Maxpedition Jumbo Versapack

Gadgeteer Hands On Review by Judie Hughes

November 10, 2005

A couple of days ago I reviewed the rugged Maxpedition Fatboy Versipack, which I have been using as my casual gearbag. Quite a few of our readers either wrote me personally or posted in the Fatboy's forum saying that they had been looking for such a bag - but they needed one that was a little bit larger. Well, today I'll be talking about the Fatboy's big brother - the Jumbo Versipack. These two bags share the same comfortable sling design, are made of the same rugged materials and they both feature a plethora of pockets in well thought out locations. The major difference, other than the addition and subtraction of a few key features is in their sizes. Where the front portion of the Fatboy's main body measures approximately 10" tall x 9" wide x 4" deep, the Jumbo Versipack's measures 12" tall x 12" wide x 6" deep.

Photo courtesy of the Maxpedition site

As with Maxpedition's other bags, the Jumbo Versipack is composed of 1000-Denier water and abrasion resistant, light-weight ballistic nylon fabric which has been coated with DuPont Teflon fabric protector. The various components of their bags are held together with high tensile strength composite nylon thread and all straps are made of high tensile strength nylon webbing. All Maxpedition bags use YKK #10 high strength zippers and zipper tracks and UTX-Duraflex nylon buckles.

The Jumbo is available in black, OD green and desert tan; I was sent the desert tan version, which for all practical purposes is basically a deep khaki color that will go with just about everything. It took all of five seconds after this bag arrived for Steve to tell me that it was his new gear bag. Well ooookay. ;0)

Included in the package are the bag and a Velcro holster. What use would one have for a Velcro holster? We'll get into that later...

The back of the bag has three padded mesh inserts which will help protect the wearer from sore spots when the bag is loaded down. There is also a 2.5" Velcro clip which will attach to the wearer's belt for added security and support.

The adjustable strap has a removable 11" long x 2.5" wide non-slip shoulder pad which has three Velcro points with which it is secured. Notice that there is a metal clip on the strap, which is a handy place to attch a key ring.

My first impression of the Jumbo, once I was able to pry it from Steve's fingers, was that it was missing the mobile phone pouch - but there were a couple of extra features that made the loss less painful. In addition to an extra zippered pouch on the top flap of the main compartment, there was also a water or soda bottle compartment. Since I have already mentioned the water bottle pocket, I might as well start there...

 

Located on the left side of the bag, what I really like about this pocket is that it can fold completely flat when it's not needed. A little known personal peeve of mine is bags that have dedicated water bottle pockets. Why? Because I am not usually carrying any, and so I hate having this great big empty pocket that is ill suited to anything else but carrying a bottle flapping about uselessly. Steve said he keeps his sunglasses in that pocket and it's perfectly suited to hold them securely.

Photo courtesy of the Maxpedition site

There is a plastic toggle clip on an elastic strap that secures the generously sized 7" tall x 3.5" wide and 3.5" deep pocket, which will hold a 30oz (one liter) bottle securely. In addition, there is a double-banded elastic cord that comes through a round grommet built into the side of the main compartment which ends with a 4.5" strip of Velcro sewn onto a stiff ballistic nylon strap. When I first saw the strap, I thought it was a bit excessive, until I figured out how useful it was for flattening the pocket when the sides were folded in. The elastic cord that comes through the side of the bag can be drawn in and tightened from the inside of the bag by using a built-in plastic toggle clip.

The hidden toggle inside the main compartment of the bag

The whole point is that if you want to carry a water bottle or some other bulky cylindrical item, there is this great big pocket ready to accommodate it...but after the drink is done, or on days when nothing is being carried, the pocket won't be this big empty thing, just flapping about.

I really like the forethought that went into this feature. According to the Maxpedition site, this pocket can also be used to carry a handheld radio, but I would imagine it would also work with larger handheld GPS units and bulkier flashlights.

 

It get's even better, though. There is another grommet - this one located on the bottom of the bottle compartment - which allows condensation or spilt liquid to drain through the bottom of the bag, keeping the pocket from getting funky.

The Velcro surrounding the grommet is part of the bit that the strap will attach to when the pocket is folded away. Okay, I am done obsessing about this pocket! Let's move on... ;0)

On the right side of the bag is a dual YKK zippered pocket measuring 6" tall x 3" wide 2" deep. The exterior of the pocket has two heavy nylon straps with four sections made to hold Maxpedition's modular clip-on accessories. This is as good as any time to mention that all of the zippers on the bag have easy to grasp 2" long nylon cord pull. Even with gloves on, there should be no problem managing their opening and closing.

Notice that there are an additional two nylon straps on the lower right side of the shoulder strap for attaching clip-on accessories

Inside this compartment is a patch pocket that Steve uses for carrying his handgun's extra clip. It is also a great area to keep folded cables, power cords, or other odd items which might need their own dedicated pocket.

Along the back wall of the Jumbo Versipack's front is a 9" wide zipper that opens a cavernous 9.5" tall x 9" wide pocket. According tot he Maxpedition site, this pocket creates "an effective concealed carry system utilizing the Fatboy shoulder sling concept." Inside the pocket are two 5.5" long x 2" wide strips of Velcro...

 which effectively anchor the included Velcro holster.

In turn, the back wall of the bag will now support a full sized concealed handgun. If you don't carry a handgun, there is an optional "hook & loop modular three clip holster" which, although the name implies gun-clips, can also be used to hold smaller flashlights and multi-tools.

This pocket is large enough to hold a 9" tall x 6" wide x 1.5" thick book - although the zipper will not close.

The pocket on the top of the middle portion's flap is a so convenient, I wish that my Fatboy had it! Measuring approximately 7" long x 3.5" wide x 1" deep, it is a handy place to store a Bluetooth enabled PDA mobile phone, or really any item to which the wearer wants quick and easy access. The top of the pocket has three nylon straps that can accept Maxpedition's modular clip-on accessories.

Steve uses it to store his cigar paraphernalia.

Directly in front, on the front of the bag's flap is a 7" x 5" pocket. Unlike on the Fatboy, this pocket does not continue to the top of the flap, under the portion that would be covered by the previously discussed pocket. This would be such a convenient spot for memory cards, change, memory card adapters, anything small that might get lost elsewhere in the bag.

Look at the large plastic clip on the front of the Jumbo...do you know how much I like using it?! Everything I don't like about smaller "pinchy" clips is missing in this easy to use and lockable specimen. Well, maybe lockable is not quite an accurate description as it doesn't lock with a key per se, but the middle slider can be moved down into the "Locked" position which keeps the clips from being opened accidentally. When the slider is pushed into the upward ""Open" position, a gentle squeeze on the clips rounded pinchers will open the middle section. If all clips were like this one, then I wouldn't ever mind them.

Notice the wide D-ring at the bottom of the nylon strap which passes through the clip? That allows the wearer to adjust the bag to fit the middle section whether it is stuffed full or relatively empty. There is also a patch of soft loopy Velcro on the front of the bag which I suspect can be used to attach one of Maxpedition's Velcro based accessories.

Once the clip has been undone, the main portion of the bag is exposed revealing the cinched nylon storm collar on the top, and a 5" tall x 6" wide slash pocket on the very front.

When the plastic toggle clip is undone, the storm collar can be folded down into the interior of the bag, left undone and open, or secured every time. It's up to the wearer to decide based on what's being carried, what the weather looks like, and how quickly the interior needs to be accessed.

Behind the front slash pocket is a zippered 6.5" wide x 6" tall x 1.5" deep compartment which features a mesh pocket on its interior wall. Also inside this compartment is a convenient keyring lanyard.

Behind this pocket is the main compartment of the bag, which measures approximately 9" tall x 9" wide 3" deep. On both the front and back walls of this compartment are patch pockets, the rear being made of mesh and measuring about 6.5" tall and 8.5" wide. The front pocket is made of the same nylon as the storm collar, and it measures the same size as the rear.

Now here's the deal about this main pocket. I know I said it measured 9" x 9", but since the bag is not hard sided, it can technically accept a slightly larger item without any trouble. For instance, I can carry a 10" tall x 8" wide x 2" thick book with no problem and latch the lid with no problem. I can also insert Sarah's Fujitsu P2110, which measures 10.5" wide x 7.5" deep x 1.5" thick. Bear in mind that this pocket does not have any built-in padding, but if something soft is added to the bottom, such as a small piece of egg-crate foam, it can and will hold this sized laptop with no problem.

In this instance, the storm collar just needs to be utilized to protect the sides of the laptop.

 

The bag shuts fine, though the flip-lid looks a little bit distended. Carrying a laptop in a pocket that was not obviously designed to hold one may or may not be out of the wearer's comfort zone. However, the option is there if the laptop is small enough.

This review would not be complete without a shot of my matching Maxpedition Rat Wallet attached to the strap. Maybe I will let Steve keep it, since his bag doesn't have a dedicated mobile phone pocket, and since the wallet does match his bag.

Here is a shot of the Jumbo Versipack next to the more petite Fatboy - the Jumbo looks naked without any embroidery to dress it up, don't you think? ;0)

Here is Steve carrying the Jumbo Versipack. He is 6'4", so that should give you an idea of how large the bag is when carried on a taller guy.

The Maxpedition Jumbo Versipack is a great option for someone that likes a sling-style gear bag, wants tons of pockets and the ability to add even more, but that needs a larger bag than the Fatboy Versipack. The material used for these bags is tough, weather and dirt resistant - I would almost say indestructible, but then I am sure that someone would have to go prove me wrong! Because of the larger clip on the front, I would almost say that I like this bag better...but I do like the Fatboy's more petite size. Your needs will dictate which bag you'd prefer - but I think that either way you'll be happy with your choice.

Maxpedition offers a lifetime limited warranty on their bags against defects and flaws in materials and workmanship. The warranty may be read here.