Maxpedition's New Tiburon

Fair warning: I’m a fan of Maxpedition bags and packs and have been for nearly a decade. Almost 10 years ago, I bought my first bag, the Monsoon, from the company. At the time, I wasn’t sure if the cost of the bag was worth it. Since then, I’ve learned that for the quality of the bags – both in terms of functionality and durability – these bags are relatively inexpensive.

One of my favorite bags is the Condor II. I’ve had mine for almost three years. It has been with me to the range, trade shows, karate tournaments, Disney World trips, camping, hunting and 18 different states. I carry the pack regularly – maybe four days a week – to various functions.

However, I may have found a pack to replace the Condor II: the new Tiburon.

The Tiburon is a new backpack that is part of the company’s Advance Gear Research (AGR) line of bags. AGR products are packs that are designed for the same (or better) functionality of existing Maxpedition bags, but with less of a militaristic look.

The Tiburon is larger than the Condor II at 34 liters of storage, but when I held on in person at the SHOT Show, it did not seem to add much bulk. With the side compression straps, you can cinch down a light load and keep things compact.

Maxpedition designed the Tiburon with a large lockable main compartment, a lockable middle compartment and a generously sized administrative pouch. These compartments open completely. On the sides are additional pouches for storage. Inside the bag is a padded pocket that will protect a 13″ laptop or tablet.

On the bottom of the Tiburon is a concealed pocket that allows you to store a rain cover. That is sold separately for $20.99, but is worth every penny if you spend a lot of time outdoors.

The pack uses yoke-style carry straps with a quick release feature. It has a sternum strap and a padded waist belt that stores in the pack when not being used.

Maxpedition uses attachment points called ATLAS on the outside of the bag. ATLAS, which stands for Attachment Lattice System, uses a solid piece of composite material that is laser cut. This offers similar functionality to the PALS/MOLLE system, but with increased strength, less weight and a much flatter profile. MOLLE is to quad Picatinny rail as ATLAS is to M-LOK.

The Tiburon has a retail price of $259.99. It is available in black, gray or tan. The gray looks utterly low profile. The tan is a multi-tone style that looks more like an outdoor pack than military kit to me. Black is…well, black.