UPDATE, March 10, 2009. This page was originally posted on May 15, 2008. I’ve been traveling with the Blackhawk 3 Day Assault Pack for 9 months now and have some additional observations posted at the bottom of this page.

This is it, people! I finally picked a backpack from the big pack of backpacks to pick! After much consideration and reading on the internets, the BlackHawk 3-Day Assault Pack will be what I carry with me on my trip around the world. Hah.

It seems that people end up on this page by searching for the pack on Google, so let me offer some first impressions if you’re here looking for third-party information about the pack from the perspective of someone using it for world travel. First of all, I’ve posted a bunch of high-res pictures of the pack on Flickr. Check out a set of pictures of the BlackHawk 3-Day Assault Pack here. Furthermore:

• It is definitely sturdy and well-constructed. I would expect no less from a company that purports to supply “The World’s Finest Tactical Gear.”
• It is well padded. The padding on the back and all of the straps make it pretty comfortable.
• For a skinny guy like me, I have to tighten the waist strap as far as it will go for it to be effective. However, once it’s tightened, it does help take the load off of my shoulders.
• When loaded to weigh about 20 pounds, the shoulder straps do dig in to my shoulders slightly. I’d imagine if I had been through Basic my shoulders would be beefier and this would be less of an issue.
• I tried my morning run with the pack loaded to about 20 pounds. I found that as I bounced up and down running, the smaller straps that tighten the large shoulder straps would become progressively looser. I had to tighten them periodically as I ran. This is not an issue when walking. Perhaps if the waist strap was a little tighter it would be less of an issue? I could also tie knots in small straps to prevent them from slipping.
• BlackHawk mentions that the zippers have “silent pulls.” As far as I can tell, this is not true. I think they say that because, instead of metal pull-tabs on the zippers that could clank around, there are thin ropes you pull on. The zippers certainly make zipper noise when you zip and unzip them. So much for my dreams of silently stalking someone and removing my Bowie knife without their knowledge.

Overall, it’s a great pack. I’m planning on using some Eagle Creek Packing Cubes to help organize the contents. I don’t think it will have *quite* enough room for the things I’m hoping to bring with me, so I’m considering bringing a small duffel bag to check on the plane for additional storage. This way I’ll also be able to bring my pocket knife. That’s to be determined, though.

It’s quite obvious that I am NOT in the assumed target market for this backpack. The packaging includes a card that says “Americans have no greater responsibility than the defense of freedom. At Blackhawk Products Group we are proud to support our Special Operations Forces worldwide by providing ‘The World’s Finest Tactical Gear’ for those who venture into harm’s way. When America’s Team defends our nation, they will be wearing BlackHawk!”

*sigh* Oh well, I guess if I need to fulfill my greatest responsibility as part of “America’s Team,” I will be aptly prepared for the “defense of freedom.” Right? Sure.

UPDATE, March 10, 2009.

This page was originally written before I left on my trip. After traveling with it for 9 months and 8 countries, I now have some additional notes and observations about the Blackhawk 3-Day Assault Pack and how I use it:

• Nothing has broken, ripped, or come undone on the pack. It’s damn sturdy. The zippers do not separate when pulling them closed over a tightly packed compartment.
• When the pack is actually completely full, I don’t have to tighten the waist strap all the way. I hadn’t actually stuffed it to the gills in my pre-trip test.
• The pack snugly fits two Eagle Creek Pack-It Cubes (turned on their sides) and one Half Cube (on top of the other two) stuffed full of clothes in the large storage compartment with some room to spare. I use one normal Pack-It Cube for shirts (14 x 10 x 3 in), one Pack-It 2-Sided Cube for pants, shorts, and a towel (14 x 10 x 4 in.), and one Half Cube for socks and underwear (10 x 7 x 3 in). A laptop can be squeezed in between these cubes as well.
• In the smaller front pocket, the Eagle Creek “Pack-It Wallaby II” toiletry kit fits nicely along with numerous other junk stuffed in the pocket.
• The pack fits in 95% of airplane overhead storage bins, even it is stuffed completely full. (The above-shown pictures do not show the pack stuffed completely full.) After around 20 flights, it hasn’t fit in the overhead storage compartment of only one smaller regional jet. Everything else has been fine. Airline employees have never questioned the sized of it when I wear it on my back. Nice to be able to keep valuables inside this pack and not have to put it in checked luggage.
• A 15 inch Macbook Pro laptop fits comfortably in the large storage compartment of the pack.
• A 7 inch ASUS netbook EeePC fits nicely in the “secret” compartment sewn in to the back of the pack. By “secret compartment,” I’m pretty sure I’m referring to what Blackhawk calls the “pouch to fit an optional HydraStorm Hydration System.”
• The “secret” compartment makes a nice place to hide important documents – passport, wallet, papers, etc.
• As mentioned above, the tightening straps (especially the shoulder straps) still slowly loosen as you walk around with the pack. They need to be tightened periodically, which is at least very easy to do by just pulling down on the straps that hang in front of you off your shoulders.

Hopefully this is helpful!

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