Tasmanian Tiger Trooper Pack is yet another product from the German manufacturer that I’ve had the pleasure of using. This solid, medium-size, military backpack offers many interesting solutions and its durability and quality are of the highest standard.
The said standard of gear from the German tiger shouldn’t be a surprise as the company benefits from the experience of its sister company – Tatonka – which specializes in manufacturing a reliable outdoor equipment.
CONSTRUCTION AND CRAFTSMANSHIP
This 45-liter pack weighs around 2600g. It’s 61 cm high, 36 cm wide and 31 cm deep. Mine is in MultiCam® pattern, but of course there are other colors available, all made from original Cordura® 500 D.
Tasmanian Tiger is famous for the quality of their products and great attention to details, hence we don’t need to worry about any faults like threads sticking out or sloppy seams. It is worth mentioning that the backpack comes with a brochure including some basic information on the carrying system and a short instruction explaining how to adjust the Trooper Pack to fit your body type.
The pack is a front-loader with one main large compartment and three smaller external pockets.
In the upper part of the Trooper Pack we find a solid, non-slip handle with D-rings made from plastic, attached on both sides.
The mounting of the handle has been reinforced from the inside with lined straps.
This is also where openings for antenna or hydration system have been placed. They have been secured with rubber-coated fabric which obstructs the access of water from the outside.
The front panel has three pockets which differ in size and the way they have been designed inside. All of them, however, are fastened with two-way zippers with handles from paracord.
The front of the upper (and the smallest) pocket has been equipped with 5cm high and 10cm wide Velcro (loops).
Inside we find elastic straps for keeping the contents in place as well as a polyester zipped pocket for small objects.
The pocket in the middle is bigger than the previous one. Inside we find three polyester compartments and a zipped pocket.
The lower pocket is the most capacious. Its front panel features an embroidered brand logo, four rows of molle straps and a Velcro loop side to attach e.g a name tag.
The pocket has been equipped with a set of compartments, an elastic strap divided into smaller units for better organization, and a sizable mesh zipped pocket.
As for the sides of the pack, there are six rows of molle straps on each.
This is where we also find compression straps (two on each side) with quick release buckles. If any of the straps is too long and we don’t want them to hang loosely, we can always roll them up and secure them with sewn-in Velcros.
Side pouch pockets with drain holes are very capacious, although they aren’t particularly deep. Their contents is kept in place with an elastic band.
They also feature additional carrying handles sewn onto them. They can be also used as ski carriers.
The bottom of the pack features two rows of molle straps to attach additional gear, such as mats, tents or sleeping bags.
Interestingly, the manufacturer hid here an additional, zipped pocket for a polyester rain cover, in a shade similar to Coyote Brown.
It’s time to move on to the most important thing – to the heart of the rucksack, namely the carrying system.
Tasmanian Tiger Trooper Pack comes with a size-adjustable V2 Plus Carrying System for medium and heavy loads.
This system provides a wide variety of configurations. First and foremost, it is possible to adjust the back length to the height of its user by changing the position of the shoulder straps.
Wide, ergonomically shaped and about 2 cm thick shoulder straps are filled with foam and lined with mesh.
They have been equipped with load control straps in the collarbone area to ensure a close fit of the backpack.
Additionally, each shoulder strap features a D-ring, below which there is an adjustable elastic chest strap with a whistle buckle.
You can also find here a sewn-in label with the company’s logo. As for the length of the shoulder straps, it is, of course, fully adjustable.
The back has been reinforced with a plastic panel and two aluminum rods, secured by soft foam pads and mesh. The V-shaped rods transfer part of the carrying load to the reinforced hip strap.
The wide and thick, ergonomically shaped three-part hip strap comes with a solid buckle and consists of two hip wings and a lumber pad, lower part of which is partially covered with a rubber-coated non-slip fabric. The wings have been reinforced with a PE plate, which makes the entire structure flexible.
On the outside, the belt features three rows of straps and an additional strap for stability.
The hip strap is detachable, which means that it can be used separately as the so called “warrior belt”. Without the belt, the backpack can be easily worn with either a chest rig or a tactical vest.
Unfortunately, the said straps sewn onto the belt are too close to one another, which can make it more difficult when attaching additional pouches in molle system.
The access to the main compartment of the Trooper Pack is secured by both a solid two-way zipper with a concealing flap and the already mentioned compression straps.
The front panel opens almost like a clamshell (to about 3/4 of its height), which offers a pretty good access to the main compartment.
A Velcro strap sewn-in in its upper part allows for attaching a hydration bladder. It is accompanied by a loop made of strong cord that may serve to attach e.g. a carabiner. There is also a label with the company’s logo and care instructions.
The internal back wall of the pack features a flat pocket with an elastic band (for the aforementioned hydration bladder). Additionally, there are four straps with buckles, which, similarly to modern suitcases, are to secure the contents of the backpack and facilitate organization.
Inside the Trooper Pack we can also find a small through pocket, which has also been finished with an elastic band that helps to keep e.g. a bottle in place.
The internal side of the front panel features two additional, rather flat zipped pockets.
USE
I’ve been using the Trooper Pack for quite some time now (over half a year) and I can say without any doubt that it’s a very successful and a well-thought-out product, big enough for a few day’s outing.
The front-opening lid guarantees a comfortable access to the transported contents, while three pockets with organizers make it easy to put smaller, handy objects in order.
The side pockets can hold a variety of things, including a bottle, an axe or other long objects, which are additionally secured with compression straps. I used them to carry a quite big tripod. However, because of the width of the said pockets, I think they could be a little deeper, which would help to better keep their contents in place.
Of course, if we run out of space in the backpack, we can always expand it with additional pouches in molle system. It’s possible because of straps on the front pocket, both sides of the pack and the hip belt.
Polyester rain cover serves its purpose well as it covers the entire pack even if its fully loaded.
The advanced carrying system is one of the biggest advantages of the gear from Tasmanian Tiger. After a proper adjustment, the heaviest part of the load is transferred to the specially padded hip strap, reducing pain in the shoulders to a minimum during longer trips and stabilizing the load. The system is very comfortable also because of thick shoulder pads, a hip belt and mesh padding.
After a few months of intensive use, the Trooper Pack is still in perfect condition. I haven’t noticed any signs of wear and tear of the material or problems with zippers. I haven’t experienced any technical issues either.
I highly recommend Tasmanian Tiger Trooper Pack to everyone who’s looking for a comfortable, top quality middle size backpack. You won’t regret it 🙂
Advantages:
+ Top quality materials,
+ excellent organizers,
+ very comfortable,
+ fully adjustable carrying system,
+ possibility to upgrade the pack with additional elements.
Drawbacks:
– Shallow side pockets,
– straps on the hip belt not entirely compatible with the molle system.
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SPECIFICATION: |
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Tasmanian Tiger products may be ordered directly from the ttsklep.pl
/Roger/
Translated by /Coral/
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