Great looking pack.. I'd like to see what else you have packed in there.. How many days is that set up for?

Thanks

 

I'm glad you posted this........i have been eyeballing this pack for the last few days.

I've also been looking at the Kelty Strike 2300 Tactical and the Kelty Raven Tactical.
I think I narrowed it down to either the Falcon or the Raven.

Are you not using the top detachable bag in your setup??

 

I can't, with the sleeping pad there it won't fit over it. I think I will roll the detachable just inside the pack.

The cool thing with the detacheable part is that it can be a fanny pack or a shoulder bag.

It's currently setup as my Backpacking bag (lacking ammo and a few other small things), and as is can be used for 4-5 days. I have a kelty zenith 2 tent in there (was 30 at target!).

 

I have heard nothing but bad reviews on botach, but this worked out just fine for me. Took 4 business days to get from CA to MI. I friggin love this pack. I might trim down my sleeping pad and roll it on one of the sides. If you guys really want me to, I'll upload pictures of the inside gear with a list too.

I am really surprised that the daypack lid does not expand in the back to accommodate the bedroll. I see that the front has the cinch-down, but the rear of if can not expand also? It should be able to from what I recall about the pack design. The daypack lid should be able to cinch down a moose head.

 

Put the tent on the outside of your pack. You want the sleeping bag inside to give it the most protection from moisture. You want the tent on the outside or very easily accessible so that you can set it up quickly if it's about to rain, or so that you don't have to expose the inside of your pack if it's already raining.

 

But the tent is alot more compact than that sleeping bag!

 

Where are you hiding the water bladder?

 

I have this pack and I will vouch for it. This thing just rocks period. Not too big and not too small. Here is my load out:



Top compartments (there are 3):
Spices
Knife sharpener
Head light
Magnifying lens
Fire kit tin
SAK Folder
Spork
Leather gloves
Chapstick
2 granola bars

Main cargo area:
Sleeping bag - REI Polar Pod 10 degree
(2) 5 x 7 heavy duty mylar tarps
Army poncho
2 quart kettle with small bowl and coffee cup inside.
Katadyn water filter
Grundig shortwave radio
Cordage bag with 550 and (4) bungee cords
Wool socks
Underwear
Tshirt
Sweat pants for sleeping
10" x 10" grill for campfire grilling
OR gaiters

Back pocket
Binoculars - Nikon
Parka shell

Molle accessories
Bendix King radio for emergency commo and fire fighting.
FAK - roller gauze, sterile 4 x 4's, band aids, super glue, trauma shears.
(2) stainless steel 24 oz water bottles. (upgrading to 32oz soon):thumb:

 

I like your setup. I think when I have mine more geared towards a BOB I may change it to be like that.

I'm hiding my water bladder in.. wait for it...



The pouch inside the pack designed for it! There are two, one on each side. You'll notice the little holes that are at the top of the pack where the hose comes out too

 

No ****? I put my gaiters in one. Im putting my bladder in the other! Thanks!

 

Very cool. I am considering picking up the same pack.

 

Thanks for getting this thread going.

Anyone have any feedback on buying from Botach. There are some bad reviews on Google but some positive ones too.

I like the pack and the price but not looking to get ripped off.

Any info is appreciated

Thanks

 

Always call Botach to see if the item is in stock before you order. If it is, Botach is very fast getting the item to you that week .. sometimes only a matter of a few days after ordering. But .. always call ahead. If not in stock, you may be in for a long wait .. but you will get it eventually. I have ordered about 1/2 a dozen times in the past 2 years and only had to wait on a very popular sale on S&W M&P magazines that took 6 months to get @ $19.99 ea.

 

Got mine yesterday. I ordered it on Feb 10 based on the discussion here along with the great deal-- $110.00 shipped. I have no problem at all with Botach, in fact their service was quicker than expected.

 

I've been looking at this pack for a little bit. But, im wondering how it fits on bigger guys. I'm 6'6" 250 pounds with a fairly long waist and I dont want to order it to only find out that it doesn't fit. I would go try it on but I can't find anywhere around me that has this pack. Thanks

 

A similar size Kelty civy pack will have the same suspension, if you can find one of those that would let you know. I have a 21" long torso length according to the measurement taken at the gear store. The falcon 4000 fits me great and I still have about 1-2" of adjustment length.

 

I pulled the trigger and placed my order earlier this afternoon. Almost ordered the Kelty Raven 2500 Tactical Backpack too. I could not find any reviews on YouTube for it.....I have many Kelty backpacks, I'm not worried about quality just would have like to seen it for sixe reference and pocket layout. I might just go ahead and order it anyway.

Rouge,
I ordered it from Botach so I'll let you know how I make out.

jl71,
It has a bigger adjustment range than most....you should have no problems.

I'll post pic's as soon as I get it.

 

I have heard nothing but bad reviews on botach, but this worked out just fine for me. Took 4 business days to get from CA to MI. I friggin love this pack. I might trim down my sleeping pad and roll it on one of the sides. If you guys really want me to, I'll upload pictures of the inside gear with a list too.

 

Try rolling up the sleeping pad in a loose roll and putting it inside, then pack your gear on the inside of the sleeping pad roll. That might save a lot of space and let you use the other lid.

I've done this on ultralight frameless packs to stabilize the load better. It works great. You will have to go in through the top for gear unless you get creative with the packing.

I can't tell if that sleeping pad is foam, but if it is, have you trimmed down the length at all? I usually trim down mine so the pad only covers from just below my knees to just above my shoulders. It usually saves a lot of bulk....and some weight. Just a thought.

 

I did just trim at below my knees and it shaved about 1.5 foot off, but its still somewhat big. I will try the idea of packing items in it.. other than that, I might try to bungee cord it to the bottom of the pack. We shall see. With it up top, it is kind of a pain to open up the front zipper to the main compartment.

 

I have the same pack from botatactical in coyote brown. I think the only thing missing are side mesh pockets that one could have easy access to much like the larger kelty eagle. There is however molle for you to add such a pocket. However that makes the pack much bigger and costs more money.

 

How is this one vs. the Kelty Raven 2500? I see it obviously has less room up top, but also seems to be slightly wider or thicker.

Opinions?

 

There are a lot of good things about the pack, so I think they have all been said. Here are some things that I feel I personally did not like, but may or may NOT matter to you.

-There are no side pockets of any kind, yes there is Molle for you to attach some, but that costs more money and its not like your going to attach anything else on the bottom sides. They should have had the side pockets like in the Kelty Eagle (a much larger pack) and still be low profile. You will have to pay more for side pouches which will probably make a higher profile

-The side compression straps do not overlap the front panel zipper. This is both a good thing and bad thing. If there are no straps that cover the front panel, then it won't block you from easy access opening.

This also means the compression straps won't alleviate stress off the front panel when tightened down, in fact it will put MORE stress on those zippers which could be a potential weak point when the sack is fully stuffed as the straps stem right next to the zipper instead of over it.

-The top "fanny pack," while I like this idea the pack itself is poorly designed. It is a big pouch but you won't necessary be able to put big things in there. This is because the only way to access it is through two small semicircle like zip covers. I do like that the divider in middle can be unzipped to create one large space, just wish they had that option for the OUTSIDE as well. So now you have one large space with two really small zip entrances.

- Hydration sleeve... Well there are those two pouches on the side that were mentioned before. They are nice to have when organizing the main bag. However when one wants to just pack say... a 3L Bladder (6 lbs mind you) you HAVE to have a counter balance or else you going to have 6 lbs of water heavy on one side. Not much of a problem if you ALWAYS have something equally as heavy on the other pocket. I don't always, wish they had a center sleeve in a traditional sense. I know these were designed with radios in mind.

Again, I feel like these cons pertain specifically to my own pet peeves, but may or may not be something for others to think about before purchasing. Overall this is a great pack, and WAY worth it's value.

 

Like I mentioned above I've been researching the Falcon, Raven and the Strike lately.

The Falcon is a bigger pack than the Raven or Strike. The Raven and Strike are more compairable size wise.

Here are the specs right from Kelty.....

Falcon:
Weight: 6 lb 14 oz / 3.1 kg
Weight without Lid: 5 lb 15 oz / 2.7 kg
Length: 32 in*/ 81 cm
Width: 15 in*/ 38 cm
Height: 12.5 in*/ 31.0 cm
Volume: 4000 in3 / 65.5 l
Volume w/ low volume hood: 3620 in3 / 59.3 l
Torso Fit Range:
16 – 21 in / 41 – 53 cm

Raven:
Weight with radio holder: 6 lb 13 oz / 3.1 kg
Weight without radio holder or battery holder: 5 lb 5 oz / 2.4 kg
Length: 22 in*/ 56 cm
Width: 19 in*/ 48 cm
Height: 14 in*/ 36 cm
Volume: 2500 in3 / 41 l
Torso Fit Range: 15 – 18 in / 38 - 46 cm

Strike:
Weight: 4 lb 5 oz / 1.9 kg
Length: 22 in*/ 56 cm
Width: 17.5 in*/ 44 cm
Height: 14 in*/ 36 cm
Volume: 2300 in3 / 37.7 l
Torso Fit Range: 15 - 19 in / 38 - 48 cm


FYI: Botach specs are wrong, they say the Falcon is 2,800 cubic inch without the top part. That is incorrect.
Quote from Botach's description for the Falcon.
"When the lid is removed, a secondary low-profile hood is revealed to protect the interior of the packbag from the elements and convert the Falcon 4000 to a streamlined 2800 cubic inch pack"

 

Without the top its just over 3600. This must be a typo from when they got a new shipment from Kelty on the Falcon. I noticed earlier that they had the Raven posted as the falcon too. So it seems as if they got some of their wires crossed on the repost of the sale.

Always get your specs from the factory site.

The top does have about 16-18 inches expansion along the top of the backplate, but the optional sleeve can't be expanded at all.

The water bladder pockets are on the sides, because the pack is designed to accommodate the satellite and radio holder that slides in the pack.

The top lid seems to be more useful as a front pack to me than a fanny pack. Still I guess it would come in handy as a fanny pack too.

Glad you guys are liking this pack. I am totally digging mine, and I got it during the first sale and paid 150 for it. At that price point I felt it was too good to pass up, and it was. Now at 110 its a no brainer. Its a great pack, at an even better price.

 

How much lighter is the other color available compared to coyote brown?

 

google images: "kelty falcon 4000 colors"

Very tempted to get this pack. Been looking for something bigger.

I currently only have a Maxpedition Condor II, which is a great little pack--but when I say "little" I mean it. 1950 ci is just fine for a day pack, but I'd like a bit more room if I'm going to be out in the woods for a couple days.