**UPDATE 10/26/2013 Hard to believe this bag is STILL my favorite. Not one issue, my content has changed a little (ipod, lol...have all music on my ipone now!) and I've used this for work and play but it really shines for work or travel especially business travel. the compression straps (and the ones I added at the bottom really suck down the bag to pass inspection for carry on use too. almost 3 1/2 years of at least 5 day use and a lot of 7 day use. Wow, that's wild, and nothing is wrong with it at all.
Original review -I've been a pack junkie, user, trader, buyer, and I guess a bit of a collector for 4 decades. I served in the 80's and I humped the various ALICE versions all over the world. Have tried many (WAY TOO MANY) packs over the years looking for the right one. For what I need now...this is just about the perfect pack for me. I also own the RUSH 72 as a home based Bug Out Bag...I bought it after using/abusing this RUSH 24 for over a year now.
It's been a year of daily carry for my EDC RUSH 24, using it as a briefcase if needed, laptop bag, and on camping trips and canoeing trips as my only bag. I've had it covered in dust, mud, heavily rained on, and it's been thru the desert.
I have it in black as that's the least "hey, I've got a military/MOLLE pack here"...from 5 feet away, the MOLLE just about disappears. Very low key. I wear a suit and tie every day to work...this bag still looks great.
Inside the front-bottom-outside pocket is all the little things I use daily. Pens, pencils, markers, multitool, surefire, deck of cards, chemlights, beef sticks, packs of paracord, Spyderco Military, monocular, and this time of year, suncreen and bug spray, along with some other stuff. everything in it's own pocket!
top-outside-butterfly pockets one side has gum, wallet, cell phone. Other side has Ipod Nano, earbuds, small pocket gun when I have no pockets .in basketball shorts which I wear a lot in summer. (gun is legal, with CCW permit)
Eyeglasses pocket on very top is handy my soft Maui Jim case fits in there just fine. Probably don't need to use the case here as the pocket is lined, but it fits, so I do.
Side zipper pockets one holds camelback 750ml with a soup can made into an emergency stove/water boiler. Other side holds gloves, shemagh, two buffs, and a larger survival knife a Rat-4. (now they are called ESEE knives)
All the zippered mesh pockets on the inside hold everything else I'd need to last awhile on my own but don't use a lot...stuff like medical kit, zip ties, gun cleaning stuff, camp towel, more food, CR 123 batt's for my surefires, all kinds of stuff...tons of stuff.
Inside the front lid on the bottom is a zippered pocket that's not mesh, I have extra ammo for the Glock on my hip and the back up gun, a couple contractor garbage bags, and packs of Molle clips.
In the bottom/middle is a maxpedition M2 waistpack that contains a mini survival kit that I put on my waist when I canoe...in case I'm separated from my pack. Also here in the bottom/middle is a full sized (3xl) rain jacket
The bottom back pocket has a laptop type pocket, I have a bible, checkbooks, dayplanner, and notebook in there.
The entire middle of the pack is open and I can put my laptop, files from work, or anything else I want to in this spot. It's really cool to carry all the stuff I do and still not use the middle of the pack at all. I've quit carrying my briefcase to work this is all I need.
Daily load out, minus the laptop and with an empty water bottle is 19 pounds. The back padding is so sweet, the stiff (but comfy) layer that's inserted along the back is SO great, the weight of the pack feel like nothing when I put it on. Although I do carry a cheap 1 inch buckle strap...so that I can make a waistbelt on the fly using the MOLLE in a BOB situation, I'd want the weight shifted to my hips, not on my shoulders all day.
The RUSH 72 holds more: a hammock, more tools, more ammo, climbing rope, etc....but I think I could make it with what my EDC RUSH 24 contains, if I had to. I also carry boots/BDU's ina separate bag in the jeep at all times.
I don't know what you'll use the RUSH 24 for...but if you like to be organized with your stuff...this bag will do it, and it's bombproof tough...not even a stitch loose on mine after a year of hard use and countless abuse. It washes well too.
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Pack selection can vary depending on application and fit. This is a tough, high quality pack, as others describe. But it didn't float my boat.
At 6'2", I found it not fitting well, riding a couple inches higher than was comfortable. There was little adjustability to compensate, only cinch straps that constricted/relaxed the shoulder yoke. Maybe if it was always loaded to 40+lbs, the weight would pull it lower and I wouldn't notice, but for a day-hike pack at about 15-20 lbs, it wasn't workable. I have a $22 pack from Target that is far more adjustable and comfortable -I'd rather wear out 5 of them than have this high-quality pack riding my back for life.
There is no cell phone reception where I go, so such pockets are quirky. In general, the pockets didn't really match my gear, either being too big or too small. I wouldn't dream of packing a laptop. And, for me, three grommet holes in the bottom & back "to drain water" are only three entrances for bugs, sand, dirt, and water when the back is set down.
Not sure how others use packs, but I find it much easier to manage the interior of my pack (avoid putting water into it) than the external environment, and so I'd prefer not to have always-open access ports letting the outside in.
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Based on reviews I bought this pack sight unseen. It's my first piece of 5.11 gear and as expected I am very impressed with the quality and workmanship.
I inspected a friends Rush 12, but I thought I was looking at the Rush 24.. I thought ahh this size is perfect. When the actual Rush 24 arrived I was like.. oh my this is huge. The 22x12x7" dimensions (33 liters) are only the main pouch. The admin pouch adds another few liters, and the pack can bulge outwards to maybe.. 40 liters total. Its by far the largest frameless pack I've worn.
This size is too big for my daily use. I should have payed attention to the name.. this can carry everything I would need for a 24 hour camping trip including tent, sleeping bag etc.
That is not a complaint, just an observation.I am keeping this for my Bug Out Bag and getting the Rush 12 for EDC/work use.
UPDATE: The Rush 12 is a great size for taking my EDC, lunch, and a few items to work and back. The Rush 24 is now my GET HOME bag in my car. It is a great size for such an application, bug out, get home, 72 hours, etc. All the pockets and such make organization easy (shelter, fire, water, food, etc.)
Honest reviews on 5.11 Rush 24 Back Pack
I received a pack labeled "Updated design." One of the updates is that the side pockets are now too small to hold a 32-ounce Nalgene bottle, which the side pockets of the old design would hold. I know this because before I ordered the pack I put a bottle in my co-worker's pack to make sure it fit before I ordered my own pack. Also, the over-all quality of the updated design is noticeably lower.
The old design and quality was excellent. The new design is not nearly as good. The difference in size and quality is so significant that 5.11 can not honestly use the same model designation for the updated design. The great reviews you see for this backpack refer to the old design.
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I've been using my 24 hour rush bag for just over 3 months now, just about every single day. I've already used it for a few 2 4 day trips as well and it is simply fantastic. I tend to pack light, so it can hold just enough for a simple 3 or 4 day journey.
The butterfly pockets on the flap are easily one of my favorite/most frequently used storage features. I use them to keep the the small things that I tend to need to access often: wallet, phone, keys, bubble gum, bicycle computer and so on. The MOLLE webbing is of course extremely useful as well. I ride my bike to school fairly often. I was able to mount my portable bike pump on the webbing (it would get stolen off my bike on campus in half a heartbeat if I left it on there), and I can lace my biking shoes velcro strap and helmet strap through the webbing so I don't have to carry them or try to stuff them inside the pack. I keep extra bike tubes in one of the long side pockets and a rubberized nylon military bag rolled up in the other if I need to carry wet clothes home after swimming.
The front pocket is very deep and you can hold a boat load in there. Also the main compartment is very large. I interned at amazon.com over the summer and when my department switched buildings I was able to fit a 19" (4:3 ratio) monitor in the main compartment so I wouldn't have to carry it. The stand stuck out the side, but heck I had a 19" monitor in there!
I read another review by a man who said he is 6'2" and it doesn't ride well on him. We all have different body types, but I'm only a quarter or half inch shorter and I have a 48" chest and this pack is extremely comfortable on me. Like I said, we all have different body types.
Other small but important features that I feel the need to discuss: The semi-rigid backplate combined with the shoulder yoke system does an excellent job of distributing the weight across your whole back, even with up to 30 or 40 pounds in there it feels waaaay lighter. I broke my L5 vertebrae in half when I was younger, so this is a godsend for me. The camelback system support is of course always loved. The zippers seem to be of extremely high quality (this matters to me because over half of all my previous backpacks met their respective makers when the crappy zippers failed). And of course who could neglect a handle rated for 2,000 pounds of force. It's mostly just a huge part of the cool factor, but hey it could save your life some day.
While time will ultimately tell if it stands up to the rigors that have disposed of the other supposed "top quality" bags of my past in an average of less than 2 years, I have very high hopes this one. It is easy to tell from examination that the manufacturing process for this product is top notch. Very strong seams, extremely durable material, and attention to detail in how it is designed to be worn (i.e. the shoulder straps are curved to ergonomically fit the human body and decrease pressure points on the stitching), and overall practicality make me recommend this product with five stars.
