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Road Tests :: Triple Aught Design FAST Pack EDC (Giveaway)

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This is not a road test. Oh no, sir. It would have been a road test for any pouch or wallet. It could have been a road test for a messenger or daypack. It might have been a road test for a trekking pack or for travel luggage. But we’ve only had it for two months. There’s no way this is a serious road test for the Triple Aught Design FAST Pack EDC. However, instead of letting you guys wait for five years, let’s go!

Luckily, we’re not the first guys to review the FAST Pack EDC. You can find others here, here, here, here and here, including a twenty-minute long video on YouTube, which even compares different versions of the FAST Pack EDC (which has been running for its fifth season now).

https://www.carryology.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/tad-fast-pack-edc.jpg

About TAD

A word about Triple Aught Design. TAD is a boutique shop making tactical oriented clothing and equipment. Along with apparel and supercool knives and lights, they’ve designed two backpacks: the FAST Pack EDC and the FAST Pack Litespeed, the latter being a bit smaller (20 liters) and reviewed by none other than our own Taylor Welden!

[drum rolls] The kind crew at TAD are organizing a giveaway for the FAST Pack EDC, so read this review all the way to the bottom for your chance to win your own!

Note: One thing TAD is (unfortunately) well known for is that their products are sold out really quickly. To obtain one of the knives you even have to enter a draw to be able to buy it...no lack of popularity...so throw your hat in the ring.

Features

While most of the FAST Pack EDC is "proven design", some aspects are rather unique and innovative. First, there's the shoulder straps, which can be configured in all sorts of ways and even taken off. TAD provides a lot of Velcro straps to secure any loose straps; I haven't seen it before in other packs, it's a simple measure but it makes sense.

And then there's the flashlight cave - a pocket on the bottom of one of the side pockets, that makes it possible to easily access a flashlight or other item using a gear retractor.

Performance

Space

At 31 liters, the FAST Pack EDC is definitely not the biggest backpack out there. Within that context, the size is still right for a day trip where you need to carry some gear or a multiday trip packing light. The main compartment is roomy, although not bulky.

The bag itself is rather heavy at 72 oz /2.1 kgs, but when wearing it, the weight is divided evenly, the waist belt does its job and the form of the pack enables the contents to be vertically divided instead of horizontally, which gives it more stability. The top handle is reinforced with Hypalon and is as sturdy as top handles get.

The straps and the back of the bag are padded. The straps at first give the impression of being rather thin, but once you feel them around your shoulders it becomes clear their form is adjusted to your body and less padding becomes necessary. What might get annoying is that the straps should be connected to straps on the front of the bag. This will improve carry comfort because the load can be closer to your back, but it means you have to disconnect the buckles every time you need to open the pack. Finally, the padding on the back has good ventilation.

Alternatives to consider

There's a good range of high-quality alternatives in the "close to 30 liters tactical backpack". We have the Arc'teryx Khard 30 which we've recently reviewed.

There's the Mystery Ranch 3 Day Assault pack and the well known 5.11 Tactical Rush 24.

Goruck has been mentioned on several sites as an alternative, but I wouldn’t really call a GR1 an alternative to the FAST Pack EDC. For one, it’s decidedly smaller (26 liters versus the FAST Pack EDC’s 31 liters, while the GR2 boasts 40 liters). Then, the added waistband and configurability of the FAST Pack EDC makes it suitable for different uses.

Verdict

TAD made a robust pack with a lot of options. In comparison to other tactical companies, who have lots of backpacks and years of experience, it's amazing to see TAD has found the sweet spot with just two backpacks.

Although it can be useful in many situations, you might not need all the modularity the FAST Pack EDC has to offer. We'd welcome a "slick" version with a little less webbing, fewer straps and without the transporter tail.

And finally: yes TAD, you’re allowed to develop bigger bags as well!

[Editor's Note: The bag utilised for this road test was supplied by Triple Aught Design]