most anything not alight which you set it down on. It is definitely comparable to my Lowepro bag which I’ve had now for 7 years, coming on 8 and here’s a picture of it last week after daily carry for that time.

Anyway, back to the MaxP. The grab handle at the top is well stitched and feels like you could absolutely max out the bag weight wise and still confidently lift it, though it would be a tight fit for large hands or medium hands with even fine gloves on.

Internally the materials used are also of decent quality and I don’t think there’s much need to worry about excessive wear. All the zippers are YKK and the main section will zip all the way on both sides for easy packing and unpacking, if you are concerned about the zips opening and spilling contents, simply put them both at the bottom on one side.

Ill do a full bag dump at some point over the next few days and a few pics of it packed for a hike as well.

By way of summary, I’m pleased overall. $95 from Amazon, time will tell if its worth it. My last bag got a good run, I’m just bored with it now but if I get 3 years use out of this it will cost me around 30 bucks a year. I reckon I could wear out more than three rucksacks which cost 30 bucks each in that space of time 

Hope you enjoyed.