The author on the road again, this time with the 5.11 Rush 24 2.0 Backpack 37L.
By Mike Arnold
“You need the 5.11 Rush 24 2.0 Backpack.” There was an advertisement on TV when I was a teenager in the 1970s. It went: “When E.F. Hutton talks, people listen.” E.F. Hutton was an American stock brokerage firm, and obviously the ad indicated they knew their business better than anyone else. Though I am not certain about the E.F. Hutton claim, I knew the person giving me advice about a backpack for hunting trips sure knew his stuff. Mark Haldane went on, “All our APU (Anti-Poaching Unit) members carry them, and they are fantastic!” I listened and ordered what Mark recommended. I forgot to ask Mark what size his APU guys wore, but I chose the 37L version to give me sufficient space for my writer-scientist stuff as well when traveling to hunts.
Computer pocket is large enough for a 15-inch laptop, and suspended above bottom so won't bange against ground when backpack set down.
Before I start the review based on two hunts in Texas and Oklahoma, here are some of the statistics about the 5.11 Rush backpack:
1) Main Compartment – 20" H x 12.5" L x 8" D
2) Front Pocket – 12.5” x 11” x 2”
3) Internal Laptop Sleeve – Fits up to a 15" laptop
4) Hydration Pocket – 17” x 12.5” / 2-liter
5) Total Capacity – 2275 cubic inch / 37-liter
6) Weight – 1.74 5kg / 3.85 lb.
Lack of rigidness and bad fit was the reason the author asked Mark Haldane for a suggestion for a new backpack.
I copied-and-pasted these features from the 5.11 website. (As long as I state that, it’s not plagiarism.) I also want to highlight some attributes not on this list that made a huge difference on my first two outings with the Rush. However, I’ll start with one feature I have not used yet; the compartment designed for a concealed weapon. We staged the accompanying photos, but hopefully they are illustrative. The opening is on the outside, easily accessed and yet very securely fastened by the hook and loop strips. As the photographs show, my own carry weapon, a full-sized, .45 caliber, 1911 fits easily into the pocket, with plenty of room left over. I will be using this feature on an upcoming trip into an area of a large city known for the nasty behavior of some of its inhabitants.
The first aspect of this 5.11 backpack that was hugely important on my recent trips was that it fitted easily under the seat in front of me on all my flights. Let me emphasize, these weren’t the larger airplanes used on international legs. These were the dinky, within-US, cattle cars so loved by so many (yep, sarcasm). The backpack with all my gear inside slid into the niche under the seat, even when a person of extreme girth tested the seat’s springs to their limit. Unlike backpacks trying to seem more cutting-edge in design than they are by sprouting extraneous straps from every seam, the Rush has exactly three – a sternum belt, and two compression straps, all designed for hugging the pack to the body when carried. Why is this important on a plane? Having been on hundreds of flights, I can state emphatically, even vehemently, that I have spent hours untangling unnecessary straps from the projections under airplane seats. It’s always dark, it’s always cramped, and I can never see what I’m doing. O.K, deep breath Arnold… Anyway, the Rush doesn’t have the normal 10+ straps to worry about.
The Rush made climbing in and out of elevated stands easy.
While we’re discussing plane flights, let me also state that I have a bad habit of kicking (maybe, ‘nudging’ is a better word) my backpack under the seat in front of me. The problem with that habit is that the pack contains some delicate equipment, including my computer. A good feature for someone like me, who lives and dies by access to their laptop, is that the computer rests in a padded, internal compartment. Furthermore, when upright, the compartment suspends the computer 1” above the bottom of the backpack. That is incredibly insightful by the 5.11 designers because it means that, unlike every other backpack I have owned, my computer doesn’t hit the hard ground/floor every time I set the backpack down.
The first time I carried the Rush was on a trip into the Pecos Mountain area of West Texas. The hunt was unsuccessful in terms of bagging an Aoudad, however, it was a roaring success in that I enjoyed a spectacular high-desert area. But the environs were tough on bodies, clothes and equipment. The Rush stood up to the sand, rocks, cacti and every other thorned plant. It also put up with me repeatedly shoving it into the corner of the floorboard of the guide’s vehicle. When zipped closed the pockets and compartments kept dust out. In fact, when I arrived back home it took no more than a damp rag on the outside ripstop nylon for the backpack to appear once again pristine. I won’t belabor this first outing, but instead focus on the second, an adventure on the Choctaw Hunting Lodge property, where the Rush went through a greater range of tests. Spoiler alert: it came through with flying colors.
The first thing I noticed when I slipped on this 5.11 backpack, was how it ‘rode’. It fitted the contours of my back, and did not sag, even when fully loaded. I don’t like doing this, but the two photos compare a backpack I carried for years with the Rush. Both photographs show backpacks carrying similar loads and as often happens, resting on my right shoulder only. The sagginess (yep, I’m a scientist and that’s science-speak) of my previous backpack demonstrates its lack of support. In comparison, the straight contours of the Rush remained regardless of the load. That feature made it an easy carry whether ascending ladders into tree stands, heading into forested areas looking for harvested deer, walking across the rocky environment of the Ouachita Mountains, or climbing into or out of 4-wheel drive buggies. A major reason for the great fit and ease of carrying the backpack lay in the Yoke shoulder straps. This design almost always pulls a pack towards the centerline of the carrier. Also, as mentioned already, the support of the exterior panels, leading to the rigidness of the Rush was important for the fit.
When in the many elevated stands on the Choctaw property, the water-repellant nylon material was quiet. Also, the rigid design kept items like cartridge slides, binocular-rangefinders, etc. secure and cushioned when placed on top of the vertical backpack. The fabric and design prevented noises from disturbing deer, rams, exotics, and even skunks, while my wife Frances and I waited. The lack of noise from the pack brushing on vegetation while hunting through the hardwood-pine forests or when moving it inside the blinds, contributed to the success of our hunt. We harvested not only a whitetail buck and two does, but also a wonderful feral ram.
I look forward to carrying the 5.11 Rush backpack next year to various hunter conventions, followed by new adventures in Mozambique, South Africa and Scotland. If you see me at the conventions, ask to try on the backpack that will likely hang from only my right shoulder.
Author profile
Mike Arnold is professor and Head of the Department of Genetics at the University of Georgia and author of the 2022 book, BRINGING BACK THE LIONS: International Hunters, Local Tribespeople, and the Miraculous Rescue of a Doomed Ecosystem in Mozambique. Mike’s book is available for purchase now at bringingbackthelions.com. You can find a description of Mike’s travels, talks, and articles at mikearnoldoutdoors.com.
