Btw, I decided to get the Recon. I’ll still attach the ESEE underneath but use the front panel molle to attach a radio, flashlight and maybe phone/gps.

Cool, I'll be interested to hear what you think of it! Do you have any trips or plans coming up where you'll be putting it to use?

No trips planned but would like to get away if possible.

HPG is out of stock for now - will order when stock is available.

quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:
it's an abnormal enough piece of kit to be kind of conspicuous out in public, but it blends in well with backpacking gear and certain other outdoor attire. [...snip...] while riding a bike or paddling a kayak,

A very good point, with respect to conspicuity. Riding a bike I had thought of, but not paddling. Man, I'm thinking that pack is about ideal for padding/fishing.

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:

quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:
it's an abnormal enough piece of kit to be kind of conspicuous out in public, but it blends in well with backpacking gear and certain other outdoor attire. [...snip...] while riding a bike or paddling a kayak,

A very good point, with respect to conspicuity. Riding a bike I had thought of, but not paddling. Man, I'm thinking that pack is about ideal for padding/fishing.

Yeah, my son and I went on a backcountry kayak camping/fishing trip last fall and there were a lot of things that I couldn't carry with me on the kayak while fishing for fear of them falling out of my pockets or getting wet, and as a result we didn't end up getting any fish pics even though we caught some dandies. It was also awkward re-rigging poles, accessing tackle, etc. We're planning to go back this fall, and I'm really looking forward to having the kit bag along this time....I think it'll make things much easier.

Just got back from a week of camping and fishing with the family in Michigan, and I used the crap out of the medium bag, so I figured I'd update this.

We did quite a bit of hiking, a lot of it in and around water. The bag worked good for keeping stuff up and out of the water, and even when we were wading through pretty deep stuff (sometimes up to my waist), I wasn't worried about stuff getting immersed, short of a full-on trip and faceplant. Thankfully that didn't happen.



We did a lot of fishing off the dock, as well as from Kyaks. I'll admit that if you load it too heavy, you start feeling the weight on your shoulders after a couple of hours standing on the pier. It as awesome for Kyak fishing, though...made it easy to access spare tackle and my phone for photos. My youngest learned to Kyak on this trip, and caught his first "kyak fish" as well, so it was cool to be able to capture that without having to worry about my phone slipping out of my pocket and going into the lake. I got a couple pics of my own as well (gratuitous fish pics below ).

Is that a pike or a muskie?

quote:

Originally posted by abnmacv:
Is that a pike or a muskie?

Pike. Muskie have vertically oriented stripes, almost like tiger stripes. Pike have the longitudinal pattern like the guy in the photo. I've never caught a Muskie, despite living 300 yards from the same lake that the last 2 state records came out of. They call them the fish of 1000 casts for a reason, and I just don't have the patience for it, or the technique. I've seen some pictures of local catches, though, and they really are monsters. I probably ought to do some research and give it a try.

Did some hiking with the HPG bag in Alaska over the past couple of weeks, and had a bit of an issue that I thought I'd better share to hopefuly help others avoid the same problem.

I took the "middlesize" bag, and most of the time had it full of my S&W Model 69, a reload, snacks, and a first aid kit. It was decently heavy, and pretty close to it's volume capacity. It worked ok for most of the trip but last Saturday, I undertook what turned out to be the most brutal 8 mile hike of my life, and the bag left some scars.

I may have had it adjusted wrong, or it may have just been from the beating sun and crazy amount of moisture that my body was releasing, but the top of the back strap dug a nice crease in the back of my neck (photo taken a couple of days later so it had some time to heal):



I'm definitely going to pay closer attention to the "hang" in the future, and may even consider adding some softer material to that portion of the strap.

That said, the hike was epic (4 miles up, 4000 feet of elevation gain, a good portion of it through loose shale), and the view at the end was totally worth all the pain and exhaustion, including the back of my neck!

About 3 miles in...top is in sight! Before this there was a gnarly seemingly vertical mile-long climb through the woods, then some really nice meadows with wild blueberries:



On the way up I had to keep reminding myself to turn around and look behinds us:





The last 2 miles was downright evil. It wasn't just the climb...the shale was slippery and sharp, and very loose. Every step you took you'd slide at least half a step backwards, and if you fell you risked getting cut up. Kind of like climbing a sand dune, but made of knives:



But the view of the top, so totally worth it! Pictures don't even begin to convey what it was like in person:







Matanuska Glacier in the background:



The ridge was incredibly sharp:



We watched a herd of sheep go over the ridge as we were climbing and then saw them hanging out in the valley once we got to the top. They appeared to be having an easier time of it than we were!



We also saw this guy flying around trying to snag one of the numerous little "Pika" rodents that were running around. Based on the coloration of the tail, I think it's a Golden Eagle (as opposed to a juvenile Bald Eagle, which look similar), which would be a first for me. Maybe one of our bird experts here can confirm or deny:

Great photos! Looks like a Golden Eagle to me. Juvi Bald Eagle has light, almost white, feathers underside of the wings close to the body.

Nice, I was really hoping that was what it was as I've always wanted to see one. He was fun to watch...actually started out below us and rode the updrafts till he was way overhead.

Beautiful, looks like you all had a great time

Just got back from a few days in South Dakota and about 25 miles of hiking with the kit bag while we were there. No overnight trips, just day hikes, but pretty decent ones.

I adjusted the straps to let the bag hang a bit lower on my chest, and had zero issues with it digging into the back of my neck like I did in Alaska. Clearly, the problem was operator error.

The carry piece of choice for this trip was my P220 Compact, and I have to admit that the flat-sided semi-auto carried better than the revolver with it's lumpy cylinder.

On the last day we did a 10-mile round trip hike from our campground to an art fair (for my wife), and I passed another guy with an HPG kit bag and got a "Nice Bag!" Not the words you usually expect to hear from another dude ! Did leave me curious what kind of gun he had in there, though .

We did a 3.5 miler through the badlands that turned into about 6 miles when we added on a road walk back to the campground. It was kinda hot, and a bit scrambly at parts, but unlike anything you'll get to do anywhere else!



We did another day hike in Black Elk Wilderness. It was great to be back here, and it was my first time in the fall. I really enjoyed the changing colors of the aspens, and the crisp smell of pine. We hit up Little Devil's Tower, Cathedral Spires, Black Elk Peak, and Sylvan Lake on this one. Saw lots of snakes, but they all got out of the way when they saw us coming.









The last day was the trip from Center Lake Campground to the State Game Lodge for the art fair. The hike was a pretty easy 10 miles on basically a double-track ATV road with 15 river crossings, and then a paved path along the road. I was hoping for something more technical and some wading, but there were plank bridges for every crossing. It was a fishing trail, with tons of great spots along the creek, and I kicked myself the whole time for leaving my fishing gear at home . I've already stashed some spare poles and gear in the camper...I won't make that mistake again! The scenery made it worth the walk, though.



When we got back to camp after the art fair hike, my oldest and I hiked around the lake off-trail and did some rock-scrambling to make up for the easy art fair walk. I climbed a big rock that jutted out into the lake and watched other people catch huge trout. I also got a pretty decent nap up there...the HPG kit bag doubles as a pretty good pillow in a pinch!

Stupid question. What legal requirements do I need to carry a handgun in national park/forest land?

quote:

Originally posted by pedropcola:
Stupid question. What legal requirements do I need to carry a handgun in national park/forest land?

They conform to the state statutes of the state in which the park is located, with the caveat that you cannot carry in federally-owned facilities and buildings, which can include visitor's centers and restrooms. Usually there is signage to indicate such.

So any state that recognizes my state ccw (Florida) I should be good basically?

I use the HPG stuff mountain biking. I carry a gun, reload, and some basic bike tube fixings. Never had the neck rub issue but I don't think I wear it high on my neck like that either. Sounds like you figured it out.

I have 2. One has the molle on the front, it seems to scream out "gun" more than the other one. I need to get a bright blue one or something like that.

quote:

So any state that recognizes my state ccw (Florida) I should be good basically?

Pretty much. Just watch for signs as they are legally binding, not like the ones on private property in some states. I've never had an issue anywhere, but I also don't make a habit of flashing it around. I did leave it in the truck at Rushmore because I thought they might want to go into the visitor's center, but we didn't end up doing that anyway.

The HPG bag is pretty conspicuous in a neighborhood, but on the trail, especially when worn in conjunction with a pack, it blends right in. It rarely gets a second glance. I did have a lady at Black Elk Peak ask me about it, and comment on what a good idea she thought it was. I told her I use it for maps and snacks, which is absolutely true. It's super handy for getting at stuff while you're on the move, and keeps you from getting left behind by your 15 year-old son, who whether I like to admit it or not definitely has more stamina and endurance than me!

I have one of the HPG packs now, thanks to YooperSigs. 92fstech, when you pack a pistol in yours, do you secure it or cover the trigger at all (thin holster, perhaps)? Or does it simply ride alone in the main compartment?

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:
I have one of the HPG packs now, thanks to YooperSigs. 92fstech, when you pack a pistol in yours, do you secure it or cover the trigger at all (thin holster, perhaps)? Or does it simply ride alone in the main compartment?

I have made a conscious decision to only carry guns with long DAO or DA/SA type triggers in the bag (usually a revolver, P250, or P220), so I have not used any sort of holster with mine as I feel the trigger pull weight and length are sufficient in conjunction with the construction of the pack to protect against an ND.

Were I going to put a striker-fired gun in there, I'd probably get one of those kydex trigger guard covers and secure it to the loop inside the pouch with paracord, that way it would just rip off on the draw, but still provide additional protection against an inadvertent trigger pull inside the pack. The manufacturer says it's not necessary, and I don't think it would be easy to cause an ND even with a striker-fired gun, but it would just make me feel better.

Thank you.
That's along the lines of what I was thinking. I'd like to find or make a trigger guard cover like you mentioned, to suit P365. I had thought about a small, thin sleeve, something that would attach to that Velcro strip inside, but truly that would just take up space.