Badlands Ambush Backpack (MOBU, 11 x 12 x 6.5-Inch)

Capacity on this fanny pack is 850 cubic inches. Weight is 1 pound 8 ounces. It has six pockets: two water bottle pockets, two zippered side pockets, one zippered main cargo pocket, and one internal web pocket within the cargo pocket. Camo is Break-Up Infinity. There are no color or camo options. The pack is made in Vietnam. Warranty is unconditional lifetime.

The pack has two elastic web pockets for water bottles that Badlands says are for 26 ounce bottles. They will not hold a wide Nalgene 32 ounce bottle or a military 32 ounce canteen. They easily hold a 16 ounce blue cap Nalgene or the taller Klean Kanteen stainless steel 27 ounce (800 ml) water botttles, although the Klean Kanteen bottles are a bit top-heavy in the pocket because less than half their height is supported by the webbing. The elastic loops to secure the water bottle are sheathed by plastic tubes to resist abrasion. They will stretch enough to reach around the top of the 27 ounce Klean Kanteen bottle, and this keeps the bottle stable in the pack. These pockets will also hold a 32 ounce Poweraide sport drink bottle, which is slightly less in diameter at the bottom, and moreso in the middle, than a 32 ounce Nalgene bottle. It is not as easy when wearing the pack to get a Poweraide bottle back in a pocket because the webbing needs to strectch quite a bit to get the bottom of the bottle started in the pocket. I've hiked with all three of these options.

The cargo pocket is wide enough and tall enough to hold two military canteens, if you want, along with more cargo, although the weight of so much water and other gear might be more than you'd want to carry in a fanny pack. The Ambush is built strong enough, though, to handle the weight.

The zipper pulls are heavy duty, and the zippers seem sturdy. The plastic buckles on the hip belt also seem sturdy. The two side pockets on the hip belt are seven inches long, but they tightly follow the curve of your hips or waist, so don't expect them to hold something ridged like a long multitool or large folding knife. I carry a Brunton Classic compass upright in the forward portion of a side pocket and it fits snuggly. There are "bedroll straps" on the bottom of the pack, useful for a poncho or rain jacket, although I haven't tried using them for that.

The suspension system is first-rate. It is a comfortable pack to wear. I usually wear it so that the hip belt covers to top of my pants belt and the buckle sits right above the buckle on my pants belt. This way, my pants belt is assisting in supporting the pack. The pack is not firm and flat against my back from the top of the pack to the bottom with this method. If I hitch the pack up a bit, so there is distance between my two buckles, then the pack is firm against my back. Body types and clothing choices will vary, of course. When hiking, once I've been underway for a short while, I find myself almost unaware of the pack.

This is my first Badlands pack, and I'm impressed with the quality and good price. There are many fanny packs around the price of the Badlands Ambush, but from what I've seen this is of much higher quality than any of them.