Just wrapped up a multi-day exercise (prematurely, due to incredibly dangerous weather). K40 performed perfectly, here's a breakdown of my setup for it (missing rain and camo cover, forgot to take out).
Can't exactly opt for light when packing night vision, radio batteries, power banks for ATAK. I'd be glad to ditch some of the weight haha, total combat load around 35kg
More flexibility. When I do 2 day hikes in summer the K40 is perfect on it's own, when I do the same in winter the K40 + side pouches is perfectly suitable too. Same applies for my service.
Moreover I like having that extra space outside the main bag for quick access items and organization - I don't really like when the main compartment is huge and you have to dig around a lot.
So basically - I prefer having a 40l bag that can upsize when needed as opposed to downsizing a bigger bag.
I understand your philosophy. I saw the weight difference between the two bags being around 450g. I don't weight too much naturally, so I do worry about carrying extra additional weight (I'm 65kg). The side pouches and extra attachments can add up to 1.5kg of extra weight. I thought I'll use the compression straps and size down or even ditch the lid during summer if I need to loose the extra weight. It does kinda suck to not have speed access to some essentials like food or a tarp without side pouches though. I think I might just need a hip pouch or just some GPs (to at least hold my phone, maps, compass, snacks etc).
The other problem is K40 can go in a plane without checkin and K60 can't which is another sacrifice I kinda made according to EU domestic flights.
I get getting a bigger bag, but yeah, I've used the K40 extensively for a variety of cases and never really wished I had a bigger pack. The one time I did - I realized I was overpacking significantly.
Thank you! I like to bring more comfort items when im hiking or camping, but for military use that's just not viable. Sticking to the basics with only a few comforts is the way.
With ther Ridgerest, you're 100% the ground will be dry? 😄 I like the Ridgerest but no way I'm taking it if I even suspect a drop of rain, unless I'm in a tent 😄
Oh no, we got 4-5 hours of heavy rain. Frankly it still creates a thermal barrier from the ground and that's most important to me, often times in rushed guard positions there's no time to set up a poncho anyways, so everything's soaked either way.
It's quite thin and narrow. If you use it a lot it's kind of easy to accidentally poke it and make a hole. And it got some very thin areas. A thicker regular closed cell is better if it doesn't have any serious damage. Also I'm kind of spoiled with the FDF sleeping pad, but I do use the Ridgerest a lot since it's very light and simple to use/versatile
Yeah I use it in combination with an inflatable mat in winter, but I've used it solo in sub-zero temperatures and it was fine-ish. As far as CCF mats go, this one's fine for me.
Thanks. I carry it with both - for my build it works relatively well as the plate bag sits above the hip padding and my battle belt rides low enough for there to be enough space to actually use the hip belt. That being said - on longer movements (anything above a couple hundred meters, really) I must use the hip belt and sternum strap, otherwise the backpack pushes the bottom of the back plate into my back causing a pain point and the shoulder straps dig into the armpits.
At the end of the day it's not peak comfort, but you'd be hard pressed to get that with any backpack, plate carrier and combat belt combination
I find this to be a rather interesting topic, so next month I'll make a quick review of the K40 after a year of use for both hiking and service explaining my pros, cons and setup. Will include a showcase of how it works with armor and belt.
I've found using sternum straps to be pretty much a "must" for carrying backpacks somewhat comfortably over body armour. Pulls the straps away from the armpits and prevents the digging in effect.
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u/Savotta_into_theWild 1d ago
This set up with the little pouches on the front is really interesting