A lot of the reviews for survival/camping gear are from people who use the gear very seldom if ever. To a more specific point I myself am very specific about what I like in a pack. I have thousands of miles under my belt from cub scouts through eagle and up through today. I have been through many packs (20+) and much prefer Kelty external frames. I am very hesitant and critical of internal frame packs and up until this pack have hated every single one. Which brings us the pleasant surprise that is this pack.

I just brought this pack through a 3 night trip in the woods on unmanaged trails in dense southern Illinois forest where I bushwacked my camp setup in the woods. I was not easy on it during this time.

I did not cater to the pack when moving through bush, brushing up against trees and brambles. Its material durability is comparable to the MOLLE II so absolutely bombproof. I had no issues with tears, rips or stitches pulling.

It maintains low weight and great maneuverability through dense vegetation. If your shoulders can pass through so can this pack (not so for many external frames).

It packs extremely well. The main reason I wanted this pack was for its simple bucket style. Very easy to pack a TON of gear if you know what you're doing. 30-35 liters is considered pretty small for overnighters. For me that is a huge amount of space. If you can't survive comfortably with what you can fit in this pack, you're just plain not gonna hack it with any pack whatsoever. I added three Helikon E&E pouches to carry comfort items, but they were not necessary. I could have fit four and plan to do so in the future. So those with size concerns here is what I fit for a luxurious 3 day after adding those three pouches.

At 40lb packed weight with some room to spare:
A 5lb 100% wool blanket, sleeping pad, USGI issue poncho liner and poncho, 9x9 tarp, pathfinder hammock and pathfinder tarp (great product aswell) 2 extra pants, shirts, socks and underwear, hoodie, leather gloves, 4 bandanas, toothbrush and paste, toilet paper, deodorant, safety razor, habilis bush tool, crkt woods chogan tomahawk, sharpening puck, leatherman sidekick, compass with signaling mirror, magnifiying glass, 3/8 ferro rod, bic lighter, collapsable straw, 100 feet of bankline, 30 feet of paracord, emergency blanket, flashlight and headlamp, Nalgene, Pathfinder canteen set, 4 days of food for 2 people, first aid kit.

I am not a large guy (5'9 160) and this pack carried that 40lbs all day without issue. No pain, no blistering, no issues. I'd say the 40lb range is close to the max for my size and this pack. Again, if you can't comfortably survive with 40lbs of gear you are doing something wrong.

So, all in all, for durability, maneuverability, packability, comfort and overall performance 10/10.
In full admittance I have yet to put this pack through years of abuse and neglect so I will have to update durability once I have but I have zero concerns it will cease to be great.

This kit is an extremely well thought out design, compact and a great use of space. I really like the pots. They make pouring hot liquids into other containers easier and (imho) probably safer than from my other round camping pots. I do wish they were made in the USA, sadly, I understand. Yet for not being made here they are of really good quality. I wish I had bought one sooner!

This class is definitely a few steps above the Basic Class. That said it is certainly worth taking. The instructors were great. Dave, Bart, Ty, Alexander and Eric were very professional and patient. They will not give anything up to give you an edge, but they will not stop helping you. I watched them help several students at even 2am get their bow drill fires. It was a solid class, with solid instruction from excellent instructors. If you’re going to take this class, do yourself a favor and practice your bow drill fire in advance. It is a requirement to get the patch. I did and it paid off.

I tracked down the manufacturer of these blankets to a top notch USA manufacture of woolen products. These are well made and will keep you warm even when damp. Wool rules for insulation vale and performance.

Now the downside for me...they went on sale for $194 a couple days after my two arrived at $225 ea. Sure, I would welcome a $31 (x2) instore credit towards one or two more blankets at $194.

I bought this to use on family camping trips. The tins will hold the various spices we use, as well as coffee sugar and such for breakfasts. There is room along the sides for the 5 “forks” we use for s’mores and packets of powdered electrolyte packets. Already made coffee with the French press, which I’ll store in the camp kitchen set, and could t be happier with the results.

Set arrived fast and in perfect condition. There was enough “tinder” packed around it to start a years worth of of fires, lol. It appears durable enough that my kids will fight over it when I die, and will definitely hold up to the dozen or so camping trips we take yearly.

Pathfinder Bedroll Sleeve

Haven't used it yet, but have no doubts about it's durability and usefulness I'll be livin' outta this pot long term very soon.... So glad I got one!

Fits nicely on my watch. Tried clamping it directly on my watch band but cut into my skin
I then fixed it on top of the watch band with some paracord knotted with burned ends.
Does not move/ come undone.

This knife was so hard to get but well worth the wait, it’s about the same thickness as the Mountaineer knife, but the blade is longer and the shape is probably more ideal for splitting wood, especially when batoning, good real-estate on the knife.

It’s definitely a tank of a knife, more than capable of handling any task, if this was the only knife I had, I have no doubt it get me though a zombie apocalypse.

Fits my bottle like a glove. As an added bonus I use it to keep me warm in winter outdoor sleepovers. Fill your bottle with hot water, slip it in the bag, and keep it with you in your sleeping gear...Many therms of warmth for several hours!

I could not be happier with this purchase. As other items I have from SRO the build quality is above average and solid as a rock.
Pot - Love the bat wing handles. My hands are average and there is plenty of room to fit all 4 fingers in with a glove on. No issues with getting a good grip on it. I have been using it on a canister stove and find that it sits sturdy when cooking since it has a wider bottom than cup type pot. I also like bail it comes in handy to grab it off the stove. I can’t wait to try it over a campfire with a tripod.
Stove – Great match Dave. Good idea to make it a little smaller. If you take it out of its pouch and just use a bandana you can lay it flat on the bottom of the pot and a gas can on top of it with room for the stem. The top will stick up just a bit, but the bag takes care of keeping it all together.
Bag – I like it a lot. It’s built well and should hold up under normal use. It is big enough that you can have the pot and sit a 110g can on top and it closes and does not leave a lot of extra bag flopping around.
Windscreen – It’s HUGE!!!! 12 panels. This thing will have no problem blocking the wind for the stove. Actually, I think it’s large enough to use around one of the square butane stoves a caterer uses. I can see using it as a small campfire heat reflector.
I see another poster mentioned this on the page for the pot alone. “Would love to see a 6-inch version of the camp skillet to go with it.” I agree with them it would make a great combination set / addition to this set.
The Ozark Trail 18oz Stainless Steele cup from Walmart (still only $6.00) nests perfectly inside the 1QT. pot. You can then fill the cup, take the stove out of its pouch, and lay it flat on top of the cup. The lid sticks up just a bit but once it’s in the bag and the gas can is on top of it, it sits snug.

I purchased this mattress to replace the foam mattress in my Canvascutter Bedroll, as the foam was too bulky to properly pack on a horse. This mattress compacts down to half the size, and is just as comfortable. It inflates and deflates properly without the use of a pump. It seems to be constructed very well. Great Mattress!

a awesome piece of equipment to have