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Posted by OpticsPlanet at 5:28 PM Read Article 0 comments

Wednesday, February 04, 2009

But I really NEED another bag/case/balllistic nylon thing...

Okay, my divorce is assured. We now carry Maxpedition products.

"Your honor, the parties are claiming 'irreconcileable employee discount'".

I can probably sneak a couple in, based on my patented "Glock Theory" (if my wife doesn't see two of them together, she thinks there's only one), and then a couple more under the guise of "product testing", but when I add the 92 products that we now carry (literally - and that doesn't count color options) to the seven I already own, she's going to suspect something. My wife is quick like that.

Four or five years ago, before I worked here, I ordered a product called the Fatboy from Maxpedition. At the time, I was reading a lot about the longhunters and early explorers, and was intrigued by the concept of the "possibles bag", but I really didn't want to wander around in the woods or ride the Metra train to work with a fringed leather shoulder bag.

A possibles bag, for those of you who aren't muzzleloaders or history buffs, is a shoulder or belt bag that carries the gear you couldn't live without, in the truest sense of the phrase. Powder, balls, a ball mold, lead, charcloth, flint and steel, pemmican or parched corn, a compass - those types of things. A modern day expolorer or hunter might carry ammo, spare magazines, a fire starting kit, a first aid kit, Powerbars, a GPS unit and a cellphone. An urban expolrer might carry an iPod, flashlight, lighter, notebook, water bottle - you get the idea. If you are fortunate to live in a state other than Illinois or Wisconsin, it might contain extra magazines for your legally concealed firearm, or the actual firearm.

For most of the year I am an urban explorer in Chicago, so the firearm was out of the question, but I still had a number of things I carried during the course of the day, and while enjoying the one -hour train ride to and from work. Some days you just don't feel like carrying a briefcase.

I called up Maxpedition after seeing an ad in one magazine or another. A gentleman named Tim Tang answered, and was happy to discuss the products with me and take my order. I have since learned that Tim Tang is the President of Maxpedition. I don't know if I just got lucky that day, if he was walking by the phone, or if someone called in sick, but I think it speaks volumes that the President of the company answers phones and takes orders. Three or four days later (because I am too cheap to pay for expedited shipping) I received a box at work. My Fatboy S had arrived.

Keeping in mind the times that I am out of state and wandering around in the woods, I had ordered the Fatboy S, which is designed to be worn on the left-hand side of the body, thus keeping my right side open for my holster and my Glock. The initial impression upon removing it from the carton was that this thing was sturdy. Sturdy, as in you could just about build a doghouse out of this material. I'm kind of a fanatic about the stitching on my gear, and if you're like me, Maxpedition products will just about bring tears to your eyes. If they made luggage, you would not feel out of place checking into a snobby hotel with your suitcase. Because I'm basically lazy, and didn't pay attention during sewing in home economics in high school, let me steal from Maxpedition's own description:

1000 denier water and abrasion resistant ballistic nylon fabric
DuPont Teflon fabric protector for grime resistance and easy maintenance
YKK high strength zippers and zipper tracks
UTX-Duraflex nylon buckles for low sound closures
Triple polyurethane coated for water resistance
High tensile strength nylon webbing
High tensile strength compositenylon thread
#AS-100 high-grade closed-cell padding material for superior shock protection
Internal seams taped and finished
Paracord zipper pulls
Stress points double-stitched, bar tacked or "box-and-x" stitched for added strength

So basically, it's tough stuff. I took it home, and set about the task of figuring out what all I could stuff into the Fatboy that would be appropriate to a commute and not get me thrown in jail. There's a pouch on the side that has a flap and velcro closure that was a perfect fit for my Surefire G2. There's a springloaded attachment point (kind of like the H&K sling attachment) for a key ring where the shoulder strap joins the main body, although I chose not to use it because on the left-handed model, it would position the keys behind me. On the right-handed model, the standard Fatboy, there is also a cell phone pocket with a Duraflex buckle closure, that holds a Glock 36 magazine like it was made for it. There are a couple of attachment points that would accept any kind of MOLLE attechment, and a couple of "double-wide" attachment points that provide a safe and secure spot for a folding knife with a clip, like a Spyderco. In a zippered pouch on the side opposite from the G2, I stuffed a handful of cables for my iPod and camera. In the front pocket I threw one of those .99 clear ponchos. Inside, I placed my iPod, camera, a couple of Powerbars, a notebook and more pens and pencils than anyone really needs, along with a good multitool in case I needed to unscrew a window on the train. Hey, have you ever seen one of those commuter train wrecks? I don't want to be going "Gee, if I just had a phillips head screwdriver, I could take this off and get the heck out of here...". Also, I carried a paperback novel in case the window frame used hex screws...

I still had quite a bit of room left over in the Fatboy, and the adjustable storm collar made me feel like nothing was going to fall out if I threw it down on a seat on the train. The front pocket held a hip flask like a glove. The perfect travelling companion.

Currently I no longer ride the train, but I use it to keep all the things together that I don't want to leave in the car overnight - the iPod, camera, the XM Radio, sunglasses, handheld ham radio, flashlight, multitool and the like. The Fatboy has a stable, flat bottom, and sits nicely upright in the passenger seat, so I have easy access to all the things I need during a commute or a trip. Because of the stability, I imagine it would be useful in a patrol car or emergency vehicle as well.

Because I just can't resist ahving a small bag in the trunk with things that would help to get me home in an emergency, I have a second Fatboy in the trunk that carries a titanium cup, a small stove, gas cannister, water filter, a small thermal bag, a poncho, a knife and a few other items necessary if you're stranded in the wilds of Chicago. When I get out of state and into the woods, it carries four Glock magazines in addition to a compass, the water filter, a real poncho, some paracord, a firestarter, knife, sharpener, flashlight and a compass.

The point is not to show that I have waaaaaaay too much stuff, but to show the versatility of the Fatboy. I've carried it on planes, trains, automobiles and on a hovercraft in Denmark. It's been to work with me, in the woods with me, and I've stuffed it full of coasters at the Guinness Brewery at St. James Gate. It has functioned as a camera bag at weddings, a radio bag at the Dayton Hamvention, a handy place to carry concealed depending on the season (when not in Illinois). It has been dropped, dragged, lost, found, pushed, pulled, dunked and hung from trees. It has carried bourbon and baby bottles (although not at the same time). And it still looks and functions like new.

Every Maxpedition product I have ever had the pleasure to examine has been of the same high quality and with the same attention to detail. I currently own three Fatboys, a Roly-Poly, a Proteus Versipack, a Pug wallet (which Maxpedition has replaced with the Spartan Wallet) and a Volta Battery Pouch. My next purchase will be a Last Resort Tactical Attache (unless my wife is reading this, in which case my next purchase will be flowers).

This stuff is great. They are innovative, well made products - over-engineered in a good sense. They are solid, attractively designed and incredibly priced for the level of quality and construction.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have an employee purchase form to fill out.

Posted by Mark H. at 8:37 AM Read Article 0 comments