As usually happens, way back in January at SHOT Show, I had a conversation with the media relations individual at Maxpedition. Post conversation (and show) I received several items for field testing and evaluation. One of those items was Maxpedition’s Lithvore backpack. Within a week of having received it – now about eight months ago – I had it loaded with basic survival supplies and mounted in my every day vehicle. Since that time, it’s been in and out of that vehicle about two dozen times, on my back for a number of hikes and banged around in the back of a utility vehicle on its way to (and back from) Texas (being used by a friend as a GO BAG for his delivery of recovery supplies after Harvey went through). The overall impression of the pack and its performance is very positive.
The Basics
The Maxpedition website lists the Lithvore as “Lithvore Everyday Packpack 17L.” The specifications are listed as:
- Padded ergonomic shoulder straps
- Frontal compartment with organizer pockets
- Frontal 3.75” x 5.5” loop field for patch adhesion
- Two expandable bottle pockets with dual zipper garages
- Bottom shock cord retention array
- Full clamshell opening main compartment with Gossamer™ mesh pockets
- Shapeshift™ grab handle reinforced with bartacks
- Laser cut ATLAS™ Attachment Lattice System
The dimensions and empty weight are detailed out as:
- Volume: 1040 cu. in. | 17 L
- Overall size: 16.5 (L) x 9 (W) x 17 (H) in | 41.9 x 22.9 x 43.2 cm
- Frontal pocket: 8.5 (L) x 3 (W) x 8.25 (H) in | 21.6 x 7.6 x 21.0 cm
- Side bottle pockets (open): 10 (L) x 4 (W) x 10.5 (H) in | 25.4 x 10.2 x 26.7 cm
- Side bottle pockets (closed): 5 (L) x 4 (W) x 10.5 (H) in | 12.7 x 10.2 x 26.7 cm
- Main compartment: 9.5 (L) x 5 (W) x 17 (H) in | 24.1 x 12.7 x 43.2 cm
- Weight: 2.1 lbs.
All of that information is great to have when you’re selecting a pack, but to use the information you first have to know what your needs are. My needs – for my intended field testing of the pack – were fairly straight forward: I needed it to hold my basic supplies for the pack I usually keep in my vehicle as a 72-hour GO BAG or survival pack. That meant that it had to hold my emergency version of each of the following:
- Shelter
- Sleeping bag / bivvy
- Water storage / filtration
- Fire starting materials
- ·Food supply
- First-aid supplies
- Signaling device(s)
- A few other sundries
The pack has a pocket on either side that will easily hold a one liter water bottle. If you’re not using the pockets, they have a zipper that helps to minimize their external profile and more streamline the pack. Throughout the testing period I kept two empty liter-size water bottles in those pockets so that I had someplace to put water if I needed it. I had a compact water filtration system inside the pack that is rated for 1,000 gallons of water purified before replacement.
The outer pocket of the pack has a zippered compartment inside along with some other sewn in pockets for organizational purposes. The main compartment has a full clamshell zippered opening capability so, for loading or accessing items stored inside, you lay the pack out flat and open “the lid” so to speak. That main compartment also has a zippered compartment along with other organizational pockets.
To carry my first-aid supplies (because I probably carry more than I really need to), I attached a Maxpedition Individual Medical Pouch (IMP). Inside that I put my tourniquet, pressure bandages, hemostatic agent, EMT scissors, band-aids, etc. Attaching it was very easy by way of Maxpedition’s ATLAS Attachment Lattice System. The outside pocket of the IMP has a zipper closure and a clear face. I use it to keep track of my first-aid supplies and last check / rotation / replacement.
So, here we are some eight months later. The pack has proven comfortable to wear and well suited to carry the items I had identified as needed. It has banged around in the back of my vehicle but shows no real signs of wear or tear. For what it does carry, it feels relatively small to me. Lord knows that I’ve carried (and will be reviewing some of them soon) much larger packs.
Priced at $149.99 on the Maxpedition website, a quick Google search for “Maxpedition Lithvore” reveals several other sources with prices as low as $113.76 plus shipping. For the capabilities this pack has designed into it and the proven performance (for my satisfaction across the tested span of time), that’s a VERY good price.
