Having worked as a men’s clothier for the better part of 40 years, my father bemoaned a type of customer he termed “the designer.” This was the kind of guy that would run his hand over a jacket and announce he’d buy it, but only if it were a slightly different color, made of a totally different material, or if it had a pocket in one spot instead of another. “Unfortunately, I can only sell you what we have in the store,” he’d wearily reply.
While I understand my father’s eternal frustration, I think deep down just about all of us are “designers” at heart: we’re forever on the hunt for gear that doesn’t just meet our needs, but does so perfectly. We don’t want to carry around anything superfluous, and we’re hesitant to shell out our hard-earned money if we’re not getting the exact feature set we know will work for us. On top of that, I’d add that if you’re a reader of The Armory Life, you’ve likely accumulated enough gear to set the bar very high for any new acquisition.
Few brands seem to grasp this as intuitively as Vertx, and their Siege backpacks are almost tailor-made for the “designers” among us. I tested the Siege 25L pack — this is an excellent product right out of the gate, but I think the modularity of the platform makes this a home run.
On the Outside of the Siege Pack
The “25L” in the product name denotes that the pack has an internal capacity of 25 liters. For those of us who like a little more granularity in that figure, Vertx lists the dimensions as being 11.5” wide by 20” high. Depth is officially listed as 8.5”, but I’ve smooshed it down empty to a depth of 5;” fully packed out and lying flat on a table, I measured the maximum depth at about a foot.
The Siege 25L is made from 330D Nylon for most of the exterior, with even tougher 550D Nylon forming the MOLLE webbing on the face of the external pocket. This ensures any gear hung off the system won’t cause it to sag. The exterior of the pack is water-resistant; I dumped several glasses of water on the Siege 25L to find that the liquid beaded up and ran right off the fabric, while the interior remained dry to the touch. Japanese-produced YKK zippers, long considered the gold standard in the apparel industry, ensure additional durability.
Speaking of zippers, you’re going to find a lot of them on the outside of the Siege 25L. The main compartment has four pull tabs, allowing the user to easily open the backpack from the bottom on either side for easier access to the lower-most contents. Along the main compartment and EDC pouch, the zippers have overlapping rings so they can be securely locked. Additionally, the EDC pouch comes equipped with one of Vertx’s rapid access tabs, ensuring you can retrieve what you put in there quickly.
I found the Siege 25L to be remarkably comfortable, even on long hikes. The straps and rear of the pack have some very generous mesh padding that was comfortable and breathable without being obnoxiously squishy or bulky. The backpack also features a waistband with quick release buckles, as well as a buckle that can secure the straps together across one’s chest. There are also a whole lot of straps underneath the Siege 25L that be used to secure a bedroll or other gear. If you want to pack densely, there’s a lot that can help you out.
Before we move “inwards,” I’d also like to mention the aesthetics. I’ve always been a little leery of kit that announces, “Hey, world: there’s probably a gun in here.” The fewer people who know about my business, the better. In its default configuration, and in the black colorway, I found the Vertx discrete enough to pass the eye test of regular folks as being just a cool-looking backpack, and I never felt like I was crossing the line into military cosplay. Form definitely follows function here. It’s also offered in Wolf Grey and Coyote color options.
Pockets Galore from Vertx
Once again, I was blown away by the amount of space on the default pack that was available and adaptable for however I needed it — and we’re still just talking about the outside.
One of the main attractions of the pack is the central EDC compartment. Though you can set it up for any purpose you’d like, it’s clear that Vertx has primarily designed the pocket to store a handgun. The inside is loop-lined, so it will accommodate a wide variety of hook-backed holsters to keep your firearm in place. Vertx also sells a Velcro-backed belt-adapter panel to allow just about whatever rides on your hip or by your appendix to work in the pocket and stay aligned how you wish.
Two additional features I quite liked were the expandable front and side pockets. Both are made of a stretchier material than what’s found throughout the pack; the front panel can be expanded to fit a pair of boots, a full-sized jacket or even a helmet. The side pockets are also expandable and have buckles on the sides of the pack to secure longer objects; though this will work great to stow a variety of rifles, I found it was the perfect storage space for a full-sized tripod. (Most will likely use at least one side pocket as a home for a water bottle.)
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As if the Siege 25L wasn’t already feature-rich, there’s a zippered pocket at the top of the pack that’s soft-lined for shooting goggles or sunglasses, and both straps feature their own compartments that would be a great place for a knife, flashlight, spare magazine, or routing for a hydration system. Like the EDC compartment, it’s a great place to locate any kit you want close at hand.
Inner Beauty
Once again, “rapid access” is the recurring theme of the Siege 25L pack. The zipper has been designed so that the pack can be placed flat on its back, whereupon the user can open the front flap outward nearly 180 degrees. If you’re not the type that likes to go digging for something in your backpack — or if you’re a first responder who simply doesn’t have a few minutes to dither about to find an essential piece of kit, I think you’re really going to like the design.
Starting with the rear portion of the inner compartment, there are two sleeves, two pockets, one zippered compartment and one velcro strap. The sleeves are great places to store laptops or tablets, but they can also be used to store soft or rigid body armor panels. In fact, Premier Body Armor makes a Level IIIA Ballistic insert that fits the specific dimensions of the Siege 25L.
Moving to the inner front flap, the Siege 25L once again provides ample storage; there’s a large zippered pocket with a looped face, along with pen-sized storage compartments and a series of elastic loops. While not the primary function, I found the loops were large and sturdy enough to hold a subcompact pistol in place.
“Designers” Welcome
What really sets the Vertx Siege line of packs over the top is the way they play host to the brand’s “Tactigami” line of accessories. The plethora of loop-lined surfaces within the Siege 25L offer a playground for customization, allowing you to store knives, magazines of all shapes and sizes, laptops, documents and miscellaneous pouches full of parts any way you’d like. Vertx even offers standard and full-sized magazine and kit holsters (MAKs for short), which can be uniquely wrapped around the non-standard items you’d like to securely carry. For example, I was able to use the full-sized kit holster to craft a nifty little custom pouch for an Anker iPhone charger; I assembled it in under a minute, and a rubberized insert even provides tension to keep the gear in place.
I also found the medium Tactigami pack organizer to be excellent for range trips. The square dimensions just about perfectly accommodate three boxes of pistol ammunition and a handful of magazines. Add a few pouches for rags, gun oil, various multitools and Allen wrenches, batteries, and miscellaneous spare parts, and you’ve got everything you need to keep your guns running even if weird contingencies arise.
Because everything’s Velcro, you can attach and detach all of the accessories to your heart’s content. Even among us “designers,” sometimes the quest for a perfect configuration involves trial and error. If something’s no longer working for you, or to adapt the Siege 25L to a new mission, just give a firm pull to any Tactigami pieces you don’t want and they’ll come right off.
Final Thoughts on the Siege 25L Backpack
Backpacks have come a long way from the time I was in college. Having taken the Vertx Siege 25L on quite a few trips since I first got it, I’m now a little embarrassed I spent so much of my life getting by with two pockets and two zippers. I have to admit, it’s pretty intoxicating to have everything I need exactly where I want it. I had a suspicion the Siege 25L would replace my previous rucksack when I looked over the features and spec sheet; I was a little surprised when I found it effectively competing with my range bag and camera bags for trunk time.
On top of that, I love that the Siege 25L looks cool without being overly conspicuous. Undoubtedly, we’re dealing with a backpack made to withstand the rigors of law enforcement and military operations — I, however, appreciate that the pack can be kitted out for a camping trip, photo shoot or a theme park visit without anybody really batting an eye at it.
The Siege 25L retails for $250.99 through the Vertx website. For the features, construction, modularity and thoughtful design, that strikes me as a real bargain.
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