Triple Aught Design’s FAST Pack EDC: the Ultimate Three-Day Bugout Bag?
billj 07.14.14
I really like how easily and cleanly the transporter tail and waist belt can be removed, turning the bag into a leaner day pack. I think most people who EDC this bag will end up using it in this configuration, but it’s great to have the option of transforming into a mountaineering and/or camping bag.
The entire outside of the bag is covered with webbing, so you can attach MOLLE-compatible gear to it and generally get as tacticooled out as you want with it. Speaking of tacticool, even in its most stripped-down state, the bag still screams “OPERATOR!” which makes sense because that’s who it’s made for and TAD does count Special Forces among the bag’s user base. But you have to be comfortable rockin’ a bag that is overtly tactical-looking.
The two large side pockets are deceptively spacious–a large, insulated Kleen Kanteen wide-mouth thermos in one, and a Thermacell in the other. There’s enough room in those pockets that you could probably fit a whole other small organizer pouch in there if you were so inclined.
I ended up using the inside webbed pockets for fragile items, like an iPod or a Kindle. In the main compartment, depending on my load-out, I’d have anything from a MacBook Air and iPad in there to a Gransfors Bruks hatchet, some clothing, a compact inflatable mattress, and miscellaneous other camping gear.
Here are some more specs, taken from TAD’s website:
- External zippered Top Admin Pocket with organizer
- Dual zippered side accessory pockets
- External zippered Hydration Pocket with 2 styles of hangers: Compatible with Camelbak and all other major hydration bladder systems
- Elastic hydration tube guides on shoulder straps
- Aerated, closed cell foam padding for superior shock protection, comfort and ventilation
- Removable HDPE framesheet evenly distributes weight across the pack
- Velcro loop on back for mounting morale patches or to apply glint tape to help you determine friend from foe
If you get the impression from the specs and pictures that this bag is strappy, then you are correct. This is the strappiest bag I own by a mile. However, TAD is obviously aware of the strap situation; as I mentioned above, one of the best parts of the bag is the way that all of the straps are designed to be secured and stowed when not in use. Furthermore, when the straps are in use, all of the excess strap can be tucked away.
A Warning About Air Travel
The one downside to this bag, apart from the price, is I don’t think I can safely bring this bag through airport security because there are so many compartments in it that even if I attempt a thorough cleanup, the odds are non-trivial that I’ll have some contraband zippered away in some place where only an x-ray machine can find it.
If you do plan to do air travel with this bag, then you need to have some kind of strict policy regarding placement of any prohibited items in it. If you consistently place potentially troublesome items in the same few pockets every time, then you’ll have some degree of confidence that you’ve completely sanitized the bag before you go through security.
As for me, I’m not going to bother because I’ll be the guy who sends the entire airport into lockdown when they find a single round of CCI Blazer .22LR wedged underneath some strap.
Conclusions
It’s entirely possible that some other premium bag maker with a significant Special Forces clientele, like Eberlestock or Tactical Tailer, makes a similarly sized bag that matches the FAST Pack EDC as far as features, durability, and general EDC and bug-out suitability. I don’t know. I’ve not tried all of the premium packs that there are in the world. (Give me a few years, though.) But right now, I find it hard to imagine that anyone makes a bag that is significantly better than TAD’s beast of a pack.
You could press this into service as an INCH (I’m Not Coming Home) bag if you plan on traveling light. I’d personally prefer something larger for that scenario. But as a get-home bag, or as a “bug-out bag” in the more original sense of the term (i.e. “I’m grabbing this and bailing on my campsite or home base… I only plan to live out of it for a few days, until I can find a better arrangement”), the FAST Pack EDC hits the sweet spot of size, durability, and features.
Like I said, epic. May you never have an adventure that breaks this bag.
