Maxpedition Rollypolly Extreme Review: Why did I buy it???

[BigSal]

OK, I am new to this forum and I hope this is in the right place, but a few weeks ago I had a chance to test out the Maxpedition Rollypolly Extreme backpack. I purchased this pack a few months ago during Maxpeditions buy on get one free sale. Needless to say this bag which ended up costing me $38 was not what I was expecting. Having heard all the rave reviews on several sites, I assumed that Maxpedition made a quality product. As it turns out I received a piece of gear which was sewn rather poorly and actually coming apart in places (see pics below).
I would ask to exchange the product, but I honestly would not own another one of their poorly built bags.



As mentioned a few weeks ago I went down to the Reno/Tahoe area for some hiking and R&R. I decided to bust out the Maxpedition for a trip around the lake. The pack is small, roughly 500 cu inches. The configuration of the bag makes it great to store (it rolls up), however miserable to wear as a day pack for any amount of time. I was able to fit three bottles of water, a SAK, my swimtrunks and some towels in the main compartment and lower forward compartment.




The view around Lake Tahoe was kick a$$!


Upon returning to Reno I noticed the bags stitching began to come undone. Poor Taiwanese slave-labor is the likely culprit here. All my packs from here on out will be made in the USA.


For a size comparison, I have placed the bag next to a North Face Recon.



The best thing about the bag is that it does have a very strong strap that is held in place by some great double XX stitching. Below is a picture of the strap in a bathroom stall at Circus Circus casino. Also I have a picture of the strap in use at a small lake we hiked to at Donner Summit.


All in all, My advice is to buy anything other than Maxpedition, their work is inferior and I feel like a chump for drinking the kool aid and buying one. Never again. Stay with good brands like Kifaru, Mystery Ranch, Eagle Industries etc. Taiwanese craftsmanship should be avoided.

[TDW586]

Sorry you don't like your bag. All my Maxpedition pouches and bags are very well built, but it sucks that you don't like yours.

[BigSal]

Sorry you don't like your bag. All my Maxpedition pouches and bags are very well built, but it sucks that you don't like yours.

Yeah Im a bit put off by the experience. If Im spending Money on a bag, I don't want the stitching to be coming apart during my first outing. glad you like yours though.

[Chef]

Wow, someone who's more down on Maxpedition than I am!

I feel so not alone anymore.

[BigSal]

Wow, someone who's more down on Maxpedition than I am!

I feel so not alone anymore.

Sir you are obviously a man of class and distinction, might I ask why people are in love with this epic failure of a brand?

[liberty45]

I was actually looking at one of these for my GHB/Hiking bag. I have had good experience with Maxpedition. Customer service is excellent but there have been one or two items I purchased that was piss poor construction. But I factored that in to being an off day for the "sweatshop".

I contact Maxpedition and they exchanged it immediately. Great customer service. I would contact them, they will make it right again.

[BigSal]

I was actually looking at one of these for my GHB/Hiking bag. I have had good experience with Maxpedition. Customer service is excellent but there have been one or two items I purchased that was piss poor construction. But I factored that in to being an off day for the "sweatshop".

I contact Maxpedition and they exchanged it immediately. Great customer service. I would contact them, they will make it right again.

Thats good to know. If I had any intention of using the pack again, I might call them and exchange it. Sadly, I do not want to ever use this pack again as it puts tremendous strain on my back and is unsuited for human use. the product is a huge fail IMHO.

[badgerdog]

Look at the straps on that bag (though not as bad as the Rollypolly backpack), must be murder hauling a heavy load in that sucker.

[eazy]

If you don't like it and you are not going to use it again then go ahead and exchange it then sell the new one for a good price and make a little profit

[BigSal]

If you don't like it and you are not going to use it again then go ahead and exchange it then sell the new one for a good price and make a little profit

Thats a good suggestion, but my time is so valuable, that even typing this response has cost me thousands of dollars

[Icemancometh]

I'll take it off your hands. Just send it to me postage due and end your misery now. Seriously.

[eazy]

If you don't like it and you are not going to use it again then go ahead and exchange it then sell the new one for a good price and make a little profit

Thats a good suggestion, but my time is so valuable, that even typing this response has cost me thousands of dollars

I really hope you are kidding. But if not then just send it to me with the receipt and I will do it for you.

[liberty45]

Just toss it on the Trade Thread and it will sell. A lot of people can't afford the good stuff (ie: Kifaru, etc).

Comparing Maxpedition to Kifaru is like comparing a Pinto to a Ferrari. There is no comparison!

[Spoils]

I have a Maxpedition Monsoon that is built like a tank...my only Maxpedition experience though.

[BigSal]

I'll take it off your hands. Just send it to me postage due and end your misery now. Seriously.

PM sent!

[Icemancometh]

I'll take it off your hands. Just send it to me postage due and end your misery now. Seriously.

PM sent!

haven't gotten anything yet.

[Necrodamus]

I would like to say comparing a rollypolly to a full size/full service pack is unfair.
The MAX RP is designed as an emergency use pack. Why else would it be designed to roll down to such a small size? I like most MaxPed stuff but not all. My loyalty is to my wallet. I dont mind paying for quality gear but I dont like buying just a name either.

Either way sounds like you have a "Monday" production item. (the workers were still hung over)
Try another MaxPed item but get something tough like a Versa Pack.

[Kabong30]

this epic failure of a brand?

They're hardly an "epic failure". My opinion is somewhat biased as I am a happy owner of several of their products. I have a Jumbo that has an FR-1 FAK, and a RAT wallet attached. All nearly bulletproof and all perfect for what they do.
I also have a Condor II backpack that is as bulletproof as the other items and is part of my BOB solution.

I have no doubt that you got a bad item, and I'm sorry that it has soured your opinion of the brand, but I will say that some of my favorite companies to deal with are the ones that I initially got a bad item from and was then bowled over by the lengths to which they went to rectify the issue.

As an example I bought an Otterbox Defender for my 1st gen iPhone, and the holster broke. It wasn't even their fault, I broke it, and they immediately shipped out a new holster at no cost, no questions asked. Then when the screen protector started pulling away from the inside of the case, I dropped them a note and they had a whole new case shipped to me in 2 days again no cost, no questions asked. For those reasons, I use their products whenever possible because I know that while all companies' products have issues from time to time, these folks will make it right. Give Maxpedition the same opportunity and you might be surprised at the outcome.

[BigSal]

Thanks for all the useful (and non-useful) posts guys! I may give Maxpedition another try, as Ive been toying with the idea of doing a "bug-out-wallet" and they make some nice looking wallets, with enough space to make my vision a reality.

This Zombie related forum kicks A$$ by the way, I really like many of the posts.

As for the durability and craftsmanship of the Maxpedition I would rank it above some of the Condor and Voodoo Tactical (airsoft gear), but right below the Diplomat (LAPG gear) in terms of quality.... In other words, they produce products at the lower end of the spectrum. I would probably be a bit harsher if I wasn't on a forum with so many fanboys like yourselves. No offense. Also, I hate you guys.

[BobtheBreaker]

Thanks for all the useful (and non-useful) posts guys! I may give Maxpedition another try, as Ive been toying with the idea of doing a "bug-out-wallet" and they make some nice looking wallets, with enough space to make my vision a reality.

This Zombie related forum kicks A$$ by the way, I really like many of the posts.

As for the durability and craftsmanship of the Maxpedition I would rank it above some of the Condor and Voodoo Tactical (airsoft gear), but right below the Diplomat (LAPG gear) in terms of quality.... In other words, they produce products at the lower end of the spectrum. I would probably be a bit harsher if I wasn't on a forum with so many fanboys like yourselves. No offense. Also, I hate you guys.

Im going to quote this so your poor grasp of Branding can be immortalized Forever.

Diplomat Gear products are Condor Outdoor Products. All Condor Outdoor Products does is knock off Maxpedition, Eagle, Camelbak and possibly Blackhawk!

And even to that effect, im willing to bet that Condor and Voodoo Tactical dont actually make anything, theyre just different distributors for the same Chinese Manufacturer...who makes all the shit you see by UTG, Tru-Spec and about 2 dozen other "brands" of tactical gear.

[BigSal]

Thanks for all the useful (and non-useful) posts guys! I may give Maxpedition another try, as Ive been toying with the idea of doing a "bug-out-wallet" and they make some nice looking wallets, with enough space to make my vision a reality.

This Zombie related forum kicks A$$ by the way, I really like many of the posts.

As for the durability and craftsmanship of the Maxpedition I would rank it above some of the Condor and Voodoo Tactical (airsoft gear), but right below the Diplomat (LAPG gear) in terms of quality.... In other words, they produce products at the lower end of the spectrum. I would probably be a bit harsher if I wasn't on a forum with so many fanboys like yourselves. No offense. Also, I hate you guys.

Im going to quote this so your poor grasp of Branding can be immortalized Forever.

Diplomat Gear products are Condor Outdoor Products. All Condor Outdoor Products does is knock off Maxpedition, Eagle, Camelbak and possibly Blackhawk!

And even to that effect, im willing to bet that Condor and Voodoo Tactical dont actually make anything, theyre just different distributors for the same Chinese Manufacturer...who makes all the shit you see by UTG, Tru-Spec and about 2 dozen other "brands" of tactical gear.

Awesome, thanks for helping me with my grasp of branding! I suppose the difference between the airsoft crap and the Maxpedition crap is the factories are In Taiwan vs China. Anyway I just posted a review of the afore mentioned Diplomat Chinese bag, which I found to be great. So I will not retract my statement.
Cheers!

[JollyRoger762]

The Maxped gear I have is pretty good. Only real things I've noticed was uneven stitching on the PALS loops and such.

To be honest, I never really noticed it until I started buying Kifaru shit. I wish Kifaru made pouches and such like Maxped does.

[BigSal]

The Maxped gear I have is pretty good. Only real things I've noticed was uneven stitching on the PALS loops and such.

To be honest, I never really noticed it until I started buying Kifaru shit. I wish Kifaru made pouches and such like Maxped does.

Have you considered the OSOE or TT pouches, they seem really well built? I mean, you know better then I do, but theres lots of better alternatives to the maxped crud in terms of the small external pouch segment.

[Kabong30]

The Maxped gear I have is pretty good. Only real things I've noticed was uneven stitching on the PALS loops and such.

To be honest, I never really noticed it until I started buying Kifaru shit. I wish Kifaru made pouches and such like Maxped does.

Have you considered the OSOE or TT pouches, they seem really well built? I mean, you know better then I do, but theres lots of better alternatives to the maxped crud in terms of the small external pouch segment.

It's annoying me greatly that you feel the need to call Maxpedition "crud" after one item that you won't even bother to exchange to see if it's a fluke. There's plenty of Maxped haters out there so I guess one more doesn't matter, but I really think you're selling these guys short. They seem like decent folks, they respond to feedback pretty well and they change their designs to answer that feedback when it's feasible. Certainly there are alternatives to Maxpedition, but you talk about "drinking the Kool-aid" hey, Kool-aid is good! And then you've basically recommended Flavor-ade instead! (to use your analogy).

Look at it this way, Ford made the GT40, it was a bad ass race car. Ford also made the Pinto. Chevy made the Corvette...and the Chevette. Basing your entire opinion off of 1 crappy backpack is a little silly.