Thoughts on the 511 Rush 12

[Mercury]

I bought a 511 Rush 12 backpack some months back, and have carried it since.  I actually sold my Jumbo for this one so I had to use it. 

After at least 7 months of daily carry, I must say that I am quite thrilled with it.  It's no jumbo, and that's not a bad thing.  While I really love the whole Versipack line from Maxpedition, the Jumbo just doesn't cut the mustard for a true 8-12 hour pack.  It's a great daily user for someone who has an office or designated workspace, and I used to use mine for emergency diaper supplies, but I need to be able to carry a bit more. 

Nowadays I carry a stocking cap with me at all times to protect my bald head from the true winter cold here in Montana, along with a spare pair of gloves.  That alone would take up the main pouch of a jumbo.  I also like to have a few magazines in the main pouch of my Rush 12 just in case I break down while working and need to be entertained.  My smartphone usually fits the bill but half the time I am operating outside of cell phone range. 

I love the PAL's webbing on the sides of the Rush 12.  I have two leatherman Molle sheath's attached with the full bit kit + extender for my Wave in one, and my spare multi in the other.  Clipped to the webbing on the right side is my CRKT M16-01KZ and my ITP SA2 Eluma, two very necessary things to have easy access to.  I also have a few carabiners and pens clipped to the webbing too.  Not having to open the bag to get to all these items is great, but that feature is by far not exclusive to the Rush series or 511 for that matter.

There are two pouches on the top that are extremely useful and easy to get to.  The first is a soft "sunglasses" pouch located behind the main grab handle(which is strong enough to pull a truck with BTW).  I use this for my spare phone charger and earbuds.  The second is the front top pouch, which carries my medication and pens and such.  The reason these two are so important for me is the bag lays on it's back in my truck and I can get to my meds and stuff as I need without having to move the bag at all. 

The front admin pouch is loaded with pockets for pen storage and other things, and I find it easy to navigate by feel.  I have nailclippers and pens in there, along with my contact solution and glasses case, and I can't even feel them there.  I also keep a spare notebook in that pouch as well along with my firesteel and pocket widgey bar. 

The Main pouch is the cats meow, including a rear adjustable pocket and two mesh pockets on the front.  I keep my first aid supplies in the rear pocket and some paracord and other supplies in the mesh pockets.  That area is always changing.  The main cargo area is large enough to fit a full change of clothes, making this 12 hour bag a very useful emergency 24 hour bag.  I have used it on overnights that total two full working days and it did great.  I don't always do that because I have a ton of other stuff I like to take but it did work. 

The straps are so comfortable, you hardly notice them.  They are really padded well too.  There is a neck yoke that distributes the weight evenly so there is little fatigue.  The chest strap could be a bit lower IMO though, I find that it feels like it's choking me sometimes but that could be psychological. 

There is also a water bladder pouch big enough for 1.5 liters(I think?) with a hard plate insert.  This is a great hidden pouch, as the neck yoke hides it well, so I use that for valuables like my wallet if I plan to put that in the bag. 

The one true complaint I have about this bag is the lack of sufficient velcro on it for patches.  There is just not enough room.

Also, at first I was really bothered by the fact that the bottom is a single layer of Nylon with no added strength; I saw this as a weak spot so I did some paracord cobra knots on each of the four loops that are sewed in there and that seems to have done the trick.  Note there is also a drainage grommet in the bottom, forgot to mention that.
So there you have it, an incomplete, sometimes rambling, unintentional review/random collection of thoughts on the 511 Rush 12 back pack.

[Likeablefish]

I had the Rush 12 for about a minute before i decided to return it for the 24, the Rush series are all really well made and ive been very impressed with the organisational pouches inside and the overall design.

For me though the 12 just did not look big enough and being pretty tall it looked ridiculous on my back, the 24 seems to be the perfect size as apparently the 72 is ginormous!