This sucker is BIG in comparison to its earlier Versipack siblings in the Maxpedition product lineup. They've taken the Versipack concept first started with the Fatboy and Jumbo lines and moved it beyond the tactical and outdoor uses that the earlier designs were best suited for and created the Mongo that I ironically think works better for more common everyday carry bag uses than for backcountry purposes.
Most of the pieces that made the Maxpedition Jumbo Versipack such an excellent messenger/CCW bag are present and accounted for with the Mongo, but in greater size and in some cases, with notable improvements. Moreover, there have been some additions that have greatly enhanced on the earlier designs and allow Maxpedition to market this design as truly a legit all-purpose carryall. Whereas the Jumbo would be hard pressed to be able to handle any computing device larger than a Texas Instruments TI-89 calculator, the Mongo can easily swallow a netbook or iPad, and can even handle a smaller-form laptop with room to spare. Dimensionally the one direction that the Mongo clearly gains from that of the Jumbo is in its length; eyeballing the bag, it's probably 33% longer than the older design. The Mongo is taller also, gaining about an inch and a half or so in height. And overall thickness has increased as well, perhaps by as much as two inches, though don't hold me or my eyeballs to that; it really does seem to depend upon how the bag is geared up.
The Mongo I received reverts back to the heavier nylon fabric used on earlier Jumbo Versipacks rather than the thinner more pliable fabric that some of later Jumbos were manufactured with. The fabric is treated with Teflon, which should add even more durability and lifespan. The construction quality is as good as it's ever been, with apparent stout stitching and heavy webbing. I say 'apparent' because I've only had my Mongo for a few days and so far don't really have enough real world use (and wear) to form a concrete opinion with. But given the perceived quality of the various parts and bits, I'd say that its a safe bet to say that the Mongo will be just as durable as any prior Versipack product. As with other Maxped products all zipper pulls are made up of durable, silent paracord.
The Mongo greatly expands the size of the Jumbo's various compartments to form the basis of the new design. Starting from what is probably considered the most important compartment, the CCW pocket is greatly enlarged from the Jumbo and is now roomy enough that it should easily handle any full-sized sidearm. Access is via a double-pull zipper, and the resultant improvement in functionality can't be understated. Now you can set up the pulls so that you can use both hands to draw a gun in an emergency, whereas you couldn't do that with the Jumbo's single pull CCW compartment unless you carried the bag reverse-handed. In terms of room, my Smith & Wesson M&P 9 Pro fits comfortably within its confines, even with its pistol scope mounted over its slide. In fact the compartment is now big enough that I can actually carry two pistols in tandem, particularly handy when using the Mongo as a range bag. Another big improvement in this compartment is with the more generous use of loop lining on both sides of the pocket to better accommodate Maxped's lineup of hook-equipped accessories, such as their universal holster and spare magazine holder.
On the exterior, the compartment adjacent to the CCW pocket is the classic Jumbo zippered top storage bin, only now almost twice the capacity of the original and with double pull access. Inside elastic webbing is provided on one side to keep miscellaneous stuff such as small tools like hex wrenches or supplies in place. On the opposite side is a zippered mesh pouch that provides for a separated storage capability. On the outside Maxpedition provides a generously large loop field so that additional items can be 'velcroed' to this pouch on top. Beyond this pouch and down the Mongo's main compartment's protective flap is another strip of loop material to velcro items to, and just underneath that is another zippered pouch, configured similarly to that of the Jumbo but again much larger. This compartment works well for flat objects or paperwork, such as travel documents or perhaps maps and charts.
Underneath the main protective flap are other additions as well as carryovers from the Jumbo. Next to the CCW pocket is the main storage compartment, now sized such that it that can be used for larger flat objects such as the previously mentioned netbook computer, smaller laptop or tablet device like the iPad that the Jumbo never had a hope of carrying. For other uses it can handle a digital SLR camera, although it would be best if the lens was detached during storage. The main compartment in the Mongo width-wise surprisingly at first glance doesn't seem that much thicker than it is in the Jumbo despite the overall increase in the bag's thickness. But looks can be deceiving, since the compartment can swallow all sorts of larger gear like full-sized binoculars, and still provide enough room for other necessary items for use on a day hike. Try doing that with the Jumbo. The increase in size now means that the Mongo can even serve as a legitimate range bag, since there's now adequate space for accommodating eye gear and over-ears hearing protection as well as room for extra ammunition and other accessories like cleaning gear, something that the smaller Jumbo would be hard pressed if not impossible to handle. Like on the Jumbo a side pocket is retained within the main compartment, and for sealing things up the main compartment is closed by paracord sewn into a soft nylon fabric top rim with a locking slider cinch made of plastic.
Next over is a new zippered pouch that didn't exist on the Jumbo. It's best suited for flatter items much like the one built into the protective flap of the bag, but there's a bit more depth to the width of this pocket so someone isn't limited to just using it for carrying flat items. It does seem to be a good spot for more valuable documents that you might not want quite so exposed as they might be when using the pouch on the protective flap. Or for one of these...and within its own case (works and fits great). Beyond that is an open pocket for additional flat or minimal width items; one side of which is lined with more Velcro-type loop material for secure fastening. This could be an ideal location for storing hand tools for quick access, if one doesn't mind adhering a bit of sticky-back hook strips to them. On the outside of this pocket, Maxped sews on a strip of 3/4" webbing, presumably to allow for additional items to be hooked on and still have some protection from the elements since they'd be somewhat covered by the bag's main flap. The main flap itself is fastened in place by a generously sized plastic slide buckle much like it is on the Jumbo.
Underneath the Mongo's main compartment--and the bag's underbelly, as it were--is sewn on another length of 3/4" webbing. You could hang additional items like a tripod, telescoping rifle legs or an added gear bag to it or just use it as a gatherer for a tightly folded tarp or other sheetlike material. To the front of the main body of the Mongo is a slit pocket and double pull zippered storage pouch just like the configuration on the Jumbo, only larger...personally my favorite spot to park my preferred flashlight. PALS/Molle webbing is sewn onto the exterior ballistic nylon of the pouch. To the rear of the main body is the water pouch, just like the one on the Jumbo. To the side of that is vertical slit pocket, to be used as storage for the buckled waist 'belt' if the bag's owner decides not to use the strap.
On the shoulder strap is another addition (and deletion); at the front leg of the strap Maxpedition has deleted the PALS webbing of the Jumbo and added a padded, elastic-sided pouch as a stow point for portable electronics, such as an MP3 player or cellphone. My Zune HD fits perfectly, and I suspect that more than one of the iPhone designs will do just as well. Even my rather thick and porky T-Mobile G1 in its rubberized snap-on case fits. A sewn on buckle on webbing can be used to keep such valuables firmly in place. The rest of the shoulder strap is pretty much standard Versipack fare; the comfortable, adjustable position shoulder strap along with PALS/Molle webbing on the slip pocket of the rear strap anchor point with the rather silly and unnecessary (in my mind) HK-style snap hook all carry over from the Jumbo.
Nitpicks: one deletion from the Jumbo that I will miss is the carry handle that was sewn on between the shoulder strap anchor points on later Jumbo Versipak variations. It was only a 3/4" wide strip of webbing, but it WAS a nice feature that came in handy (no pun intended) for carrying the bag by hand, as opposed to doing it via the shoulder strap. Also the zippered pouch at the front of the Mongo suffers in usability from the stiff ballistic nylon in place. The double zipper pulls--especially the one closest to my person--are a BEAR to operate when the pouch is even partially empty, simply because the hard fabric creases and folds into itself rather than keeping the pouch's full shape and this adversely impacts the zipper's ability to run the pulls smoothly.
Flaws: THE one key design flaw I see with the Mongo is the design of the bottom of the main compartment; there's really not enough padding to provide adequate protection for sensitive equipment and gear; set this bag down carelessly on a hard floor or surface and an instant grimace will come to your face at the loud THUNK that just occurred. Considering the size gains that the Mongo brings to the table that makes this Versipack work for many other uses beyond just concealed carry, this seems like a major oversight on Maxpedition's part. It's certainly NOT good if your planning on using the Mongo for carrying around electronics. For me I've used a stopgap layer of foam padding to provide better cushioning and protection for my netbook or laptop, as well as for my camera gear when and if I decide to use the Mongo for that purpose. Even if you decide to use the Mongo just as a gun tote, you'd probably benefit from having added padding on the floor of that main storage compartment to keep your gear from banging around. Initially all I had on hand was some leftover 2" thick upholstery foam, which when inserted pretty much negates any height gains of the Mongo over the Jumbo. It'll do for the short term, but a trip to the upholstery store is needed to find some thinner material to recapture some of that lost clearance.
The other gripe I have about the Mongo is with its price; at the time of this review it's over 50% more to step up to the Mongo from the usual RETAIL price of the Jumbo Versipack. And considering that older-style Jumbos have been discounted of late, particularly online (there are new versions of the Jumbo line coming, if not already on the market now), the price of entry really seems awfully steep. I bought a black Mongo anyways, simply because I like the Versipack concept as a whole and I really did want the ability to carry a laptop in one. But it was still a purchase that I didn't do lightly, and as other nylon colors become more widely available I seriously doubt that an OD Green version will go into my inventory of gear bags (like I did with the Jumbo).
From a functional standpoint it's a bag that I heartily recommend, even though it's lacking in a couple of areas. The greater capacity opens up the Mongo to a multitude of uses that the smaller Jumbo and Fatboy just couldn't handle. All that being said, you'll have to decide if the price premium is worth the value it gives. I can say (a guarded) yes for myself, but I certainly wouldn't be bold enough to declare the same for anyone else.
(UPDATE: I've noticed that there's at least one retailer here on Amazon who's dropped the price of the Mongo, to the point that makes it much more palatable on the wallet...and me a bit angry--as usual--at having been an early adopter.)
Let me start out by saying that this is a really great bag, best bag that I have found so far in its size class. I would like to see maxpedition make a couple of mods to the bag that could make it even better; maybe they will take my advice, maybe they won't.
First thing that I would tell people that is not apparent from the picture is that the pocket on the front of the flap extends all the way up to where the flap starts which while it seems would give you more space, means that every time that you pull the flap up to access the underside compartments all of the stuff in that pocket falls to the bottom. Then when you go to close the pocket you kinda have to shake everything back into position to spread it out so you can close the bag. It would work much better if the pocket was divided about an inch above the zipper allowing for small flat items (charging cables, pack of gum, etc.) to be stored in the thin part of the flap, and then have another zipper access on the other side of the top pocket to get to the rest of the compartment where thicker items can be stored.
This leads to the next gripe that I have, I wish that the large closure strap for the main flap could be about an inch or two longer. My pack has room for more storage in the pockets but the limiting factor has been the length of the strap that holds the flap down. You can always shorten it using the provided pull ring, but stretching a nylon strap has proven to be a futile task :)
Also, I wish that this bag had provisions for a detachable handle! One of the very first things that I did to my bag when I got it was go on a 5 day road trip through several airports and lots of miles in a rental car... and what I learned from that was that a soft briefcase style handle can be a very useful option when getting through an airport. When I got back from my trip, I made another trip down to the craft store and bought a grommet tool. I found that there was enough height on the nylon fabric area between the two straps to locate a couple of grommets about 5-6" apart. Then I got some little small carabiners and wove a soft handle from paracord that can be detached when not needed and stored in the flap compartment. This is great when running through an airport and having to sling bags into an overhead, etc.
Also I put a grommet on both of the attachment points where the strap is sewn to the bag to allow be to attach a cheap 250lb biner so I can merge the bag with my pelican laptop case that had its own shoulder strap attachment points. The pelican strap sucked and hurt my shoulder, but the maxpedition strap is wider and better padded with the sliding pad than most straps of this type; the biners allow lots of flexibility in joining to another bag, and the TSA counts it as one bag since its all attached as one piece. More free carry-on space for me...
Couple of other small tidbits: The "cellphone" pocket fits a full size 6th Gen IPod wonderfully, so it should fit an IPhone just fine if that's your speed. Also, the pocket in the back strap actually opens into the back pocket (which I'm not to keyed up on) because the item I like to keep in there loves to fall into that pocket when I'm carrying the bag, so I may sew up the bottom of that pocket, or install a snap in the bottom. Also, their is a wonderful secret pocket on the back for a small umbrella (or a defensive baton if that's more your speed) but unfortunately it also eats up space in the rear compartment (which is where I store my kindle e-reader and my notebook...neither of which I want to get wet so I never really use that pocket. I wish it had a nylon sleeve for that pocket that would keep that pocket physically separated within the back compartment, because while their is plenty of space in the back, I don't like the idea of blindly ramming an umbrella or baton down in that area without making sure its not going to smash my e-reader or wet down my journal.
Also, while the back compartment will accommodate letter size documents in a manilla envelope or standard folder the opening is not wide enough for them to easily be taken in and out. You have to kinda flex them a bit to get them through the opening then they flatten back out in the pocket. Probably not a briefcase replacement if you have to carry around a lot of documents. They do make a maxpedition briefcase if that is what you want.
One other idea I have but have not implemented yet, is to attach either a soft nylon tube or a pair of sew-on Velcro straps on the bottom for my small umbrella so if its wet it won't get my stuff wet.(Are you listening maxpedition?)
Hope to see some of my ideas on Rev2 of this bag :)
Overall I love it, I just like to customize my stuff and try to better everything for my purposes. I hope to have a YouTube review up soon and when I do, I'll come and link to it here.
RMG
Buy Maxpedition Mongo Versipack Now
Great bag! If you know Maxpedition products, this is more of the same. SOLID. Functional. Well considered. Pricey, but you truly do get what you pay for. The first review posted went into quite a bit of detail, so I won't re-iterate (except to agree a grab handle would have been nice). I would add two thoughts: 1) I've longed for a more carry-able version of the Jumbo/Fatboy to carry to and from a work setting. This bag fills that niche. It LOOKS like a messenger bag and is big enough to carry a legal pad or three-ring binder. Even with this main compartment filled, the bag still has a ton of EDC potential. 2) If you focus on JUST the long top pocket on the bag. There is an elastic strap across one side of that compartment-I use the slots in the elastic to hold down a small flashlight, knife, multi-tool, lighter, whistle. On the other side of the compartment is a zippered mesh pocket -perfect for Handi-wipes and a small first-aid kit. This, of course, leaves space for free floating gear in between the elastic straps and the mesh pocket. This is just one pocket -and there are TONS more -but it illustrates the type of organizational design that makes Maxpedition bags so super-functional. Strong recommend.
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I own two of these Mongo bags (one "regular" and the other a left-hand "S-Type") in addition to also owning a smaller Jumbo Versipack. I won't get into the details of what makes this a great "man-purse" go bag (many reviewers here have already covered that aspect) but I wanted to point out the following for those interested in buying this product:
WHAT ARE YOU USING IT FOR?
If you're wanting to pack about as much stuff (especially volume-wise) as a standard college backpack, this is probably NOT the bag for you for two primary reasons: 1) It can't hold a bunch of stuff volume-wise compared to a normal backpack and 2) Even if you are carrying low-volume but heavy items, you will dislike carrying that much weight imbalanced on one side of your body. For these two reasons, you might want to stick with a backpack (which carries more volume and handles weight much better than any Maxpedition Versipack-series bag such as the Mongo).
What this bag excels at is a short-haul, low-to-mid volume, low-to-mid weight scenario. For example, it makes an outstanding 1-2 person range bag (for handguns). It can easily pack (8) 50-round 9mm/.40 S&W ammo containers and two pairs of hearing protection muffs in the main compartment as well as side and external pockets for additional items (such as: earplugs, iPod Shuffle MP3 player, (2) 16.9 oz regular water bottles, multi-tool, handgun toolkit, lighter, various sized-sticker targets, Uplula magazine loader, etc.). It can also hold up to (4) Maxpedition dual-magazine holders for a total of (8) spare double-stack magazines using the given hook-and-loop padding in two of the many pockets (both accessible upon releasing the main buckle strap). Furthermore, the CCW compartment (located in the rear of the bag, closest to your hip) can accommodate a full-size pistol (particularly useful with the Maxpedition CCW universal holster, sold separately) and yet another Maxpedition dual-mag holder (5th one). In fact, you could probably place two full-size pistols in the CCW compartment (if you forego taking any spare mags in the CCW compartment). Obviously, this would be very heavy but I've done this on several occasions and prefer this bag than either a conventional, boxy range bag (very unwieldy in comparison) or a backpack (very impractical to access ammo, spare mags, etc. in comparison). I consider the Maxpedition Mongo the ultimate 1-2 person handgun range bag and because it's built like a tank, I'm fairly sure it'll last quite a long, long time.
What this bag also excels at is a quick-go bag when I'm carrying low-volume, low-to-mid weight items (like a 15" laptop, iPad, single textbook or a couple of notebooks---not all at once, just to be clear) on short-haul trips (e.g. to a friend's house or running errands in my car). Anything more and I'd much rather carry a backpack. Also, it really sucks as a gym bag because while it's much larger than either a Fatboy or Jumbo, it still isn't large enough to easily pack away a full set of spare clothes (shorts, belt, T-shirt, underwear, socks and a HAND towel---not a BODY towel...no way would that fit in this bag with anything else). It CAN carry all of that but you are literally cramming everything inside very tightly to the point that the main buckle will barely close. And if you expect to fish around for those items in a specific order (e.g. looking for your underwear first), forget about it. You'll have to pretty much dump everything out first. Again, a backpack is still superior for use as a gym bag than the Mongo.
Also, under no circumstances is this a hiking or backpacking bag. Unless you're strictly carrying pillows (or anything else super-light), the Mongo serves this purpose very poorly (mainly because it's weight is all on one side of your hips). I've seen some Youtube videos of guys carrying this in the wilderness and it's laughable at best.
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
Let's be honest. This bag is expensive. Some would say it's very expensive for its limited capabilities. I have to agree BUT I have some simple suggestions that Maxpedition could incorporate into the existing design of this bag that would improve its limitations:
1) Maxpedition put ten-kabillion pockets on this thing but forgot to allow the main buckle strap to increase its length (technically, it does lengthen a couple inches but that's all...virtually worthless, IMO). If they did this, it would allow us to carry more volume and fill out more of those internal pockets. The main buckle strap, by far, is the biggest reason why this bag cannot pack more volume (and if it was lengthened like it should be, the rest of the bag would definitely be able to carry much more volume-wise). An alternative improvement would be to get rid of some of those extra compartments to increase room in the main compartment, too (though I'd much rather that Maxpedition just lengthen the main buckle strap because having those extra pockets is very nice). Either "fix" would be better than the current build. Lose 1 star.
2) The Fatboy and the Jumbo (both older and smaller versions of the Mongo) have carry straps but...no carry strap on the Mongo?!? What a MASSIVE FAIL here. Maxpedition should have included a reinforced carry handle/strap to make slinging this bag on/off easier as well as moving it around (e.g. from the backseat of the car to the trunk) without the need to lift it over your head. There is absolutely no reason why this was omitted and Maxpedition should modify the existing design ASAP in this regard. You may not notice the carry handle until you try one out (on a Fatboy or Jumbo)---and then you'll definitely miss having one on the Mongo. Lose a 2nd star.
RECAP
This can be a great bag or a horrible bag depending entirely on what you use it for. Make sure you consider this aspect before purchasing.
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This bag is great for use as a "manly" diaper bag. The water bottle compartment can hold two baby bottles (side by side). It's comfortable to wear over your shoulder. Inside has enough room for a change of clothes, diapers, wipe case, snacks, etc. We use the concealed carry pouch for baby books. The cell phone pouch fits my iPhone perfectly. Love how functional it is. Great buy!
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This is an awesome backpack. I was looking for a big backpack that was comfortable enough to handle the heavy load it would be carrying and this pack delivered. This pack has ample room for those looking to hike in multiple climates and carry lots of gear. It is extremely durable, functional and comes with an excellent lifetime warranty.
