I mentioned in my year end review that one of the most common questions I receive about packs is from people looking for ~$100 packs for GORUCK events. I looked around a lot and stumbled upon the Tactical Tailor Removable Operator Pack. This backpack retails for $115 on the Tactical Tailor site but is routinely sold on Amazon for around $86. With tax I paid $94 so you should have no issues finding it for under $100. This is a preview post (which means lots of pictures) and after I’ve had the chance to work out with it I’ll provide a follow-up review.
What might surprise you the most is that this pack is made right here in the USA. It’s actually made about 40 miles from ADR HQ in Tacoma, WA so maybe I’ll have to pay them a visit sometime.
Under the only logo on the pack is an opening into the pack. This opening is meant for electronics and, surprisingly, not for a hydration bladder. I’ll say that again… as far as I can tell there’s no way to get from the hydration pocket to this hole so it’s definitely, probably not meant for that.
To get to the hydration pocket you have to open up this Velcro pocket on the back which can be used to house the shoulder straps or a frame sheet.
Once you open the first pocket you can get to the second as shown in the above picture. This pocket is completely separate from the internal area so if your bladder breaks it won’t ruin your main area.
Here’s a picture of the shoulder straps put away which would be helpful if attaching it to another backpack or a plate carrier. The backpack straps cannot be removed completely but they can be unbuckled at the bottom.
The backpack comes with these extra connectors in the event that you want attach it to one of those other items.
Detaching the straps at the bottom is really easy and can be accomplished by undoing these buckles.
The top of the straps are attached by these plastic rings which means they can’t be removed. My first thought looking at them was I sure hope they’re strong enough for a GORUCK event… however, if they’re good enough for combat they’re probably good enough for GORUCK.
Although the pack does not come with a waist belt (it is an assault pack after all) it does come with a sternum strap. The quality on it looks good but we’ll see how it holds with serious weight in the pack.
Back to the front of the pack you can see the three rows of MOLLE webbing. These should be more than enough to attach any sort of admin pouch that you would want to. In addition, there’s the webbing which allows you to store a sweatshirt or other clothing item outside of the pack.
There’s a decent sized Velcro area on the pack so you can easily attach a few different patches.
The right side of the pack features three rows of webbing so that a GORUCK Side Pocket or similar item could easily be attached. I’m not sure what I’ll put there (if anything) but it’s definitely nice to have the option.
The left side of the pack features the same three rows of webbing and also includes access into the back pocket.
The side opening leads to a decent sized space to store any goods that you might need to get at quickly. There’s no built in organization or anything… it’s just a very open pouch.
Moving to the inside of the pack you’ll notice the orange material used instantly. It’s a little unnerving at first but after a few minutes it begins to make a little sense. With a headlight on I’m guessing that you could easily see everything in the pack as the light would bounce around the interior and illuminate everything.
The only internal organization comes from two small side pouches. My guess is that I’d stick a spare pair of gloves in one and maybe a dry bag with my food in the other.
I’m pretty excited to start training with this pack… it definitely feels like it’s built well and I really hope it’s a pack that I’ll be able to recommend. I bought mine off Amazon for $86 and I really hope it will be my go-to recommendation for the ~$100 market.
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Question: I have pretty much the same pack. I’m prepping for my first Light event. Where would be the best place to stash the 20lb plate? I was concerned about putting it the same pocket as the hydration bladder. I’m using a Titan plate, and I’m concerned the raised lettering on the plate might puncture the bladder. There isn’t a divider in my bag in the hydration bladder area, only a small pocket.
Putting the plate in the main area lends it to moving around quite a bit
When I ran this through an event I was using bricks. If you’re going with a Titan Fitness plate and are worried about the raised lettering I’d wrap some duct tape around it. That should seal off the abrasiveness of it. If that doesn’t seem good you could always toss it in a spare laptop sleeve. Now I’ve never tried this but I’m not sure why it wouldn’t work. With enough other gear in there the weight shouldn’t be shifting around too much on its own.
Can this connect with the tactical tailor modular operator pack?
Have you used this for a tough yet? If so would you recommend this pack over the Rucker?
I’ve used it for a Light and it held up very well. I still use it for some training but have not used it for a Tough… if I had both the Rucker and Tactical Tailor ROP sitting in front of me I would (and have on numerous occasions) grabbed the Rucker for an event.
Hope that helps!
Have you ever looked at the Urban Operator Pack from Tactical Tailor? I found it on Amazon for $91. Retails for 151.25 in black on their website.
It is bigger and maybe a little better for a challenge.
By the way your reviews are excellent.
Thanks Jerry! I’ve looked at it a little but haven’t picked one up yet. Amazon is a great place to pick up Tactical Tailor gear as it’s usually much cheaper than their website.
This has been my ruck for two Lights and one Challenge. You will not be disappointed! You are correct in noting the port is for electronics. I just run my drink tube out the top and through the webbing/hardware on the straps. If you have a spare Grim Lok, then I’d suggest attaching it down on the strap where the sternum also is attached. Works well to keep my Camelbak’s tube out of the way. I think you run a Source, so not sure if what I suggested is needed.
I’ve got a couple spare GRIMLOCs and Web Dominators on hand that I’ll probably have to use. Glad you hear you’ve used it for events and it has worked out! Did you use steel or bricks in it? It’s pretty dang full with 6 bricks but I bet I could still make it work for a Challenge… it’s definitely capable of a Light.
I used bricks. It is a bit of a tight fit. You do have to get creative, but I’ve made it work. The only trouble I could maybe see if you were to pack extra clothing for a cold weather event (extra socks and a mid layer with a drybag). It could be hard to do.
That is NOT the correct routing for the tube. The hydration port is on the flap that velcros together on the bladder pocket. Just route it to the side where there isn’t any velcro. Comes out perfectly. Its surprising how many people get this wrong.
The inside is also Orange for use as a High visibility panel if your in a rescue situation. That is easier to see on sand and rocky mountain areas for rescue than a mirror flash any day. Try it out and let me know how well that works for you. I have something from my military service that serves the same purpose, but because of its decent size, its something that I use for Offroad and 4×4 events.
The Orange high-visibility is great for that… however hopefully you never need to use it!
Nice review Brian. Looks like a slick pack. Does it have any kind of internal frame?
Thanks,
Colin
No internal frame in the pack but I’m looking into making one out of Kydex like some people have done for GORUCK packs. We’ll see how that works!