At the Great American Outdoor Show, I came across Man-Pack. I am a recovering sucker of things in Multicam so their new Stalker series pack stood out for me. The Stalker series is only in Multicam, but their Classic line comes in solid colors like Black, OD and Brown depending on the model. The classic line are made of a heavy duty canvas material whereas the Stalker series is made of 600D rip stop Nylon and has a DWR treatment as well as water resistant main compartment zipper. The Stalker only weighs 1.8 lbs.The Stalker has a small flap of Nylon that covers up the zipper, while the regular Man-Pack has a large flap that covers the top 1/4 of the bag.

As you can see it is a sling bag. The design does not scream “tactical operator”. Although there is a small panel of elastic molle webbing, it is at the bottom of the sling and the bag doesn’t have velcro. The bag is padded for electronics like tablets and laptops. It has a few small to medium sized pockets inside and a magnetic enclosure pocket on the outside. There is a full size compartment in the back that can be used for tablets or conceal carry.

Here are the details on the Man-Pack Stalker 2.0.

 

• Made from 600D Ripstop for superior durability and water resistance
• Waterproof treatment
• Waterproof main compartment zipper.
• Large padded main compartment for 8″x11″ files, iPads, Kindles, and small laptop PCs (2.0 XL fits full size laptops)
• Adjustable chest strap with quick-release clasp and utility pocket
• Two exterior utility pockets, including pen/pencil slots
• Four interior utility pockets for wallet, business cards, pocket change, etc
• Collapsible beverage pocket
• Strap mounted MOLLE system
• Neoprene lined back pocket for tablet PC or concealed carry firearms
• Padded shoulder strap on 2.0 XL

MSRP: $69.95-$79.95 for the Stalker and $59.95-$79.95 depending on the pack you buy.

 

 

 

I like the use of white zippers for the interior. I find it helps to see them even in low lighting conditions.

 

 

Here is a view of the bottom of the Stalker and the CCW compartment.

 

 

 

Due to the method of carry and presentation of the firearm, you can use a bullet proof insert made by Hardwire and put it inside the Man-Pack. The inserts are NIJ Level IIIA rated. So they can stop most handgun calibers. 9mm to .44 magnum. Even some shotgun rounds according to the video below.

 

I purchased one at the GAOS and dumped all my swag and catalogs in it along with my Nikon D3300 DSLR and extra lens. I used the water bottle pouch for my Hydroflask bottle. It handled the weight very well. I purchased it really for the sole purpose as a Laptop bag. And it fits my full size laptop perfectly.

 

I do have a few critiques on the Stalker pack. First of all, the Molle webbing is elastic and not standard spacing. You can see in the picture below I put the Stalker next to a Molle leg panel to show how far off the molle spacing is. However because the webbing is elastic, the molle rows are more forgiving when mounting a molle compatible pouch.

Another issue is that the nylon components are black like the edges of the strap, buckles and nylon webbing. It clashes with the multicam pattern but it does helps make the bag less tactical.

 

 

The material they use is lighter and has a tint of yellow in it. Here is a pic of my Blue Force Gear pouch next to the Stalker. You can see how much darker the BFG pouch is.

 

In the video above, the guy says that there is molle webbing in the CCW compartment. This is not accurate. There is a 2 inch wide black nylon strap sewn into the compartment.  You can use it to mount holsters but it is definitely not Molle webbing. I would have preferrred that compartment to be lined with velcro so you can use velcro holsters like the Maxpedition CCW holster or the VertX Tactigami line.

I am dubious about the magnetic enclosure for the outside pocket. It does not seem sturdy enough if you overload the pocket.

One thing else about the Man-Pack, is that there is no carry handle at the top. It would be nice if there was a handle for you to hold onto when the pack is not on your shoulder.