Maxpedition Jumbo K.I.S.S. Bag

Regular readers will probably be aware of Maxpedition’s tactical luggage series, and in particular the Versipack range, which as the name suggests is a very versatile gear carrying system.

Maxpedition, is a US company that has been around since 1988 and started out making top end carry systems for military/police users and have now diversified into the civilian sports market. Their Versipacks range in size from the compact Fat Boy to the humongous Mongo –  ignore the strange names - and sitting right in the middle is probably the most popular of them all, the medium sized Jumbo.  All Versipacks worn with a single strap across the chest. This allows the pack to be worn on the back or on the side of the body (left shoulder/right side or vice versa with the Jumbo ‘S’ versions). The idea behind this is quick access – in an emergency situation you just swing the bag around and dive in, with no need to remove it.  With plenty of stowage room, it’s easy to see how the Jumbo has become such a popular ‘grab’n’go’ bag for American law enforcement and paramedics, as well as a neat ‘small pack’ solution for civilian hunters and shooters.

K.I.S.S.

The particular model we are looking at here is the Jumbo K.I.S.S., the military acronym meaning Keep It Simple Stupid… which perfectly illustrates the Versipack concept but in this case stripped down to its main functions and at a very reasonable price. 

The K.I.S.S. retains the same layout of pockets as the original Jumbo, and in the same proportions and carrying capacity. The main differences are that many of the smaller details are not included – for instance, in the main cargo pouch (9” x 8” x 3”) there is still a bottom drainage grommet but it loses the internal dividers and internal cinched draw cover. The main pouch is covered by a large over-flap - with a zipper pocket for small items – and a snap buckle closure, but doesn’t have the small box pouch on top which is a feature of the original. Under the cover is another square pouch (7” x 6.5” x 1.5”) that is zip-closed and features an open slot pocket in front. There are two side pockets; one being a zipped pouch (7” x 3.5” x 2”) and the other an open top pouch (7” x 3.5” diameter) with a draw cord closure ideally suited for a water bottle. At the rear of the main body is a large zipped document/CCW compartment (9” x 8.5” with an internal 6.5” x 8” Velcro loop pad) which is basically a deep stowage slot - ideal for maps, FACs, shooting permissions etc.

The rear of the pack has three ‘island’ pads of a breathable material to help ventilation flow to keep body cool and to protect you from rubbing when walking. The high tensile webbing shoulder strap is 1.5” wide and adjustable from 26” to 45” max. A wide removable pad is included with the strap for added comfort. One side of the strap is stitched to the pack while the other end is attached by a large Duraflex snap buckle. A removable/adjustable waist belt of ¾” webbing (max. waist size 46”) is also included. On the yoke, where the strap connects to the pack there are a series of loops on the left and Velcro on the right for attaching small items of gear. A webbing grab handle is also attached to the yoke.

Built to last, the main material is a water and abrasion resistant 800-Denier light-weight ballistic nylon fabric. All seams are fully taped, stress points are double stitched, Bartacked or “Box-and-X” stitched for added strength, and the whole thing is treated with DuPont Teflon® fabric protector for dirt resistance and easy maintenance. Closure is by YKK zips (with paracord loops for ease of operation) and Duraflex (low sound) buckles.

Adding Accessories

This K.I.S.S. version of the Jumbo doesn’t have all the details of the original, but it does have all the main storage features, and at £46.95 it is considerably less than the standard Jumbo which retails at £83.95. So if you can live with the basics, then the K.I.S.S. is a bargain, besides it can be expanded on at a later date as it is designed to accept accessories from the Maxpedition range.