LF MOLLE Pack

[strelok]

I'm looking to buy a decent-sized MOLLE pack and have been searching all over the place for the best bang for the buck. I would prefer to spend under $150 as its essentially just going to be used for hiking and camping. So far I've heard some pretty good things about the Spec-ops T.H.E. pack, but have been looking at some less expensive packs. I would prefer if the pack had room for a hydration bladder (which seems quite common in the packs I've seen) and needs to have plenty of room to strap on MOLLE gear. I'm looking for the pack in coyote tan, but if the pack was available in MARPAT I would purchase that (this seems incredibly uncommon from what I've seen and those that come in MARPAT seem either low quality or very high quality and rare).

These are some of the packs I've been looking at (yes, I even stooped to ebay):
http://www.marsgear.com/product.php?pid=61&xcSID=773dbf8363d66e2fd834d72ceb1bcd24
(I can't tell if these first two links are the same pack, they look very similar but include no note of manufact.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Medium-Molle-HYDRATION-BackPack-Bladder-ACU-BLK-OD-TAN_W0QQitemZ270156706787QQihZ017QQcategoryZ74712QQcmdZViewItem

http://www.gearzoneproducts.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2775

[Dan2004]

I've found three packs that might pique your interest:

First at US Cavalry:
http://www.uscav.com/Productinfo.aspx?productID=10169&TabID=1

Second, also at US Cavalry:
http://www.uscav.com/Productinfo.aspx?productID=5978&TabID=1

And third from CTD:
http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/MOLLE125-41518-1964.html

I know a few guys who decided to go with the cheapy one from CTD, I got mixed reviews; Most got really good ones that held up to alot of abuse, a few others didn't.

[The_Dude]

First off: don't buy the cheap crap.You won't be happy with it.
Arc'teryx and Kifaru are some of the best packs you can get, but they're fairly expensive.
Anything from Eagle, TAG, Tactical Tailor or ATS is good to go and they're mostly in the 150-200$ range.
But getting something in Marpat will be pretty hard, because it's not that easy to get the official Marpat fabric. But if have the fabric and the money you can get a custom build pack from Kifaru. But anything else in Marpat is pretty hard to come by.

[strelok]

Thanks for the replies. I honestly have no problem paying the 150-200 range, i just needed someone to push me to do it. I was looking at the Eagle A-III and have been hearing a lot about TAG and TT. I saw the other two brands you mentioned and was very tempted with the high-end stuff, but I just don't have that sort of cash flow at the time. I'm essentially going for a good entry-level pack. I think the T.H.E. pack is still at the top of the list for me based on reviews, price, and the fact it has more than just a single MOLLE strap on the sides of the pack, which is essential since I need to attach several things to the side of the pack as opposed to just the front. Has anyone seen anything regarding this pack in comparison to the other similarly priced packs? Just for reference:

http://www.gearzoneproducts.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2775

[Dupontfan24]

While I havn't bought a MOLLE pack (considering it though) I have found these three sites to be very reliable and well stocked:

http://www.galls.com/military/index.html

http://www.uscav.com/Main.aspx?TabID=1

http://www.opsgear.com/?gclid=CJ2-h5PN1IsCFSBMGgodCGTWZw

I have purchased equipment from all of these places and got quality stuff.

[The_Dude]

http://images5.fotki.com/v65/photos/2/23676/170464/RAIDpackwithcommentary-vi.jpg
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i261/exforcesuk/DSCF0189.jpg
I guess you want something like this, right? Underneath all the pouches is a lightfighter RAID pack.

[strelok]

Great photos there. That's almost exactly the idea I had in my head. I'm definitely looking around for that Lightfighter RAID pack now. The captions in the Megaforce photos are rather comedic as well (specifically regarding the muzzle burns).

[strelok]

I've been looking at the Lightfighter RAID pack and reviews for it and it looks quite amazing. It has jumped to the top of my list, and its less expensive than the T.H.E. pack, and is listed as having a greater volume also, which is good. Thanks The Dude, does that mean I owe you a White Russian?

[Mythos]

Guess you've had the Multicam RAID for a while Dude ?
- I've been trying o get one but can't find a Multicam version anywhere.
Does anybody have any leads or suggestions ?

Thanks !

[The_Dude]

Nope. That ain't my pack.
I think those MC packs were only produced in a small run like the UCP version.
I guess it's best to contact these guys: http://www.atstacticalgear.com/

[Mythos]

I guess it's best to contact these guys: http://www.atstacticalgear.com/

Thanks Dude, I did a few days ago and was told that it would be a while before more were available.
Sigh.

[Ipkiss]

T.A.D is coming with a nice pack soon (version3 of the same pack actually). also you might take a look at militarymorons.com, as they have some nice reviews of packs as well. Good luck.
http://www.tadgear.com/x-treme%20gear/packs%20main/f_a_s_t__pack_alpha.htm

http://www.tadgear.com/x-treme%20gear/packs%20main/images%20for%20pages/tad_fastagen2_1b_500_72.jpg

[The_Dude]

If you got the money try the Kifaru Marauder:
http://www.kifaru.net/MGmaraud.htm

It's about the same size as the RAID and you can get it in MC.

[Mythos]

The Kifaru Marauder seems ideal for my needs, but alas when I configured one on their site it came to $385, which is more than I can justify at the moment (having just spend $300 on a Tac Ops Drag Bag and needing to buy a bunch of pouches for the pack).

I'm looking to keep within $200 for a pack.

My problem is that I can't find what I need in Multicam, and my second choice is Coyote Tan, but it's a pain trying to figure what color =different manufacturers and online stores mean when they use options like "Khaki",, "Tan", "Coyote Tan" and "Coyote Brown" (hell, 5.11 has now started with something called "Deep Flat Earth"), often in describing the same color.

I just want TAN damit ! V Brown is too dark for my needs.

For example the color named Coyote Brown used here (http://www.atstacticalgear.com/istar.asp?a=6&id=TT-015!005&csurl=%2Fistar.asp%3Fa%3D3%26dept%3DLOADCA%26manufacturer%3D005%26) looks like TAN to me.

Can anybody who has the RAID pack in "Coyote Brown" tell me if it is actually brown or tan ?

Thanks :)

[The_Dude]

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h247/hellboy_09/RAIDpacks001.jpg
http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q144/55Kingpin/Backpacking/IMG_1366.jpg

I hope those pics help. Got them from LF.net.