Review on 🎒 Red Rock Outdoor Gear RED80136CO BRK: Ultimate Daypacks for Hiking and Outdoor Adventures by Sheri Zhao

Update: 2016-01-23: I was contacted by Red Rock customer service (their support is really good, especially Regina!) because they were able to fix the MOLLE stitching on the side of the panel. They sent a new bag with the corrected MOLLE. I'm increasing my rating from 2 stars to 5 stars mainly for customer service. It's nice to see a company that stands behind their products. I've also upped my rating based on how good this bag is when faultless. Now I use it as a daily bag for work. I like that it's smaller so I'm forced to edit what I'm carrying. I will be taking this backpack on my next business trip to see how well it performs. Is that a Falcon II? no Is that a good approximation of the budget? I think so. It's good to know the compromises Red Rock made to keep costs down. Anyone expecting a Falcon II for a third of the price will be disappointed. Keep in mind that this is a budget package, so you'll have to be prepared to sacrifice a few things. - The hydration bladder is small. I will probably not use a hydration bladder with this backpack, or only very rarely, so I don't care. If you plan to use your bladder frequently, you should look into this matter in more detail. - Shoulder straps could use more padding. This bag is relatively small, so it shouldn't be uncomfortable even when fully loaded. - I would like a chest strap for load distribution. I can buy a third-party strap or get one from a different box. - No compression strap that goes on top. I feel the side compression straps adequately tighten the pack's contents. The only problem is when you are sorting things or putting heavy items in the top front pocket. This is not a problem for me as I use this bag for small items that I want easy access to. A little information about the accessories I added. I have a detachable lightweight Condor EMT sheath that attaches to MOLLE on one side. On the other hand, I have a Condor folding bag that I use for random items. I've also placed Grimlocs at strategic points on the shoulder straps for easy attachment of small items to the bag. I find these accessories complete the package, but they can be moved to another pocket using MOLLE. Update January 5, 2015: I worked with Red Rock customer service for about 4 months to fix MOLLE. Unfortunately they haven't been able to help me yet. MOLLE only working on one side of the pouch is becoming a big issue for me, so I'm deducting two stars until the issue is resolved (if it is). Pros: - I like the color contrast (red/black) - The belt wraps. End of all straps to control excess webbing - Smooth, high quality, durable zippers Cons: - Shoulder straps could use a bit more padding - MOLLE not sewn on one side properly (read more) All Maxpedition Falcon Copies II (Condor, Rothco, unnamed brands) available on Revain before you venture into this one. My decision was based on the fact that I had seen several Red Rock backpacks at the local army store. It wasn't the same packaging, but I was impressed by the quality of the materials. The zippers were very smooth and looked solid. The haircut looked good. Overall, the backpack looked like it was built to last. The same army surplus had a Maxpedition Falcon II to compare it to. The Maxpedition was definitely higher quality, but in my opinion it wasn't worth quadrupling it ($40 vs. $150). I ordered a package and was very happy with it. It met or exceeded my expectations. The packaging is small but I was looking for something this size. I wasn't expecting the Velcro on the ends of all straps to control oversize. The zippers are strong. The material makes a robust and hard-wearing impression. The color is very accurate judging by the pictures in Revain. My frustration came when I started attaching some of my MOLLE pouches. I tried attaching a Condor roll up bin liner to one of the side panels. Upon closer inspection, it turned out that the MOLLE straps on one of the side panels were not sewn properly. Instead of 2 x 7 attachment points it was more of a 1.5 x 7. The way things were sewn on one side didn't allow my pouch to attach properly. I have contacted Red Rock support to see if there is anything they can do. Regina helped us a lot, but we found that all red black decks have the same bug. She was ready to switch to another color, but I felt a little attached to red and black. I decided to keep the bag and use black zippers to attach the pouches to the side panel. Not perfect, but it works. Regina promised to contact me when the red/black bug was fixed so I could possibly replace it. I will update this review if anything happens on that front.