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- Verified Buyer
UPDATE: after 3.5 years I still love it! And not a single stitch has come loose. Just got back from 2 weeks in Europe and this pack was my only bag! No other luggage! I rode on 4 different airlines and multiple trains, and it was my carry-on, with no questions asked, ever. Having the exterbal pouches is crazy good for travel, and the compression straps are awesome for both 1) making the pack smaller, and 2) keep belongings safe in pickpocket areas. Highly recommended pack!ORIGINAL REVIEW: I've owned the Falcon III for only two days, and I've had it on just one hike, and so far, I am VERY happy with the purchase. I ordered Khaki, which in the Amazon product listing, Khaki looks more like a desert sand color throughout, and the straps are the same color as the canvas. HOWEVER, what actually showed up is two-tone that leans more toward a green, and seems more like a different color Maxpedition offers, despite the label correctly saying Khaki. (I had earlier ordered the Falcon II in Khaki, and same thing, what showed up was very olive-like with tan straps.) I returned the Falcon II partly because of the wrong color, but also because I felt it was just too small for an adult, though it would be good for a kid or tween.All of that said, I do like the Falcon III in whatever color they sent to me. Ha! Keep reading for actual review stuff...STURDYThis is legit fabric. You can take it out of the box, open it up, and it will stand up on the floor all by itself! It's that rigid. The seams and sewing all seem very well done. The Molle feels really strong. The straps and buckles don't feet cheap. I think some people will probably say, "oh, the fabric is so hard and rough, I am sending this back." But the way I see it, you want something heavy duty that will take whatever you throw at it. I seriously can't imagine using this thing so much that it wears a hole in the fabric. That seems impossible. I think you could fill this up and drag it on the dirt behind a truck, and... no problems.SIZEOkay, I am a 6-foot big dude and probably pushing 285 lb. The pack is easy to put on and easy to take off. I wasn't squirming or stretching or contorting myself to get it on or off. The overall size is great. During my hike today, I never felt like it was this tiny thing on my back... and I never felt like it was some ginormous camp-in-the-woods-for-a-month obnoxious pack. It just seemed perfect in size. The bottom of the pack hung down to just above my butt. And again, I was super glad I returned the Falcon II so that I could have the larger Falcon III. I could easily walk, hike, bike or travel with the Falcon III. It would be a great bag to fill up with essentials and get on an airplane without checking larger bags.POCKETS & STORAGEThe main large pocket is big and I could very easily put my laptop computer in here. The large pocket includes a pouch where you can drop in your water bladder, and there are two covered holes (one on either size) for your water hose to come out. In that water pocket, if you didn't want to put water in there, it's big enough for a small chromebook, or a book or notepad. Also in the main pocket, there is a netted pocket that is not zippered. I put two books in there. There's plenty of space left for a jacket or blanket some extra small clothes, etc.The middle-sized pocket is just as deep as the big main pocket. This middle area has no organization. I used this space for my small medical kit and a very large 1.5 liter water bottle. And there was quite a bit of empty space left for more stuff.The outside pocket on top is not very deep and has no organization inside. It's big enough for a sandwich and a granola bar or two, but not much else. On my hike today I had a bag of peanuts, three granola bars and my sunglasses.The outside pocket on the bottom is a much larger external space and it has more organization for pens, knife, flashlight, and a hanger for keys. There's also a rear pouch inside. There was some extra space, but I would not put anything in there that is fragile (like a phone) since your knife and keys, could scratch it.My only complaint here is that I am jealous of other bags that have more organization in the main compartments. If I was the designer, I guess I would have added a zipper to at least one of the compartments in the primary space.... and for sure I would add another pouch (or two) in the secondary space. But maybe Maxpedition's M.O. is that they want customers to buy more pouches to store stuff internally, and externally via molle.BUCKLES & STRAPSThe main shoulder straps are padded and comfortable. They have no storage on them, though there are D-rings and molle so you can add pouches, etc. The padding on the shoulder straps is the same material as what's on the main back pad.The sternum buckle is plenty long to fit me (again, I am a big guy). I used it during my hike just to keep the shoulder straps in place. I never hiked without it connected, so I can't say how the whole thing hangs without the sternum strap connected.The waist strap just hangs and cannot be stored or put away. That's kinda weird. Anyway, I hiked without putting it around me. I just buckled the two sides together and let it hang. That was never uncomfortable and really I never felt it or thought about it.The compression straps all around are good and also don't get in the way. You can compress two straps from back to front. And you can connect one compression strap from top to bottom. I think they did a good job with this.AIR FLOW & MAIN PADDINGI don't know what you call the main pad that actual touches your back, but that whole area is a black net finish on top of the padding (same as the shoulder straps). If anything on this bag is going to ever tear, it's that black netting. But it felt perfectly soft and comfortable on my back during my hike today. It was only about 74 degrees, so not hot enough to sweat my butt off. So I can't tell about the air flow. But so far it seems fine. My back certainly never felt wet.WHAT ELSE?I guess that's about all I can say. I am a pretty frugal guy and it took some convincing to make myself spend $150 on a backpack. But I have lived long enough to know that it's probably a good investment and will likely be the last backpack I have to buy. It's certainly not going to fall apart like the $30 bag I bought in 2017 (multiple ripping problems and straps disintegrating!) So would I rather buy a new $30 backpack every few years, or just spend $150 now on a quality back that I can get used to and have for a decade or more?
