# Maxpedition Neat Freak Review



## Sproles (Aug 21, 2006)

I received my Neat Freak earlier this week and spent some time Thursday night outfitting it. Overall it is a great bag...of course the construction is very well thought out and it is built like a TANK! The size (for me) is just right. Let me tell you the purpose of this bag for me, what I plan on carrying in it and then give you the layout inside.

I work in a corporate environment and carry a leathe briefcase in/out of the office everyday, but there are those things that I really want to have near me. Well, a backpack or similar would not really cut in that culture. I also have the evening/weekend outing wih the family when you never know what you will need or want to help take care of 2 young ones. SO - this is nice to carry the essentials of first aid, lights, multi-tools, wipes, kleenex, etc. So - this bag has fit that bill perfectly.* I have a bigger Maxpedition Pygmy Falcon for the all day outing to the zoo or small hike or etc, but this bag needed to be smaller than that. 

So far the bag seems to be very comfortable to carry and I love the handle on the top. That makes for a nice way to carry to/from the house when throwing over the shoulder is not needed. It also look very unassuming when carrying it alongside the briefcase by the handle. If i threw it over the should - it would be a little too tactical for me.

The other application that I will use this for are those weekend trips that you are going to see family or friends and you need one small place to carry the items you never travel without. No matter where I am going overnight, I carry the tool, the knife, the light, small first aidkit, iPod, iPaq, etc. So - I had no easy way of carrying all of those items without packing them in the suitcase (which was not accessible enough in my opinion.) SO - this bag will (once again) fir that bill nicely.

*Now - the contents:*
Leatherman Xti-charge
Leatherman Charge's extra bits
Inova TL3 light
Leatherman Squirt
Chris Reeve Small Classic Sebenza
Atwood Imp in kydex
various Sharpie markers
a 20' hank of 550 cord
County Comm 1x3x2 clear plastic cases (3) filled with:
-band aids, neosporin, etc
-lighter, cable ties
-Shout! wipes
A 7 day pill reminder filled with meds (you know that Sunday - Saturday pill boxes?)
20gig 4th Gen iPod
iPaq
Super Glue pen
WD40 pen
(going to add) Tide pen
and room to move around and find stuff.

The next thing to add (and will not be shown in the pics yet) is a custom kydex sheath for my:
Sebenza, TL3, Charge, Squirt, Fisher Space Pen and mini Bic lighter that DH is making for me - that will fit nicely inside the bag to keep everything there nice and neat and quickly mobile.

*So - overall I give the bag 2 thumbs up!*
I do NOT own a Spec Ops Pack Rat to compare, but if you are looking for a bag that could fit a similar "interim" calling, I think that you woul dbe pleased with the Maxpedition Neat Freak.

*I DO want to stress that I am missing a few of my current EDC items as they are being carefully laid in Kydex by DH (over at edcforums.com) in a monster sheath (more on that later.) They are:
-Leatherman XTi-Charge
-Leatherman Squirt
-Inova TL-3 light
-Small Classic Sebenza
-Fisher Telescoping Space Pen
-Mini bic lighter*

So, all that being said - here are the views and some descriptions:
*Main picture of the Neat Freak*





*Open - from the top*




*Contents - strewn all about*




*Some close ups of the small plastic cases*




*My "working man's EDC"*




*A close up of the "Levenger Folding pocket briefcase"*




*The backside of teh Neat Freak and it's various hook&loop features.*






Sproles


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## KDOG3 (Aug 22, 2006)

Thats' a pretty neat bag. Just like the SpecOps Pack Rat. I have the Fatboy along with the M1,M2,H1,RAT wallet and Baby Condor. I think I'm pretty well covered. But hey whats' one more?


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## frisco (Aug 22, 2006)

I've been using the NeatFreak for over a month now...... I love it !!!!

I also have to use the bag in professional situations. It's size and shape doesn't look so "Tactical" but it does look very cool without looking to "Man Bag"

I love the hoops in the front of the bag.... I use RipOffs cases with metal clips to attache to the hoops.

frisco


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## Splusmer (Aug 22, 2006)

Do you think you could put a magazine or full-sized note pad in one of the two "rear" pockets of the NF? I know the Maxpedition site lists the dimensionis of the "main" compartment as 9x11x3, so I suspect the answer is "no", but I thought I'd ask.

I'm intrigued by the picture on the Maxpedition site (http://www.maxpedition.com/product/organizer/0211_neatfreak/0211_04.jpg) that shows a NF attached to a Typhoon. I use a Falcon II (currently have a Proteus attached approximately where the NF is attached in this shot), and wonder how stable a Neatfreek would be--would it flop around a lot, or "pull" if loaded much (if I pack my Proteus it tends to unbalance my Falcon II). I also have a Typhoon that I often use when going on airplanes, and I wonder how easy it is to detach/reattach a Neatfreak (I can picture needing to take it off a Typhoon in order to get the Typhoon under a seat or in some overhead bins).

Thanks!


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## dg (Aug 22, 2006)

It looks a bit girlie to me.

And does that BMW really fit inside it?


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## Raven (Aug 22, 2006)

Now that's a man bag!


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## mike125 (Aug 23, 2006)

loops should be placed a little lower on the sides, kinda looks like a really hi speed purse. No offense to anyone, just my opinion.


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## Sproles (Aug 26, 2006)

The Bimmer IS a tight fit, but I told you it could hold a lot more than I had anticipated.


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## KDOG3 (Aug 26, 2006)

Hey sproles, got that custome Kydex holster you were talking about on EDCF?


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## GadgetTravel (Aug 26, 2006)

Sproles said:


> The Bimmer IS a tight fit, but I told you it could hold a lot more than I had anticipated.




No doubt, but what about the standard size 8.5x11 notepad as asked above


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## Sproles (May 10, 2007)

KDOG3 said:


> Hey sproles, got that custome Kydex holster you were talking about on EDCF?


I did and it is SWEET! Here's a pic - I love just grabbing that thing and running if I need to...






Inova T3
Leatherman Ti-Charge
Small Classic Sebenza
Fisher Telescoping Space Pen
Leatherman Squirt S

Sproles


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## Pokerstud (May 10, 2007)

Very nice review, very thorough. :thumbsup: By the way, did you get those business cards made at Levenger.com? They look like mine and that is a great place to top off your notebook, paper, pen, etc. executive looking stuff. :goodjob:


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## parnass (May 10, 2007)

Nice review of the Neat Freak. I have a Spec-Ops Pack-Rat, though I haven't used it much outside of the house yet:

http://www.specopsbrand.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductID=19#

The Pack-Rat resembles the Neat Freak but is smaller. The open top Pack-Rat and Neat Freak pockets look similar.

Do you find that smaller items (e.g., pens, pencils, pill boxes, etc.) sometimes fall out of the Neat Freak's internal pockets when the pack is jostled around on its side or turned upside down?

I haven't moved the Pack-Rat around enough to know whether this is a problem, but it is something I've wondered about since seeing both of them in the local army/navy store.


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## Sproles (May 10, 2007)

Pokerstud said:


> Very nice review, very thorough. :thumbsup: By the way, did you get those business cards made at Levenger.com? They look like mine and that is a great place to top off your notebook, paper, pen, etc. executive looking stuff. :goodjob:


I actually printed them myself on a good laser printer on good card stock. I have had them done 3 or 4 times now - one time by Levenger (VERY $$$) then twice by a local printer and then I ran this last lot on my own and you cannot tell.

Thanks for the compliments.
Sproles


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## BugOutGear_USA (May 10, 2007)

Just curious...how do you wear your Neat Freak? I wish it had a heftier strap like the monsoon so it wouldn't look so much like a purse...Other than that it is built very well


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## phosphor (May 15, 2007)

GREAT review Sproles ! I really like the layout of the "NeatFreak".....I just wish Maxpedition would offer the option of something with leather trim. Their entire line looks so tactical to me......perfect for that early morning 12 mile hike during basic training. Tough...I know they are tough, but 90% of my EDC needs are for around town....and if I want to walk around looking like I've just been outfitted by the military....well I would re-enlist...if I wasn't over the age of 60.  

Honestly, I'm not knocking anyone's choices...I know Maxpedition is wildly popular and nearly "bomb-proof".....I guess you could say my daily forays out of the house aren't so much "mission oriented" any more. These days I can get by without the "gov'ment issue" look. It would be nice if Maxpedition would make something with just a bit of a "urban flare"....but perhaps that would run counter to their philosophy and alienate their customer base....I dunno ?

However, I'm certain most of you would consider me an "odd duck"...I have never owned a cell phone...and probably never will. I still drive with both hands on the wheel !  

Best regards to all

- regards


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## Splusmer (May 15, 2007)

I'm a gadget geek myself, and love all the pockets and attachment points and so on, but I wouldn't mind some other colors--blue, deep green, even a yellow or two--to reduce the "tactical" look (although I wouldn't want to do away with MOLLE straps--love the options they give me!).


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## StuToffee (May 16, 2007)

Great review. LURVE thay Kydex rig by DH.
I use a Pack Rat as a sorta "drop-in" organizer in my Max Last Resort, it just doesnt feel right as a separate carry bag, but that Neat Freak looks like the Mutts Nuts.


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## bltkmt (Jul 31, 2008)

Great review! Thanks for the info.

I am looking at the Neatfreak vs the Pack-Rat...does the Pack-Rat have a top handle like the NF?


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## bullfrog (Aug 3, 2008)

Yep, the Pack Rat has a handle on top though not as detailed as the NF - the NF has a "grippy" covering on the handle where the PR is just nylon.

Another main difference to me between the two is that the NeatFreak comes with a decent shoulder strap where as the PackRat DOES NOT come with a strap at all...

I've come to love my Filson medium fieldbag for my EDC - rugged, classy and will last forever...

http://www.davidmorgan.com/product_info.php?products_id=651


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## Dr Jekell (Aug 3, 2008)

I brought my mother a SO Pack Rat

I got it to replace the purse that she could only carry "little things" in.

(a week after she brought the purse it broke & when she went to take it back for a refund the sales girl told her that she was carrying too much stuff in the bag and that it was only for "little things",which is funny as at the time she was carrying about 0.5kg worth of stuff in her bag)

So far she has had it for almost a year now and it holds all the "little things" and more.

From what I can see from the various pic's of the NF it looks to be the big brother to the PR.

If I was to chose between the two I would chose the NF as it has better features.


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## craigshipp (Mar 1, 2012)

Here's my Neatfreak fully loaded


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## eh4 (Mar 1, 2012)

Kershaw Leek is a very cool knife, I really like that design.
I've been carrying a CKRT M16-12 for about three years now, it replaced the composite handled version of the same that I had for a year before that and subsequently lost.

I got an old Osprey lumbar pack that serves the same purpose for me as your Neatfreak, less internal organizing pockets and a bit more volume. It came with a delrin structural arch which allowed the user to pull a set of straps and pull the arch into the lower back, basically a lumbar suspension system. 
I immediately overloaded the lumbar pack and defeated the flimsy delrin arch, replaced it with a 24" crosscut bucksaw blade wrapped in a little bit of lightly oiled strip of tee shirt covered in duct tape. 
I'd do it a little bit different if I were to do it over, I haven't pulled the saw blade out in over ten years, I have no idea if it's rusted or not, holds a 15-20 pound load just fine with shoulder strap.


edit, hey, could I borrow a 50? ;-)


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