Manufacturers description:
• Body made of heavy duty 100% hemp canvas
• Large main compartment (23x13x8", 58x33x20cm)
• Expandable center compartment with compression straps
• Large side pockets (17x5x3", 43x13x8cm)
• Front pocket with dividers (16"x12"x1", 40x30x3cm)
• 2 sided upper zip pocket (5x9x1", 13x23x3cm)
• Back plate (removeable) retains the pack's form and provides support
• Inside pocket for laptop (laptop area approx. 13x13", 33x33cm)
• Media player compartment with headphone port
• Molle compatible webbing on front and sides
• Sternum strap and padded waist strap (waist strap can be hidden)
• YKK® self healing zippers
• Back and Hip Pads
• Removable logo with velcro patch, now you can customize your bag
Comes with a large polyester "nasty bag" for wet gear separation (13x22 inches, 33x56 cm)
Initial Impressions: The bag arrived in three days and was sealed in clear plastic. The BP-02 feels light for it's size. Upon opening the bag I was impressed with it's nearly all hemp comstruction. Firstly a few facts about hemp; Hemp is four times stronger than cotton and more durable than all other textile fibers. It is very porous which allows more air in to help dry out your gear. Hemp also has Anti-microbial properties which helps prevent mold and other bacterial nasties from growing in your bag and on your gear. The Battlepack is all black and comes with a dirty clothes sack to keep your nasty clothes off of your gear. The bag is made to have a military look and does not fall short of that. As an active duty member of the Armed Forces I can tell you this bag meets and in some cases exceeds the quality of some Gov't issued gear. There are many comforts on this bag not commonly found on military gear such as, padded lower and upper back section with non slip areas. Twelve easily accesible compartments. A fully removable back support and a padded waist strap that can be tucked away when not desired.The outside of the bag is almost entirely covered in MOLLE(pronounced Molly) webbing. MOLLE stands for (MO)dular (L)ightweight (L)oad-carrying (E)quipment, you can find a seemingly infinite amount of attchments and accessories available should you fancy them.
Construction: Right out of the plastic the bag has a very rugged feel. I am told that with time hemp softens but retains it's strength. The stitching on the bag is straight, clean, and consistant with no loose threads. The entire bag is single and double stitched and feels very strong and well made. My first thoughts about the construction was it's lack of triple stitches, but after loading the bag with a weight vest and some dumbells I realize it is not needed. I don't think it will be any sort of problem at all. The backpack uses authentic ykk zippers which I feel is very important. If your zipper breaks on your bag it is basically useless. I am glad to see that Datsusara has not skipped out on the quality of the closure system. The center is an expandable area to store a Gi or Jacket or whatever you can fit in between there. The area can be adjusted via buckle straps. One area of concern is the soft netting at the bottomof the bag between the main and outer compartments. It is sewn in well, it just feels like it might be too soft to be durable but that is just a concern at this point and not a problem. I would maybe just have preferred a solid piece of hemp fabric instead. There are eight plastic buckles total and they lock and unlock with no catching or hanging up. All straps are full adjustable and have elastic sleeves to keep the straps from flying all around. Over all quality of this bag's construction is very high and does not give cause for concern about it's longevity.
Comfortability: Donning the bag is easy, not that such a task is usually all that difficult. What I mean is the straps are designed in such a way that they don't twist or need to be messed with to be comfortable. I am not sure if that thought went into the design but it comes out that way. As mentioned earlier the padded waist strap can be tucked into two slots and completely hidden should you choose to do so. The padding on the back and hips is firm but still very comfortable. Even when fully loaded the straps and padding carries the weight evenly and does not dig into your shoulders, when wearing it I remember thinking this should feel uncomfortable but it was not in the least bit.
Functionality: Anyone from combat sports practioners to hikers to commuters will find copious amounts of possessions to load this thing with, you might actually run out of things to put in here! But seriously the bag is inconspicuous enough with the rubber logo patch removed that you would never tell it is MMA related. Unless you need to fit a full grown adult into a bag for whatever reason the Battlepack will have plenty of room to store all your gear.
Price: The bag is available for $99.95 @ dsmma.com. Some might be taken back by it's price tag, but I assure you if you buy a cheaper MOLLE style bag you will be sacrificing durability, comfortability, and storage space. To get a quality pack of the same size you will be looking into the $150-$200 region. That being said even most of those bags have alot less webbing on the outside than the BP-02. They also don't have the advantageous properties that hemp does. I feel that it is fairly priced for what you get.
Final Opinion: This bag is well worth the money and has plenty of room for all of your toting needs. If you are in the market for a larger backpack you should absolutely go with the Datsusara Battlepack.
Removeable logo
