Sandpiper of California Long Range Bugout Backpack

I generally try not to review right after receiving purchases...but I figured with the relative lack of reviews for this bag someone might want more input.This will be used to hold gear on 4-5 day trips for field work, probably loaded with ~20-30lbs of misc tools and equipment on a pretty regular basis. So I'll update the review after a few months.-----------------I bought a similar bag from the same company in 2010 and only recently had the stitching along the bottom start to blow out from constant use in the field. Hopefully this one will work as well as the old one did.Fabric seems to be OK, but lighter than the older one I had. There's some loose threads where the stitching was finished, but they don't look like they'll affect the integrity of the seams, so that's more of a cosmetic thing. (I hope.) I'm not sure if it'll be a problem but the zippers aren't nearly as beefy as the older bag, so it's got me a little nervous. This bag also doesn't seem to have the same kind of waterproofing the old one had, but I was planning on applying an external coating and using seam sealer on the interior anyway.It's pretty big, so if anyone is planning on using it as a carry on they might want to check with their airlines to see if it'll go or not. Just eyeballing it, this bag should be fine if it isn't completely stuffed. I personally haven't had issues taking it on the plane, but supposedly most airline companies are going to be reducing the max carry on size.Overall- I think it'll probably work fine, but my first impression is that quality has gone down a lot. I wouldn't suggest it for backpacking since literally any frame pack would probably be more comfortable for that purpose. If you plan on using it for luggage, short trips, or packing some equipment to/from base camp it should work fine.------Edit 1/11/2017The bag has been holding up surprisingly well despite the lighter fabric. I don't think it'll last as long as my old one did, but I like the layout of the compartments and carrying capacity it offers. It's actually my favorite travel bag and I also use it to haul camera gear when I need to take more junk than my camera-specific bags will hold.

I will update the review, as the company that has listed this bag may not know of the situation with these bags. I will update with returns process and information. It is a shame that eBags is out the money for shipping when the real culprit is the manufacturer.Has something changed in the company since 2007? I purchased a Bugout in Iraq on my second tour, and the bag has been rock solid until the 100 lb loads I carried began stretching and destroying the material below the top zipper in the center. It survived abuse that I cannot even describe, and kept smiling. I just had a Bugout Long Range delivered today, and with both bags sitting side by side, there are definitely a lot of differences in quality. Not only was the price much much higher now, but the bag is not what I was hoping for. The old bag had a waterproof rubberized coating on the inside surfaces of the material. The new bag is water resistant, except where there is stitching, where it simply flows right to the inside of the bag. The material is much flimsy in comparison to the old bag. The zipper pulls are just tied lightweight material, and my old bag had secured paracord pulls. None of which have ever broken. The waist strap on my old bag is rock solid, comfortable, and works well with extremely heavy loads. The waist strap on the new bag is essentially worthless. It does not adjust below about a 40 inch waist, and cannot be tucked in and hidden without being unlaced and removed. The shoulder straps are single double stitched, the hydration tube hole is about big enough to fit a pencil through, definitely not a military style hydration tube with a cap on the bite valve. The cinch straps are single stitched (and as a Marine that packs things up tight, those wont last long). The velcro that covers the hydration tube hole is missing stitching on one side completely. Components don't match up/line up. I now have a bag that will leak in the rain, soaking through items that cannot get wet. I have a bag that will definitely not be capable of carrying the loads that I carried in my last pipergear bag. Did something change when you went from pipergear to sandpiper of california? What happened? I am not sure when the quality dropped like this, hopefully not too long ago, because I have referred around 50 Marines and friends to your bags, but I would not have if I knew that the bags were cheapened so much. Do you have any bags that were made back in 2007 in a warehouse somewhere? Id love to trade this one for one of those.

I did not understand that this bag, although sandpiper, is not made in America and has significantly less quality materials than their more expensive USA-made couterparts. When I received this bag it had un-clipped stitching covering it everywhere. It looked like a China-town version or something. I was not very happy. The material doesn't feel as solid as I would have expected reading about SandPiper. So I decided to email them and tell them about my dissatisfaction. They told me that the bag was authentic but probably was neglected going through their "final touches" manufacturing process. The bag isn't bad, it's just not exactly what I expected. I wanted 1050 denier Nylon with YKK zippers. Instead I got 600 Denier with Chinese generic zippers. I will say that the internal material such as the dividers and sectional materials are pretty high quality. In the end I'm not entirely unhappy. The bag will suit my day hikes well I'm sure. I just hate not getting what I think I'm buying. I would have gladly paid the extra Hundo to get the American version.

Excellent bag! I had room for a week's clothes, my photo gear, personal items and I fit my second camera bag in there too! The bag fit well on my shoulders and it didn't feel like I had a ton of stuff in it while I carried it. And it fit in the carry on compartment of the plane! I love this bag and Sandpiper of California! I'll take their bags over other bags for my daily use and extended travel any day!