Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1258433
Krzyszf B. Kruszewski AMP12 DIARIES About 8 or 10 months ago I got the 5.11 Tactical AMP12 (All Mission Pack, 12-hours) for test and review. I was more than happy for the opportunity for two reasons: it is always nice to get some freebies and it looked really cool! The AMP12 was built from durable but lightweight 500D Dobby Nylon which is solid, tear and wear resistant nylon fabric. I like its feel and texture and that it makes the pack semi-rigid, even when empty. The fabric keeps your stuff inside the pack dry too. Maybe except the rainfall. As almost every "modern tactical pack", the AMP12 was designed with scalability and modularity in mind. Depend- ing on your preferences, lifestyle and requirements, you can easily fit the hydration bladder inside, additional pock- ets and pouches, CCW holster, mag pouches and anything else you may need or want. The basic configuration is the pack with a vast main compartment with two zippered pockets in the main flap, back pocket for laptop, external zippered pocket for eyewear, external flat pock and modu- lar HEXGRID panel attached to the Velcro on the main flap. Pack is accessible from both top and bottom (access zip- pers are U-shaped). And the declared volume is 25 liters. Hard to believe, ain't it? AMP12 is comfortable as hell. It is not even about the well-designed, profiled and padded shoulder straps or the sternum strap for increased stability but thermoformed rear panel which feels like semi-flexible dense foam. The two embossed vertical pads and the space between them works as the venting tunel for your back. Pack ergonom- ics were based on human anatomy and physiology. BTW, the AMP12 is balanced enough to carry it as a sling bag. The shoulders straps might be smoothly adjusted on the move. The 5.11 Tactical AMP12 was my everyday companion for a couple of months. It travelled to Ukraine, Israel, and Costarica. It was on the shooting ranges and training facil- ities. On the streets, in the desert and in the jungle. In the most dangerous corporate office in the world too. I had no mercy for it. Beating and banging in dirt, mud and rain. And it is still going! All the buckles and zipper are working, fabric is still intact and the threads are holding up. And even the Velcro under the HEXGRID panel still works. It is definitely a rugged product, the same as old Volvos cars or Nokia cells used to be. The only reason to replace it will be… boredom? I don't expect it to break somehow... EQUIPMENT