Sandpiper of California Long Range Bugout Backpack

This is not written to be a negative review. I simply wanted to raise the attention to people before they make a purchase on this. This bag is HUGE.I originally owned the SOC BOB (black) and I have owned it for years. It has flown with me, carried textbooks and gear, etc. FANTASTIC BOB! No joke. SOC makes awesome gear and it's make in the USA. I wanted to upgrade (because I'm a stupid materialistic American). To be honest the side pockets were what intrigued me since my BOB didn't have any and my middle and small pockets were filled with gear (always EDC everywhere you go).I traded in and got this pack. My... god... it's massive. I mean I'm staring at it now and it's almost as large as my laundry hamper, and it's sitting on the floor leaning against my book shelf. When I have it fully up and on my shoulders, strapped down, any gear that is not strapped down inside you will feel around your bum. That's how low it will hang. And I'm 6ft 2in. I truly love the pack - no joke. I do. But looking back in hindsight it is actually too much for what I wanted, which was just some added pockets to my already great BOB. I cannot however, let my wife know this as she will cut my head off for getting rid of a perfectly good BOB to "upgrade."The one thing that king of bugs me about the LR is the waste strap. I weigh in at 200lbs and with the waste straps fully tightened WITHOUT going over the thick cushion parts of the belt (same foamy material as the thick part of the shoulder straps), it does not tighten fully on my waste. To get it tight I have to tighten the straps OVER the thick foam to get a tight fit. It is obviously meant for someone wearing a bit of gear.It truly isn't a big deal for me though as I just use this as my EDC/BOB/Work Pack. I removed the waste straps and folded them up into one of the small side pockets (... oh what purpose they serve now...). That way if I find myself wearing a kit I can pull them out and hook them up.So... I love the pack. But with me and my big head/ego, it is too much for me. I wish I had kept my BOB or at least tested this thing out before I purchased it.It is damn tough though, and the straps have been improved in design and stiching.

I currently work in an active combat zone (Afghanistan), and when its time to take a little R&R I needed something that was a little bigger than what I had, a BP that is durable, look nice, various compartment pockets, for extra stuff and travel friendly. A few years back I purchased a Bug Out back pack from SOC, this time I wanted to see what the other sites had to offer....I honestly looked at other makes and brands from these sites, none of them seem to have what I was looking for, needles to say I went back to SOC and found just what I want it. Its a little bigger than the Bug Out BP, has all the bells & whistles insofar as accessory pockets & compartments, in the environment in which I work, this back pack is design to give you the satisfaction you're looking for in bp. So take it from this ole retired US Marine, the Master Guns says ....don't waste valuable time looking around, grab this BP, you'll be glad you did ...Bet on it.

First of all, this bag is HUGE. The other reviewer is correct - it would be hard to call this bag a "carry on" unless you didn't fill it all the way. I can fit all of my gear in this backpack with room to spare. It is expandable by about 4 inches for even bigger loads. It has tons of storage pockets and straps to hold your gear down inside. The sternum strap and hip belt are comfortable and can support heavy loads. The construction seems extremely durable. The fabric is heavy and most stitches are double-seamed. The bag itself is pretty heavy, but I'd rather have a heavier bag with greater durability then something lighter. I highly recommend this product.

I will update the review, as the company that has listed this bag may not know of the situation with these bags. I will update with returns process and information. It is a shame that eBags is out the money for shipping when the real culprit is the manufacturer.Has something changed in the company since 2007? I purchased a Bugout in Iraq on my second tour, and the bag has been rock solid until the 100 lb loads I carried began stretching and destroying the material below the top zipper in the center. It survived abuse that I cannot even describe, and kept smiling. I just had a Bugout Long Range delivered today, and with both bags sitting side by side, there are definitely a lot of differences in quality. Not only was the price much much higher now, but the bag is not what I was hoping for. The old bag had a waterproof rubberized coating on the inside surfaces of the material. The new bag is water resistant, except where there is stitching, where it simply flows right to the inside of the bag. The material is much flimsy in comparison to the old bag. The zipper pulls are just tied lightweight material, and my old bag had secured paracord pulls. None of which have ever broken. The waist strap on my old bag is rock solid, comfortable, and works well with extremely heavy loads. The waist strap on the new bag is essentially worthless. It does not adjust below about a 40 inch waist, and cannot be tucked in and hidden without being unlaced and removed. The shoulder straps are single double stitched, the hydration tube hole is about big enough to fit a pencil through, definitely not a military style hydration tube with a cap on the bite valve. The cinch straps are single stitched (and as a Marine that packs things up tight, those wont last long). The velcro that covers the hydration tube hole is missing stitching on one side completely. Components don't match up/line up. I now have a bag that will leak in the rain, soaking through items that cannot get wet. I have a bag that will definitely not be capable of carrying the loads that I carried in my last pipergear bag. Did something change when you went from pipergear to sandpiper of california? What happened? I am not sure when the quality dropped like this, hopefully not too long ago, because I have referred around 50 Marines and friends to your bags, but I would not have if I knew that the bags were cheapened so much. Do you have any bags that were made back in 2007 in a warehouse somewhere? Id love to trade this one for one of those.