FirstSpear

Archive for the ‘Packs’ Category

Hill People Gear Commuter

Wednesday, January 28th, 2026

SHOT Show was the first time I had seen the Hill People Gear Commuter urban pack in the wild.

It is packed with features:

  • Side entry padded laptop compartment will comfortably fit a 14.5″ laptop. As in, put a tape measure across the outside width of your laptop and see what it measures.The compartment is lined with velcro loop in case you want to carry something else in that compartment in an organized manner.
  • Main compartment is accessible via top and one side panel zip. The rear of it is lined with velcro loop for sub organization.
  • 3/4 height mesh sleeve inside of panel opening
  • Full height cordura sleeve on inside of panel holds a removable foam insert, making the Commuter a padded case for camera gear or electronics
  • Externally accessible dimensional “ditty pocket” will hold glasses with room to spare
  • 2/3rd height velcro loop field on outside of pack is covered by capture flap, making it a good place for items you want quickly accessible but concealed.
  • Bellows capture flap expands large enough to hold a bicycle helmet but lays completely flat when not in use.
  • Compression consists of 3/4″ bottom straps and 3/4″ straps from the compression panel to the suspension side of the pack.
  • On the right side, the compression panel strap is user configurable to leave no zippers unprotected, the laptop zipper unprotected, or all zippers unprotected. 
  • On the left side, the compression panel strap is user configurable to either capture the top of the water bottle pouch or not.
  • Bellows water bottle pouch on the left side has replaceable bungy cord elements for good retention without the use of the top strap. Will expand to fit a 3.5″ diameter bottle (standard nalgene) but lays flat when not in use.
  • 3/4″ tubular webbing top and side carry straps.
  • “Slick” HPG shoulder harness is the same contour and build quality as the standard one for extreme comfort, but removes the bungy cord tethers and related hardware and replaces the 1″ sternum strap with a removeable 3/4″ sternum strap.

Offered in several colors including Elk Brown (seen here), you can pick yours up at hillpeoplegear.com.

SHOT Show 26 – Revelyst Project Freedom Updates Camelbak Packs

Tuesday, January 27th, 2026

Camelbak which exhibited at SHOT Show along with the other brands under the Revelyst Project Freedom banner.

Although are still not the final we should start seeing completely redesigned packs by next SHOT Show.

SOTech Debuting Cobra Drone Carrier Packs at SHOT Show

Monday, January 19th, 2026

SOTech will be debuting its new line of Cobra Drone Carrier Packs at SHOT Show.  The Cobra pack is being widely adopted in both conventional and special operations medicine as a comfortable pack that splays open to reveal a highly organized and labeled pouch arrangement.  SOTech adopted this design in multiple sizes to fit most sizes of drones with custom padded inserts.  The Cobras allow organization of controllers, batteries, optics, wire sets, and tools making the drone operator’s tasks quicker and smoother.

SOTech will also be displaying it’s latest variants of its Cobra Medical Packs and the LISS infantry harnesses designed for the new M7 weapons systems.

Special Operations Technologies Inc. (SOTECH) is located near the first door at the SHOT Show, exhibiting in Booth Space 20059.

70 years of Savotta

Tuesday, December 16th, 2025

70 years of Savotta and a 100 years since founder Allan Halme was born.

This Finnish pack manufacturer created a limited run of 70 year history booklets for their staff, but now this magnificent opus is also available in digital form for all the world to enjoy. It covers the full history of Savotta, from 1955 to 2025, so there’s quite a lot for you to take in.

Milipol 25 – New Rucksack from Savotta

Tuesday, December 2nd, 2025

In addition to the entrenching tool pouch, Savotta showed me a new garner rucksack’s which will be coming out next year.

So new it doesn’t yet have a name, the pack’s main bag has a capacity of 90L expandable to 120L. Modular and scalable, it features PALS webbing at the sides and can be fitted with side pockets which add 6L each. The top lid pocket adds an additional 12L. The pack and frame weighs 3.7kg minus side and lid pockets.

The sleeping bag compartment is roomy and accessible by a roll top which is far more reliable than zippered systems.

The pack will be offered in Green, Finnish M05 Woodland, MultiCam, and Tan.

www.savotta.fi/pages/savotta-military

Milipol 25 – M-TAC Drone Pack

Tuesday, December 2nd, 2025

At Milipol quite a few companies offered drone specific load carriage packs like this example from Ukraine’s M-TAC for 7″ drones with capacity for seven and controller. I expect to see a lot more of this in the near future.

Milipol 25 – Snigel Designs

Monday, December 1st, 2025

Swedish gear manufacturer Snigel Designs has been around for quite awhile and they shared this example from 1990.

Made from Woodland camouflage parapack, which was the material du jour, this light pack looks to have seen quite a bit of use.

Milipol 25 – Lindnerhof Taktik Expands Beast Heavy Load Carrying System

Tuesday, November 25th, 2025

In 2023 Lindnerhof Taktik introduced the Beast, a packboard system for extremely heavy and unwieldy loads like breaching tools. In German, they refer to the capability as the “Ausrüstungsträger” or equipment carrier.

The frame and attachment system has proven to be quite adaptive and has been adopted by multiple units around the works due to its versatility.

At Milipol, Lindnerhof introduced a series of packs for the Beast.

These modular packs are 30L and 50L respectively but can be fitted out up to 110L when adding side pockets. Naturally, more bags and accessory pockets are in the works.

www.hqg.de