So, I recently picked up an Eberlesetock V69 Destroyer pack in Coyote to use for backpack camping.

I ordered directly from Eberlestock and received the pack very quickly. My first thoughts upon opening the box and pulling the pack out were "so this is what a real backpack looks like..." I can honestly say that this is one of the few expensive things I have bought ($350) that I feel was worth the price tag. I haven't had a chance to use this in the field yet, but I can already tell it's really going to shine.

So, let's get down to the pics and loadout:

Here's a 360 view of the outside of the pack, fully loaded.

Suspension System. The shoulder harness is fully adjustable and can be removed from the pack and moved up and down the PALS channels to size it for your torso length. The frame consists of two flat aluminum bars that run vertically along the pack. They can be removed and shaped/bent to match the contour of the wearer's back. All these features make for an incredibly comfortable pack with a well distributed load.



Left side. 3L hydration bladder (note that it does not fit), Maxpedition Monkey admin pouch with stuff I would need to access often, 1L Klean Kanteen, Mapedition Triad admin on the waist belt for GPS, maps, pistol mag, multitool.



Rear. Attached at the bottom are the tent stakes for my REI Half Dome 2 and my chest rig.



Right side. My rifle, my Glock 19 in a Crye Precision GunClip.



Here is everything that is on the outside of the pack:



From the top down, here are all the internal pockets with their contents:

Top cover. External pocket has two shemaghs, internal pocket has some hygiene stuff.



The following pic is of the internal top pocket, you can also see the top closure for the main pocket that offers some water resistance.



Here is the upper main compartment accessed from the front. It contains 2 MREs, lots of smaller food, 2 pairs of socks, Condor fleece, Condor softshell, water filter, BCGs, poncho, space blanket, 550 cord.





Looking down into the bottom of the main pocket. There is a diaphragm that can be made to separate the main body of the pack into two separate compartments.



This is the lower main compartment accessed from the front. It contains my Kelty Cosmic Down sleeping bag, REI Half Dome 2 tent, and one of those orange/IR reflective IFF panels.





Here are all the contents laid out:



The bottom of the pack, which is clearly reenforced with 1000D Cordura, contains a small zippered pocket with a rain cover. The cover is plenty large enough to cover the entire pack with all the other stuff I have attached to the outside.







The pack features hydration bladder sleeves on each side of the outside of the pack, as well as 3 on the inside. The two on the outside aren't quite large enough for a 3L/100 oz bladder, as you can see in the first few picks up top, so I went ahead and moved it to one of the inside pouches. I'll probably end up just getting two 2L bladders for the outside. There are 3 ports on the outside of the pack to route your hydration tube through.



Hydration bladder moved to the inside:



Everything back together again:



So far, my only real beef with this pack is the lack of built in organization features in the upper main compartment. This kinda leads to everything needing to be placed in zip-lock bags. Not a big deal, just something to think about. Also, understand that the pack is in no way "shiny" like it appears in the pictures. It is standard mil-spec coyote, including the rain cover, and only looks shiny from the flash of the camera.

This is the first review type thing I've ever done so please feel free to ask questions if I left anything out.

Nice work, you may have just cost me some money...jerk

NIce review and good pics. Now take it out and get some action shots. and give us a "REAL" review.

Now that's what I call a pack review.  



Well done you.

What does that weigh in at fully loaded out of curiosity?

Cool review have been wanting to see something like this.

In the configuration shown, it comes in at 65lbs. Note that the rifle and chest rig comprise about 15lbs of that weight. Even at that weight, it is very well balanced and comfortable and easy to go from a sitting/kneeling/crouching position to standing.

Take pics wearing it to give a size ratio. Great review.

Excellent, I have been looking at this pack but have been waiting for a decent review.

Couple questions:


- the Destroyer is the smaller of the two in the series, if you could do it over would you go for the larger Battleship pack or is the Destroyer's size adequate?

- the new "lightweight" material Eberlestock is using to make these packs, does it feel like it would withstand a bit of punishment?

- I noticed these packs are made to ride pretty high, does the pack come up to or past your head, and if so does it seem like it would or would not interfere with wearing a helmet?

Thanks!

Thanks,

Couple answers:

- I went with the smaller of the two knowing that it would be able to hold only what I needed and not encourage me to overload myself simply because I had more space. With all the MOLLE on the outside, I knew there were plenty of options to expand if I needed to for a mission-specific thing. So, in short, this is the right size for me, and I'm happy with it.

- The pack is made of a lighter weight material than a lot of others (I'm used to Maxpedition stuff that is made of like 1,000,000D Cordura ) but it still seems plenty durable. It's not the light weight taffeta stuff that a lot of civvie hiking packs are made of, it's some kind of rip stop Cordura that has a plasticy back that you can see in the photos above on the inside of the zippered compartment covers. On the bottom and sides of the pack, it is definitely reenforced 1000D Cordura. I don't think the material will ever be a problem, and if it is, they have a "guaranteed to never fail" warranty.

- This is where the Destroyer and the Battleship would really differ in size. With my Destroyer in the configuration shown, the top of the pack is about even with the top of my head. It definitely does not interfere with wearing a helmet (I checked), unless you are prone, which would be retarded with a pack like this anyway. I don't think the Battleship would interfere with a helmet either, but I'm pretty sure the pack itself is much taller.

You're welcome!