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Eberlestock is a company known for making backpacks designed to operate in the worlds most hostile environments. The FAC Track named in honor of America’s Forward Air Controllers (FAC) on the battlefield is meant to handle the hardships and horrors of the frontline. This 3 day pack is one of the top in its class and is sure to exceed your expectations no matter what environment you find yourself operating in.

A buddy of mine from my squadron was kind of enough to lend me his FAC Track for a few weeks in order for me to gain some first hand experience for my review. He was also kind enough to write some of his personal thoughts down for me about the pack, which is extremely valuable as he has now used the pack for 7+ years. So I’ll be including his thoughts and experiences into the article as well as my own.

SPECS

Dimensions: 22″ H x 10″ W x 7″ D
Volume: 1900 c.i. / 31 L
Weight: 6 lbs
Material: 1000D Cordura Nylon
Hydration Pockets: 5
Rain Cover: Included
Warranty: Lifetime

CHECK OUT FAC TRACK ON AMAZON
CHECK OUT FAC TRACK ON WEBSITE

OVERALL

The FAC Track build quality is extremely good, it is definitely something you can notice as soon as you pick it up and start to handle it. The 1000 Cordura nylon feels nice and tough, and the coyote brown the one I’m wearing is a great color for most wilderness environments.however Eberlestock does offer it in a few other colors as well.

It’s not as big as I would like it, as most 3 day packs range from 2000 c.i. – 3000 c.i. and the FAC Track comes in just under that at 1900 c.i., but it surprisingly doesn’t feel that small. The FAC Track has a stiffer body, so it holds its shape really well, making it feel bigger.

It’s also a very comfortable pack, with solid breathable padding in all the right places.

Overall its a fantastic backpack, very tough, very durable, and a great design, however I would like if it was a little bit bigger.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The Fac Track is by far my favorite pack I have owned so far for both military and personal use. What got my attention and the reason I bought the pack was because of the two different ways to access the main compartment of the pack. This way you can either retrieve items from the top, or the bottom without having to move things out of the way. The first time I used it in the field I realized how much ease I’d missed out on in life by not having a pack like this earlier in my career.

MCpl Crockett

I couldn’t agree with my buddy more, having that top zipper as well as the full length front open is fantastic. It stood out to me right away. Anytime you need to get something from the pack, you could lay it down like a suit case, open it up, and grab whatever you want. As well, anytime you need something quick you could just open the top and have all your most pertinent gear right there with easy access.

I love the amount of MOLLE all over the pack, it’s literally every where. This really opens the ability to customize your add ons however you want and I love the ability accessorize.

The two dump pouches on the sides are also very nice for water bottles and other quick access gear.

The sturdiness and overall design of the FAC Track also stood out to me when I was first playing with it. It just felt good, felt well made.

QUALITY AND DESIGN

THE OUTSIDE

MOLLE

The FAC Track has PALS webbing over pretty much every square inch, including the inside. This is awesome as it really allows you to customize your pack however you want.

Eberlestock has thought of everything because along with the MOLLE system covering the FAC Track, Eberlestock also provides multiple different size pouchs that you can attach onto the PALS webbing.

This 31L pack can easily and quickly become a 40L pack with a few attached side pouches.

POUCHES

The FAC Track as a lower stuff style pouch on each side. These are perfect for water bottles of pretty much any size, you can see my Nalgene in one of the first photos. The top band of the pouch is elastic so whether small or big the pouch will hold tight.

These are also perfect for items you want quick access too or items that are wet as the inside of your pack stays dry and the wet item still gets air in order to dry off.

As well on each side the FAC Track has two full length hydration pouches. Really these pouchs can be used for anything, but they were made to hold a 2L-3L hydration bladder. I find these are also handy as long gun carrying pockets. The sight on my rifle gets in the way a little, but my shotgun fits perfectly.

ZIPPERS & BUCKLES

Eberlestock has done a fantastic job with the zippers on the FAC Track. The zippers themselves are your standard YKK zippers, so you know they’re strong and durable. However, as you can see from the photos Eberlestock has replaced the standard metal pull tab with a reinforced nylon string.

This nylon is extremely strong and the rubber around the string only makes it stronger as well as more comfortable. Unlike most other packs that use string to open and close the zippers and whose string just hangs limp making it impossible to access quickly. The rubber on the FAC Tracks zippers hold the loops open creating a perfect finger hole every time.

Normal string zippers can also dig and cut into your finger if you yank on them to hard and to quickly, but the rubber on the FAC Tracks zippers provides a softer and much larger surface area. This ensures the string never cuts into your fingers.

The buckles lets be real are your standard pack buckles. This is slightly disappointing as there are larger, stronger, and more robust buckles on the market today. Eberlestock obviously felt comfortable using these, which isn’t a bad choice, but in my option not the best choice when you consider the field this pack was designed to operate in.

Carry Handles

In talking to my buddy Jared from work, and my buddy Ryan who runs the Eberlestock Half Track as well as the Eberlestock Destroyer, and from reading reviews, and lastly from getting to play with it myself for a bit, these beefy and very strong side carry handles are one of the main reasons why people love the FAC Track and Eberlestock packs in general.

No matter which way you set your pack down or it happens to fall down, you can easily pick up your pack to move it. Also, these handles simply let you carry your pack in the most convenient way possible in what ever situation you find yourself in.

HYDRATION HOSE / RADIO ANTENNA HOLES

The FAC Track being true to its name and purpose has three holes specifically designed to let the antenna of a radio stick out the top of the pack regardless of what side it’s on. When the holes are not in use they have very strong velcro covers to prevent water or anything else from getting in.

Although the hydration pouches are on the outside of the pack, one could store a larger hydration pouch on the inside and if they chose to do so these antenna holes could also very easily double as holes for the hose from the hydration pack.

SHOULDER STRAPS

The shoulder straps on the FAC Track are absolutely fantastic. It boasts what is known as shooting harness. A shooting harness is an individual separate harness, that has thin padding but firm padding so you can hold a rifle to your shoulder with out the strap getting in the way of your shot.

This means you don’t necessarily have to drop the pack before you take the shot, which when your hunting and must at times move as little as possible is a great thing. You don’t have to go through the motions of dumping your pack and getting set up for the shot. You can simply…take the shot, because these straps won’t hinder you.

The FAC Tracks shoulder straps also have a breathable mesh on the inside which is meant to allow airflow, to help keep you cool regardless of the climate your operating in.

The shoulder straps also, like most packs, have a sternum strap to help adjust your load.

SHOULDER STRAP ADJUSTER

This awesome system on the FAC Track allows you to adjust where the back of the harness sits on the pack. Which intern makes it able to fit any body size with maximum comfort. It is definitely not something you see on a lot of packs unfortunately because its such a good idea.

WAIST STRAPS

The waist straps on the FAC Track are as comfortable as can be. Everything about this pack is top their and the waist straps are no different. The inside padding is thin but very comfortable with breathable mesh and the outside of the straps are loaded with MOLLE for extra carrying capabilities.

What I really want to mention, is the massive center pad right in your lower back. I had never seen something like this on a pack before, it looked huge and a bit funny to me, but as silly as I thought it looked…it was AWESOME!

When I put it on and felt it for the first time and then wore it around a bit, I loved how comfortable it was. It sat perfectly right on my lower back, almost like lumbar support in a fancy chair. It was so COMFORTABLE! I absolutely loved it.

Eberlestock nailed it out of the park with that lower back, lumbar support padding! I couldn’t have been happier about it!

BACK PADDING

The padding on the back of the FAC Track sits on either side of the spine and extends upwards to just under the shoulder blades, making the pack sit right on the meat of your back.

The padding from the lower back and waist straps, combined with the back padding and shoulder padding make the FAC Track and extremely comfortable pack to wear.

THE INSIDE

TOP POCKET

The FAC Tracks very top pocket is an awesome little shove it compartment. Anything that you need quick access to can go in there. Compasses, snacks, maps, head lamps, and spare gloves are just a few things I would keep in here.

All though unless you stick items in plastic bags make sure that anything you put in here aren’t items that will be damaged if they’re wet. The nylon is pretty water resistant, but not completely water proof.

On the left hand side, as you can see in the picture, there is a piece of nylon sewn across the zipper where you can tuck the zipper when it’s closed. This keeps it tucked out of the way and safe.

TOP FRONT POCKET

The top front pocket on the FAC Track is another awesome shove it compartment. Again, very useful for anything you need quick access too. It’s a bit smaller than the top pouch, but still a decent size.

BOTTOM FRONT POCKET

The FAC Tracks bottom front pocket is the designated admin pouch. Besides having a shove it compartment capability to it, it has spots for note pads, pens and pencils, stencils, and what ever other admin items you might need to carry with you.

I personally like a small admin area on a pack. I use the admin area in my 5.11 Rush72 pack all the time. Having working pens and a note pad to wright can be a vital piece of tactical equipment, as surprising as that may sound. I make sure my pack always has a couple of those items.

SIDE POUCHES

The two full length side pouches are just straight pouches all the way down. These pouches are meant for 2L-3L hydration bladders, so they just slide right down. There is a little buckle just inside in order to prevent the bladder from falling out

Ultimately these pouches can be used for anything, as I said earlier they would make a perfect long gun pouch since they could just slide in and out.

MAIN COMPARTMENT

Finally we get to the main meal, the main compartment. At the bottom of the FAC Tracks main compartment are four little storage pouches. These are perfect for the organizing of smaller items that you won’t need access to all the time.

Up the sides and the front flap on the inside is also more MOLLE, providing more customization for storage of your gear. This is perfect for some of the smaller pouches Eberlestock provides. Attach a couple to the inside, and fill it with small electronics or something of that nature.

Last but not least the FAC Track has a large mesh holder and buckles intended to hold a radio securely in place right next to the users back for best weight displacement. This along with the three antenna holes is what truly sets this pack apart for use by Forward Air Controllers. In order to call in that close air support, FAC’s will always have a hefty radio with them. This pack, with these attributes makes that task a breeze.

FUNCTIONALITY

There are some great companies that make some great backpacks out there and Eberlestock is hands down one of the best. When it comes to over all functionality and using this pack in the field, Eberlestock absolutely hit it out of the park with the FAC Track.

The full frontal open capabilities makes it a breeze to access any kit you need in a hurry. The top open zipper allows you to store your most vital equipment at the top of the main compartment and access it easily with out having to route around in your pack making a mess out of everything.

Again, the amount of MOLLE, just opens up so many possibilities of different storage arrangements and easily lets you bump up the over all capacity of the pack by 10L +.

The FAC Track is PURE FUNCTION in any climate and on any battlefield.

CONCERNS AND CRITICISMS

Honestly my only issues are the lack of organizers and mesh nettings inside the bag.

MCpl Crockett

After years of field use, the quote above is my buddies only real critique of the pack. The mesh netting can get in the way and be annoying, even frustrating and there could be even more organizing pouches on the inside.

The one thing that stood out to me, was the 31L volume. Thanks to the MOLLE you can increase the FAC Tracks over all capacity, but I would have preferred the pack itself being made slightly larger so I wasn’t forced to by additional pouches to get more storage space.

!!!NEW FAC TRACK!!!

Eberlestock recently put out the new FAC Track 2.0. The revised FAC Track, to which they have made a few changes and upgrades.

DIFFERENCES

TOP ZIPPERS

The top zippered pouch and the main pouch zippers have been moved to the opposite side of the pack, so they now open from the back instead of the front. Normally when you remove your pack and rest it against something, you lean it against the front of the pack.

With the old design of having the zipper in the front you would need to turn you back around to get into it, now you can easily access your pack even when it’s resting against something. Eberlestock increased the functionality just that much more with this small change.

I think simply moving the zipper around is a great new design for the pack and one I’m excited about.

MESH HOLDER

Eberlestock has removed the mesh radio holder and straps and replaced them with more PALS webbing. This seems to have detracted from the main focus of holding radio equipment, but I guess more people though it a nuisance than just my buddy MCpl Crockett.

With the addition of PALS webbing though you can still strap a radio in provided you have external straps. The functionality is still there just not the ease as it was with the last variation of the FAC Track.

As well, the PALS webbing was removed from the front flap of the FAC Track.

ADMIN POUCH

Eberlestock changed the front admin pouch by removing the more individual pen and note pad holders and replacing it with one zippered stuff pouch.

I have another buddy MCpl Murray who was quite glad with this change as he was never a fan of the little admin pouch on the FAC Track.

Personally I liked it, but I can only assume because they removed it that more people sided with my buddy.

CONCLUSION

The FAC Track is an exceptional back pack, but honestly I am not surprised as Eberlestock is an exceptional company that truly shines in the backpack arena of tactical gear and equipment.

CHECK OUT THE FAC TRACK ON AMAZON
CHECK OUT THE FAC TRACK ON WEBSITE

If you’re fine with a pack that has slightly less overall volume than most other 3 day packs, then I’d say you’d be hard pressed to find anything to complain about when it comes to this pack.

It has tons of MOLLE for extra storage and gear customization, easy access for both essential and non essential gear, multiple hydration bladder pouches for the long trips, stuff it pouches for for gear organization, and out standing padding on the shoulder straps and on the back. With one of the hands down best lower back pouches I’ve ever experienced.

CHECK OUT THE FAC TRACK ON AMAZON
CHECK OUT THE FAC TRACK ON WEBSITE

This is truly a run and gun, go anywhere any time at a moments notice, front lines kind of pack.

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