Hazard 4 Plan B Review

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Kommander
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Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2008 10:13 am

Hazard 4 Plan B Review

Post by Kommander »

A few weeks ago I inquired here about the Hazard 4 line of sling packs as my old LAPG work bag had some shortcomings I wanted to address, mainly the fact that carrying it via shoulder strap was a bit of a pain. Unfortunately no one here had any experience with this brand. I did quite a bit of research on various bags that might fit my needs including this bag, several of the Maxpedition offerings, and the two S.O.Tech Go Bag variants. I finally decided on this bag as it looked like the rectangular design would fit in vehicles better than the Maxpedition bags and it had much better suspension for carrying the bag long distances than the S.O.Tech bags.

Since getting the bag I have used it on a number of day hikes in different weather conditions (the longest being 7.1 miles) and every day at work. So far it has preformed well. The packs suspension is well thought out. The shoulder strap is both wide and thick, though not enough to cause any problems. The stabilization strap helps to redistribute the weight and preventing the pack from moving around while running. I was afraid that the pack would fit oddly or be unconformable bit it fits just fine is is comfortable. The only problem is that since it's carried on only one shoulder one needs to be careful not to overload it. During one hike I did in light to moderate rain the pack managed to keep everything dry, though I was not out there for too long.

The overall pocket layout is well done. The hydration pocket is easy to access and will fit a 3L water bladder filled to 2.5L with no problems. A full 3L might fit but it would be tight. The tube for a hydration bladder fits thorough a small velcroed patch on the top of the pack and down through a few loops on the shoulder strap. The small outer pouch is great for a small GSW kit while the lower one is good for stuff such as a knife, multi-tool, and compass. The main pouch is pretty simple, with a partition, elastic mesh pocket on the back of the pack and a zippered mesh pocket on the flap I use to store small stuff like batteries and a firestarting kit. The outer side pockets work well for flares, tent poles, and medical scissors. The compression straps are also useful for attaching stuff to the side of the pack, but this can deform the side of the pack as it lacks any sort of rigidity.

One concern with a pack shaped like this is what will fit inside. I did some experiments and was happy to discover that most of what I wanted to get into the pack would fit. Two nalgenes fit well in the bottom of the pack, though I used an old 2qt army canteen because it was a bit more space efficient even if it poked into the side of the pack a bit. My netbook fits inside, though it fits much better with the battery removed. What wont fit inside here is a rifle. My Sig 556 wont fit with the stock folded and from what I have read even a broken down AR won't quite fit. This is not a rifle bag and should be be expected to work as such.

There are a few things that I don't like about this pack. First and foremost is the material that the organizer in the larger of the outer zipper pockets is made of. This stuff is rather thin and while it has held up so far I am a bit worried about it. The good news is that if it does fail it would be quite easy to remove and replace with a patch of velcro that I could then use to attach other stuff to. Another thing I don't like are the skeletonized compression strap buckles. They seem a bit flimsy and I would have preferred cheaper, more durable normal buckles (if normal buckles would have been cheaper) with that money going to perhaps better material for the organizer. I also don't like the plastic D rings on the main shoulder strap that the stabilization strap attaches to. I would have preferred something like this to be made of metal, but they have held up so far and look to be made of strong plastic

All in all the Hazard 4 Plan B is a solid bag with just a few minor shortcomings. For my purposes, doubling as a day pack and vehicular emergency bag, it works great. For a pure vehicular bail out bag that one won't be carrying allot I would go with the S.O.Tech Go Bag though.

Pics:

Packed For Hiking
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Inside
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Outer Pockets
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Strap and Pad
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Hydration Pouch
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With Netbook
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