KeltyRedwing 44 Tactical, Black

We have been using the Kelty Redwing backpacks, as hikers, guides and travelers, for many years now. We just bought a new one as one of ours was, though completely functional, too ratty looking to take on business trips.New improvements:*The large zipper opening now wraps up over the top of the backpack, opening the large compartment fully, so its easy to insert a computer or documents into the sleeve that rests against the back. The models we have, especially the smaller one, are really difficult to access.*The gusseted water bottle compartments on the side are now made of cordura instead of mesh. This is why we needed to abandon our old ones for flying and business trips, the mesh became snagged and has holes in it. The cordura will last. Plus if you do have a wet swimsuit or something less savory balled up in there, nobody has to see it.*There are fewer little pockets inside the smaller zippered compartment. I doubt anyone ever used all the compartments in the old one. So that is streamlined. There was a nice small zippered area inside that small zippered compartment. I had a love had relationship with it. I always use it, but when flying, I have to empty it because it makes e the bag stick out too much to fit under the seat in front of me, and even too fat to fit in the overhead. There is now a tiny flat zippered area that could hold something very small and precious.*There was also a vertical zipper in the very front of the backpack. If you didn't zip it closed, things easily fell out. They got rid of that.*The shoulder straps seem stiffer, and I am hoping that feels okay when very full.This is one of the best backpacks for the money.It distributes weight very well onto the hips, with a very sturdy wide waist belt, and if you want to transfer more to the chest, there is a chest strap.The back is semi rigid and keeps the pack a bit off the back, making it less sweaty back there. It is also adjustable to torso length.The 44 liter size fits just about what you an fit in any rolling carry on bag. For lightweight backpacking, this will also work, as there are loops to attach sleeping bags, shoes, camping pads, tent.The cinch straps trim it down for when you need to make it look smaller or need to have it be more trim for squeezing through caves or something.Once I load it up and take it someplace, if I discover anything else, I will update this.I have recommended this pack to friends who also have used it for years.

Awesome pack...love how main pocket zips lots of room...and you can't go wrong with a kelty pack

Step one: Remove the waist belt. Just take it off and shed the bulk. This is a great every day hauler. I use it to haul my stuff to and from the office and I have a long walk from the parking lot to where I work. I carry this bag about 2 miles a day with about 30 pounds of stuff in it. The bag has a low profile for a 44L bag--it doesn't feel like your carrying a big, square crate on your back. I'd recommend it for anyone looking to carry more than what a briefcase or book bag will haul that has useful exterior pockets and a large access opening. The aluminum stay and plastic frame sheet make a great backing for the lightly padded laptop compartment and my 16" MacBook Pro fits well. Note: when they call it a "tactical" bag, they're overstating the robustness of this bag. It won't hold up against 'real' tactical bags that are made of much heavier materials, larger zippers, and covered with MOLLE. However, it also doesn't cost anywhere near what those bags cost. For daily civilian use in most environments, this is a great deal.

Great pack so far. I have not used it on the trail yet but am doing so soon. Fits a lot of stuff, good for a weekend camping/hiking trip. The pack feels like it was made with quality materials and functionality in mind. I will update the review after spending a few days camping and hiking with it.Update. Great pack so far. I have two complaints.-The shoulder straps are not very adjustable. If you do not adjust them to the tightest setting the pack is going to press into your upper shoulders.-The waist strap is very small. I am a 34 waist and I have it at the tightest setting.If Kelty changed these two features this pack would be the best pack on the market. The pockets are well placed, zippers feel great, and functions and features are perfect for long hikes in the bush. I have a lot of experience with tactical packs and hiking and wanted the extra heft of of the material, as opposed to the regular Redwing but could do with adjustable shoulder straps and larger waist belt.

Durable, design is greatly improved. Zippers are flawless. Opens all the way up for easy packing or just top loading. Plus looks great. Replaced my first Kelty pack which has lasted for 15+ years and dragged all over the world through rough terrain and war zones. Nothing wrong with it, I just wanted a new one. This one is just as well-made. Can’t recommend highly enough.

The internal frame makes it super comfortable, way better than my ALICE pack I had in the CorpsContinents of the pack:-2 pairs of wool socks, 2 pairs underwear, couple t-shirts & a sweatshirt-Coldpruf Base Layer Top & Bottom-Foot Powder-Nalgene 38oz. Stainless Steel bottle with GSI outdoors nesting cup-Arcturus Survival tarp with reflective side-Arcturus Wool Blanket 64”x88”-Compact sleeping bag-Ferro Rods, Striker and kindling-Gerber Strongarm Fixed blade knife with partially serrated blade-100’ of 1100 Paracord-Calculated Survival Pocket Chainsaw-First Aid kit-Hygiene bag-Water Purification tablets-Electrolyte packets-Modern Day Fire-starter Scripto lighter wrapped with duct tape and a bag of cotton balls soaked with Vaseline-4 Breakfast and 4 Dinner Meals-Led Headlamp-Lensatic Compass-National Geographic Road Atlas 2024: Adventure Edition-Portable AM/FM shortwave Crank Radio-Leather gloves-Portable Syphon Pump-Doc Spartan combat ready ointmentand of course a Leatherman Multi-Tool

The bag is well made and good for me in using a small bag that can hold more than you think but still have a pretty small footprint.

This became my boyfriend's new favorite bag the second he touched it and he takes it with him everywhere.

Me encanta mi mochila nueva la uso diario para oficina perfecta para mi laptop y se resguarda muy bien en su bolsa interna, muy buen material de alta calidad y muy funcional para viajes cortos y mi botella de agua cabe muy bien mi chamarra la ajusto a un costado para mi supero mis expectativas, la entrega fue antes y bien empaquetada felicidades al proveedor y a Kelly

Always use military packs since my time in the Canadian Forces Infantry, from old school '65 pattern, '82 Pattern, ALICE pack, MOLLE II pack, USMC ILBE, Tactical Tailor Adapt pack and a UK PLCE Bergen. One of my friends showed me his Kelty, and I thought it looked like a nice pack... I started looking at the various models, and settled with this mid size Kelty Tactical and am very happy with it.Materials, construction, quality, organization, comfort, size... everything I look for in a pack is there. I chose this one in particular because I have always used internal organizer pouches, so I did not need the 44 with the side pockets and also wanted something that was slim in profile and nicely contoured to the body. When I need to haul more gear, I pull out the Bergen at over 100L, it carries all my gear and then some.This is a perfect size for hiking, either a day hike of a 3 day week-ender. You can pack quite a lot of gear in it and with the daisy chains at the bottom you can add an extra stuff sack or sleep pad/gear.The material is very similar to 500D Cordura, making it lightweight and water repellent. The zippers are YYK and like the newer military packs are sewn inside out, making dirt and water resistant. The shoulder straps are nicely padded, has an easily adjusted sternum strap and with the adjustments at the top can be made to wear over chest rig/plate carrier. There is also a waist belt, nothing crazy since the pack is smaller, but it does a nice job when you haul a bit heavier and want to take some weight off the shoulders and support on your hips.Finally the back is well padded, has a nice inner frame sheet that does the job, although I'm looking to get a slightly thicker, stiffer frame sheet... but that's me. On the inside there is a very spacious open top pocket to accommodate up to a 3 litre bladder or a laptop.The design of the main pocket that almost completely opens up makes organizing gear inside very easy. The bottom side pouches are excellent for smaller bottles or the attach axes or similar tools carried on the pack. The front pocket has a nice admin portion and a few well designed features, like a key fob strap, some mesh and divided pockets.All in all, a great civilian pack thought out for tactical use as well (Military or Law Enforcement). As an outdoors heavy use pack it does the job. And the price is reasonable compared to similar sized models.

the bag before it broke was very useful for taking an excess of plein air painting materials out with me, hands free so I could have the dogs on a lead. Unfortunately the hip waist belt broke quite early on and its now useless to put heavy items into.

I love this pack

El material de la mochila muy buena pero LOS BROCHES MUY PESIMOS EN CALIDAD, CUESTAN MUCHO TRABAJO EN SACAR Y METER LOS BROCHES, NO SE DIGA EL DE PECHO, MALISIMO