So here’s my dilemma:

I bought a Haley Flatpack Plus with the intent of carrying my helmet, night vision, water (bladder), small chest rig, and small ancillary equipment (ear pro, gloves, maybe a warming layer, etc) in it. It works great in collapsed mode, but expanded with the helmet in there it’s just not cutting it.  Doesn’t ride well without compression straps, barely big enough, shoulder straps are thin, etc.

So I’m thinking I “need” a small pack with a beaver tail for the helmet and a main compartment that can carry my NVGs in a small pelican case, spiritus chest rig, bladder, and some of the other small items.  The packs I’m considering are the Eagle Yote, Ronin DA pack, and FirstSpear ECP.  Ronin and Yote are $$ but I’ve basically already wasted money on the flatpack, they are for sale everywhere.  

Anyone else use one of these for a similar loadout?  Preferences between the three?

ETA: or the AWS Yote pack - looks very similar to the Eagle Yote and Robin but not as pricey.  Heavily leaning towards that one.

Yeah the AWS "yote" works very well.  That's pretty much the deal.  It also features a zip-off helmet cave or beaver tail, which makes a nice water pack when you don't need a helmet.  That's a huge improvement over the original "yote".  I have and run both.  The Eagle is slightly more well-constructed, the AWS more capable.  For the bucks, I would go AWS.    

On a budget, the GI Molle II small pack works pretty good, as is, or you can easily add your own beaver tail.

I watched some YouTube videos and ended up ordering the AWS by phone. I’ve heard their lag times aren’t great but I’m not in a rush. I have a sneaking suspicion the Ronin pack is just the AWS dressed up in different colors, possibly with different shoulder straps, since AWS makes Ronin’s belts anyway.

T3 has the hans pack, basically a yote.

Camelbak Linchpin, on the left.

Love my AWS pack, wish it hadn't taken me so long to get one:




As far as I understand, when Eagle briefly discontinued the Beavertail Assault Pack (BTAP), users who wanted more brought them to AWS and had them reproduce them, making them essentially a "clone" of the BTAP (a version of the Yote). The Ronin DA pack is basically the AWS Yote with *maybe* a couple tweaks, I haven't frankly looked close enough to even determine, but I certainly wouldn't pay the premium over the AWS.

One thing worth considering is that the Yote/BTAP is not a huge pack, especially if you're putting a hydration bladder in there, and IIRC, the First Spear ECP is even smaller in terms of storage space. I also carry my NODs as well as some other items in the AWS pack, but instead of a Pelican case, which will take up a lot of storage volume, I simply wrap my NODs in a "silky" base layer top. This way they take up far less space, and it's a lot easier to shove the silky base layer back in the pack than a Pelican case once the NODs do come out. Also--I have a spare silky layer for when I get cold.

The helmet beavertail is great for carrying the helmet for travel, but it's also great for storing a variety of other items depending on what is needed, including radios, spare ammunition, cartons of cigarettes..., etc. I really only ever put my helmet in there when I'm traveling, but the beavertail still gets a lot of use.

The only "complaint" I have about the AWS pack is the lack of built-in side pockets, which I added using regular pouches. That being said, for the price, the "slicked down" AWS pack more than makes up for it, and is also more "modular," because you can use whatever type of pouch (if any) you need on the sides, rather than being stuck with a single pouch size/type.

The T3 Hans also looks like a great option, though I've never used one personally--basically the same as all the others, just with a little bit more storage. That being said, the small size isn't necessarily a bad thing, as it prevents you from trying to overload the small pack and carry more than the bare essentials, so there's that. As you can see from my photograph, the pack hasn't negated the need for a larger pack/ruck, but it makes a great "grab and go" pack.

~Augee

I’ve thought about your NVG method - I was considering wrapping them in something similar such that it would fit inside my helmet inside the beaver tail (dummy corded of course) and totally eliminate the pelican case.  Either that or mounting one of the small NVG specific pouches on the side. Twin canteen or nalgene pouches on the side would make a lot of sense for my uses too.

Padding the -14's and putting inside a ballistic helmet works great in this pack.  I don't know why more folks don't do it. I use a small pouch which fits perfectly inside the helmet.  I leave the Rhino II on and extended, which stabilizes the helmet.  I run a 3L water bladder, wpns cleaning kit, tool kit, boo-boo kit, hearing pro (Peltors), spare eye pro (either clear or tinted) in main compartment.  Sometimes a light windshirt, watch cap and gloves.   Wallet, phone, keys in inner zip pouch.  Spare batts, headlight, etc. in outer zip pouch.  I cut the big round outside pouch way down, and use it for notebook, pen, small LED light, etc.

I like the molle on the sides versus sewn down zip pouches, because I hang two GI 2-mag pouches here.  Now you have water, ammo, and few essentials.  

Buying from AWS, you are essentially getting a wholesale price, mfg direct.  Buying from someone else, who has their stuff made by them, you are paying full retail.

And the zip-off feature is way under-rated.  Makes an awesome water pack for fast-packing on the trail.

Unless you wear BA all the time, you can remove all that extension stuff, and use two slotted tri-glides, to direct attach the shoulder straps.  Even with BA, this works just fine with a low pro rig, like a Crye JPC, with minimal thickness over the shoulders.

A good reason not to store your NODs in your helmet in the beavertail is if you're not always using both at the same time.

It's very much an application issue, but particularly e.g., for military uses, you will be wearing your helmet during the day a lot without the NODs mounted. If "helmet carry" is your solution, that means that half the time, your NODs will be "floating loose" in the beavertail and/or you will need to find an alternate storage solution for them.

If all you're doing is humping the helmet for use with NODs, it's a different matter entirely, since the only reason the helmet will come out is to use the NODs.

~Augee

I got issued a T3 Hans and its ok, I don't like the fact that it has no external molle.

I have a SORD hydration helmet carrier I picked up for $120 that is great because I can customize the outside with molle.

SORD pack bottom left with molle pouches added

Swung by the AWS Website to browse because of this thread, noticed their Yote packs are gone. Bummer.

http://www.awsin.com/proddetail.asp?prod=50657

~Augee

You can get to that from google but if you go to their "packs" page it's not there. When I called they didn't have any in stock but had no problem putting it into the production schedule. Their website is straight out of '01 and needs some upgrades to put it mildly.

I'll just throw out the Milspec Monkey Boss Beaver.

It's made by Tactical Tailor and is solid construction with plenty of "beaver space" to hold my MICH.  When I'm traveling fixed wing, I usually stow the helmet, so it's handy to have that expandable "pocket", and there's enough room in the pack to squeak by for a few days while traveling on R&R.

ROCK6

Ronin Tactics DA Pack (Pretty Sure this is the AWS pack)

Get the ECP, you won't be disappointed. It was designed exactly for what you want to do.

Came to post, basically this.

Almost all the packs being discussed were designed for this.

The question is "which."

The ECP, while a great pack, is pretty small in terms of storage space, which again--is intentional by design, but depending on the load that needs to be carried in the main compartment, may not be the best option.

~Augee

I had the same desire small pack that could hold a helmet and days worth of stuff
I had considered a Yote also.
I ended up with Warrior Assault Systems pack from chase tactical...I'm pretty happy with it.
I think its the smallest of the beaver tail style helmet packs.
Used it for a Afghan tour.