Road Tests 实际测评: Triple Aught Design FAST Pack EDC

 MR ZIN  评论已关闭  10280

This is not a road test. Oh no, sir. It would have been a road test for any pouch or wallet. It could have been a road test for a messenger or daypack. It might have been a road test for a trekking pack or for travel luggage. But we’ve only had it for two months. There’s no way this is a serious road test for the Triple Aught Design FAST Pack EDC. However, instead of letting you guys wait for five years, let’s go!

Luckily, we’re not the first guys to review the FAST Pack EDC. You can find others herehereherehere and here, including a twenty-minute long video on YouTube, which even compares different versions of the FAST Pack EDC (which has been running for its fifth season now).

About TAD

A word about Triple Aught Design. TAD is a boutique shop making tactical oriented clothing and equipment. Along with apparel and supercool knives and lights, they’ve designed two backpacks: the FAST Pack EDC and the FAST Pack Litespeed, the latter being a bit smaller (20 liters) and reviewed by none other than our own Taylor Welden!

[drum rolls] The kind crew at TAD are organizing a giveaway for the FAST Pack EDC, so read this review all the way to the bottom for your chance to win your own!

Note: One thing TAD is (unfortunately) well known for is that their products are sold out really quickly. To obtain one of the knives you even have to enter a draw to be able to buy it…no lack of popularity…so throw your hat in the ring.

Who it suits

The FAST Pack EDC is an 1800 cu in / 31 liter backpack with a lot of configuration possibilities. When the pack came out of the box it was sent in, our first impression was “Whoa, that’s a lot of webbing…”.

This pack means business and it shows in all kinds of ways. Apart from durability, high-quality materials and that “gosh, I need to not get in the way of that cool dude with the bag right there ’cause I will seriously get my ass kicked” look, the FAST Pack EDC is very, very modular. The volume is sufficient enough for you to haul almost anything. The pack itself is much like other bags with one main compartment with one interior pouch, two front compartments and two side pockets, and a separate compartment for a laptop or hydration bag. But with the added webbing and the transporter tail you can attach climbing stuff, helmets, extra pouches or any gear that will not fit into a normal compartment. The straps are highly configurable and can be detached with a click of the buckles.

So if you’re looking for a high-quality (tactical) backpack with lots of configuration possibilities, you’ve found it.

FAST-pack-EDC-front

Who it doesn’t suit

There’s a price to be paid for all that configurability: added weight and straps that get in the way. And then there’s the price to be paid ($325) obviously. I found myself not knowing what to do with the transporter tail but not wanting to take it off because more straps could get in the way.

If you need a bag for just one or two use cases or every gram counts, look further afield; however, you might need some time to find something of the same build quality.

Design

Looks

The webbing obviously gives the FAST Pack EDC a military/tactical look. Still, the overall size and fit of the pack keep it below the radar, especially in black. With a depth of 7″/17.78 cm, the pack is never bulky, even with the transporter tail.

Construction

Here are some keywords: Cordura 1000, ITW Nexus buckles, YKK zippers, military grade stitching and webbing. The overall feel of the bag is very robust. The only thing we came across is that the bottom could have been a bit more reinforced. Although we’ve seen some reviews, we’d be interested in user stories from people who have longer experience with the FAST Pack series.

Materials

The pack is constructed out of 1000 denier Invista Cordura fabric with a Hypalon-reinforced top handle and removable T6061 aluminium back panel frame.

Hardware

The pack incorporates the likes of ITW Nexus SR Dual Adjust buckles and YKK #8 and #10 nylon coil reverse zippers.

FAST-pack-EDC-buckles-velcro

FAST-pack-EDC-flashlightcave

Features

While most of the FAST Pack EDC is “proven design”, some aspects are rather unique and innovative. First, there’s the shoulder straps, which can be configured in all sorts of ways and even taken off. TAD provides a lot of Velcro straps to secure any loose straps; I haven’t seen it before in other packs, it’s a simple measure but it makes sense.

And then there’s the flashlight cave – a pocket on the bottom of one of the side pockets, that makes it possible to easily access a flashlight or other item using agear retractor.

 

flashlight-cave

 

Performance

Space

At 31 liters, the FAST Pack EDC is definitely not the biggest backpack out there. Within that context, the size is still right for a day trip where you need to carry some gear or a multiday trip packing light. The main compartment is roomy, although not bulky.

IMG_1123

Pockets and organising

The pockets on the FAST Pack EDC are just right. We found ourselves having an item that needed to be stashed and it was drawn magically to the right pocket: front and side pockets for quick access, main compartment and inner pocket for regulars. The only drawback is the lower front pocket, which cannot easily be accessed if the “transporter tail” is in use.

The webbing makes for other pouches to be attached easily. The zippers are big and great, they open in a wink. There’s a back section for hydration (which also doubles as a laptop compartment if you want it to.

Then there’s the Transporter Tail, that can hold your not so average item. Heck, there’s even Fast Pack Friday on packconfig.tumblr.com which is dedicated to all kinds of configurations (including TAD’s Fast Pack Litespeed).

tail101

tail1

Comfort

One of our first tests was an hour long hike with some 15 kgs in the pack. I was almost surprised when I wore the pack at first. It fit like a glove! I’m about 6 feet 1 and 80 kilograms and the sizing was just right. The shoulder straps can be varied in lots of ways: the straps at the bottom can be tightened or loosened, the straps on the top can be tightened or loosened, the distance between the pack and the straps can be adjusted and, if necessary, the straps can be detached. Having said that, my girlfriend tried it and for her the waist belt was much too large (and yes… I’m happy about that ;-)).

IMG_1121

 

The bag itself is rather heavy at 72 oz /2.1 kgs, but when wearing it, the weight is divided evenly, the waist belt does its job and the form of the pack enables the contents to be vertically divided instead of horizontally, which gives it more stability. The top handle is reinforced with Hypalon and is as sturdy as top handles get.

The straps and the back of the bag are padded. The straps at first give the impression of being rather thin, but once you feel them around your shoulders it becomes clear their form is adjusted to your body and less padding becomes necessary. What might get annoying is that the straps should be connected to straps on the front of the bag. This will improve carry comfort because the load can be closer to your back, but it means you have to disconnect the buckles every time you need to open the pack. Finally, the padding on the back has good ventilation.

Weatherability

For usability, the zippers are placed for direct access; that is, no flaps to cover them and no waterproof zippers. This has its effect on weatherproofness.

We put the FAST Pack EDC in the Belgian rain for two hours, stuffed with towels. The towels came out moist, especially at the zipper sections and on the bottom because of the drainage holes.

This happens to almost any bag with direct access to zippers; you just need to address it by using either a rain shield on the outside or drybags on the inside.

tad-fast-pack-edc-wetdry

Alternatives to consider

There’s a good range of high-quality alternatives in the “close to 30 liters tactical backpack”. We have the Arc’teryx Khard 30 which we’ve recently reviewed.

There’s the Mystery Ranch 3 Day Assault pack and the well known 5.11 Tactical Rush 24.

Goruck has been mentioned on several sites as an alternative, but I wouldn’t really call a GR1 an alternative to the FAST Pack EDC. For one, it’s decidedly smaller (26 liters versus the FAST Pack EDC’s 31 liters, while the GR2 boasts 40 liters). Then, the added waistband and configurability of the FAST Pack EDC makes it suitable for different uses.

tad-fast-pack-edc-handle

Verdict

TAD made a robust pack with a lot of options. In comparison to other tactical companies, who have lots of backpacks and years of experience, it’s amazing to see TAD has found the sweet spot with just two backpacks.

Although it can be useful in many situations, you might not need all the modularity the FAST Pack EDC has to offer. We’d welcome a “slick” version with a little less webbing, fewer straps and without the transporter tail.

And finally: yes TAD, you’re allowed to develop bigger bags as well!

 

[Editor’s Note: The bag utilised for this road test was supplied by Triple Aught Design]

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