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TAD Gear F.A.S.T Pack - P.S. (Patrol Size)

10/5/07 - The best way I can describe the F.A.S.T. Pack P.S. (Patrol Size) from Triple Aught Design (TAD Gear) is that it's like their previous F.A.S.T. Alpha packs, but re-engineered and given a healthy dose of steroids. Shown here is the 10th Anniversary Package, which includes the P.S. pack, padded waist belt, TAD Gear cable gear keeper and special embroidered patch. The P.S. is 1000 cu.in. larger than the Alpha model, shown below for size comparison (ignore the colours in the two photos below - the combination of artificial lights and natural light screwed up the white balance of the camera. The photos at the bottom of the review where I'm wearing the pack are an accurate representation of the colours). You can see that the P.S. is larger in all three dimensions than the Alpha. The P.S. pack is a limited run of 100 pieces in each colour (Black, Crye MultiCam or Foliage Green).

P.S. and Alpha

Overall design and features - The F.A.S.T. Pack P.S. (Patrol Size) is a 2800 cu.in. 3-day sized pack. MIL-SPEC materials are used throughout, including 1000D DuPont Cordura nylon with stain protector, high tensile strength composite nylon thread and nylon webbing, YKK nylon coil zippers and ITW Nexus Ghillietex hardware. Overall dimensions (stuffed, approx) are 21" in height, 15" in width and 9" deep at the bottom. The P.S. is slightly wedge shaped, narrowing to about 11" wide and 6" deep at the top. It weighs just shy of 5 lbs empty.

Body - The P.S. is a front/panel opening pack with a two-way YKK coil zipper running over the top and halfway down each side. On the front of the pack near the top is a large 12" x 3" loop velcro patch. Right below that are two rows X 8 columns of PALS webbing. The top row is TAD's two inch base (TIB) webbing under the 1" webbing for non-MOLLE accessories that use 2" webbing for an attach point. The front of the Transporter Tail has 5 rows X 6 columns of PALS, with the 2nd and 4th rows having the two inch base webbing underneath. The PALS fields on the sides are divided into upper and lower areas, and separated by the side pocket zipper. The top PALS area has three rows of PALS webbing. The top row has 3 columns and the bottom rows have 4 columns. The middle row has two inch base webbing underneath it. The lower PALS field (on the outside of the side pocket) has 3 rows X 6 columns of PALS, with the middle row having the two inch base webbing. There are 3 rows X 7 columns of PALS on the bottom of the pack for attaching additional MOLLE items.

On the top of the P.S. is an internally reinforced drag/carry handle. The four side compression straps either connect to each other across the front of the pack, or to the transporter tail, when it is up. They have dual-adjust SR buckles and the straps can be adjusted on both male and female ends. There are two additional compression straps on the bottom of the pack, both for lashing other gear or to compress the bottom of the pack. At the top of the pack are two compression straps that are attached to the shoulder straps. Snugging them up pulls the top front of the pack towards the back. The bottom of the pack has two grommets for drainage. All adjustable pack straps have velcro 'Neat Wings' to keep the straps rolled up and tidy. Very nice and convenient to have those.

Shoulder straps - At 4", the P.S. has the widest shoulder straps out of any pack I've seen. Do they need to be that wide I wondered? At first, I felt that they were too wide and could rub the sides of my neck. Upon asking Patrick Ma of TAD about it, he explained that the pack is meant to be worn lower on the back (with the hip belt properly placed on the hips), so the neck isn't as close to the attach points of the shoulder straps. Worn that way, there was adequate clearance on both sides. Another reason for the wider straps is that this is not a suspension pack, and a greater percentage of the weight of the pack is borne by the shoulders. Alpine Pack Grade closed-cell foam padding is used inside the shoulder pads and also on the back of the pack. 1" webbing on top of 2" webbing is sewn vertically to the shoulder pads, for attachment of small accessory pockets. The shoulder pads also have elastic hydration tube guides and D-rings. The 3/4" wide sternum strap is removable and is elastic backed. The shoulder straps are quick-releasable via the ITW Ghillietex SR buckles. The shoulder pads and back are fully lined with heavy duty Drilex. Drilex is much more abrasion resistant than Coolmax and will not wear nor pill as quickly.

Waist Belt - The contoured Waist/hip belt is removable and has two rows of PALS webbing around it. It can be used as a stand-alone pistol/load bearing belt. It's padded and fully lined with Drilex. Elastic loops on the 2" webbing strap help secure the loose ends. The belt is tightened by pulling the 2" webbing forward.

Front view

Side

Back view

Bottom

Waist Belt removed

Transporter Tail - The Transporter Tail on the P.S. is of the F.A.S.T. Pack Alpha Gen II design. It's purpose is for quick stowage of a jacket or for bulky/long items that may not fit inside the pack. It has a pocket, or "Rifle Stock Slot" incorporated into it, where a rifle stock can be placed when the Tail is deployed. See the Gen 2 review for an illustration for how this works. Although using the Tail to carry a longer rifle puts the barrel lower, you can't set the pack down upright nor easily access the contents of the main compartment when a rifle is strapped to the back.

Outside Pockets - Though not immediately obvious at first glance, the P.S. has six external zippered pockets.
Top Admin Pocket - This is a large zippered pocket approximately 11" wide x 12" tall. The zipper is right above the loop velcro field at the top front of the pack. Inside the pocket is an organizer with 4 pen slots, and 4 slot pockets for various small items like an iPod, multi tool, flashlight, phone etc.
Large Snack Pocket - This is located behind the Transporter Tail and measures 12" x 10". I'm able to fit four M4 30-round USGI magazines inside it, side by side.
Dual Side Accessory Pockets - On each side of the pack, with its opening a little more than halfway down, is a zippered accessory pocket. Each pocket measures about 9" wide x 9" tall and fits USGI 1-qt canteens (with the top sticking out). A medic shear retainer slot pocket is inside the right side pocket, and can be used for other small items. I discovered that these side pockets fit the butt stock of an M4 carbine perfectly. With a rifle carried this way, the side compression straps keep it secured, and the pack can be set down upright on its bottom. The rifle rides higher of course, but isn't in the way and the c.g. is closer to your back. The weight of the rifle is offset to the side, but can be compensated for if need be.
Dual Flashlight Caves - The P.S. has zippered flashlight caves instead of the velcro-closed pockets on the F.A.S.T. Alpha packs. The flashlight caves are behind the Dual Side Accessory pockets, and are the same size, only bottom opening. The P.S. comes with a TAD cable gear keeper which is a retractable stainless steel cable lanyard. It can be installed in the left or right flashlight cave D-ring (located at the top of the pocket). The flashlight caves can be opened, accessed and zipped closed while the pack is worn.

Transporter tail

Large Snack pocket with four M4 mags

Inside top Admin pocket

Flashlight cave

Medic shear retainer in side pocket

M4 butt in side pocket

Main Compartment and Hydration pocket - The P.S. has a cavernous main compartment, the size of the main dimensions of the pack. On the interior of the front flap is a large mesh zippered pocket, about 12" x 12" in size. There are two common loops at the top, on the back panel, for hanging an optional organizer. A key hanger is also found at the roof of the pack. A 420D liner separates the main compartment from the hydration pocket, which is accessed from the outside back of the pack. An L-zip runs from the right side of the pack to the top, which allows access to the full-sized hydration pocket and HDPE frame sheet pocket. Hangers at the top of the compartment are compatible with all hydration bladder systems. The hydration tube is routed through an opening in the 420D divider, and exits the top of the P.S. through a velcro-flapped port.

Frame Sheet - The HDPE pocket is against the wearer's back, so that a full hydration bladder bulges into the main compartment, not the wearer. The HDPE framesheet is removable. It should be noted that a framesheet provides shape, stability and support for the pack, and is not meant to be a substitute for a suspension system, so most of the weight of the pack is borne on the shoulders. That being said, I found that snugging up the waist belt around my hips (not my waist) did help offload some of the weight off my shoulders with a medium load of about 35 lbs. More than that, and the more of the weight was on my shoulders.
I also noticed that the HDPE sheet 'creaked' inside its pocket when I loaded the pack up and started moving. I discovered that the rubbing of the framesheet material against the liner fabric produced the creaking sound. I used some 200 grit sandpaper to lightly rough up both sides of the surface of the HDPE framesheet (just enough to get rid of the completely smooth surface) and the creak went away.

Main compartment

Hydration pocket

Frame sheet pocket

HDPE framesheet

The P.S. has more than a third more volume than the F.A.S.T. pack Alpha model, and it's more obvious when you compare them in person than in photos. Still, the P.S. has a relatively streamlined profile due to its wedge shape. Instead of riding high on the back like the Alpha, the P.S. is designed to ride a bit lower on the back, for a lower center of gravity.
Rather than a specialized lightweight civilian backpacking hiking pack, I see its role more suited to a hard-use assault-type or general use 3-day patrol pack like the large Eagle AIII or large Becker Patrol Packs which are of similar volume and without internal suspension systems (other than framesheets). Such packs are designed for use where the benefit of a suspension system may not be realized due to conflicts with equipment that often preclude the use of a hip belt (web gear, load bearing belt, body armor etc). Since much of the weight might fall on the shoulders, the extra width of the P.S's shoulder straps/pads to distribute the weight over a larger area is appreciated.
Examining the bomb-proof construction of the P.S., I think that there's little doubt that it can be loaded up beyond the comfort limit of a non-suspension pack. Like the F.A.S.T. Pack Alpha before it, the P.S. has some pretty unique and useful features with a lot of thought behind each of them.

The P.S. is shown below with the 10th Anniversary patch, and a couple of TAD accessory pouches; the BC8 battery case on the right side of the pack, the BC4 case on the left shoulder, and the iCOMM pouch (described below) on the left side of the pack.

With iComm pouch on side

With BC8 case on side

TAD Gear iCOMM Pouch - The iCOMM pouch is a 4.5" tall X 2.75" wide x 0.75" deep pouch for small electronics, like the iPhone, iPod, compact digital cameras and such. It also fits the BC8 Batuca battery cases as well. The box design lid totally encloses the contents, while the angled top flap allows wires to exit the pouch. It's constructed of 500D cordura and completely lined with smooth Oxford nylon fabric. The back panel is stiffened with HDPE. It can be mounted horizontally with the two velcro flaps, or vertically using the two stiffened tabs to TIB webbing. It'll also hang off a single row of MOLLE webbing. It fits my compact Sony digital camera like a glove.

iComm Pouch with compact digital camera

TAD Gear OP1 Pouch

10/25/07 - The OP1 Pouch from TAD Gear is a low profile organizer that can be mounted to the outside of a pack, molle rig, or as a stand-alone item shoved inside a pack. It's designed to hold and organize small items for secure and easy access in a relatively flat package. The OP1 pouch/shingle measures approximately 6.75" tall X 7.25" wide X 1" deep. Since it's fabric, it'll expand in the middle to accommodate thicker items than its 1" depth. The OP1 is constructed of 500D Cordura and lined with smooth 420D oxford nylon and available in Crye MultiCam (shown here), OD green, foliage green, black, khaki and coyote brown.

The OP1 has a flap on the front which covers three slot pockets. The ones on the side are 5" tall X 3" wide, and the middle one is 1" wide (for a pen). The slot pockets will fit phones, iPods, a compass etc. Behind the front slot pockets is a velcro-closed flat pocket 4" tall X 6.5" wide, which will store Power bars, snacks, etc.

On the back are two 2TAC molle-compatible straps (utilizes 3 rows and 4 columns of PALS) which are also compatible with TAD's 2TIBS webbing system (1" webbing on top of 2" webbing). No Malice clips are needed. The 2TAC straps secure at the ends with velcro and are very secure. There are also two D-rings at the top rear of the pouch, for dummy cording it, or attaching a length of webbing or 550 cord to use as a shoulder strap.

S&W M&P for scale

Front and back

Front slot pockets

Front flat pocket

To give you an idea of the size of the interior, two USGI 30-round magazines will fit inside, with room to spare on the sides. The dual zipper extends around the pouch on three sides, allowing it to be opened out flat. Against the back panel is a full-sized slot pocket, with heavy-duty elastic webbing keepers sewn on its front. The front panel has a zippered pocket (so the contents don't fall out if the panel is zipped completely open when the pouch is mounted vertically), and the same elastic webbing sewn to it. The elastic webbing keepers consist of 1" elastic sewn over 2" elastic, sewn down with various spaces to hold a variety of different items. As shown in the pics, they'll hold pistol mags, flashlights, pens, folding knives, mini-pry bars, tools etc.

When mounted to a pack or chest rig, it's necessary only to open up the zippers part way to access the contents as the pouch is flexible enough to open up. I didn't have any problems retrieving items from the pockets or elastic slots. Thrown inside a pocket of a pack, the OP1is just as convenient for keeping track of those small items if your pack doesn't have much compartmentalization.

2 USGI 30 rnd mags

Inside

Loaded up

Open part way

Mounted to P.S. pack

TAD Gear F.A.S.T Pack EDC

11/9/07 - The new F.A.S.T. Pack EDC from Triple Aught Design (TAD Gear) is the latest (as of this writing) evolution of their F.A.S.T. Alpha pack series. It's styled very much like the FAST Pack P.S. shown above, but with 1000 cu.in. less capacity. Green, black, Brookwood USMC coyote brown, khaki, and Crye MultiCam. The Brookwood USMC Coyote Brown is shown here. I found it to be a very attractive shade, with all colour-matched webbing and hardware.

FAST EDC

Coyote Brown EDC against Desert MARPAT

Overall design and features - If you've read the F.A.S.T. Pack P.S. (Patrol Size) write up above and get the impression you're reading it again in this EDC write up, it's because they share so many features in both design and manufacture. I'll keep shared features the same and mention the differences. Anyways, the EDC is a 1800 cu.in. day- sized pack, also small enough for EDC (Every Day Carry). Packed right, it'll also serve as an overnighter. The general specs are the same as the P.S. - MIL-SPEC materials are used throughout, including 1000D DuPont Cordura nylon with stain protector, high tensile strength composite nylon thread and nylon webbing, YKK nylon coil zippers and ITW Nexus Ghillietex hardware. Overall dimensions (stuffed, approx) are 20" in height, 14" in width (at the back, bottom) and 6.75" deep at the bottom. The EDC is slightly wedge shaped, narrowing to about 10" wide and 4.5" deep at the top. It weighs 4.5 lbs empty with the waist belt.

Body - The EDC is a front/panel opening pack with a two-way YKK coil zipper running over the top and halfway down each side. On the front of the pack near the top is a large 10" x 3" loop velcro patch. Right below that are two rows X 8 columns of PALS webbing. The top row is TAD's two inch base (TIB) webbing under the 1" webbing for non-MOLLE accessories that use 2" webbing for an attach point, like Tekloks. The front of the Transporter Tail has 5 rows X 6 columns of PALS, with the 2nd and 4th rows having the two inch base webbing underneath. The transporter tail is narrower than the P.S., and only the top 3 rows have a usable 6 columns. The lower two have 4 columns that are usable. The PALS fields on the sides are divided into upper and lower areas, and separated by the side pocket zipper. The top PALS area has three rows of PALS webbing. The top row has 2 columns and the bottom rows have 3 columns. The middle row has two inch base webbing underneath it. The lower PALS field (on the outside of the side pocket) has 3 rows X 4 columns of PALS, with the middle row having the two inch base webbing. There are 3 rows X 7 columns of PALS on the bottom of the pack for attaching additional MOLLE items.

On the top of the EDC is a newly designed reinforced drag/carry handle. The four side compression straps either connect to each other across the front of the pack, or to the transporter tail, when it is up. They have dual-adjust SR buckles and the straps can be adjusted on both male and female ends. There are two additional compression straps on the bottom of the pack, both for lashing other gear or to compress the bottom of the pack. At the top of the pack are two compression straps that are attached to the shoulder straps. Snugging them up pulls the top front of the pack towards the back. The bottom of the pack has two grommets for drainage. All adjustable pack straps have velcro 'Neat Wings' to keep the straps rolled up and tidy.

Shoulder straps - The EDC has Contour-FleX shoulder straps which use low profile, dense foam padding and strategically designed ergonomic contours for maximum load distribution without bulk. These modern mountaineering inspired shoulder straps replace other much bulkier style shoulder straps with better performance and comfort. I like the way they're contoured, but they have to be positioned at the correct height on the shoulders for the contours to match your body properly. Definitely an improvement over the previous versions and where the refinement of design shows.
Alpine Pack Grade closed-cell foam padding is used inside the shoulder pads and also on the back of the pack. 1" webbing on top of 1.5" webbing is sewn vertically at 2" intervals to the shoulder pads, for attachment of small accessory pockets. The shoulder pads also have elastic hydration tube guides and D-rings. The 3/4" wide sternum strap is removable and is elastic backed. The shoulder straps are quick-releasable via the ITW Ghillietex SR buckles at the bottom. The shoulder pads and back are fully lined with heavy duty Drilex.

Waist Belt - The contoured Waist/hip belt is removable (see P.S. Pack review for photos of the removed belt) and has two rows of PALS webbing around it. It can be used as a stand-alone pistol/load bearing belt. It's padded and fully lined with Drilex. Elastic loops on the 2" webbing strap help secure the loose ends. The belt is tightened by pulling the 2" webbing forward.

Front view

Side

Back view

Bottom

Waist Belt

Outside Pockets - The EDC has five external zippered pockets.
Top Admin Pocket - This is a large zippered pocket approximately 10" wide x 12" tall. It's bigger than you'd think - in the photo below, I've illustrated the extent of the admin pocket by the red shaded are. The zipper is right above the loop velcro field at the top front of the pack. Inside the pocket is an organizer with 4 pen slots, and 4 slot pockets for various small items like an iPod, multi tool, flashlight, phone etc. This is the pocket where I keep the most frequently-accessed items, as no buckles need to be unsnapped to access it.
Large Snack Pocket - This is located behind the Transporter Tail and measures 11.5" wide x 8.5" tall. I'm able to fit four M4 30-round USGI magazines inside it, side by side. I've shown it below with four Magpul PMAGs, which are a snugger fit than USGI mags. I should just start using 30 round mags as a unit of measure - "four mag units wide"...etc
Dual Side Accessory Pockets - On each side of the pack, with its opening a little more than halfway down, is a zippered accessory pocket. Each pocket measures about 8" wide x 8" tall. I'm able to fit "two mag units" in each one. Unlike the larger P.S., these side pockets won't fit the butt stock of an M4 carbine, so you can't carry it the way I illustrated for the P.S. I asked TAD the question - "why didn't you make the side pockets bigger so you could stick a nalgene bottle in them or something?" They answered that the side pockets are flat by design, so as to provide a more stable platform for MOLLE-attached pockets. If desired, the user can attach a nalgene pouch to the outside.
Right Side Flashlight Caves - The EDC has a single zippered flashlight cave on the right side. The flashlight cave is behind the Side Accessory pocket, and is the same size, only bottom opening. I was able to fit "two mag units" inside it. A D-ring inside at the top can be used for attaching a retractable stainless steel cable lanyard (available separately).The flashlight cave can be opened, accessed and zipped closed while the pack is worn.

Front top Admin pocket area

Organizer inside front top pocket

Bottom "snack" pocket and transporter tail

Side pocket with two mags

Flashlight cave with two mags

Main Compartment and Hydration pocket - The EDC's main compartment is the size of the main dimensions of the pack. On the interior of the front flap is a large mesh zippered pocket, about 11" wide x 12" tall in size. There are two small triglides at the top, on the back panel, for hanging an optional TAD Gear F.A.S.T. Admin panel. A key hanger is also found at the roof of the pack. A 420D liner separates the main compartment from the hydration pocket, which is accessed from the outside back of the pack. An L-zip runs from the right side of the pack to the top, which allows access to the full-sized hydration pocket and HDPE frame sheet pocket. Hangers at the top of the compartment are compatible with all hydration bladder systems. The hydration tube is routed through an opening in the 420D divider, and exits the top of the P.S. through a velcro-flapped port.

Hydration compartment

Frame sheet pocket

Frame sheet

Main compartment

Like the previous F.A.S.T. packs, the EDC has a relatively streamlined profile due to its wedge shape. Like the P.S., the EDC is designed to ride a bit lower on the back, for a lower center of gravity. The contours of the shoulder straps are conducive to this as well. It carries better than its predecessors, because of the added framesheet and refined shoulder straps. I'd estimate a maximum comfortable/practical weight of about 30 lbs for this pack. Structurally, it can certainly handle more (I put about 50 lbs in it just for kicks), but I'd go with a pack with a suspension if heavy loads are the intended use.

An important feature in an EDC pack to me is convenience/access to the contents as I'd usually access the contents more frequently than if I were on a hike. The TAD F.A.S.T. Pack EDC might seem to have more straps and buckles than necessary on an EDC pack, and some may not need the extra support or compression that they provide the pack. If that's the case, you don't have to use them. The top straps can be left unbuckled, as can the side compression straps, using the 'Neat Wings' to take up the loose end of the strap. The EDC will then be like other packs without compression straps and the insides can be accessed two seconds quicker. While all of us like convenience; it literally takes less than a second to unsnap an SR buckle - is it really an issue on a general use pack?

As for the transporter tail, I'm more likely to use it for a jacket or sweater than carrying a weapon for EDC. That being said, it's not a feature that I normally need during the course of the day. But, I'd rather it be there than not, for the rarer occasion I need it. I did, however, discover a trick to stow it out of the way, leaving the front snack pocket open for immediate access. I just rolled up the transporter tail, first 'clicking' together the opposite SR buckles on it. I then put each end of the roll through the dual webbing loops at the bottom of the pack, which keep the tail rolled up. I then tucked it under the bottom compression straps. With the transporter tail stowed, you can still use the side compression straps. They just connect in the center to each other instead of to the tail. Or you could just roll them up and not use them. In the photo below, I've rolled up the lower side compression straps and used the upper ones only.

Every Day Carry means different things to different people, depending on what your daily routine is. You might be a student using the EDC as a book bag, a bike messenger, a soldier using it as an assault pack, or someone carrying a change of clothes to the gym after work. Whether any pack suits someone's needs is up to that user to decide - which is why I present as much information and photos as I can, to help the potential user make an informed decision. The bottom line on the TAD F.A.S.T. Pack EDC is that like its bigger brother, the P.S., it's a well-made and designed pack with a lot of thought behind it.

Front view

Side

Back view

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