Both the CamelBak Big Jump and Talon-G have been airdrop certified by the Airborne and Special Operations Test Directorate. This means that procedures have been developed and certified as safe for airborne operations. However, it does not mean that these are Government developed issue items nor that they are endorsed by the military. On the contrary. CamelBak developed these packs on their own dime based on user driven requirements and worked through the arduous process of getting them certified so that they can be used by US military airborne units. Jumpers look for a 1st/507th PIR Memorandum of Record date 1 Dec 2011 Subject: Rigging and JMPI Procedures for the CamelBak Talon-GTM which stipulates how to rig the packs. They both features the same air items integrated into their design.
Both the Big Drop and Talon-G accommodate a 100 oz (3 L)OMEGA WaterBeast Reservoir and are available in Coyote, MultiCam and UCP. They are panel loaders featuring an Integrated Single Point Release (ISPR) on the bottom with a zippered pouch cover. They also have channels within the back panel that secure excess harness webbing during jumps. Additionally, noiseless zipper pulls snap together to secure pockets during jumps.
It really comes down to size. The Big Drop is obviously larger (4275 cu in / 70.04 L) than the Talon-G (2563 cu in / 42 L). Be sure to visit CamelBak at AUSA to check out these packs. Interestingly, these packs are currently only offered to authorized DoD users due their very specialized nature so this is a great opportunity to see them in person. For further information visit www.camelbak.com.
Tags: Camelbak
Talon-J was the original name. Still one of my personal favorite designs. All the access and organization in a tight, clean package. A topic of much discussion – many non-infantry folks couldn’t understand why I designed it without a belt.