I have only had this bag for a couple months now, but thats all I needed to realize I will probably use it for many years to come.

I currently use it as my school bag and it is doing a very good job with that. The velcro pouch on the inside fits my folder and notebook very nicely and can even hold my laptop if I need it. Its also big enough to hold my textbooks too, but I wouldnt carry all of them at a time because if you carry too much the bag will become too uncomfortable and it may hurt your shoulder and back.

The construction/strength of the bag is very impressive. The only signs of use on mine are some scratches on the big plastic buckle but I dont really care about that. As for everything else it looks like I just bought the bag yesterday. And if your concerned about it getting wet I have not had problems with that. Just this last week it had been raining heavily for many days and it got fairly wet and I was concerned that my books and papers had gotten wet, but when I checked everything was dry on the inside.

Now if you're using this bag for everyday use like me and you need space for everyday things like pens, pencils just small things you would carry around, then I would highly suggest buying the monkey combat admin pouch and some tac ties. It helps with all the little things that you would otherwise not really have a space for in this bag. Plus it makes the bag look cooler.

As stated before this bag is designed more for bigger people so if you're small you'll have trouble making it fit right. I have the strap tightened all the way and I still need it to tighten a little more. Because of this the bag sits a little lower on my back than I would like which would be my only complaint. However, it isn't too low for me to care too much about it.

Overall I love this bag and would recommend it to anyone looking for a tough/durable bag for everyday use.

Purchased at Amazon.com and took this on an extended vacation to replace a typical backpack. I liked the durability and resistance to an abusive climate. This bag is sturdy. It is tough. It holds heavy objects and makes toting them around easy. External is a stiff material with YKK zippers that always worked well. Liked the internal and external net pockets. Was easy to get in and out of. What I did not like is the lack of internal pockets. It has a sleeve inside that will hold magazines, a thin laptop, or a ballistic panel. It has two internal pockets, one on each side, for small items. External MOLE (sp) loops allowed me to attach a 5.11 admin pouch for items I needed quickly. The strap has a tight elastic loop to secure the end, but you will need to roll up the excess and tuck it under the elastic loop to prevent the single shoulder strap from loosening when carrying a load. Used the waist strap a couple of times and it works nicely. The side of the pack that faces the body has a nice pouch. Note that these vertical pouches are triangular, so getting a laptop bigger than 15.6 inch (diagonal screen size) would be a challenge. I like the backpack because it allows the wearer to use a single strap instead of the typical 2 strap affair. There are a few nice pouches on the strap, where it attaches to the main pack body. Enough room for a cell phone or extra battery pack. Overall I liked it. But would enjoy it more if the interior had more organizational pouches.

I was looking for the perfect bug out bag. Tough, usable, can withstand rain/snow, not giant or bulky, but not so small that I can't pack what I want.

Usability is awesome! When you sling it around to the front everything is right there to grab. It's made for right-handers, but as a lefty I think it's probably better since it sort of slings from the left.

The concealed carry option is great and I plan on buying the universal holster to go inside as well as the 3 magazine holder. For a bug out bag, and a daily bag, having built in concealed carry functionality is ideal. It's really the purpose of this bag. My only complaint is that the section meant for ccw is only accessible by your right hand reaching behind you and into the bag. I can deal with it since I shoot with both hands, but if you are a die hard lefty, well, still get this bag because you can't find anything that comes close to it for lefties.

All the little areas to store stuff are great as well, and the straps allow you to tighten down small loads so they won't shake when running, or expand and contain when overstuffed. Additional little straps are everywhere for adding modular storage.

I watched a few videos on Youtube before I bought it, and it was exactly what I was looking for. There was a lot of design and thought put into the hard use of this bag and it shows.

********************************UPDATE******************************:

Used this bag to travel recently, and it went through the Denver International airport with flying colors. I packed it for a 2 1/2 day trip, and I even had room left over for stuff my wife and daughter couldn't fit into their bags. I pack light.

The slinging function was very useful for pulling out ID, money, boarding passes, etc, etc, quickly. As opposed to a backpack that needs to be taken off whenever you want to do anything. It also allows you to sit down with it slung to the side, or on your lap, without having to take it off.

It withstood scanning belts, security checks, being thrown in cars, shuttles, overhead compartments, being sat on, stepped on, and spilled on. It resists all attempts to destroy it! I will use this every time I travel from now on.

I got it in black, and I think that was a wise choice. Camo versions would stick out like crazy, which if that's what you want then you go for it, but if you like to blend in with crowd get the black. Looking like a homegrown insurgent will earn you the "enhanced search" at the airport.

A tale of three Maxpeditions:

* Noatak (iL) - will carry an 11" (discontinued) Mac Book Air, but just barely and only with the thinnest of sleeves. Used this for several years biking (Brompton) and commuter rail an hour into Boston. Includes a side water bottle pocket. Realistically this could be a great Tablet pack !!! Now that I have the Monsoon, this is a perfect Bicycling pack for a few miles ride, holds my Kryptonite U shaped lock and everything else I need.

* Sitka (15L) - I could not comfortably fit a standard 13" laptop inside this and immediately returned it (and the side water holder add on). This pack, in terms of storage and organization, would have been the equivalent of simply doubling the size of my Noatak, so I really really wanted it to work. Tablet would very likely fit.

* Monsoon (16L) - I stayed away from this initially because the teardrop shape seemed odd, I was wrong...
+ I expect this will repel rain really well since it has no horizontal surfaces and no upward facing zippers.
= I read complaints about the narrow-at-the-top opening of the trapezoidal pockets. While that is a legitimate dislike... I found, with my "stuff", that just experimenting with what fit where landed me in a perfectly good organization of things in the end. Internally I use a small number of zipper pouches. The Sitka would have supplied some of that with it's more numerous compartments.
+ The closest-to-your-back zippered slot is intended for a water bladder, which is great if you need it, however that is a PERFECT place for a 13" laptop ! ! !
+ Water bottle pocket on one side, Collapsible umbrella pocket on the other.

I've been watching Buy One Get One sales on the Maxpedition site for months, while that is theoretically a great deal they never have anything in stock so I'm glad Amazon was stocking this.

One of the best bags I've ever owned. Had it 8 months, it hardly ever leaves my back. It was sized for large people though the main strap is big I am 6'2 with a long upper body and the strap was almost to big. perfect size though. It is very secure and the strap sits in the exact right place on your shoulder and is perfectly balanced. I am a park ranger and this bag goes through a lot. I've been rock climbing, hiking, camping, canoeing, kayaking, and other things. I can comfortably pack 45 pounds in the bag and go camping for 2 to 3 days and not even feel it.
Now it does have it flaws not very much organization, there could have been more pockets here and there and the pocket underneath the main flap is basically useless for someone with big hands. I longer items in there that I don't have to fish for. to solve the storage problem I had a seamstress install molle webbing on the inside of the cover flap so now I put my molle webbed infantry med kit in there and my flash light and other small things that don't need to be in the main compartment. The water bottle pocket on the left side will fit a large diameter thermos tightly. The right side molle pocket is kinda useless so I had the same seamstress who did the molle webbing cut out the bottom so that i could put my 30-30 lever action in there and then I bought some of those molle rifle round holders and attached it the same pocket because it has molle webbing on the side.
I hope I don't scare people with this description because my job is specialized and doing some modifications was necessary for me. For the average person this bag is perfect. There is a pocket on the inside that will fit a 15 inch laptop and its big enough to hold plenty of books for a student .