Eberlestock X2 Pack Review

Introduction:

The Eberlestock X2 is the newest pack I own.  I purchased this pack right before heading out for a 4 day archery deer hunt in AZ unit 27.  I’ve put multiple days on this pack archery deer hunting and archery javelina hunting here in AZ.  This is a great ‘little’ pack.  It has carried a full day’s worth of gear and equipment during the late archery seasons with no issues.  A little loud at first, but after a quick fix (see below) it is very quiet and it quickly became a favorite of mine

Pack Description:

The Eberlestock X2 is a great little pack that has a lot of usable features.  It is a top loading design with a main top loading pack bag under a top flap.  There are two wing pockets that both fully zip open to be able to hold full size hydration bladders.  There are tube openings on both wing pockets.  The pack has a ‘flexchassis’ bottom that can swing forward and be used as a seat when sitting.  The flexchassis bottom can cradle large or weird loads.  There are two vertical straps that come up from the flexchassis to the the top lid pocket to connect vertically.  Each of the wing pockets have a top and bottom oversized horizontal compression straps.  Utilizing those four straps in different configurations allows for just about anything to be strapped to the pack. 

The X1 has an aluminum tubular frame, covered by a mesh back panel.  The back panel allows good airflow between the main pack bag and your back, making it great for early season use.  The hip belt on the X2 has been redesigned for 2010, making it more padded and the padding extending out further along the hips.  Each hip belt contains a zippered pocket, perfect for a small gps, snacks, mouth calls, wind checker, or any thing else small.  The shoulder straps are fixed and there is no torso adjustment on this pack.  The pack is very short making the load lifter straps more stabilization straps and not very useful. 

Eberlestock sells optional rifle scabbards that attach to this pack on either side between the back body and the wing pockets.  Also optional for this pack is the ARCG Butt Bucket, allowing the pack to easily carry a compound bow. 

The manufacturer listed weight is 4.5 lbs.  It is made out of a proprietary NT-1 Waterproof Microfleece fabric and 1000D Nylon.  The manufacturer lists the pack as 1800 cubic inches on their website, but I’ve seen it listed other places at 2300 cu inches.  2300 seems more correct.

Pros:

• Lightweight (4.5 lbs)
• Short height of pack (doesn’t stick above head causing it to get hung up on brush)
• Ventable back
• Multiple compression Straps
• Hip Belt Pockets
• Tubular Frame
• Built in seat

Cons:

• Squeaky, loud (before athletic tape fix)
• Optional bow bucket needed to carry a bow well
• Optional rifle scabbard needed to carry a rifle well

Uses and experiences with pack:

So far I’ve used this pack archery deer hunting, scouting for javelina, javelina hunting, and shed hunting.  This is one very useful and full featured pack.  I can see it replacing a couple of the packs I use right now.  This pack handles a heavy optics load well due to the tubular frame, and I had plenty of room for a days worth of gear and extra clothing for late season use.  I unfortunately haven’t been able to strap any meat to this pack yet, but from some of the playing around I’ve done with it, including packing my son through some cat claw while scouting for pigs, I have no doubt this pack can handle a decent load.  I can see utilizing this pack for everything from summer scouting to early and late archery hunts.  Even times when I need to strap a ground blind or tree stand to this pack won’t be an issue. 

For use while glassing, there are multiple ways to strap a tripod onto the pack.  I was worried about having to undo multiple buckles to get to my tripod and big binos in a hurry, but for some reason it doesn’t seem as bad as it used to with my 2200.  The flexchassis bottom even allows me to use it as a temporary seat when I’m trying to save weight and not bring a glassing seat. 

After I first got the pack I followed the instructions on the Eberlestock website for rigging the X2 properly to keep the pack from squeaking.  The frame still squeaked and the only thing that fixed it was wrapping the frame in athletic tape.  Once I did that, the pack was silent.  A minor annoyance, but one I was able to remedy quickly and easily.

Function and Activity Matrices:

(For a description of the rankings and the pack matrices, click here.)

Summary and Recommendations:

As I said before, this pack quickly became a favorite and I can see it having a permanent place in my pack arsenal, most likely replacing 1-2 current mainstays.  This pack has some big features in a little package.  In only weighing 4.5lbs this pack hasn’t had an issue carrying anything that I’ve thrown at it yet.  I would like to see the top lid be made a floating top lid as I think this would help in lashing on the unique objects, but other than that this is a great pack.  Wrapping the aluminum frame with athletic tape is a must; otherwise the squeak will drive you nuts.  After the frame was taped, I haven’t experienced any noise at all while wearing the pack.  Due to the short height of this pack, it probably won’t fit tall guys very well.  The suspension isn’t adjustable, but should fit most average height guys just fine.  So far in my use of this pack it has been bomber and I’m looking forward to using this pack some more this spring and summer before next years hunting season.  I would give this pack an overall grade of an A.  

Here are some pictures of the pack in use:

X2 Carrying a Double Bull Blind