Review: Maxpedition Xantha Backpack

Jan. 22, 2015
Wear testing held up the assumption that the pack would be reasonably comfortable to carry.

Editor's Note: I originally wrote this review with the thought that we need time off too and many of us enjoy outdoor activities such as camping, hiking and backpacking, so this would be applicable.  Then I was reminded that a great many of us work in rural areas with some of them tending toward wilderness.  This might be of interest to  you as well if you work in such an area OR if you simply need a pack to keep ready in your patrol vehicle trunk.

A few years ago I had opportunity to work security down in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina had come to visit.  One of the things I had that I normally went nowhere without, was my three-day pack holding the bare necessities of life: changes of clothes, food, basic first-aid items, CLEAN water, baby wipes (anyone who has ever been in the infantry knows what value those hold) and more.  I took that pack with me everywhere except for the one day my team leader said, “This is a 12 hour assignment. Leave your pack here.”  Stupid me listened to him and spent the next four days without benefit of that pack.  Those circumstances are always on my mind when I review a similar sized pack such as the Xantha from Maxpedition.

It is important to acknowledge that different people have different needs over the course of three days.  How much food you decide you want to carry, what toiletries you require, how many pair of underwear, socks, etc.  All of that is personal choice. The one thing I was taught never to underestimate and always to carry as much of as I could was water.  At eight pounds per gallon (approximately), water is a precious commodity that isn’t light.  That said, the average human needs AT LEAST a half-gallon per day to survive.  Since everything is measured in metric these days, let’s put that in more common terms.  A half-gallon of water is 64 ounces.  One liter of water is about 33 ounces (give or take a fraction of an ounce).  The average large hydration bladder carries 3 liters or about 100 ounces, or roughly 80% of one gallon of water.  The most common sized Nalgene water bottle holds one liter or just about 33 ounces (most are labeled at 32 ounces but you can put in that tad bit more).

Why did I go through all of that about water?  Because if a pack you’re going to use for three days doesn’t have a method for you to carry water, what good is it? Sure, you could carry a separate hydration system but that would be uncomfortable. You could carry canteens on your belt, but the most common size is one quart so if you carry two you can essentially carry one day’s worth of water.  You can also carry some type of collapsible or compact water filtration device but you still need something to put the water in and a method of carrying what water you have.

The Xantha not only is compatible with hydration systems, giving you the ability to put in a 3-Liter bladder, but it has a pocket on either side of the main section each of which will hold one of those previously mentioned 1-Liter Nalgene water bottles.  If you have both – the inserted hydration system and the water bottles, you end up with 5-liters of water or about 160 ounces, roughly 1.25 gallons.  Properly rationed that’s enough to survive three days.  If your other “three day” packs won’t allow you the same capacity, I submit to you that they aren’t 3-day packs.

With that out of the way, let’s take a look at the other features of the Xantha. From the published information on their website we learn the following:

  • Overall size: 11"(L) x 8"(W) x 22"(H)
  • Main compartment: 11"(L) x 7"(W) x 22"(H)
  • Volume approx.: 2000 cu. in. / 32L
  • Empty weight: 3.7 lbs / 1.7kg
  • Adjustable / removable padded waist belt with zippered side pockets, 1.5" Duraflex side release buckle

On each side:

  • Large water bottle holder with bungee cord closure fits 32oz wide mouth bottles
  • Tall vertical zippered pocket, 14" x 5"
  • Two compression straps made of 1" webbing with SRB closures
  • Hydration tube port

Top:

  • Heavy duty grab handle
  • Button-Lock™ zipper-capture strap for added security
  • 7" (L) x 5" (H) fleece lined zipper pouch for sunglasses

Bottom:

  • Two compression / cargo straps made from 1" webbing with ladder locks
  • Hypalon non slip, abrasion and water resistant bottom panel

Main Compartment:

  • Zippered access to removable polypropylene frame sheet and adjustable, removable aluminum stay
  • Hydration pouch for 100oz hydration bladder with bladder hanger
  • One 9" (L) x 11" (H) zippered mesh pocket

Front Zippered Compartment:

  • 9"(L) x 1.5"(W) x 17"(H)
  • Two 4" (L) x 5.5" (H) mesh slip pockets
  • One 7.5"(L) x 7" (H) zippered mesh pocket with key clip

Straps:

  • 2.5" adjustable padded breathable shoulder straps with 5 channels of PALS, 1" D-rings, and 2x 2" webbing loops (on each strap)
  • 3/4" Sternum strap with elastic shock cord
  • 4" padded adjustable / removable waist belt with 1.5" webbing and SRB closure, with zippered belt pockets

If you do a little bit of simple math you find out that the overall storage capacity of the pack is 1,936 cubic inches.  That’s a pretty good size for a “tactical” pack.  It’s not anywhere near as big as packs designed and intended for backpacking, but those packs are made for people to live out of weeks at a time.  The Xantha is good for grab-n-go, bugout, go-bag kept in your trunk, etc.  It’s design is optimized for two to three days of survival if you pack it with the correct items.

That total storage is broken into two sections: The main compartment holding about 1,694 cubic inches and the front zippered compartment offering about 230 cubic inches. (Yes, I know we seem to have lost two cubic inches of space somewhere in the math, but all measurements are as designed, and not necessarily as produced, so a 2 cubic inch difference is negligible anyway.)

Inside of the main compartment and the front zippered compartment are other zippered pockets that allow for organization and holding smaller items into a specific space.  Now, let’s take a look at the top and bottom.  Yes, both matter.  The top has a handle that allows you to carry the pack like a briefcase if you ever saw the need, and that comes in handy when moving the pack from one spot to another for storage, etc.  The fleece lined sunglasses pocket has become somewhat industry standard, but most folks I know use that pocket to carry a small camera, Motrin, earbuds, or other small items they might want quick access to without having to get into the main pack itself.

The bottom is equipped two important features.  The water-resistant material is vital because all too often you just don’t know where you’re going to put your pack down and you don’t want damp ground seeping moisture into the interior of your pack.  Few things suck worse than reaching in for fresh socks and finding them damp and chilly.  The second feature on the bottom that comes in handy are the two compression straps.  They are perfectly placed for strapping on your sleeping bag and/or shelter materials.  If you do so, remember to put them in a waterproof sack first because one thing that DOES suck worse than damp socks is a wet, chilly sleeping bag.

The padded and adjustable straps, including the removable waist belt, allow for you to fit the pack to your body.  Do so after you’ve packed it because the fit of the straps really does change between an empty pack and a full pack, most especially if you’ve got a hydration system installed.  Water takes up space and everything else in the pack is on the other side of that full water bladder from your back.

Wear testing held up the assumption that the pack would be reasonably comfortable to carry.  With about 20 pounds of equipment/gear, a full 3-Liter hydration bladder and two full Nalgene bottles (so about 30 pounds total), I wore the pack for several 5+ mile hikes and had no issues.  Until someone can design a pack that reduces the felt weight of what you’re carrying, the best any pack can do is distribute the load onto your shoulders, back and waist in a manner that avoids actual discomfort.  The Xantha did that very well.

The Xantha comes in four different colors and one color combination (see photos) and a Google search found some available online for as little as $220.  For a pack of this quality, design and construction, that a very good market price.  For more information, check out the Xantha on Maxpedition’s website.

Happy Trails!

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