Being one of several packs in the Gearslinger line, the Kodiak is the second-largest in the line-up, the Monsoon being the biggest.
It is also the biggest pack in that line that resembles more of a traditional pack layout, in contrast with the larger Monsoon that has a triangular main compartment.
We'll start with the specifications as listed on Maxpeditions' website.
- Single shoulder backpack designed to maximize utility when rotated towards front of body
- Main compartment: 17” high x 10” wide x 4” thick with internal organization
- Top front: 4.5” high x 9” wide x 2” thick with internal organization
- Bottom front: 10” high x 9” wide x 2” thick with internal organization
- Approximate Capacity: 1100 cu. in.
- Fits up to 15.4" (diagonal screen size) laptop computer.
- Main compartment and hydration compartment can accept CCW accessories
- Shoulder strap designed to go over left shoulder for better weapon shouldering
- Bag can be worn in front and contents comfortably accessed while sitting down
- Water bottle pocket sized to fit 32oz Nalgene bottle
- Compatible with 100oz hydration reservoir
- Theft deterrent devices built-in to capture zipper pulls
- PALS modular webbing throughout for attaching accessories
- Top and side handles
- 1000-Denier water and abrasion resistant light-weight ballistic nylon fabric
Teflon® fabric protector for grime resistance and easy maintenance
high strength zippers and zipper tracks
UTX-Duraflex nylon buckles for low sound closures- Triple polyurethane coated for water resistance
- High tensile strength nylon webbing
- High tensile strength composite nylon thread (stronger than ordinary industry standard nylon thread)
- #AS-100 high grade closed-cell foam padding material for superior shock protection
- Internal seams taped and finished
- Paracord zipper pulls
- Stress points double stitched, Bartacked or "Box-and-X" stitched for added strength
As is stated in the specifications, the Kodiak - and all the models in the Gearslinger series - is a single-shoulder pack, in some ways similar to the way you might carry a messenger-style bag.
The single shoulder strap has both advantages and disadvantages. The single, greatest disadvantage to this mode of carry is probably comfort. Having all the weight of the pack concentrated into a single strap is always going to be less comfortable than having it distributed over two straps.
The strap of the Kodiak. Note the profusion of webbing which lets you attach any number of things. There is an HK-style snaphook as well. Immediately below that is the buckle for the cross-strap that lets you secure the Kodiak for activities such as running or climbing. This buckle can be adjusted up and down. You can also see the hose for my Source Hydration bladder coming out of the top of the Kodiak. The Kodiak has a profusion of little pockets, nooks and crannies for putting your gear in.
The front of the pack has three pockets, divided into two main areas. There is a large front pocket, with a smaller, single-zip pocket on the very front of it and above that, there is another, smaller pocket. Both the large lower pocket and the smaller top pocket have internal sub-divisions for securing smaller items.
The front of the Kodiak. Note the large, bottom pocket and smaller top pocket. You can also see the PALS webbing on the side of the Kodiak in this shot. Note the Y-configuration compression strap.
Outside of top, front pocket. Note velcro and bungie-cord arrangement. The carabiners do not come with the Kodiak. 
Inside of top, front pocket. Rear divider has room for small, flat items. Elastic dividers on the front are holding from left to right: Gerber Multiplier, ear pro, Soto Pocket Torch, Inova X5 HAIII. There is additional space in the pocket for more items, such as a pair of binoculars.
Inside of the front, bottom pocket. Note dividers, which are mostly nylon, with the exception of the one inside the lid. It appears to be ripstop polyurethane or perhaps vinyl. I'm not entirely sure why this is transparent, as the pocket is shallow enough to where you can easily see everything in it. 
The flat, welt-style pocket on the front of the bottom pocket. This is zippered on the side, providing easy access with the Kodiak slung in front of you. This pocket holds a surprising amount of stuff for its relative size. The zipper can be secured with a single snap.The Kodiak also has a bottle-carrier pocket on the side opposite from the main zipper. This pocket is supposedly sized to accept a 32oz Nalgene bottle, and while it does fit, it fits at the expense of internal volume in the main compartment.
Sideshot of the Kodiak. Note bottle-pocket. Drawcord works decently at securing a bottle in the pocket. Here, I'm using it to carry a LumaPower MVP.
Sideshot of the Kodiak. Note bottle-pocket. Drawcord works decently at securing a bottle in the pocket. Here, I'm using it to carry a LumaPower MVP.Moving on to the main compartment, you see again a profusion of organizational dividers and pockets. The main compartment is divided into three sections by two dividers. Each divider is then divided into two pockets that share a common zipper. The divider towards the front of the Kodiak is mesh on one side, letting you see the contents, whereas the rear divider is solid nylon. Each divider has a fastex-buckle in the top middle that lets you cinch down whatever you put in each division. The main, middle compartment does not have any straps for securing gear. It is however, the widest of the three divisions. Both the front and rear division could fit a laptop up to a 15.4 inch screen size.
The rear face of the main compartment has a large swatch of loop-velcro, letting you mount any number of accessories, including a handgun holster and magazine carriers.
The main compartment of the Kodiak. Note the two dividers, with the cinch straps visible.
In this shot, I've mounted a pistol in a Maxpedition holster and two extra magazines in a kydex holster with some velcro on the back. This is not where I normally carry the handgun as I feel it makes it very open to exposure anytime you open the main compartment.
Here you can see the division of the rear divider. This layout is replicated in the front divider. A better shot of the velcro patch on the rear face is also visible.
The rear face of the main compartment has a large swatch of loop-velcro, letting you mount any number of accessories, including a handgun holster and magazine carriers.
The main compartment of the Kodiak. Note the two dividers, with the cinch straps visible.In this shot, I've mounted a pistol in a Maxpedition holster and two extra magazines in a kydex holster with some velcro on the back. This is not where I normally carry the handgun as I feel it makes it very open to exposure anytime you open the main compartment.
Here you can see the division of the rear divider. This layout is replicated in the front divider. A better shot of the velcro patch on the rear face is also visible.The main compartment is decently roomy, but you will quickly find yourself out of space. When I carry this for school (sans pistola, natch.), I generally reach my limit with only a couple of books and a binder. I've even had to somewhat reduce my normal loadout compared to the pack I previously carried.
Moving around to the back, you find that it is covered in some quite comfortable material. A smooth, decently sweat-absorbing mesh-like material covers the entire back and the inside of the strap. All the padding is closed-cell foam so unfortunately, the sweat doesn't really go anywhere, once it gets into the mesh.
The back panel. The stitched-in divisions provide a little bit of ventilation but otherwise do not seem to do much. The foam is no thicker in those little "islands". Note, on the left side of the picture, the zipper for the rear hydration/CCW compartment.
The rear hydration/CCW compartment. Note the large swatch of loop-velcro. Towards the bottom of the compartment, you can see the cross-strap which I have tucked in to the rear compartment to keep it out of the way. Also note how relatively flat this compartment is.
Source Hydration bladder mounted inside the rear compartment. The black sheet is a kydex framesheet that I made. I'll get into the whys of that a little further down.
Moving around to the back, you find that it is covered in some quite comfortable material. A smooth, decently sweat-absorbing mesh-like material covers the entire back and the inside of the strap. All the padding is closed-cell foam so unfortunately, the sweat doesn't really go anywhere, once it gets into the mesh.
The back panel. The stitched-in divisions provide a little bit of ventilation but otherwise do not seem to do much. The foam is no thicker in those little "islands". Note, on the left side of the picture, the zipper for the rear hydration/CCW compartment.
The rear hydration/CCW compartment. Note the large swatch of loop-velcro. Towards the bottom of the compartment, you can see the cross-strap which I have tucked in to the rear compartment to keep it out of the way. Also note how relatively flat this compartment is. 
Source Hydration bladder mounted inside the rear compartment. The black sheet is a kydex framesheet that I made. I'll get into the whys of that a little further down.Conclusion
I want to state first and foremost that I do like the Kodiak quite a bit. Maxpedition really knows how to build some seriously tough gear. The materials and execution has gotten significantly better than it was when I first got a Maxpedition Fatboy several years back.
All the little pockets are generally quite well laid out and the organizational features really set it above most of the "civilian" market. Adding the CCW capability is also a significant plus in my book and being a single-shoulder design, the Kodiak can be swung to the front for relatively quick access to your handgun. Not as fast as a holster, but if you don't have the option to carry concealed on your body, it is far faster and easier than it would be to dig your gun out of a conventional backpack.
But at the same time, the Kodiak is a flawed design.
Allow me to explain. I'll start with the bottom front pocket. While it appears at first glance to be pretty roomy, if you put much of anything in it, it protrudes significantly into the main compartment, severely restricting your overall load-capacity. This has led to me carrying significantly less trauma gear than I normally do. The same problem applies to the top front pocket, although to a lesser degree.
Moving on, as I mentioned previously, the bottle-pocket on the side also protrudes into the main compartment, again limiting the capacity of that compartment.
In the end you have to severely limit your loadout simply to prevent the Kodiak from bulging out in unpleasant places and becoming extremely uncomfortable to carry.
This is exacerbated in the extreme when you carry a handgun in the rear CCW compartment.
Mostly, this is because the Kodiak does not have a framesheet from the factory. Carrying a handgun and magazines in the CCW compartment and having almost anything but the smallest, thinnest items in the main compartment, results in the gun and magazines bulging very badly and digging into your back. You can also pretty much forget about using a hydration bladder in that compartment at the same time as having a gun mounted.
There just isn't enough room back there. I solved this issue partially by making and mounting a Kydex framesheet of my own.
The framesheet before installation in the Kodiak. The side shown is actually the side that will be facing away from the wearers back.
The framesheet installed in the Kodiak. I used .060 Kydex for this iteration, but I may switch to a heavier grade in the future.
The handgun and magazines installed on the new framesheet.
I want to state first and foremost that I do like the Kodiak quite a bit. Maxpedition really knows how to build some seriously tough gear. The materials and execution has gotten significantly better than it was when I first got a Maxpedition Fatboy several years back.
All the little pockets are generally quite well laid out and the organizational features really set it above most of the "civilian" market. Adding the CCW capability is also a significant plus in my book and being a single-shoulder design, the Kodiak can be swung to the front for relatively quick access to your handgun. Not as fast as a holster, but if you don't have the option to carry concealed on your body, it is far faster and easier than it would be to dig your gun out of a conventional backpack.
But at the same time, the Kodiak is a flawed design.
Allow me to explain. I'll start with the bottom front pocket. While it appears at first glance to be pretty roomy, if you put much of anything in it, it protrudes significantly into the main compartment, severely restricting your overall load-capacity. This has led to me carrying significantly less trauma gear than I normally do. The same problem applies to the top front pocket, although to a lesser degree.
Moving on, as I mentioned previously, the bottle-pocket on the side also protrudes into the main compartment, again limiting the capacity of that compartment.
In the end you have to severely limit your loadout simply to prevent the Kodiak from bulging out in unpleasant places and becoming extremely uncomfortable to carry.
This is exacerbated in the extreme when you carry a handgun in the rear CCW compartment.
Mostly, this is because the Kodiak does not have a framesheet from the factory. Carrying a handgun and magazines in the CCW compartment and having almost anything but the smallest, thinnest items in the main compartment, results in the gun and magazines bulging very badly and digging into your back. You can also pretty much forget about using a hydration bladder in that compartment at the same time as having a gun mounted.
There just isn't enough room back there. I solved this issue partially by making and mounting a Kydex framesheet of my own.
The framesheet before installation in the Kodiak. The side shown is actually the side that will be facing away from the wearers back. 
The framesheet installed in the Kodiak. I used .060 Kydex for this iteration, but I may switch to a heavier grade in the future. 
The handgun and magazines installed on the new framesheet.Installing the framesheet provided a massive upgrade in comfort. While it is not a perfect solution it does partially alleviate some of the issues with the Kodiak. However, the handgun and magazines still protrude somewhat into the main compartment, so yet again, we're looking at a reduction in volume. I very firmly believe that the Kodiak should come with a framesheet from the factory. It is almost unusable as it comes out of the box, unless you're content with being miserable any time you carry anything of any significance in the Kodiak.
In one of the previous pictures, I pointed out the Y-shaped compression strap. I only used these straps for a few days before I permanently removed them. Not only do they not provide much in the way of actual compression on your load, they also drastically change the shape of the Kodiak when in use. To the point where the Kodiak again becomes incredibly uncomfortable if you tighten the straps much at all.
There are, as you may have guessed, a few things I'd like to see significantly changed on the Kodiak.
Firstly, the strap could stand to be a little wider. Contouring the strap a little more aggressively would also enhance the comfort. Extending the foam along the entire length of the strap would also make it appear more of a finished product. As it is, there is an almost inch-wide gap at the top of the strap where it connects to the pack where there is no foam.
I would also recommend adding additional padding to the "islands" on the back panel, again to increase comfort and ventilation. Having a framesheet from the factory is incredibly important and would likely constitute the single, greatest thing that Maxpedition could do to increase comfort and usability. Even if you never carry a handgun in the Kodiak, a framesheet is an important upgrade.
Fixing the various exterior pockets so they don't intrude into the main compartment to the same extent they do now would also be a massive upgrade in usability. Using a stretch cordura for these pockets, including the bottlepocket, would sacrifice little in the way of durability, and would serve to make the pack far more versatile.
All in all, the Kodiak is a good attempt at breaching the gap between messenger bags and traditional backpacks, but it does fall short in a number of areas. That being said, for the time being, it remains in its role as my EDC bag. At least until I find something better. The Kodiak is well-suited for urban use, in that it allows you to swing the bag around to your front quickly and easily, to access the contents or to keep the bag away from thieves in crowded situations, like on a subway or bus. On top of that, it even has a system for securing the zipper pulls that would require a potential thief to sever the paracord zipper pulls and then fiddle with the relatively tiny zipper slides. Not an easy thing to do when you're wearing the pack.
But, don't expect to carry a lot of gear, and I really wouldn't recommend carrying a laptop in it, unless you keep the laptop in a well-padded sleeve. The Kodiak has no padding for the main compartment and that is something that would likely result in a rough ride for an un-padded laptop.
So, despite the solid construction and my reticent liking of the Kodiak, I can't really recommend it until Maxpedition fixes the design.
In one of the previous pictures, I pointed out the Y-shaped compression strap. I only used these straps for a few days before I permanently removed them. Not only do they not provide much in the way of actual compression on your load, they also drastically change the shape of the Kodiak when in use. To the point where the Kodiak again becomes incredibly uncomfortable if you tighten the straps much at all.
There are, as you may have guessed, a few things I'd like to see significantly changed on the Kodiak.
Firstly, the strap could stand to be a little wider. Contouring the strap a little more aggressively would also enhance the comfort. Extending the foam along the entire length of the strap would also make it appear more of a finished product. As it is, there is an almost inch-wide gap at the top of the strap where it connects to the pack where there is no foam.
I would also recommend adding additional padding to the "islands" on the back panel, again to increase comfort and ventilation. Having a framesheet from the factory is incredibly important and would likely constitute the single, greatest thing that Maxpedition could do to increase comfort and usability. Even if you never carry a handgun in the Kodiak, a framesheet is an important upgrade.
Fixing the various exterior pockets so they don't intrude into the main compartment to the same extent they do now would also be a massive upgrade in usability. Using a stretch cordura for these pockets, including the bottlepocket, would sacrifice little in the way of durability, and would serve to make the pack far more versatile.
All in all, the Kodiak is a good attempt at breaching the gap between messenger bags and traditional backpacks, but it does fall short in a number of areas. That being said, for the time being, it remains in its role as my EDC bag. At least until I find something better. The Kodiak is well-suited for urban use, in that it allows you to swing the bag around to your front quickly and easily, to access the contents or to keep the bag away from thieves in crowded situations, like on a subway or bus. On top of that, it even has a system for securing the zipper pulls that would require a potential thief to sever the paracord zipper pulls and then fiddle with the relatively tiny zipper slides. Not an easy thing to do when you're wearing the pack.
But, don't expect to carry a lot of gear, and I really wouldn't recommend carrying a laptop in it, unless you keep the laptop in a well-padded sleeve. The Kodiak has no padding for the main compartment and that is something that would likely result in a rough ride for an un-padded laptop.
So, despite the solid construction and my reticent liking of the Kodiak, I can't really recommend it until Maxpedition fixes the design.
Are those XS sights?
ReplyDeleteFYI I happen to be in the market for a new commuting bag - got a tiny new laptop and my old issue one is BEAT - so this was particularly interesting.
ReplyDeleteYes, those are XS sights. If you stick your laptop in a padded sleeve, and don't expect to carry very much, the Kodiak is not a bad bag. That is, of course, keeping in mind the caveats I've listed. I'd recommend checking it out in person if you can, or buying it from a place that allows returns.
ReplyDeleteThis was a realli nice review, I also like the Maxpedition Monsoon Gearslinger .
ReplyDelete