AllOutdoor Overview – Vanquest Katara 16 (Multi-Cam Black)

September 24, 2022

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Since 2011 the folks over at Vanquest have been placing collectively what they are saying are “The TOUGHEST baggage & packs for EVERYDAY CARRY, and make it easier to keep ORGANIZED & PREPARED.” The model is fast to say that their merchandise are utilized by everybody from out of doors fanatics to the FBI and USSOCOM. Vanquest is made up of former out of doors gear designers, photographers, and former founding members of Maxpedition.

They’ve additionally partnered with Cordura® cloth, and premium {hardware} suppliers YKK®, ITW®, and Duraflex® to assist them deliver to market “Powerful-Constructed Gear”. They’re an organization that develops all their merchandise within the US, and companion with main US name-brand suppliers (similar to Crye Precision for MultiCam-Black Cordura®). With that being mentioned all of their gear is assembled in Taiwan and Vietnam to provide their clients a very good price to high quality ratio.

Vanquest Katara 16 – Technical Specs

Complete Pack Capability: 16 Liters
Web Weight: 2.65 Lb
Total Exterior Measurement (Absolutely Prolonged with Handles): 18″ (H) x 10.5″ (W) x 7″ (D)
Fundamental Compartment (Inside): 17″ (H) x 9″ (W) x 4″ (D)
Prime Entrance Pocket (Inside): 7″ (H) x 8.5″ (W) x 1.75″ (D)
Backside Entrance Pocket (Inside): 9.75″ (H) x 8.5″ (W) x 1″ (D)
Hidden CCW Compartment (Inside): 9″ (H) x 8″ (W)
Padded Laptop computer/Pill sleeve (Inside): 16″ (H) x 8.5″ (W) x 0.6″ (D)
Shade Choices: Coyote Tan, Wolf Gray, Black, Multi-Cam Black

Vanquest Katara 16 – How The Bag Was Examined

Over the course of 18 months, this KATARA-16 was used to:

Tote round my EDC gadgets to and from work
Keep on for a number of flights
Makeshift digicam bag
A number of brief day hikes
Lunchbox
Mild to medium use total

Vanquest Katara 16 – High quality and Consolation

I feel the general notion of most of Vanquests merchandise is that they’re good however not nice. I do know on the positioning right here we like to evaluation the small again customized baggage and there may be nothing fallacious with that. Whereas all the things in Vanquest’s catalog is unquestionably mass-produced, that doesn’t imply their merchandise aren’t high quality. Personally, I used to be fairly impressed upon first impressions with the Katara 16 after I first picked it up.

Using 500D actually makes the pack softer and lighter. Word that high-wearing areas are nonetheless made with 1000D. Its constructed to face as much as exhausting use the place it want to take a seat but additionally has had among the fats trimmed through the use of lighter supplies the place applicable.

For the perfect stability of weight and power, Vanquest used ultra-durable 1000-D Cordura® nylon at high-wear areas (backside, sides), and 500-D Cordura® for the remainder of the bag. Our Cordura® is handled with DWR (Sturdy Water Repellent) for all-weather efficiency.

Whereas many of the pack is constructed of 500D there are additionally Low profile Hypalon MOLLE-Air facet panels plus Cordura MOLLE-Air entrance panel for modular enlargement serving to give it a way more city look whereas retaining the entire thing mild.

One huge factor that bag has going for it’s that it may be transformed right into a sling bag by eradicating one of many shoulder straps. The again panel enables you to take away and change shoulder straps to setup your KATARA as a right- or left-shoulder VSlinger sling pack for fast entry. Shoulder straps are secured with hook-and-loop fasteners, sturdy Duraflex buckles and G-hooks.

I feel it is a actually intelligent characteristic for individuals who might wish to run this as a sling on the weekdays after which flip it right into a backpack for adventures on the weekends. Im glad to see this characteristic on a 16 L bag and never on a 32L. Anybody who has used a sigh is aware of that you have to hold it mild to maintain it snug. I hate it after I see bigger baggage with sling options on them as a result of I can simply assume again to how a lot my outdated Hazard 4 Photograph Recon used to dig into my shoulder after I led all of it the best way up with digicam gear. With all that being mentioned I personally didn’t use the Katara in its sling configuration other than changing it to see how the method labored.

The shoulder straps are very snug and properly designed with an built-in and detachable strum strap. There are additionally adjustable and detachable shoulder straps with sternum straps that doubles as your stabilizer strap.

The entire {hardware} on this bag could be very practical and constructed to final. The pack has Mil-grade ITW® and UTX-Duraflex® {hardware} produced from excessive tensile power Acetal polymer. The zippers are Sturdy RC-Class YKK® with lockable zippers, reversed for cover. To prime all of it off we have now conquests’ signature Spartan Zipper pulls. Personally, I feel that the spartan supper pulls are among the finest on the market if fast entry is your objective however they will snag on twigs and brush typically so hold that in thoughts.

Vanquest Katara 16 – Group

That is the part of the evaluation the place I’m most likely going to sound like a Vanquest fanboy as a result of I feel they knocked it out of the park with the organizational choices on this pack. The outer prime pocket has a zippered compartment, elastic webbing group, a slip pocket, and a hook-and-loop area for ID patches. The elastic webbings on this compartment are excellent for holding an additional lighter, multitool, ID playing cards and chapstick. That is simply my most accessed pocket on the complete bag. Then there are two Hypalon MOLLE-Air facet panels that allows you to connect our HYDRA Water Bottle Holder or single channel MOLLE equipment.

Inside the KATARA, there’s a padded sleeve for a pill / small laptop computer that may be accessed from the left or proper facet of the pack.I put my 13” Macbook on this sleeve with no points. This sleeve additionally doubles as a hydration bladder pocket. The entrance of the sleeve is lined with orange loop cloth to your hook-and-loop equipment. This brings me to one of the crucial polarizing components of this pack, the inside coloration. Nearly all of the inside of the KATARA is brilliant blaze orange. Whereas I perceive the colour alternative brings excessive visibility to inter of the pack making it simple to seek out your gadgets, I feel it’s only a bit too brilliant. You might argue that the colour may additionally turn out to be helpful as a strategy to sign in a survival state of affairs and whereas I feel that this coloration has its deserves, I’m personally not a fan. If I wish to be low vis, all I’ve to do is open this bag up and everybody’s eyes within the room are on the contents of my bag.

I wish to see Vanquest supply the inside in a number of completely different coloration choices like a really mild gray or a blue coloration. This manner you may nonetheless see the inside of the pack but additionally not alert everybody within the room once you go to seize a bag of path combine.

Reverse to the padded sleeve, you’ll discover a zippered pocket on prime, and a “3-Mode” convertible pocket on the underside. The “3-Mode” convertible pocket will be opened from its left or proper zipper and has a flap prime closure. The “3-Mode” pocket can be rolled-down and saved, revealing a big loop area for extra hook-and-loop accent attachments. I discovered this pocket to be very versatile and turn out to be useful for retaining unconventional gadgets like digicam lenses and exhausting drives safe regardless of how awkwardly formed they had been. There are two facet inner pockets with elastic retention for medical gear, knives, or flashlights. I discovered this pocket match a tourniquet completely and with sufficient retention to maintain it in place however not be troublesome to entry after I wanted it.

Normally, after I get a brand new bag I throw a small organizer pouch in the principle compartment to carry the entire small gadgets I carry every day. With the KATARA 16 there was a divider or a pocket for all the things I wished to deliver with my as an EDC bag. I feel that that is the perfect a part of the bag as group is one thing lots of the smaller packs have a tough time with. I’d additionally wish to deliver up how a lot stuff you may put on this deceptively small pack. Because the years go by and I refine my EDC gear to be smaller and lighter, I can actually respect a bag of this dimension. The KATARA lets me take all of the issues I want and nothing extra.

Final however not least there’s a CCW (Hid Carry Weapon) compartment housed in between the principle compartment and the entrance group pocket. The hidden entry path to this pocket is stored shut with velcro. You’re not going to have the ability to put a big handgun within the pocket so follow the sub-compact pistols.

Likes

Materials Choice, the right mixture of power and weight was hit in my view.
Group, by far the perfect a part of this pack is its nice organizational choices.
Consideration to element, The group at Vanquest put lots of time into the execution of the KATARA 16 and it exhibits.

Dislikes

Shade Choices, This bag is just provided in very tactical colours and with very brilliant orange interiors, Id wish to see another coloration choices include a potential replace sooner or later.
Value, the KATARA 16 is available in at $175.00 on the time of this evaluation, it is a very properly made bag however Id stay to see it in that sub $150.00 class.

Vanquest Katara 16 – Wrap up

Total, I’d say the Vanquest KATARA is a superb bag as a result of after I first acquired this bag I didn’t assume I used to be going to actually get pleasure from it however I’m comfortable to say that’s not the case. I feel it is a nice EDC bag with unbelievable organizational choices and its held along with high quality supplies. Sooner or later I wish to see a “slick” model of this bag in the same thought because the GORUCK slick packs. When you eliminated the MOLLE panels and provided the bag in a number of completely different colours, I feel this could possibly be a very nice “LOW VIS” City choice.