MaxpeditionLunada Gearslinger

Upon ordering the Lunada, I immediately had second thoughts on whether or not I should have picked up the Noatak, or a Hazard 4 pack. I currently own a number of backpacks and messenger bags. I've gone through quite a bit, as I like to carry stuff on me, but I don't like pocket stuffing. Comfort and maneuverability is a major priority to me, so I test bags pretty often.The Lunada ended up being smaller than I expected, which was good, as it fit the key requirement of being able to hold my tablet- a Barnes & Noble Nook HD+. It fits snugly into the hydration pouch. There's an additional hidden pouch that can be used to hide a compact pistol, money or identification hidden under the small zippered pouch (with velcro for added security). The space inside the main compartment isn't overly generous, however it can easily fit a bottle of water and some snacks, possibly a light jacket etc etc. Perfect for any minimalist. Anyone who needs to haul lots of gear may want to check out the larger packs.The top rear compartment fits a flashlight, my Freedompop Bolt and a small bottle of hand sanitizer. There're organizational pouches however I'm not using them.The lower one has lots of webbing, and I use them to hold my pens. There's a sleeve that perfectly fits my Kobo Mini e-reader, and I have space for a notebook, Clif Bar, and more. I will also slip my wallet (Saddleback minimalist) and phone (now LG L9) without any excess bulge.For a nice touch there's a zippered compartment in the very back which I use to slide receipts, notes and also keep a microfiber cloth for cleaning my gadgets if necessary.The quick-release clip buckle on the band is useful if you're encumbered and can't be bothered to lift the bag strap over your head. It's large and strong. There's a mini clip that lets you secure the bag to you if you need to run, however I don't need the strap as the webbing is slightly rubbery, keeping the bag from sliding too much. The strap I put into the hidden external sleeve, for the just-in-case factor.These bags can be had for ~100 new, however I was lucky enough to get mine used like new at $65. Keep your eyes out for a good deal, I was very fortunate for mine, and am extremely happy I've finally found a Maxpedition that fits me well.EDIT (2/10/2014):A quick update. I still use this bag daily. It's my favorite pack, and I've refined my carry. The main compartment holds my Nexus 7 in the small back-sleeve, the actual main compartment is empty for daily carry, in case I want to add a water bottle, gloves, snacks etc. The little zipper flap holds some kleenex, my Freedompop Overdrive Pro and a signal mirror. The top organizational pouch holds my house keys, a small Altoids tin, some basic medical items, and hand sanitizer.The larger bottom organization pouch holds the most, a CRKT M16 Knife, Bodyguard 380, NiteCore SRT7, a food bar, a random pen, spare battery for the Nitecore, spare magazine for my 380, and an external battery charger for my phone.All this fits in without any added bulk.I recently broke my right arm and was able to switch the strap to go across my chest the opposing way, so I could easily put on/take off the pack while my arm was in a sling. This proved to be extremely useful. I might add that the pack survived a car crash, also protecting the contents within (slamming the bag against the dashboard at a combined 80mph impact (40mph from both cars). This same impact shattered an otterbox cargo box in my car's trunk.

Great bag and a good size for EDC, though it's kind of on the large size, and tempting to really overfill.The D-rings on the top are great to clip a water bottle on, and to keep it from flopping about, I ran a piece of 1/8" shock-cord through the webbing lower down on the side and slip the water bottle into it - secured both top and bottom it stays out of the way but easy to access - no need for a bulky separate water-bottle pouch, unless you need something insulated.Front Admin Pockets/Panel: Well sized - I've got my larger and smaller items separated accordingly - the top pocket easily holds a small pill holder, full-sized BIC lighter, small multi-tool (Leatherman Micra), 6 ft. tape measure and a couple of hanks - 6ft of shock-cord and 6 ft of paracord, with lots of room to spare. Will also fit a full 7-day pill organizer. The lower pocket holds larger items nicely: Leatherman Wave, 2 flashlights (S-Mini 18650 and Mag 2xAA LED), pocket knife (Spiderco Endura), small pry-bar, generic plastic magnifying glass, spare 18650 batteries for the S-Mini, lotion, and a microfiber cloth in the slip pocket. There's also a key hook that I use for a USB thumb drive - very handy to have with you.I also attached my hard-shell sunglasses case to the velcro field with $0.75 worth of industrial-grade adhesive velcro from a fabric store. I secure it fully with the shock-cord - glasses are going nowhere.Main Compartment: ROOMY! The two slip pockets are nice, and I frequently carry my 7" tablet in one of them, with room to spare. The flap with the zippered pocket is also very handy - I keep phone and tablet chargers in there, along with their cables, and there's tons of room left over - it keeps occasionally used items organized and out of the way. The zipper pull also doubles, in my case, as a place to hang a Streamlight Nano. The rest of the main compartment is great for larger things - a pair of mechanic's gloves, larger hank of paracord, spare AA battery holder, 8x21 binoculars etc.Improvements I'd like to see:1) The rear "CCW" pocket is great, but the strap won't tuck into it as comfortably as Maxpedition says. It will go in there, but makes the overall package pretty bulky.2) The auxiliary strap - it would be an improvement if they attached it to the bag with a swivel hook instead of wrapping around the D-ring. As it stands, it's cumbersome to use, so I keep it off.3) Interior - some d-rings, key clips, and para-loops (like on the pocket organizer series) to hang frequently-used items would be handy. Elastic retention might be nice too, but as necessary.4) Hydration reservoir/bladder - This isn't on Maxpedition, necessarily, but it would be a great option to have. The CCW pouch could fit a 1L bladder easily, but the only one I could find, so far, with the right dimensions is the Kangaroo 1L with pouch, which is way too expensive for this application.The bottom line is that this is a fantastic bag, and though there's always room for improvement, I'm well satisfied with my purchase and happy to use this every day. It's easy to over-stuff and find yourself carrying to much, so watch out for that.

Due to a shoulder injury I had to stop using a regular backpack. This, though a little small works for me, holds more then enough for a day hike and is comfortable to wear, (not as comfortable as a backpack). I've owned several Maxpidition packs and they hold up fine. I'll do a updated revue if it warrants it. The molle attachment points work great.