“KE Tactical Sturm” 40L Backpack – Our Review! (Experience, Photos+)
Hello, fellow detectorists!
As you may already have noticed – in addition to reviews of metal detectors and pinpointers and other useful things for detecting in our blog, there are also periodically reviews of useful equipment. Detecting is not only walking on the fields on a Sunday day but for many of us, it may be an expedition of a week or more when we go deep into the forest! And in these forests, we spend a long time digging on places of ancient tracts or on the battlefields. And without reliable and high-quality equipment, you can’t go to such places. And this isn’t only because of the comfort of the expedition, but also your life, friends.
And therefore, during the winter of this year, I made a big upgrade for my detecting equipment – I bought a backpack of 40 liters. About my 25L backpack, I have already written here: UMBTS 6SH112 Patrol Backpack
I also have a backpack of 60 liters, a standard Bundeswehr backpack, but now it has become a storage for equipment – uniforms, clothes, different t-shirts and so on. This rucksack itself is also excellent! But here there was a problem – 25 liters is little, it’s for a one day detecting trip, and 60 liters is too much. So I had to look for a backpack that would be good for these purposes.
The requirements were pretty obvious – the volume had to be between 25 liters and 60 liters, a decent and worthy appearance, reliability (to be strong) and of course universality – so that you could go to the forest and go out to the city without attracting much attention to yourself. I studied backpacks in the internet for a long time and also in different stores. There were different backpacks from China and other countries, a-la MilTek, MFH and so on. I wasn’t very impressed – the quality was doubtful, but the price was good. But something really super, a la Tasmanian Tiger was good , but it is very expensive. But one day I found a new series of backpacks from KE Tactical, under the name Sturm, and it fell on my choice. Actually, today’s review is about this backpack!
The backpack itself is called KE Tactical Sturm 40 liters, olive color, and here is the link to the store!You can also use the promo code: hobby-detecting that gives a discount of 7%! And another 5% discount will apply automatically if payment is made through the site, that is, in total: 12% discount. Not bad!
The backpack turned out to be an extremely successful choice. It has a very interesting and convenient design – the main compartment has a capacity of 30 liters. This is large enough to put all your belongings, things, other large equipment into the main department.
On both sides of the backpack there are straps, so that it would be more convenient to pull tight the front open compartment and provide a more dense fixation to the things laid in the main compartment. On the side there are also open mesh pockets in which you can put a jar or a bottle of water or other things that you need to pull out/use quite often.
I will speak a bit about the frontal compartment in more detail – on the assurances of the manufacturer, its volume varies from 5 to 10 liters. In general, this is similar to the truth, because you can put a whole helmet in the front department and fix it – the helmet will not drop out anywhere and will be securely fixed. Thus, we have a +10 l bonus, in which we can lay other necessary equipment. The front compartment has protective grids on the sides, and the department itself is not protected from moisture and water, so it is necessary to place exactly those things that are not afraid of bad weather, for example – a kettle, a burner and so on. This is a great bonus for saving space for less useful equipment!
Also, in the backpack there are two side pockets of 1.2 liters each. Basically, they are designed for different small things. Side pockets are narrow and stretched to the height, perfect for some types of equipment. You can, for example, twist things in a tube and pack them in these pockets.
There is also a front pocket, it is clearly visible in the photo – and on this pocket there are MOLLE pockets for attaching different pouches. The front pocket itself is more suitable for administrative functions – stacking cards, documents, pens, various accessories.
Business cards also fit perfectly, as do tickets!
The back of the backpack, as seen in the photo, is covered with a net and soft material to ensure that the back is ventilated and to protect it from moistening. This is especially useful in the summer when you go on long trips, you become all sweaty, and the backpack is even more so. Though a little, but this back design helps the backpack. The same mesh is installed on the inside of the shoulder straps, the design itself is called AirMesh.
The shoulder straps have the ability to quickly throw off the backpack – fastened with FASTEX, so if necessary, then just click the FASTEX and the backpack quietly flies to the ground.
The zip locks have a cord each – this is made in order to make it more convenient to use the backpack in gloves. Out detecting this is especially important, as so in camping.
The backpack is made of Cordura material with a density of 1000 Den with PU coating of 1000 mm water column. This effectively reflects the water in the rain, but you can’t exactly swim with it. A rain cover can also come in handy, so I’m thinking about this upgrade for the future. The lining is made of Oxford 210 Den cloth with PU coating. The materials are strong and reliable and the sewing is also well-done – very high-quality. The breaking load on the thread is not less than 4.5 kg per cm, which means that this backpack will not be torn in places without any good reason. For such a backpack you do not have to worry – it will serve for a long time, with faith and truth.
Let’s open the main compartment.
As you can see – on the front cover of the main compartment there are more grids with the possibility to put useful things in them. First aid, for example, or powerbanks, pens – all placed in the upper compartment, because it is easy to open the top of the backpack to gain access to this compartment. This is a very convenient feature, friends!
Here you have the manufacturer’s nameplate and material information + contact details, in case there are ideas and suggestions for improving the equipment. It is better not to remove the label, because it also proves the product guarantee.
Inside the main compartment, there is a large pocket, you can use it as a compartment for a water bottle bag, there is an outlet for the tube there. Also, there are straps made for the tube.
Now let’s go directly to the experience of using.
The backpack perfectly survived air traveling – it can be safely taken as a hand baggage on a plane, the main thing is to keep the weight below 8 kg (each airline has its own requirements, but 8 kg is something average for everyone).
I had to test this backpack in the mountains, even though not at a very high altitude like Everest or Elbrus, but in the surroundings of the Bulgarian “Stara Planina”, full of forests and impenetrable obstructions, the backpack proved very worthy, as an object for carrying things and equipment. In the photo above – we prepare for night shooting at the shooting range in the mountains. That day I had everything I needed in the backpack, including a shortened AK automatic rifle from the Bulgarian factory Arsenal with several attachments and optics mounted on it, fit into the backpack. Naturally, I did not forget about safety glasses and protective headphones.
As a result – an excellent, reliable and undetectable thing for a very affordable budget. It is, of course, better to pay once for a backpack that will last for many years rather than to buy a cheap backpack and to throw it away after one year, thereby overpaying multiple times. With me, the backpack has already passed many trips, shooting ranges, detecting, and it has even been with me on a flight.
I will continue to use it and, if possible, I will definitely add to this review with new impressions and real tests. All the equipment I have is tested for full extreme capabilities so that I can be able to judge the quality.
So, good luck out detecting, friends, but most importantly – take care of yourself during detecting and do not neglect good equipment, it can really save your life in a difficult moment!
