Just another quick heads-up; Woot is at it again with a good deal on outdoorsy gear from Maxpedition. Right now they're selling some Gearslinger packs at pretty good prices. The have the Sitka for $59.95, the Monsoon for $69.99 and the Kodiak for $79.99!

I have a Kodiak that I've had for many years and iirc it was around $140 when I bought mine. The construction is fantastic and mine still looks basically new. It's main use was as a book bag & laptop case when I was in college but it's had some dirt time as well. The knock I will give it is that the Kodiak is really too big to be a sling bag (ie with just one strap)- if you loaded it up fully it was uncomfortable to carry around. I may try a Sitka though at this price!

No affiliation, just a Woot junkie and Maxpedition fan.

Maxpedition has certain colors of their Pygmy Falcon II, Falcon II and Falcon III marked down and they're calling it an: Emergency Go-Bag Sale

While a tad heavy for their volume, Maxpedition bags are extremely durable and can take a lot of abuse. I was looking for a rugged low-profile essentials bag so ordered the Pygmy Falcon, good price and the right color for me. YMMV

I was really surprised to find a ruptured seam on my Maxped Vulture II the other day. It was easily repaired, but my confidence in Maxped products is somewhat shaken. The pack has seen only normal use.

Weird! All my Max stuff is incredibly overbuilt. But I suppose even the best of companies lets an occasional lemon out.

My only other Maxpedition bag is an original Condor (pre Condor II) and it's heavily built with no seam issues. That said, I'll check the Pygmy for flaws when it arrives.

The MaxP Pygmy Falcon arrived (Sunday delivery) and did not disappoint. It should make a good and strong essentials bag.