# REVIEW: Maxpedition JUMBO Fatboy Versapack



## Deanster (Oct 28, 2005)

Hi all:

It's been a while since I've reviewed anything from Maxpedition - I've been reviewing watches and rolling suitcases more lately. 

However, Maxpedition keeps on filling my mailbox with new products, and it's time to start digging in to review them. My EDC these days is the new Typhoon Gearslinger, but there have already been a couple threads on that, some good pictures, and discussion of it. 

Given the amount of antici..........pation for the Jumbo Fatboy, there hasn't been much detailed discussion since it showed up, so here's my detailed review, with most of the comparisons focused on the original Fatboy, as I imagine many people are considering moving up to the Jumbo. I'll be adding photos later tonight or in the morning. 

As always, my disclaimer is that I am a Maxpedition dealer, but I've been reviewing these bags well before that happened, and I plan to continue to do so, and do it from a user's perspective. 

OK, we all know the story of the very popular FatBoy versapack, perhaps the winner in the 'Man-Purse' universe, with pockets, straps, zippers, buckles galore, plenty of room for gadgets, widgets, and all the other stuff that clutters the pockets of the modern Man. I carried my FatBoy as an EDC for about 9 months, and only the need to cart around a 12" Laptop on a nearly full-time basis pushed me into a mixture of Falcon backpacks (too big), a Devildog versipack (too small), and now a Typhoon Gearslinger (just right, except for the left-handedness of the bag). I still love my FatBoy, and if I get back to a life with no laptop, it'll come out of retirement in a heartbeat. 

However, many many people found that the compact FatBoy didn't have room for much else besides what lived in their pockets, and perhaps a pair of gloves or something else small. Trying to fit a hat, gloves and earmuffs inside just didn't work, and even the smallest and thinnest of windbreakers overstuffed the main compartment of the Fatboy. Carrying water, drinks, or anything larger than a Coke can was pretty much a non-starter, and thus the chorus of requests for a 'supersized Fatboy' began. 

After a long and painful wait, Maxpedition is now shipping the Jumbo Fatboy, which is in many ways simply a FatBoy writ large - about 50% bigger. However, it's also a VERY different bag, and a VERY different user experience, at least in my point of view. 

The overall concept is the same as the FatBoy - a layered pouch built up on an asymmentrical 'backplane', with the wings of the backplane extending above and forward of the main pouch, both to stabilize the bag as it rides on your body, and to provide mounting points for pouches, sheaths or other gear. The Jumbo Fatboy is built around a goodly-sized main pouch, with smaller pockets on the front, back, both sides, and on the covering flap. 

Where the main pocket of the FatBoy was sized about right for three 12oz Coke cans (two upright, one horizontal), the main pocket of the Jumbo will hold five cans comfortably, and a six-pack without real difficulty. For those used to the petite FatBoy main compartment, it seems like a vast cave, with room for a couple 3.5" hard drives, a stack of CD's in jewel cases, a rolled-up Gore-tex shell, hat/gloves/scarf, a standard building brick or two, etc. 

Since someone always asks, you CAN fit a Spec-Ops Pack-Rat into the main compartment. It's about an inch taller than the main pocket, but it's well within the capacity of the tent and flap to cover and still close very comfortably. 

The Jumbo shares the one giant failing of the Fatboy - there's no functional way to carry paper. It's nowhere near the right size or shape for 8.5X11" paper. You can't carry paper flat at all. Just can't be done. The Fatboy wasn't even big enough for a sheet folded in half, but the Jumbo can be made home to a few sheets folded in half, and tucked into the back of the main compartment, or perhaps the large flat pocket along the back of the bag. However, neither of these is a secure, crush free location - even folded paper is likely to get crumpled, at least around the edges. 

My preferred workarounds involve rolling paper into a tube, and sticking in the main compartment of the FatBoy, or the water bottle pocket of the Jumbo - OK for magazines, still pretty hard on standard paper. 

The Jumbo has the same 'tent' closure featured on the Fatboy, and it's actually a better tool here - on the FatBoy, it creates a bit of a 'tunnel' into the bag, and it's always in the way, at least for me. On the Jumbo, the opening is enough larger that the tent is out of the way, and the closure is more critical, so it's a net positive. 

I'll note that on my Jumbo, the edges of the tent fabric are a bit poorly attached on the rear corners - looks like the thinner fabric may not be well-matched to the greater strains put on it in this use. We'll see how this holds up, but if the fabric separates further, this Jumbo will go back to Maxpedition. 

OK - enough about the main compartment - on to the pockets! 

The front of the Jumbo's main compartment has essentially the same pocket set-up as the FatBoy - a zippered compartment with a mesh divider inside, and an open-topped external pocket on the outside, with all of this covered by the main flap. I keep pens, my iPod, gum, cough drops, and other small sundries in the zipper compartment, and leave the external pocket open as a place to stuff random items during the day. 

As the main flap closes over the main compartment and the front pockets, it latches with a massive 2" buckle, up from the 1" Fatboy buckle. The large buckle and strap, which continues all the way to the bottom of the bag, do a great job of keeping the bag and flap stable and compact. 

The Flap has two pockets, one a flat zippered pocket built into the flap, and one a boxy zippered pocket on top of the flap, unique to the Jumbo. On the FatBoy, the flat zippered pocket was quite small, and just about big enough for a couple credit cards, or a few dollar bills, or perhaps a small tube of sunscreen or lip balm. On the Jumbo, it's big enough for my bifold leather wallet, with some room to spare. I don't like putting my wallet here, though, as it adds too much weight to the end of the flap, so it's hard to keep out of the way. 

The zippered pocket on top of the flap is just about perfect for my flat digital camera, or it could hold my 2.5" Firelite portable hard drive, or a first-aid kit. Once again, too much weight here makes the flap hard to manage. 

On the sides of the main compartment, there are two larger pockets. One is a zippered boxy pocket, with two smaller dividers inside. My giant, boxy LifeDrive PDA goes into this pocket, and a couple pens or other small items would fit as well. This is also a good place for boxier digital cameras, like a Canon S50.

On the other side, to the rear when carried, is one of the most unique features of the Jumbo, the fold-flat water bottle pocket. Taking a page from the CountyComm BOB/Maxpedition Nucleus bags, there's a solid fabric pocket closed with a clever adjustable paracord and velcro flap, which will hold the pocket flat when empty, or stabilize a drink bottle, radio or other item. A great addition, as the one thing I miss from the Nucleus is this feature. 

Finally, there's a large flat zippered pocket behind the main compartment. On the FatBoy, I carried my wallet here, and it was just about right. On the Jumbo, it's a vast expanse of space, which Maxpedition has enhanced by adding velcro strips to allow attachment of various items, including holsters. There's plenty of space for anything up to a full-size handgun, or a smallish book or notepad, though the interior of the pocket is bare nylon, which is quite abrasive - I wouldn't put anything that I didn't want scuffed up here. 

There's a wide variety of external attachment points for Sheaths, cell phone holders, etc. I've got an M2 waistpack on the forward point, and a Single sheath on top of the zippered box pocket on the flap for my L4. 

Wrapping it all up - Here's my one observation about the Jumbo - while the original was small, compact, and easy to manage, everything on the Jumbo is much bigger, and a little harder to live with, just because there's much more of it.

The flap is large, and a bit in the way, at least for me. The pockets are bigger, and once again for me, tend to gather stuff into slightly jumbled piles. The main compartment holds more, but I tend to stuff too much into it. There are more attachment points, but the bag is quite heavy once you've got all these things attached to them. 

Almost two years ago, I wrote "If you can't fit what you need into a FatBoy, you probably need a backpack.", and in some ways, that's true. The Jumbo is great, but in terms of size, cost, complexity and weight carried, it's right on the edge of backpack range. 

All that said, it's an outstanding Man Purse, and it's got enough pockets and versatility for just about anything you'd want to do. For my own personal use, I think if I'm going to carry something this much larger than the FatBoy, I'll probably choose something that will carry paper more comfortably. 

The Jumbo will probably become my 'Tourist' bag - my first choice when I'm going to be walking around for a day, and I need a bit more with me (water, windbreaker, first aid kit), but I don't want a backpack. 

For all those who wanted a larger Fatboy, the Jumbo delivers an outstanding product. 

I think those looking for a mid-sized 'Man Purse', it'll be a tough choice between the Jumbo, the similarly-sized but very different DevilDog, and the slightly larger Typhoon and Monsoon Gearslingers. Maxpedition now offers more products in this mid-size range than any other manufacturer I know of, and I think it's actually becoming harder for users to select - in all liklihood, one of these products is right for your needs, but matching up with the right one is tough - each one has very different pros and cons.


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## Splusmer (Oct 31, 2005)

Wow--thanks for another great review, Deanster!


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## John N (Nov 1, 2005)

Thanks for the review Dean. Here are some quick and dirty comments.

I also have carried a Fatboy for quite a number of months and despite liking it a lot, found it a tad too small.

Arrive Jumbo. I've carried mine since they started shipping (I pre-ordered).

First off, I was worried it would be too big. The size of Maxpedition gear always seems difficult to judge from pictures. However, I find the size quite acceptable in person.

I've outfitted my Jumbo with a Mega Rollypolly, a M2 pouch (M1 was too big) and a second, standard sized Rollypolly. 

I also have a modified "keyper" attached to the main strap to attach my dog lead (Ray Allen Flat Braid Latigo Waist Lead) if I need my hands free. This lead has a ring which you can clip the lead onto itself for easier carry, but it also works well to clip it to the keyper.

There isn't really a good place for the second Rollypolly and I have it attached to the main strap. I plan on riveting it to the main compartment above the pouch on the opposite side of the water bottle carrier when I get around to it. I really wonder why there is no attachment point there?!

What can I say? Well, first of all, I'm very happy. I find the Jumbo an improvement in almost every way.

First of all, I found the pouches on the Fatboy didn't meet my needs very well. 

The only thing I could find to fit in the one side (the sheath) was my Garmin eTrex GPS, and it was a TIGHT squeeze. 

The other side I kept my Rx sunglasses, but the pouch didn't fit a hard case so I was always worried I'd smash my glasses. 

I attached a Rollypolly which worked fine, but then the "cell" pouch only fit my cell and nothing else. 

This meant I had to stuff most everything in the main compartment with no organizer.

How does the Jumbo compare? 

Well, on one side you have the drink pouch. I didn't really know I wanted one, but it turns out I did!  It is very nice to be able to slip a drink in there and have it quickly accessible.

On the other there is a zippered pouch which is a reasonable size this time around and I can fit both my Yaesu VX-5R handheld radio and the GPS.

On top, there is an odd looking zippered pouch, but it turns out I can fit my hard glasses case in there.

Since the Jumbo doesn't provide a built in pouch on either end where the strap attaches, I can attach a pouch that will fit my cell plus a few things. I ended up using the M2 pouch because anything larger looked awkward. And truth be told, even the M2 looks a little awkward. But, it fits my phone, and on the inside I can stash an MP3 player, a few spare batteries for the player, a roll of asprin and the handsfree cord for my cell as well as the headphones for my MP3 player.

On the other side I afixed a Mega Rollypolly. This bad boy is fairly big, but it fits reasonably on that side and I figured you never know when you need to lug something a bit large.

I keep a FAK in the front pouch in a 1020 Pelican case. It just barely fit in the Fatboy, but there is a fair amount of space left over in the Jumbo. I stuffed a few extra items like some Spectra cord in there, but it probably isn't optimal use of the space.

The main compartment buckle has a lock on it and while it is kind of a cool idea, I find it gets in the way more than it helps. I actually think they should have put this on the strap instead where you are more likely to accidently unclip the buckle.

The main compartment is a fair amount larger than the Fatboy, and because the other compartments hold a lot of my junk better, I have quite a bit of free room (gasp!). I've been able to stash a small 9" pry bar in one of the inside pockets. It fits in upright, but lying on the diag, it isn't visible. You can fit a 21" ASP baton completely vertical and the top is just flush.

The main compartment still has the drawstring thingy which I hate and doesn't have places to clip stuff onto on the inside, and the flap doesn't provide good rain protection for the main compartment, but all of this is the same as the standard Fatboy.

The "rear" zippered compartment is big enough to fit a lightweight hat and gloves and stuff. I have a full sized Seattle Sombrero, helmet liner "hat", a pair of gloves and a foldable dust mask in mine. Not a great fit, but better than the Fatboy which was really tight. 

I don't carry papers in mine, but I can see how that would be a problem if you needed it.

I think this bag (like the Fatboy) is missing a handle. 

All in all, I'm diggin it. While it isn't perfect, it works much better for me than the Fatboy, which was pretty darn well to start with.

-john


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## Deanster (Nov 1, 2005)

Good thoughts, John, and I appreciate the input from someone who really needs the extra space. 

+1 on a handle - I've always thought that about the Fatboy, and it's doubly true about the Jumbo - there really needs to be a handle right above the long zipper for the rear compartment, so you can carry it easily and discretely.


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## fish (Jan 23, 2006)

How flexible is the fabric? I'm hoping its now like the leather tool belts? I ordered the Jumbo yesterday.


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## fish (Jan 23, 2006)

Deanster, where are the pictures?


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## fish (Jan 26, 2006)

Anyone???


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## John N (Feb 2, 2006)

The fabric is 1000 denier Cordura. It's a heavy duty fabric that is slightly rough on the outside. It has a coating on the inside to make it waterproof, but Maxpedition doesn't really design their packs to be waterproof (no flaps over zippers, etc). 

In terms of flexibility, I'm not sure how to describe it. It is not stiff like leather, but it isn't supple like cotton or Nylon.

The slightly rough exterior mellows over time, but I don't mind it, even new. 

It's a bit hard to describe - I think you'll have to see for yourself and let us know what you think.

-john


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## John N (Jul 31, 2006)

FWIW, I've made a few changes to my Jumbo configuration.

1) I've swapped out my Maxpedition Keyper for a black locking carabiner.
2) I've lined the main compartment with a Granite Gear Dry Sack, "medium". This way, you put your items in there and have enough of the sack sticking out that you can fold it over to make it spash resistaint, or roll and tie it to make it waterproof. I did have to cut the buckles from the ends that stick out because you can't use it as designed. I just roll and tie.
3) Put a Sleeve-Bot Bottle "Warmer" in the drink holder pocket (inside out) to help keep drinks cold.

I'm wishing for a way to strap things along side (in parallel with) the sunglasses holder on the top of the pack. Would be great for gloves, or dog leash, etc.

I've managed to unsnap the main strap buckle/snap while wading in a river. They really should have put some sort of lock on that buckle/snap...



JohnN said:


> There isn't really a good place for the second Rollypolly and I have it attached to the main strap. I plan on riveting it to the main compartment above the pouch on the opposite side of the water bottle carrier when I get around to it. I really wonder why there is no attachment point there?!



I was able to use a sewing awl and attach the second Rollypolly where I wanted it. It was a pain because there are several layers of 1000D Cordura, but in the end it worked out well.

I also looped some stainless Twisties through the attachment points on the sunglass pouch to provide a place to clip keys.

-john


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## John N (Jul 31, 2006)

fish said:


> Deanster, where are the pictures?



Here. Note this was before my latest changes.

-john


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## John N (Sep 15, 2006)

John N said:


> FWIW, I've made a few changes to my Jumbo configuration.



One more. I've drilled a hold through the strap buckle and installed a stainless steel bolt so the darned thing won't accidently release. 

This was the result of my Jumbo taking a swim. Twice. While I don't trust a quick release on the main carry strap anyway, temporary use of a pouch slipped over the main strap seems to make the buckle release very probable. 

-john


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## rifleman (Sep 16, 2006)

John N, Sir, I have been studying your Maxped bag and contents intently, Is this bag set up as a BOB ( Bug out Bag) ?


R


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## John N (Sep 16, 2006)

Rifleman,

It's more of an EDC, but with emergencies in mind. Take a look at this post on the Equipped forum to get an idea of the objectives. 

Since that post I've changed a lot, and have gone to a two part system with some stuff in the backpack, and some stuff in the Jumbo. 

I wrote a bit more about the Jumbo here.

Unfortunately, all these posts are out of date and I should probably knuckle down and try to do good, up to date, writeup of everything.

That said, I'm considering another change which is to switch to a Kifaru Marauder backpack with a E&E pack/pouch piggybacked. 

Right now I like my setup a lot, but having to carry both the pack and the Jumbo at the same time isn't optimal. It would be nice to be able to dock the two, and then detach the smaller unit for additional carry.

The Kifaru packs also have an internal frame which is unusual with military packs, and a big plus IMO.

-john


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## rifleman (Sep 17, 2006)

Fascinating articles and very well thought out, I carry a similar range of items but in a travel vest for every day use, all to often in cities I get scum trying to steal my bags.

Mobile phone, spare batts, 
Cold Steel Voyager XL Voyager ( BM Griptilian in cities)
DMT sharpener
Innova X 5 plus spare batts
Gerber Legend or Gerber 600 or Leatherman wave
Storm proof lighter
Mini first aid kit plus water puri tabs
Paracord
Ration bars
Chem light sticks
Sunglasses
Compass and map of AoO
Wallet with Victonox credit card tool and tool Logic card tool
Gloves
silk scarf or cotton scarf
fire lighting materials.

I also keep a bug out bag in the house and another in the van.
Respects and good kit choice its nice to see other enlightened people around.

Got to admit being an ex soldier I have an aversion to carrying stuff in packs because all to often I would have to dump it and run taking only my rifle and whats in my pockets, thats why I like vests so much.

Steve


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## John N (Sep 17, 2006)

Hi Steve,

I posted a response to your message in this thread so I wouldn't veer too far off topic in this one.

-john


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## John N (Dec 14, 2006)

Stupid question: What is the volume of the Jumbo in cubic inches?

Thanks,

-john


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## deranged_coder (Dec 14, 2006)

John N said:


> Stupid question: What is the volume of the Jumbo in cubic inches?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> -john



Well, if we take the dimensions posted on the Maxpedition website here:

Main compartment: 9" x 9" x 3" = 243 cu. inches
Frontal compartment: 7" x 6.5" x 1.5" = 68.25 cu. inches
Side A: 6" x 3.5" x 2" = 42 cu. inches
Side B: 7" x 3.5" diameter -> 7" x 1.75" ^ 2 x pi = 38.5 cu. inches (approx)
Top of lid pocket: 6.5" x 3" x 1" = 19.5 cu. inches

Total: 243 + 68.25 + 42 + 38.5 + 19.5 = 411.25 cu. inches (approx)

(I hope I got my math right; math was my most hated subject in school... )


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## John N (Dec 30, 2006)

John N said:


> fish said:
> 
> 
> > Deanster, where are the pictures?
> ...



Updated (mostly) to V5 

-john


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