I'm a believer in Maxpedition's products. They are VERY well made at a reasonable price. I have nearly completed two identical bugout bags for my wife and me built around two of Maxpedition's Vulture-II backpacks:
http://www.maxpedition.com/store/pc/Vul ... 12p114.htm. They are bomb-proof.
About the Fatboy-S Versipack..... (
http://www.maxpedition.com/store/pc/FAT ... K-4p49.htm).... first off, it is very well constructed, like all of Maxpedition's products. For the price, it is hard to believe the level of quality. I would not hesitate to depend on any of their packs/bags in any given application. For its intended purpose, the Fatboy-S has plenty of storage space. If not used for CCW, it would make a good first-responder bag.
The main compartment has an expandable drawstring top, and it will hold a significant amount of stuff. For instance, it will hold a smaller but larger than pocket sized Bible plus additional items, if that gives a description of its size. There are three auxilliary pockets—one on either side of the main compartment, and the other on the outside front of the main compartment. A top flap closes over the main compartment and the outside front pocket, and fastens by means of the ubiquitous quick release buckle.
Of the two side compartments, one uses a zip closure and it seems designed to hold a large double-stack
pistol magazine. A 10 round spare mag for my full sized M&P45 fits in there with no problem, and it would definitely hold magazines that are larger than that, but it would not fit any kind of long gun magazine.....unless that weapon used pistol mags. The other side pocket seems to be tailored to fit a medium sized flashlight. My Surefire E2L Outdoorsman fits in it quite nicely, and there is enough room for a larger light than that, but not for a full sized "D" cell type of flashlight.
The pistol compartment is kinda sorta hidden, although the access zipper is in plain sight on the top of the bag, between the main compartment and the wearer's body. The compartment is large enough to hold my full sized M&P45 or a 5" 1911. The internal holster sleeve attaches to the sides of the compartment via Velcro and its position can be adjusted to fit your individual pistol. However, the holster must be purchased separately.
The shoulder strap is well designed and comfortably padded. It has plenty of adjustment range. I'm a pretty big (in a bad way) guy, and it will go around my shoulders and upper body quite easily. It also has MOLLE attachment points and an included snap hook for your car keys or whatever. If you are wearing this thing around your neck and shoulder like it was designed for, nobody is going to be able to snatch it off of you. It's built like a tank.
The negatives..... There's only one, really. Access to your pistol is NOT as fast as from a holster. It is
probably not as fast as from a fannypack designed for CCW.....at least not for me. The bag's construction is really rugged, and the zipper is heavy duty. Getting the zipper open and the gun out in an emergency is going to be a slower process than a belt carried pistol. Also, I have somewhat large hands, and the pistol compartment and its opening are kind of flat, so getting my hand down into the compartment and around the grip of the gun and drawing the gun takes longer. How much longer? I've never timed it, so I can't say for sure.....but my guess is that if you were normally able to reach for your gun, draw it, bring it to bear, aim and fire it, in 2 or so seconds, this bag is going to slow that down to 3 or 4 seconds....or something like that. Consequently, using a Versipack Fatboy-S requires you to have good situational awareness so that you are not
surprised into having to draw your gun.
Because of that, this bag is not really suitable for a primary carry method for most people under most circumstances, unless you don't have a better alternative, or unless your circumstances require off-body carry. I have mine for two reasons:
A) I mentioned doctor appointments in a previous post. I see my regular MD twice a year, and a urologist twice a year. Both require me to disrobe for exams. The Versipack allows me to keep my weapon with me, "concealed in plain sight," so to speak.
B) I have terrible back issues that I wouldn't wish on anybody, and on some days I can't even bear wearing a belt, let alone a holster with the weight of a pistol in it. This is one reason why I've become a devotée of pocket pistols. But somedays pocket carry just isn't practical, and that's when my Versipack gets used. The gun in my bag beats the gun I left at home because I couldn't stand to strap it on.
Would I recommend this bag to anyone? Most definitely I would. But I would also counsel anyone interested to be aware of its limitations as well as its strengths. For most people, it isn't ideal for a primary carry means. But for a few people, or in certain types of circumstances, it will be the
perfect means of carrying a concealed pistol.
I hope this review helps.
