Overall summary: The Falcon III backpack is constructed exceptionally well with premium zippers, buckles, and material. Heavy loads are easily accommodated and the bag can be filled to capacity without fear of “blow out” or failure of the zippers, seams, or other hardware. The design is well thought out including the placement and implementation of the compression straps which provide outstanding load compression and control. Additionally, when not completely loaded, the backpack can be compressed to a very thin profile. At approximately 20” high the overall height is short enough to allow the bag to work double duty, both as carry-on luggage and a daily use bag when on travel. It also does well as a daily commuter for school or office. The hip belt is adequate but not padded and, due to the bag’s overall shorter height, the belt tends to ride above the hips and more on the abdomen. Loosening the shoulder straps does allow the bag to ride more on top of the hips but this may not work as well for tall individuals. Bottom line: Maxpedition’s slogan is “Hard Use Gear” and in my opinion this backpack exceeds that claim. I have experience as a back country backpacker and this review is approached from that perspective. Comfort and use as luggage and as a day pack: The Falcon III was used as a carry-on bag, and the only piece of luggage I brought, for an 8 day trip to Disney World/Orlando, Fla. in December. The items packed in the carry-on, along with the other bags referred to in this review, are listed at the bottom for reference. Overall, the Falcon III accommodated the weight of the items easily. Additionally, the versatility of the bag was well demonstrated as it was used daily in the parks to carry up to eight people’s jackets, snacks, a couple bottles of water, and a couple of travel umbrellas. The clamshell design of the main compartment allows the bag to be zipped open and lie completely flat. This is not only a requirement for luggage (for me), it worked very well at park security checkpoints, allowing personnel to inspect the contents without having me completely empty and repack the bag at each checkpoint. Since being back to work I’ve frequently carried two 10” laptop computers simultaneously, their power cables, and other work related items very easily to and from the office. Compression straps: The compression straps and buckles are outstanding. When cinched tightly the buckles held the straps in place very well. The straps didn’t loosen and were extremely effective at providing a thin profile. And when fully loaded as luggage, I was able to reduce the depth of the bag (quite a bit) to make it easily fit into the airport's "carry-on test enclosure" (see photos). No airport employee even glanced at, much less questioned, the size of the carry-on. The hip belt and compression straps have an elastic band. When cinched tightly, the straps’ loose ends can be feed back inside the elastic loop so that long straps aren’t hanging all over the place. Hip belt (unpadded): At approximately 20” high the bag overall is fairly short (and at 5’ 5”, so am I). Because the bag is short, the unpadded hip belt rode slightly above my hips when the shoulder straps were snug on my shoulders and chest. This was not comfortable and not where a hip belt should be tightened. Once I loosened the shoulder straps the bag rode further down on the top of my hips. I don’t know where the hip belt would sit If you are tall so that might be something to consider. The shoulder straps and back are well padded, with a “breathable mesh” according to the Maxpedition website. They are both comfortable, and the straps are easily adjustable (both tighter and looser). I did not ever have a soaking wet back from perspiration while carrying the bag but maybe this was due more to the daily temperature (65-80 degrees F) than the mesh. The sternum strap worked well to keep the straps in place, especially once the straps were loosened to allow the hip belt to ride lower on my torso. There are also load adjusters at the top of the shoulder straps. These did help a little to bring the top of bag closer to my back, especially when the bag was not completely full as a day pack. However when the bag was full and heavy (when used as luggage) they were less effective. Falcon III compartments and capacity: As shown in the photos, the rear/main compartment easily fit the US men’s size 9.5 running shoes (and would probably fit size 10 shoes), a travel umbrella, and the two Maxpedition “cuboid” bags listed below. Those cuboid bags are also extremely sturdy and well made. As a bonus the rear compartment easily fit a 15 pound Dachshund (see photos). The Falcon III center compartment is compatible with Velcro (hook and loop) products. One side of the compartment is the smooth part of the Velcro (the loop side of hook and loop). The two Condor Rip-Away packs mentioned below have the “hook” or rough side of the “hook and loop” on their backs. The Condor bags firmly attached to the Falcon III smooth surface which kept the Condor bags tightly in place, one above the other, so that they didn’t migrate to the bottom of the Falcon III. This allowed the overall width of the Falcon III to be more consistent from top to bottom, easier to carry, and much easier to compress with the compression straps. The two compartments on the front of the bag: The bottom compartment is large enough to hold a 10.1 inch tablet computer (iPad, Samsung, etc.), a passport, keys, pens, change, charging cables, phone, etc. The smaller top compartment is large enough to hold the contents of a quart size Ziplock bag with shampoo, toothpaste, razor, toothbrush, etc. (containers all at or less than 3.5 ounce capacity). The hydration pocket: This pocket is located at the rear of the bag can easily accommodate a 48 ounce hydration bag. Also, there are two ports on either side of the top/rear of the bag for the drinking tube to exit, and two drainage holes at the bottom rear for water to exit. These are not on the very bottom so that if you were to lay the bag down on a wet surface water would not easily seep in. Additionally there is a small strap attached to the top rear of the bag to allow the bladder to be attached so that it remains upright. Bottom: The very bottom of the bag is an even more durable fabric than the rest of the bag that will hold up to being placed on hard, rough surfaces, and would also keep water out if placed on wet surfaces (for brief periods of time). It is not designed to be completely waterproof but it is another excellent example of the attention to detail that Maxpedition put into this bag. Used as a daily commuter for school or work (see photos): The rear/main compartment can accommodate a 17 inch laptop computer The center compartment can accommodate a 15 inch laptop computer (shown is the Apple MacBook Pro 15 inch late 2008 model) The front/bottom compartment can accommodate a 10.1 inch tablet (shown is the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1) All three of the above may be carried at the same time, along with all of the associated cables/power supplies As luggage, the following items were all rolled tightly and stuffed into four smaller bags. Most of the clothing was nylon/workout type which allows for very good compression and packing. If using heavyweight cotton it would be more difficult to fit 8 days of clothing into the bag: 3 pair of shorts 4 pair of socks 5 polyester/nylon workout type shirts (compress very well) 2 cotton shirts (these don't compress as well) 8 pair of boxer briefs 1 pair running shoes (men’s size U.S. 9.5 - see photo) 1 lightweight thermal baselayerPearl Izumi Men's Thermal Zip Neck Long Sleeve Baselayer,White,Small 1 travel umbrella 1 quart clear Ziplock bag with shampoo, toothpaste, etc. Other miscellaneous items 1 48 ounce hydration bag The smaller bags in the photos are: Maxpedition Medium Cuboid (Foliage Green) Maxpedition Cuboid - Small (Khaki) Condor Rip-Away EMT Pouch Red
