I am regularly out in the middle of nowhere for work or camping with the family. Being the tech-toy junkie that I am, I bring a wide range of devices with me wherever I go. The Maxpedition COLOSSUS Versipack is an ideal bag for consolidating and protecting them in the wild. The COLOSSUS is the largest bag in the Versipack series.
The COLOSSUS Versipack is extremely well made. The exterior of the Versipack is constructed of a heavy duty ballistic nylon material. The interior lining is nylon as well but smooth and will not impact your devices. The metal zippers are top quality and will last the lifetime of the bag. The front, back, sides and bottom are reasonably well padded while not making the Versipack too bulky.
The front and top have velcro to attach a nametag or small pouch. The back has a rubbery material that decreases the amount the bag slides around your side or back. The shoulder strap is removable, a nice plus. This allows you to add the JANUS Extension Pocket to the strap giving you the ability to have a front pocket across your chest. The bag is more or less symmetric allowing for ‘ambidextrous’ use.
The COLOSSUS has six exterior and eight interior pockets of various shapes and sizes. The main pocket is 8” x 5” x 10” deep with front and back internal pockets. The largest of the internal pockets has a velcro closure. There is a mid-sided zippered pocket on the lid and a simple pocket with two small mesh pockets on the front of it.
The top pocket is 6” x 5” x 1” thick with a small internal pocket that has three elastic loops.
The back pocket is 9” wide x 11” deep, ideal for paperwork or a map. According to the Maxpedition website the back pocket is ‘hydration compatible’.
The front pocket is 8” x 7” x 1.5” thick with three velcroed subpockets within and two zipped pockets on the exterior. There are many hard point locations to hang items on the exterior of the bag. There is also a metal field loop on the top of the back. The bag weighs 34.2 oz when empty. It is available in black, green, khaki, digital foliage camo.
The COLOSSUS Versipack is very comfortable to wear. It hangs nicely on either side while distributing the overall weight of the bag. According to the Maxpedition website, the COLOSSUS is a "Special Project" due to its complexity and ‘labor-intensive nature’ and will be produced only on a limited basis.
Maxpedition lives up to its motto of ‘Everyday Hard-Use Gear’ in the COLOSSUS Versipack. Once again, it is very well made, extremely durable, and nicely sized. Priced at $118.99, it is a bit expensive for a mid-sized bag. But in this case, you get what you pay for.
Product Information
| Price: | 118.99 |
| Manufacturer: | Maxpedition |
| Retailer: | Maxpedition |
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The Colossus is an outstanding bag. I got one in Khaki a while back, and it is the best gear bag I have ever seen from Maxpedition. The main compartment isn’t fully padded, but it is padded on the bottom, where it is most important. It will be my storm chasing gear bag for next spring.
Hi Mark, haven’t seen you around in awhile! 🙂
Been a bit busy…but I have kept up gadgetwise. I got a new Nano “fatty” and I LOVE it. I got the Colossus, and the new PSP Lite. The Nano is about the best gadget I have ever owned…what a design!!!!
Mark
Hi Mark,
After reading your post, I went back and checked on the padding of the main compartment. On my bag, the bottom, lid, back and sides are definitely padded. And while not officially padded, the front pocket acts as some amount of padding for the main pocket.
Dave
Yes, not fully padded, but mostly. I have owned bags where the sides are padded but the bottom isn’t. Maxpedition did an excellent job here. Much as you did with your review! 🙂
I also prefer the top zip pocket to the Fatboy and Jumbo’s method of protecting the main compartment. The fact that it unzips so you can open it away from you is something I wish more bag manufacturers would do.
Mark
But here is the question…is it really that much different from the Jumbo Versipack? I bought a Jumbo this summer, and was kind of disappointed by the size (lack thereof) so I was excited when I heard about the Colossus coming out. But after seeing a few reviews/pictures/etc online, I honestly don’t see it as being much larger. It still wouldn’t hold a letter size (9×12) notebook/binder.
I just wasn’t willing to buy another one (they’re pricey items), and didn’t want to go through the hassle of selling my Jumbo on ebay or something. Unfortunately I don’t have a store near me where I can see one in person before buying.
I did discover the Oakley Sandbag, and have fallen in love with that bag. External pockets, good size, and alot of the features that Maxpedition stuff has.
Any feedback on the Colossus vs. Jumbo would be appreciated.
I owned the Jumbo, didn’t like it, sold it. I bought the Colossus, and fell in love with it. It’s not large enough to hold my Fujitsu P1510D, but it holds my Sony Handycam, my OQO 02, Sony Ebook Reader, Treo 700P, Kestrel 4000, iPod Nano 3G, Canon SD700IS and a boatload of other goodies. I might get a Janus pouch add-on for this. It will be my perfect gearbag for travel! The Jumbo could not hold all of these things, was not padded, did not have the zip-close main compartment. I wouldn’t have minded a couple of zipped pouches on one side of this bag, though…but other than that, it’s a great bag.