Top-Loading Sacks vs Packs

[Skunkabilly]

Sorry I don't know the formal names, and I understand the design of the packs, but what are the practical differences between a pack like the Camelbak Motherlode or Eagle AIII pack vs something like the Eagle Becker Patrol Pack?

When would you want a regular type of pack and when would you want a top-loader?

[Kor]

As I understand it, top-loading rucksacks are best for pure carrying capacity - with the solid sidewalls and no opening zipper in the side of the main pack body, top-loaders are stronger and can hold more, heavier stuff. The downside to rucksacks is that if you need a certain item that happens to be at the bottom of the pack, you gotta stop what you're doing, drop your pack and unload everything until you find what you need.

Side-opening or side-loading packs are easier to find stuff in - unzip the lid to the main compartment, and the contents lie open before you. This is great for "assault packs," where you're only carrying stuff that's immediately necessary for a specific, individual mission, as opposed to all the extra rations/ammo/clothes/sleeping bag/etc. that you need a rucksack to haul around. If you need a particular piece of equipment, like a detonator, Claymore mine, IV bag, etc. you can usually find it quicker in a side-loading assault pack than you can digging through a top-loading rucksack. Of course, as you can probably guess, the side-loading assault pack can't haul as much tonnage as the top-loading rucksack, because the main compartment's structural integrity is less with a zipper running through most of its sidewall. With that limitation in mind, most assault packs are designed with smaller dimensions to start with, to make it more difficult to overload the pack beyond what the zipper and seams will stand.

I'm sure that this is explained better and more fully somewhere at www.lightfighter.net - try looking in their "Third Line Gear" forum.

[Chairman Meow]

A lot of packs, like my Dana Design Terraplane for example, are top loaders that have zippers down the sides for access to lower down stuff. This adds complication, zippers, weight, cost, etc. but it is nice and conveinient if you are carrying a lot of stuff.

[farranger]

Panel loaders are more convenient, top loaders can, as has been said, a crap load of weight.
One of the keys on a panel loader is to have straps over it that can pull it tight if you have a smaller lighter load OR if the zipper blows out.