Hello all. Recently I have been inquiring about Line of Fire gear, apparently a newer company, (tag on sternum strap says "Since 1.11.11") and I got all of a couple replies. Well to make a long story short, I got a Black Friday deal for 50% off LoF gear. I have been eyeballing this pack for a while, as it would be a better one for my BOB (required) here in the other 'stan. Needless to say, I jumped and finally today, after some confusion and horribly slow DPO servicing, I got it!
Now for my disclaimer. I really don't know a lot of the scientific jargon of packology and what is new features and what is old news. I have never had the high end packs because I always found better venues to burn money in. With that being said, there are a couple really interesting features in this LoF pack that I am excited about. If it is last year's news, oh well. I also have no other interest in LoF gear from any other perspective. I am just a dude with a pack and no formal ties besides a couple of emails back and forth and a phone call.
Let me talk about my background for a minute. I did 4 years USMC infantry and used the ALICE packs, and the ILBE configuration packs including the assault pack part of the system. I have humped many miles with both systems. Since then I have had many other low end packs; until just recently, I have two over here, the Oakley Icon 2.0, and the 5.11 Rush 24. I like many parts of both packs, however, I dislike enough of one or the other that it has driven me to venture out into LoF gear.
Oakley 2.0
3213 cubic inches of cargo
Likes:
Big center pouch; fits my go list gear nicely)
Great padding on the shoulder straps
Tough zippers
Good top lid securing system with three heavy duty buckles
Good mini side pouches
Great LEO discount
Very strong material and craftsmanship
Dislikes:
Kidney belt needs a little padding
The webbing on the kidney belt slips out of adjustment when you have a decent load doing a combat shuffle
Front "office pouch" needs a little work; mostly unusable unless this is a to-and-from-the-office-to-look-cool-pack (not what I need it for)
5.11 Rush 24
2070 cubic inches (little small for what I need in a BOB but it works great for my day pack)
Likes
has a spot for Camelbak (unlike the Icon)
Has a semi-rigid plastic panel for structure
Lots of external MOLLE webbing
Many external pockets, some are fleece lined for electronics and eyewear
Many internal pockets (would make a good med kit)
Main pocket can unfold to a 90* (very useful for a med kit)
Decent padding on the backside and straps.
Dislikes
No kidney strap; but has a plastic loop for one on either side (really a deal-breaker for my choice as a BOB)
Internal pockets get in the way of the main pouch storage
5.11 does not sell kidney straps for it.
I was not going to do a real formal review, since this will be my first review of anything publically. Right out of the box and the neat little LoF imprinted plastic cover, this pack really caught my attention. I really didn't have much to go off of by the website, (something that might need to be addressed) but I was hopeful that this one would be the right amount of pockets and storage space along with support.
This and a front and a back picture is all I had to go off of:
• Durable 1000 Denier Polyester
• Nylon Webbing
• 420 Denier Ripstop Nylon (Black Only)
• 210D Rain Cover that tucks away for easy storage
• 40 Liters Capacity
• Neoprene Computer Section
• High Pile Mesh Back Panel for all day comfort
• Adjustable Load Bearing Shoulder Straps
• Sternum Strap with Relief Whistle
• Waist Strap for secure fit
• Pole or Axe Secure Straps
So now you know where I was and kinda what I like/need in a pack, lets take a look at the LoF Legend
Here is the Legend front view. It's not a great pic, but I'm in Pakistan and have a phone camera. So it's a pretty pic for a pak pack pic. Get it?
It's hard to see, but there is a pretty decent bottom pouch with dual zippers.
The first thing I noticed, besides the good looking multicam, was the sound of the zippers. I think so far this is my biggest peeve. They make a decent amount of noise; hard to rig for silent running with that, but, 550 cord will fix that.
Moving to the external pouches, I really like how this pack is set up. On the bottom, you have a dual zippered pouch. Pretty good size, but the really cool part of this is that you can unzip the floor of the main pouch and add the volume of this pouch to the main compartment. Very well thought out. On the outer most layer, you have two loops to attach poles or tools you might need. Great Idea. Moving up , you will find 7 loops for clipping stuff to. Next to that, there is a fleece lined pouch of decent size. Just North of that, you have a velcroed "slip pocket" the call it. Good for putting little things like power bars or even a last minute water bottle. Little farther up you have a semi-circled zippered pouch they call the "zip stash" pocket. It looks almost big enough to fit my 3 liter Camelbak in it! very nice for odd shaped pieces of gear you might have or that trusty 4 cell Mag-light/beating rod.
One layer into the pack, if you will, is their "zip office pouch". Again, well thought out; places for pens and clips for keys or lanyard-laden items, along with some other pouches. Very conveniently laid out as the double zippers go about 3/4 the way down the pouch.
OK, on to the main pouch. The main pouch has enough space, the majority of the 40 liters (2441 cubic inches) it boasts. It has two netting pockets on the inside of the front flap, one of which has a zipper at the top and bottom, similar to the 5.11 packs. Other than that, it has a neoprene laptop pouch and access to the plastic brace pocket. I like the simplicity of the main pouch, especially with the complementary accessory pouches externally. One thing I am torn on is how far the zippers zip down. It is roughly half of the depth of the pouch. Sometimes I curse my Rush 24 for zipping all the way down when I don't want it to and stuff falls out. Then other times its a pain to get to other things in my Icon 2.0. Giving it more though, I guess I would prefer the zippers to go farther down as I can use bilateral cinch points to prevent my previous issue.
The backside of it is very well padded. It's is very hard to describe but very comfy, even on the body side of the kidney belt. It looks like it will keep a decent airflow across the back.
A really nice feature you can see are the stabilizer straps that allow you to keep the load between 30 and 45 degrees off your back. Very nice feature that neither of the other two packs have. This one does include a semi-rigid plastic panel in it as well; I really do like that feature. It is between the hybrid frames and no frame and when dealing with a moderate load it will provide just the right amount of support.
While we are looking at this side, I'd like to point out the flexible sternum strap is equipped with an integrated signal whistle. Great idea, but I don't think you can really get the decibels out of this that you would be looking for in an alert whistle. I would have to say this was a good initiative, bad judgment thing.
The kidney straps seem heavy duty (and padded); but they are also equipped with little vented side pouches for mp3 players and the like. The shoulder straps are well padded and include what they call comfort straps for shifting load, but I see myself using them for when I'm dog-tired and don't want to hold my arms up anymore, straps! Either way, great addition to the pack. Back to the kidney straps real quick, you can see in the picture below that they are adjustable. Again, great kidney straps. For a pack this size, they are perfect in every way. Even the location relative to the wearer; they are KIDNEY straps and not waist straps thankfully.
In these next two pictures, you can see my favorite feature: an attached (but removable) rain cover. The worst part about humping is humping in the rain with an old school ALICE pack and you can feel it getting heavier because it is just taking on a bunch of water. You can see on the next picture that there is a little red tag towards the bottom of the pack. That is where the zippered pocket is that holds the elastic rain cover. As you would expect, the cover fits over the empty pack with more than enough to go around a full pack, but because of the elastic, it stays tight enough to the pack. the two sides that come closest to the wearer, have a hook and loop to close it around. Very well thought out and it translated to the finished product very well.
The rest of the photos I took are of the inside and will be on the post to follow.
Overall, I think I picked an above average pack. Factor in my half off price, I got THE best pack at price point. Of course, I have not had an opportunity to load this up and test it, but hopefully sometime this weekend, I can run with it for a few miles and will check back. Hats off to LoF, they produces a very well thought out pack, complemented by what looks and feels like quality parts.
My couple issues with the pack:
The zippers could be replaced with YKK and just use some cord tied with a couple knots instead of the pulls
It could use another couple hundred cubic inches of space in height
The mesh side pockets are a little more than useless. If they are too small to flex open and fit a water bottle, then they are not great. It looks afterthought-ish
It would be nice to have a dedicated pouch for a Camelbak bladder, or provide one as well
My favorite parts:
Rain fly and the storage for it
KIDNEY BELT! very well made
Adjustability. Seems as though the pack was made around the idea of humping instead of looking cool or tactical
The intricacy and well planned pockets. Simple fixes for issues that everyone faces (like the dropout bottom of the main pouch)
So far I am very pleased with this pack. It has more storage than the Rush 24 and more useful pouches than the Oakley.
As far as LoF is concerned, this is not their flagship product. Their main piece is the two part grip system which is pretty cool. I might have to look into more LoF gear after fully testing this pack. I hope this helps some people out there looking for a pack. I will report back after it gets a little dirty.
BTW, sorry for the huge pics, the dummy writing this forgot to resize them...
Now for my disclaimer. I really don't know a lot of the scientific jargon of packology and what is new features and what is old news. I have never had the high end packs because I always found better venues to burn money in. With that being said, there are a couple really interesting features in this LoF pack that I am excited about. If it is last year's news, oh well. I also have no other interest in LoF gear from any other perspective. I am just a dude with a pack and no formal ties besides a couple of emails back and forth and a phone call.
Let me talk about my background for a minute. I did 4 years USMC infantry and used the ALICE packs, and the ILBE configuration packs including the assault pack part of the system. I have humped many miles with both systems. Since then I have had many other low end packs; until just recently, I have two over here, the Oakley Icon 2.0, and the 5.11 Rush 24. I like many parts of both packs, however, I dislike enough of one or the other that it has driven me to venture out into LoF gear.
Oakley 2.0
3213 cubic inches of cargo
Likes:
Big center pouch; fits my go list gear nicely)
Great padding on the shoulder straps
Tough zippers
Good top lid securing system with three heavy duty buckles
Good mini side pouches
Great LEO discount
Very strong material and craftsmanship
Dislikes:
Kidney belt needs a little padding
The webbing on the kidney belt slips out of adjustment when you have a decent load doing a combat shuffle
Front "office pouch" needs a little work; mostly unusable unless this is a to-and-from-the-office-to-look-cool-pack (not what I need it for)
5.11 Rush 24
2070 cubic inches (little small for what I need in a BOB but it works great for my day pack)
Likes
has a spot for Camelbak (unlike the Icon)
Has a semi-rigid plastic panel for structure
Lots of external MOLLE webbing
Many external pockets, some are fleece lined for electronics and eyewear
Many internal pockets (would make a good med kit)
Main pocket can unfold to a 90* (very useful for a med kit)
Decent padding on the backside and straps.
Dislikes
No kidney strap; but has a plastic loop for one on either side (really a deal-breaker for my choice as a BOB)
Internal pockets get in the way of the main pouch storage
5.11 does not sell kidney straps for it.
I was not going to do a real formal review, since this will be my first review of anything publically. Right out of the box and the neat little LoF imprinted plastic cover, this pack really caught my attention. I really didn't have much to go off of by the website, (something that might need to be addressed) but I was hopeful that this one would be the right amount of pockets and storage space along with support.
This and a front and a back picture is all I had to go off of:
• Durable 1000 Denier Polyester
• Nylon Webbing
• 420 Denier Ripstop Nylon (Black Only)
• 210D Rain Cover that tucks away for easy storage
• 40 Liters Capacity
• Neoprene Computer Section
• High Pile Mesh Back Panel for all day comfort
• Adjustable Load Bearing Shoulder Straps
• Sternum Strap with Relief Whistle
• Waist Strap for secure fit
• Pole or Axe Secure Straps
So now you know where I was and kinda what I like/need in a pack, lets take a look at the LoF Legend
Here is the Legend front view. It's not a great pic, but I'm in Pakistan and have a phone camera. So it's a pretty pic for a pak pack pic. Get it?
It's hard to see, but there is a pretty decent bottom pouch with dual zippers.
The first thing I noticed, besides the good looking multicam, was the sound of the zippers. I think so far this is my biggest peeve. They make a decent amount of noise; hard to rig for silent running with that, but, 550 cord will fix that.
Moving to the external pouches, I really like how this pack is set up. On the bottom, you have a dual zippered pouch. Pretty good size, but the really cool part of this is that you can unzip the floor of the main pouch and add the volume of this pouch to the main compartment. Very well thought out. On the outer most layer, you have two loops to attach poles or tools you might need. Great Idea. Moving up , you will find 7 loops for clipping stuff to. Next to that, there is a fleece lined pouch of decent size. Just North of that, you have a velcroed "slip pocket" the call it. Good for putting little things like power bars or even a last minute water bottle. Little farther up you have a semi-circled zippered pouch they call the "zip stash" pocket. It looks almost big enough to fit my 3 liter Camelbak in it! very nice for odd shaped pieces of gear you might have or that trusty 4 cell Mag-light/beating rod.
One layer into the pack, if you will, is their "zip office pouch". Again, well thought out; places for pens and clips for keys or lanyard-laden items, along with some other pouches. Very conveniently laid out as the double zippers go about 3/4 the way down the pouch.
OK, on to the main pouch. The main pouch has enough space, the majority of the 40 liters (2441 cubic inches) it boasts. It has two netting pockets on the inside of the front flap, one of which has a zipper at the top and bottom, similar to the 5.11 packs. Other than that, it has a neoprene laptop pouch and access to the plastic brace pocket. I like the simplicity of the main pouch, especially with the complementary accessory pouches externally. One thing I am torn on is how far the zippers zip down. It is roughly half of the depth of the pouch. Sometimes I curse my Rush 24 for zipping all the way down when I don't want it to and stuff falls out. Then other times its a pain to get to other things in my Icon 2.0. Giving it more though, I guess I would prefer the zippers to go farther down as I can use bilateral cinch points to prevent my previous issue.
The backside of it is very well padded. It's is very hard to describe but very comfy, even on the body side of the kidney belt. It looks like it will keep a decent airflow across the back.
A really nice feature you can see are the stabilizer straps that allow you to keep the load between 30 and 45 degrees off your back. Very nice feature that neither of the other two packs have. This one does include a semi-rigid plastic panel in it as well; I really do like that feature. It is between the hybrid frames and no frame and when dealing with a moderate load it will provide just the right amount of support.
While we are looking at this side, I'd like to point out the flexible sternum strap is equipped with an integrated signal whistle. Great idea, but I don't think you can really get the decibels out of this that you would be looking for in an alert whistle. I would have to say this was a good initiative, bad judgment thing.
The kidney straps seem heavy duty (and padded); but they are also equipped with little vented side pouches for mp3 players and the like. The shoulder straps are well padded and include what they call comfort straps for shifting load, but I see myself using them for when I'm dog-tired and don't want to hold my arms up anymore, straps! Either way, great addition to the pack. Back to the kidney straps real quick, you can see in the picture below that they are adjustable. Again, great kidney straps. For a pack this size, they are perfect in every way. Even the location relative to the wearer; they are KIDNEY straps and not waist straps thankfully.
In these next two pictures, you can see my favorite feature: an attached (but removable) rain cover. The worst part about humping is humping in the rain with an old school ALICE pack and you can feel it getting heavier because it is just taking on a bunch of water. You can see on the next picture that there is a little red tag towards the bottom of the pack. That is where the zippered pocket is that holds the elastic rain cover. As you would expect, the cover fits over the empty pack with more than enough to go around a full pack, but because of the elastic, it stays tight enough to the pack. the two sides that come closest to the wearer, have a hook and loop to close it around. Very well thought out and it translated to the finished product very well.
The rest of the photos I took are of the inside and will be on the post to follow.
Overall, I think I picked an above average pack. Factor in my half off price, I got THE best pack at price point. Of course, I have not had an opportunity to load this up and test it, but hopefully sometime this weekend, I can run with it for a few miles and will check back. Hats off to LoF, they produces a very well thought out pack, complemented by what looks and feels like quality parts.
My couple issues with the pack:
The zippers could be replaced with YKK and just use some cord tied with a couple knots instead of the pulls
It could use another couple hundred cubic inches of space in height
The mesh side pockets are a little more than useless. If they are too small to flex open and fit a water bottle, then they are not great. It looks afterthought-ish
It would be nice to have a dedicated pouch for a Camelbak bladder, or provide one as well
My favorite parts:
Rain fly and the storage for it
KIDNEY BELT! very well made
Adjustability. Seems as though the pack was made around the idea of humping instead of looking cool or tactical
The intricacy and well planned pockets. Simple fixes for issues that everyone faces (like the dropout bottom of the main pouch)
So far I am very pleased with this pack. It has more storage than the Rush 24 and more useful pouches than the Oakley.
As far as LoF is concerned, this is not their flagship product. Their main piece is the two part grip system which is pretty cool. I might have to look into more LoF gear after fully testing this pack. I hope this helps some people out there looking for a pack. I will report back after it gets a little dirty.
BTW, sorry for the huge pics, the dummy writing this forgot to resize them...
