AMAP III™ Assault Pack

I've used it few days ago and It's amazing! I Think I'll use it even during normal life

I like the size and amount you can fit in here. The detachable straps to allow you to use this pack as a separate bag is nice too. It is big enough, if you are not careful you can put a lot of weight in there and make it uncomfortable with the plate carrier. That is not a bad thing, but be careful with what you put in here. Maybe I need to get used to the weight, but I was surprised at how much I could get in here.

A bit longer review, but hopefully it’s useful. Disclosure: I am on Agilite’s T&E program, but the AMAP III was purchased out-of-pocket. Let’s get into it.
I got the AMAP III a few days ago, so admittedly I don't have a lot of real-world experience with this product. With that said, having run several different backpacks in my days, I’ll go through initial thoughts of what I can tell at this point then I’ll update this review later on.

The AMAP III appears to be of the same quality and craftsmanship we'd expect from Agilite. They say this gear is designed to stand up to constant hard use, so hopefully it’ll hold up to occasional LARPing and selfies.
My usual, go-to backpack for travel, medical, tactical, disaster response, skiing, et cetera is a CamelBak Motherlode. It holds a lot, has a waist belt that fits my famine-resistant self, and has held up for 15+ years. But, it’s fairly thick shoulder straps aren’t ideal for use with a vest, especially if you don’t like double strapping it. It’s great as a 3-day pack, but I wanted a pack that would work with my kit, so bought the AMAP III, which is usable as a standalone backpack or integrated into the rear plate carrier. More on that later.
When planning overnight/multi-day sorties, this pack might be a bit small, though it does have external options for mounting a sleeping bag/pad and other gear and a potential 26L capacity (18 inside and 8 in the exterior pouch). It can hold a good 3 liters of water with the available Agilite bladder. I’ll throw my CamelBak bladder in there, which is 100oz, but I do like the design and features of Agilite’s bladder. I like the admin pouch on top and the options for attachments of other items to the outside, including rows of MOLLE on the sides of the pack. I usually run an extra IFAK on the side of my backpacks.

Comfort is based on many factors, some dependent on the plate carrier/pack straps, pack weight, et cetera, and some independent of the carrier- body type, your own weight-bearing ability/comfort. My plates run maybe 14 pounds, plus 5 mags, med pouch- a decent amount of weight borne by the K19. That said, it’s been pretty comfy for all-day wear, even with the addition of the filled AMAP III. I’m used to heavier plates in other vests, so it feels pretty good. I’m trying to carry less stuff... The backpack itself is light compared to what I’m used to- it’s just smaller with less material. I need to throw some steel plates in it and go for a hike to see just how much weight I can add until it’s uncomfortable.

The AMAP III is a well-designed backpack. While I like the fact that it attaches directly to the Agilite (and other brands’) plate carriers (which I did immediately on receipt), that does make it hard to access contents without removing your whole plate carrier- not ideal in non-permissive environments. Maybe a teammate can access stuff for you, so this may not be an issue, but for me, as I often operate more independently, I may not have that luxury. A medic might decide to leave the straps on to more easily access supplies, and one can still shoulder a rifle if needed even with the straps. Agilite has also designed the system to be fairly quick to change back and forth. So, you gotta decide how you want to wear this. Both ways work, but there are pros and cons to each, and it may be mission-dependent. If you wear it as a backpack, bear in mind that it doesn’t come with a waist strap, though with some additional buckles and a bit of webbing, it could probably be set up with an improvised waist strap. Additionally, it’s a bit bulky with the AMAP III on if you’re working in a vehicle, and if it’s attached to the carrier, it’s harder to doff to fit in the seat. If you do decide to wear the backpack straps, you may need to move the sternum strap down as, at least on mine, it rides pretty high up under my chin.

It would be nice if the AMAP III came with removable internal pouches or panels but it doesn’t, which to some degree is good in that you can configure your pack however you want, with any Velcro/hook pouches. There are some Agilite options (laptop case, admin panel) available that easily attach to the hook Velcro which lines the front and back of the inside. For right now, I don’t need much internal division, so I just use the inside space to store medical stuff and other kit loose. We’ll see how that goes. I’m using Velcro OneWrap type stuff to position items (easy-access and readily reconfigurable, I just wrap it around the object to be mounted and press it up against the Velcro). I’m still configuring and rearranging, so we’ll see how it turns out.

On the exterior, the bottom buckles that attach the pack to the carrier are the same ones used to tighten the exterior pouch/compartment. It might be nice to have separate and dedicated buckles for each, but there may be have been a design reason for this. Not too big a deal so far, but whatever is on the outside may need to be held fairly tightl...

AMAP III™ Assault Pack

AMAP III™ Assault Pack