I go camping and hiking quite a bit and I always take a backpack with some survival gear in it no matter how short or long I go. I probably go a little "over kill" on the gear but I'll only carry what is comfortable to walk with. My previous backpack was a Kelty "Redwing" that I picked up from a sporting goods store. It was more expensive than the 3V Velox II, but I've used it for a few years now and it has held up pretty good. What I didn't like about the Redwing pack is that it was a little big and cumbersome. I never could get the compression straps to really hold the gear down inside very well either. I also felt that it never had enough compartments for me to put smaller items in.For a replacement pack, I decided to try one that was a little smaller in size, MOLLE compatible, and had more smaller pockets to store items. I also wanted something that had a separate compartment for hydration. I was also looking for something that was affordable without sacrificing too much for quality. The research eventually brought me to the 3V Gear Velox II tactical backpack. I was also thinking that maybe when I am not camping/hiking, I could reduce the contents of my pack down a little bit and keep this in the trunk of my vehicle when I travel a little further from home for emergency purposes. Anyway, I ordered this and I couldn't be more pleased. When comparing it to my Redwing pack, there is a difference is height and width. The Velox is smaller but as you start packing it, the capacity fattens the bag more than the Redwing. There are also more compartments and storage spaces in this and I like the fact that I can add even more accessories with the MOLLE system. I was interested to see if I could take everything out of my bigger pack and put it more snuggly in the Velox. The pictures show all of the stuff I took out of my old bag and put into the Velox. It's a lot of stuff and I still could cram a few more items in if I wanted. The compression straps work a little better with the Velox and they are very easy to adjust. Both bags are plenty tough and the Velox seems about equal with my old pack. I see no problems with stitching and the materials used (zippers, fabric, velcro, etc) are all satisfactory. Giving it an exaggerated "run away from the zombies" test proved to be successful as the bag feels comfortable and I didn't feel my gear shifting around on the inside.The hydration compartment is plenty big and will hold my 3 liter bag (top of it sticking out a little bit). I will probably use one of my smaller ones for this pack however. The bag came with a grey American flag patch but I switched it out for one that stands out a little bit better. It's still a nice patch however and decided to use that one on a tactical vest that I bought recently for target shooting at the range.This is definitely a nice pack and it will serve my needs very well. It has plenty of room for all of my gear and it feels comfortable enough to take hiking, camping, and will probably start finding use as an emergency pack for the car. I recommend.