CampingGearReview » rucksack

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Review coming ASAP, this post is a placeholder for now…

Long Range Bugout bag is created by Sandpiper of California (PiperGear.com). They make various sports bags as well as travel packs, and “bugout bags”. I snagged a used Long Range Bag on eBay last week for testing and reviewing purposes.

This bag is huge, no wonder they call it the Long Range bag. Like most suitcases, there is a zipper in the back that compresses additional 3.5″ of fabric, which adds 1116 cu/in to the main compartment. Unexpanded this pack is around 4400 cubic inches. Expanded it is around 5550 cubic inches. Because of its ‘square’ design, and expandable feature, the Long Range bag reminds me of a travel suitcase. In fact there are two carry handles, and a zippered back compartment to put away the shoulder straps. This can be handy if you fly with this pack, or travel via public transportation. Material is 1000-Denier Cordura, ACU color pattern. Stitching seems pretty good, however the metal carabiner attachments at the end of shoulder straps seem flimsy for the kind of weight you can carry in this pack. The bottom attachment points for the shoulder straps could use reinforcing.

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The CFP-90 was my second foray into US Army rucksacks. The medium ALICE Pack was not comfortable for even short(er) hikes, and I wanted something with an internal frame and a hip belt. I looked at several civilian internal frame backpacks at local retailers, but none of them ‘turned me on’. The suspension systems were well designed, the size was right, but they were either too expensive, or ugly, or ‘just not right’. I then looked online for various military designs, and saw some very well made packs in the $300-$700 range. These bags were simply out of question! I am used to buying surplus military gear way below retail prices, and somebody wants $300 for a backpack? No way. After some more searching on the internet, I came upon an obscure pack made for the US Army, and never used. The CFP-90 was designed as a replacement for ALICE gear, but never adopted. The Army started using MOLLE gear instead. Which, I suppose, is good for the Army, and great for the civilian hiker because surplus Army gear became even cheaper and easier to get.
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A.K.A.: Leapers Assault Pack, Leapers Web Pack or UTG Web Pack.

I bought this pack at the end of the summer in 2007, and used it twice last season. This design is very comfortable. The padding on the shoulder straps is nice and thick, the back panel is padded, and the hip belt is wide. This is especially important because other packs I have seen have only a inch wide strap for the hip belt, and it’s uncomfortable to wear. Especially if you put load on your hips, and it cuts into the skin. UTG designed their hip belt to be 4″ wide, and it has padding inside. Not too much, enough to be comfortable. It has 3 rows of webbing for MOLLE for other web gear. Looks like only 2 (top and bottom) rows should be used for proper attachment of web gear, or maybe just the middle one. UTG used a pad of Velcro to attach the hip belt. It’s like and envelope, and the hip belt goes inside. Take a look at the pictures below to see what I mean. The hip belt can be removed completely.
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