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The best (and cheapest) Saddle backpack

jonkytron

jonkytron

Active Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2022
Messages
129
Location
Rhode Island
I've been looking for the ideal saddle backpack for some time now. I wanted something mid/small sized, with plenty of molle and straps to put extra pouches, sticks, platforms, etc. I wanted a waist band, not just a chest strap, and I wanted that waist band to have molle on it as well. This would allow me to keep my pouches on my hip but not my saddle molle, so when I’m in my saddle, I dont have anything hanging off my saddle (especially because I now use a dray hammock.)

After owning many packs, and looking at numerous $200-400 dollar packs online and not really finding what I wanted, I found the perfect one on amazon for $40!

Mardingtop Tactical Backpack

Now, the zippers and material dont feel like the best quality, But ive taken this thing out on 3 hunts now and its doing just fine. Its perfect. And for the next 4 seasons I can buy a brand new bag and still not pay as much as some of these other bags cost. So, I thought i'd pass it on.
 
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That's my brother's philosophy on boots - get the cheapo brand from Academy. They last half as long as the more expensive brand, but at a quarter of the cost.
 
I'm actually a pretty big fan of the XOP Stryker Evo. Little more money than that, but not expensive by any means.
 
jonkytron said:
I've been looking for the ideal saddle backpack for some time now. I wanted something mid/small sized, with plenty of molle and straps to put extra pouches, sticks, platforms, etc. I wanted a waist band, not just a chest strap, and I wanted that waist band to have molle on it as well. This would allow me to keep my pouches on my hip but not my saddle molle, so when I’m in my saddle, I dont have anything hanging off my saddle (especially because I now use a dray hammock.)

After owning many packs, and looking at numerous $200-400 dollar packs online and not really finding what I wanted, I found the perfect one on amazon for $40!

Mardingtop Tactical Backpack

Now, the zippers and material dont feel like the best quality, But ive taken this thing out on 3 hunts now and its doing just fine. Its perfect. And for the next 4 seasons I can buy a brand new bag and still not pay as much as some of these other bags cost. So, I thought i'd pass it on.
Click to expand...
Yup. I’ve had great luck with those Mardingtop backpacks. I’ve beaten the crap out of them and no issues at all. The one in your post is the 28L variety. I’ve used the 35L one for about the last 4-5 years as my everyday backpack and I’ve been impressed with how it has held up. So much that I bought two more for other duties. No issues with the materials or zippers.

I’ve also pointed out that another one of their backpacks is loosely kind of similar (in layout and clamshell zipper) to the one from tethrd, their FAS pack. I don’t own either one so I can speak to it though.

Hard to beat for the money.
 
jonkytron said:
I've been looking for the ideal saddle backpack for some time now. I wanted something mid/small sized, with plenty of molle and straps to put extra pouches, sticks, platforms, etc. I wanted a waist band, not just a chest strap, and I wanted that waist band to have molle on it as well. This would allow me to keep my pouches on my hip but not my saddle molle, so when I’m in my saddle, I dont have anything hanging off my saddle (especially because I now use a dray hammock.)

After owning many packs, and looking at numerous $200-400 dollar packs online and not really finding what I wanted, I found the perfect one on amazon for $40!

Mardingtop Tactical Backpack

Now, the zippers and material dont feel like the best quality, But ive taken this thing out on 3 hunts now and its doing just fine. Its perfect. And for the next 4 seasons I can buy a brand new bag and still not pay as much as some of these other bags cost. So, I thought i'd pass it on.
Click to expand...
Looks like a good option, I like that you could have your stick/sticks under the pack with buckles that can be released with out taking the pack off and your platform on the back outside the pack.
 
jonkytron said:
I've been looking for the ideal saddle backpack for some time now. I wanted something mid/small sized, with plenty of molle and straps to put extra pouches, sticks, platforms, etc. I wanted a waist band, not just a chest strap, and I wanted that waist band to have molle on it as well. This would allow me to keep my pouches on my hip but not my saddle molle, so when I’m in my saddle, I dont have anything hanging off my saddle (especially because I now use a dray hammock.)

After owning many packs, and looking at numerous $200-400 dollar packs online and not really finding what I wanted, I found the perfect one on amazon for $40!

Mardingtop Tactical Backpack

Now, the zippers and material dont feel like the best quality, But ive taken this thing out on 3 hunts now and its doing just fine. Its perfect. And for the next 4 seasons I can buy a brand new bag and still not pay as much as some of these other bags cost. So, I thought i'd pass it on.
Click to expand...
Have any pics of this pack with sticks and platform attached?
 
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