Got one of these DirectAction Ghost Mk2 packs recently, and within an hour ordered another one (one for EDC/work use, one for woods use). This one is URBAN GREY, and the one i have coming soon is ADAPTIVE GREEN. (I will get more into the chameleon like colors near the end of the post....its quite interesting..) this review has LOTS of pic (heavy Bandwidth) so be warned The pack came very well packaged in a heavy duty shipping box, and was in a sealed heavy duty plastic bag. (i kept the bag, it will be useful since its a heavy grade clear plastic). I ordered from the North American Direct Action warehouse and they shipped USPS. It arrived fast to Canada but got tied up for two weeks in Canada due to the major postal strike. Since it is a sewn product, Canada Customs nails us Canucks a hefty $30 to $35 in Duties/Custom fees. All in, i still feel i got a great $$ deal for the amount of pack and features i got, despite the $50 USPS shipping and CANADA Duties/taxes. Its a 31 L 3 day pack, made from 500D Cordura. There are a lot of very well thought out features on this pack, and I will get into the notable ones on each photo. FULL SPECS can be found on the Direct Action website. The pack FRONT VIEW - SIDE VIEW BACK VIEW the Ghost MK2 also comes with a few extras......and its this modularity they designed into the pack that pushes my score for this pack to a solid 10/10. DA sends a 1" shoulder strap with fastex buckles (for the removable front pouch) , and a free Mosquito load bearing yoke. That yoke can be used on the REMOVABLE Mosquito waist belt , in essence you are getting a free LB gun belt when you buy the pack. The belt kit & harness alone are $130 USD. You get both when you buy the Ghost MK2 pack, ($150 USD), so this makes the Ghost MK2 pack one hell of a great deal money wise. Esp if you choose to run the pack without the gun belt for daily EDC, but still want to set up a gun belt rig under your jacket, and wear the pack over you jacket. the Mosquito webbing belt removed from the pack. It fastens in with a velcro panel, and two removable molle tab inserts that have 1" straps that attach to the backpack. Laser cut laminate molle/pals grid has 3 horizontal / 16 vertical rows. Not all the grid can be used when the belt is mounted on the pack. the belt has been upgraded from a flat foam padding to the new "combat" foam padding. This padding under the mesh has "ridges" that allow for rapid air flow and moisture wicking. Its VERY comfortable. has laser cut molle/pals slots 3 high 22 wide. moving to the canteen/waterbottle/stash pockets. There are 2, one on each lower side of the pack. 3 vertical x 3 horizontal molle/pals grid on the outside. the side pockets have a stretchy gusset that expands and holds a canteen or bottle snugly. As well there is a 1" strap with fastex buckle , although this is more useful for quickly securing a jacket or other items. A Velcro closure on the top, if you use the pocket for items other than water bottles, coffee cups thermoses etc. Every 1" strap on the pack has Velcro tabs so you can roll up the excess straps neatly. velcro strap keepers velcro pocket closure unlike the Eberlestock Halftrak side pockets, you can actually fit a canteen into these, or a thermos, or large water bottle. Holds a 64oz kleen kanteen with room to spare. Also hold a 64 oz insulated beer growler NO PROB. (and since i liver near almost 30 microbreweries, being able to carry a lot of beer is Mission #1! tall bottles are easily secured with a homemade shock cord loop. The sides of the pack have a 2 vertical x 5 horizontal molle/pals grid the top of the pack has a beefy grab handle, with two loops on the handle for stowing carabiners, as well there are two D rings. Under the grab handle is a velcro Comms cable/hydration bladder hose port. (i had two microfiber cloths in the pack , thats the color you see here) zipper details underneath the pack is two 1" straps and webbing slots, for securing a foam roll, sleeping bag, jacket etc. but if you look closer, there are an extra two female fastex buckles......When you attach the removable front pouch, you clip into the buckles on the pouch. If you want to run a sleeping roll in the straps, you buckle into the pack buckles. They tuck away nicely when your not using them bedroll/etc attachment mode buckle open. As well you can see the large drain grommet on the pouch. The main compartment of the pack has one too, and both water bottle side slots have smaller ones. pouch attachment mode
lets take a look at the removable front pouch. Its held on with 4 fastex buckles and 2 1/8" shock cord bungees. This creates a secure stash pocket for a poncho, helmet etc. On the outside there is laser cut Molle/Pals platform, 7 vertical rows , 9 horizontal. Plus a 3" x 5" velcro patch area. shock cord and toggle on each side. BUT....this is not all! on the back of the removable pouch is 2 sewn molle straps for mounting the pouch to a vest, vehicle seat molle grid, inside a pelican case using Grey Man Tactical molle panels, etc. But it gets even more innovative....remember that extra shoulder strap that was included? You can use the pouch as a small messenger bag, sling bag, Active Shooter Bag, etc pouch features: zippered large flat pocket on the outside of the pouch, two mag pockets inside for AR mags, zippered mesh pocket, pen slots x 4, inside zippered large flat pocket, key hanger tab, 2 open slots, one secured with velcro. You can fit in an enormous amount of gear into the pouch alone..... moving on to the main pack body. on the front (where the pouch goes) there is another 7 vertical x 9 horizontal molle/pals laminate grid. 2" x 3" velcro patch panel, and a fleece line small pocket for cell phones. . As well as a zippered large flat compartment, that can hold a tablet or books with ease there is one main compartment , and it has a open hydration bladder slot and hangar strap. I do find that a 2 - 3 liter bladder when full, takes up a lot of the inside space of the main compartment. A wider thinner water bladder would prevent this. Its not a big deal to me but might be for some. You can STILL fit in large items, 64 oz klean kanteen and thermos pictured..... the inner mesh pocket is quite large, big enough for a small tablet or in this case a Bleed Out Kit, TQ, and some dex4, gloves etc. My one beef, (and its very minor), is i wish the shoulder straps (wide section) was longer by about 4" . I have the cross strap at the bottom webbing and It still feels a bit close to my throat. Its not an issue to me, I just prefer longer main straps on packs. Here you can also see the "Combat" padding ridges that allow massive venting and airflow. They are extremely comfortable. behind the main compartment is a padded/foam stiffened pocket. Its holds a 15" laptop or in this case a large DAKA pouch and a full size RITR notebook. now for the "chameleon" like qualities of the fabric color...... Whatever light you in, daylight, office lights, etc...the color changes. It is quite neat to see the pack in sunlight and then see it in office light. The URBAN GREY ranges from grey, sage green all the way to a tan green grey........its almost a coyote brown Warm 4000k light Sunlight - stitching - FLAWLESS, only found 1 thread end that had to be singed. Been wearing the pack since i got it, use it as the truck office bag, an general EDC bag, and i like it a LOT. So much so i ordered another in adaptive green for hiking on the local trails without freaking people out like my webbing does...... bought and paid for with my own money, I give this pack a SOLID 10/10 for unique features, quality, craftsmanship/attention to detail, price and extras. more field pics when the rain stops.
Nice, looks well thought out. For proper fitting, can you give the measurements of lenght of the back? ( side that is against you when worn top to bottom) and width? ( side to side at the shoulder level) and if possible depth? ( inner wall to outer fave side). Sure Sure I know it's available on the site but you wanted to show it off more didn't you?
Good job Bushman. I must say this looks like a quality piece of kit. I especially like the way the suspension is designed. Price is very nice too. I hope you will drop back in here after a few trail miles, give us more feedback on how it handles going up and down those grades up there.
Great pack. Their gear is built seriously tough. The design of the water bottle pockets is brilliant.
Update. Been using the urban grey one for work , got a fak, fixed blade, Leatherman, flashlight, 64 oz kleen kanteen, snack foods, Dangerous Goods reference book and documents, UN Placards, duct tape, insurance docs, etc etc in it,. Throw it into the truck cab every day, haul it out at end of day. Not a damn stitch broken, not a single issue. The adaptive green pack is my walking edc pack and I adapt it for woods use on trails where the public would freak out about my L.R.R.P.R. Webbing rigs...., Serious bang for the buck packs. The quality is matched only by HPG, Eberlestock and Mystery Ranch , and some custom military pack makers (JayJayBreconUK, SORD AUS etc)
Hello, Sorry for resurrecting this topic. I'm thinking of getting this backpack and would like to know how it has been doing since the last time you posted this update. I checked several reviews on the internet and noticed there was a problem with some people regarding some ripping at the internal seams on the administration pocket and the main pocket (I attached a photo I found on the internet as an example). However, all these reviews are very old (about 3 years ago) and were made before the Direct Action rebranding (backpacks were MK I versions). Do you happen to have something to report about this or about any other thing with your backpack? Another question I have is about the amount of import taxes you paid. was the $ 30 you reported paid in USD or CAD? From what I could find on the internet, there is a provincial tax in Vancouver of 5% GST + 7% PST (Correct me if I am wrong), but my calculations do not seem to match your values. Sorry about my English and thanks in advance. By the way, this was the best review of a product I've found on the internet! Thanks for the detailed description and especially for the photos! EDIT: I was talking about fees because although I live in Brazil, I would like to buy this backpack (Via Direct Action official website or via another Canadian Company I found on internet called On Duty Apparel - https://onduty.ca/collections/direct-action / products / direct-action-ghost-mk-ii-backpack) and send it through the post office to a friend tha is living in Vancouver and it is going to come back soon.
hello from Canada, Aderson. the pack (i bought 2 ) has held up extremely well. I put my grey one thru absolute hell at work (as a truck bag), often loaded down with 3 x 2liter frozen water bottles. Zero issues with tearing so far. the duties were 7% PST, plus the 5% GST, as well as a Customs Processing fee. All together came to $30 and change. However....the second I got charged nothing, it breezed thru.....its really hit and miss. if your in Brazil, you may wish to try the DA European site first - check the prices (in Euros) and convert to your local dollar. Might be closer and cheaper , I dont know.
I am almost certain my best mate just bought one of these as well for go to bag in his Toyota (I use a Becker Patrol Pack for mine- in the Toyota and an Eagle "Assault Pack" in my sedan). He sounded impressed with his when we were talking the other night !
Nice to hear that! It's been 3 years since I wanted to buy this pack. The pack I already use (for EDC and every other occasion ) is just tearing apart. I really wanted this pack, so much so I refused buying any other pack I found here, waiting for an opportunity to get a Ghost pack. The design is so unique. About the duties, now it makes sense to me! I didn't know you have to pay for an Customs Processing fee besides the GST and PST, couldn't find about this anywhere else. Unfortunately, It is impossible for me to import the pack directly from DA site, the exchange rate to brazilian Real and shipping costs are absurdly high and there are huge import duties here. So, I hope my friend could bring it for me from Vancouver. Thank you for your responses!
By the way, Buchman5, have you ever heard about this "On Duty Equipment" Company from Ontario? I know that probably is too vague for you to say anything about it, but since you live in Canada and once looked for this pack, maybe you could at least guess about the reliability of this company. Maybe this could sound kind of a strange question, but here in my country sometimes you got to be cautious and do some research before buying in a site you don't know very well,to not be lucky enough to have your money stolen
let me ask a few of my Ontario buddies. They might know a bit more than I do. As far as I know its a family run company, with a storefront and online presence, selling to law enforcement and hunters.
Head on over to General Discussion and Introduce yourself and get your Vancouver friend to join up to! The more like minded folks around here the better! would love to see some hiking and hunting/fishing photos from your country!
Thank you very much bushman5! I couldn't find any further information about this company on internet. If you discover anything else, please let me know! Nice, I'll take a look at this thread and tell her about this site, too! I was talking to my friend and unfortunately she will not stay for so long on Vancouver this time before getting back to Brazil. Anyway, I'll try everything possible to get my hands on one of these packs. If I can get one, I'll certainly post my feedback here! And who knows, some pictures of a trip here if I can travel during my vacation! These will surely be pictures with a unique kind of environment here! Hahaha
