Vanquest Mobius 2.0 Arriving Today

[Cyclops]

I needed to up-grade my EDC because the one I have is too large to be convenient to carry back & forth to work, I want a bag to carry my belongings that I don't want to risk being stolen out of my car, and a bag that can also pack enough jump stuff to carry me for a day or two.

The primary reason for the new bag was the hand grab handle, my current bag doesn't have one and it's constantly slipping off my shoulder when unlocking the car or house door's, and I'm aging and need to reduce the weight I carry, so I hope smaller is better, or most likely I'll end up carrying less stuff but it will be heavier,,,,,,,

I saw one of these in the reviews, liked everything about it, got he last one the vendor had in black and just before Black Friday sales,,,,, kind a funny thing about that too, my purchase price was less than their Black Friday sale price.

The only thing is, now that it's almost here I think it's still going to be too large, and another thing about the design is that here in the PNW we see a lot of rain, the top cover only extends to the edge of the bag, and I think it needs rain flaps to cover the edge better.

I also ordered the CC mag and holster also arriving today
Not too many threads down I saw a link to zipper pull ends so those won't be here for another week or two.

Anybody got some pro's or con's about Vanquest products?

 

[EDCP-MIKE]

Anybody got some pro's or con's about Vanquest products?

I love their wallets.

 

[Saber]

I carry one their wallets and have had several of their backpacks - well built and designed.

 

[Cyclops]

Well, it arrived after a bit of confusion about where and which parcel box it was delivered to, but what's life without a little anguish, right?

First impression, I'm thinking Mobius is Greek for "I got a bag with lots of zippers,,,,,,,, "

So after just letting it sit for a night I got out all the bubble wrap I've saving to recycle in shipping stuff, I packed every pocket save for the cover flap pocket, then I worked all the zippers and found that if either side pocket zippers is on the front side of the pocket that the ceter med pocket zippers hang up on them, glad that they put the zippers for the side pocket pocket on the back so they don't interfere with the front pocket zippers.

The top cover flap doesn't completely cover the main compartment so rain will get into the center compartment,,, guess that's why they put a drain hole in the bottom of the bag, they should have made the cover flap cover the main pouch of the bag.

The removable sling strap could have been done with simple buckles instead of the pile of velcro cross flaps, so removing the sling strap is more of a chore than needs to be, the around the waist strap should have had buckles to release it from the bag, instead it's got to be threaded through the strap cinches on either side, very time consuming when deciding to use it or not.

Also during my research on this bag I was under the impression it came with a single CCW holster, mine didn't but I'm going to check on that today and I'll get back about what I find out.

Now I mentioned that they raised the price before Black Friday, well they have rasied the price again and for what they are asking I would say for this bag and it'ds design failures to maybe find a different sling pack.

I'm going to correct the flaws with the cover flap and waist strap because to return a product on line is so much hassel and the charge a fee for restocking and they charge you for the free shipping that you received when you purchased it to the point of,,,,,,, well just do your research thoroughly.

For this bag so far they get 3 out of 5 stars.

You'll learn that my reviews are more critical than those on youtube because I had to buy mine, it wasn't a free-be..

 

[Cyclops]

Ok, a review of my review,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Most of the reviews here are also by individuals that purchased theirs, so to clarify I was referring to all the Youtube reviews I watched before purchase.

My son pointed out that my personal sling bag I was unhappy with I had purchased at GW for $15 and only used it for 5yrs ,,,,,, daily.
He was so observant he also pointed out that the cover flap of that bag didn't cover to the edge either when the bag is over filled,,,,,,,
ain't gonna give that kid pie tonight,,,,,,,,,,,

So after all the thinkin' I got to do while staring t tail lights to work I'll give the bag another half of a star.

 

[Cyclops]

Ok, just got off the line with Vanquest, no holster is supplied or included free, oh well, still like the pack so far, but a $20 price hike in one week is a bit much to not talk about.

 

[Cyclops]

Evening up-date, received the holster with mag holder today, tried it with my single stack mag for my Sig 938, nice fit, little close to the top of the 938's slide but it will work,.
Easy to remove that mag, so I tried a Glock double stack, difficult to slide the mag in under the strap and the non-slip that's part of the mag strap makes it very tight to remove, I think after a while the elastic would stretch to fit ok, but this holster is for my 938 so all's well with that part of the holster, now we get to the weapon strap itself, after adjusting the retaining strap as per the video I couldn't remove the weapon, the non-slip material was doing it's job too well, so I loosened it up until the weapon could be easily removed, it has to be a bit too loose to work smoothly.
The bag I'm replacing with the Mobius with has a similar CCW pocket with velcro so I'll set the holster up as per the video and see if it works ok after a few days of shaping, and that will give the opportunity to post another up-date, ok?

Also, I'm leaving the bag stuffed with all the bubble wrap I put in there to help stretch out the packing compression and shape the bag a bit, I've heard that you can heat up the material with a hair dryer on high to help remove the unwanted folds.

This weekend I'm going to make the switch over because it's going to take me that long to decide what I don't need to carry everyday,,,,,,

Ya know, it's much easier to decide what you do need adverse to what you don't need after carrying it for a few years and never using it,,,,,,

Almost forgot, yes I'm eating the second piece of pie while I key in this post,,,,,,,

 

[Cyclops]

It's going to take a bit of getting used too, less gear, but more of the essentials and less of this would be nice to have along's,,,,,,,,

So Saturday morning, emptied the old bag out, then went through every pocket and still missed a CAT iniquitous,,,,,, man you can end up with things way down in the folds, ya know?

Now comes the hard part, out of that pile I had to cut it down by quite a bit, so I did, then some would some how drift back over to the keep pile.
Back and forth till there was actually two separate piles, I'm sure many of you have done this numerous times for your bag collections, but for me and trying to be very practical.

Earlier this week when it arrived I packed every pocket with bubble wrap till the seams almost stretched, then heated the bag up with a hair dryer to help the material shed it's packaging flatness and the few wrinkles, that seemed to do the trick, once empty the bag had shape and I started to fill it, then empty it of the few things that had drifted from pile to pile earlier,,,, then trimmed down the FAK to what be closer to a personal kit than a triage center.

Food & cover, bit of a trim on the food and added bottle holder to one of the side pockets, 2 liters, I did open the expansion pocket behind a side pocket, it does rob space from the side pocket, one thing is that these expansion pockets taper to the bottom instead of having a shaped bottom like a water bottle pouch has so the water bottle will stretch that and could end up pulling that seam apart if you were to force the bottle down so just let it ride where it want's to and set the retaining bunji accordingly, so to prevent that I put a small bandanna or handkerchief wadded in the bottom of the pocket to help the bottle rest on it and then it forms the "V" shape to help prevent stretch damage of the seam, they could have maybe added a bit of a shape to the bottom of the pocket if they're using it as a selling point.
I still feel that the cover flap could have been wider to cover the ends better,,,,,

I did finish all the zipper pulls with plastic pull tab's cleaned up the look of the bag and a bit easier for me to grab the right one to open the pocket instead of just moving both zipper heads together around the perimeter of the pocket.

I like the little side pockets in each pouch, very handy and the visibility inside the pocket is good.

The front fold out pouch, I did away with the elastic cord and retainer thingy they had going, then I have a large piece of velco hook that forms a board and I can attach many things in plastic pill baggies with just a small square of velcro loop, that pouch as per tradition seems to be the FAK of the bag.
Again, very nicely done with the yellow and back pocket fronted with the elastic loop bands, two sizes too, one on top the other.

This will have to be a two part review, gotta make breakfast, the kid is squeakin',,,,,,,,

 

[Cyclops]

man,,,, 49's can't get a break, oh well, back to the review.

I've removed, added, moved, and just plain started adding pouches, completely negating my attempt to downsize,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

!2lb's with 16oz. of water, I guess that's as good as it's gonna get for now,

I have had no issues what so ever with any compartment on this bag, even when packed to bulging I didn't hear or feel any seam stretch or give.

I moved my CC to the bottom of that compartment to help distribute the weight better, they could have added the loop velcro patch to the other side giving you the option of which side of the pocket worked better for the individuals needs or desires.
Might see if my son can stitch some in for me, with it on the bottom it has less chance of being seen or noticed.
I did had a support plate to the inside main pouch to help keep the bag shape distributed vertically vs let it all settle to the bottom over time.
I use MRE cardboard for that, shapes well, rounds easily so as not to strain any seam or corner. Trying to keep side profile slimmer for dropping between the seats.

The shoulder strap retaining/anchoring system at either end, no issues developed as I anticipated, the waist strap how ever will get a quick disconect at each end so it can be removed completely or put back on easily with out the added threading of web strap, plus I can off center the seperation buckle of the strap to one end so it's centered front like a belt.

Now, back to the CC holster w/mag strap, I mentioned they have a non slip cover on the plate side of the holster, but they have a double loop of elastic, one on top the other so you could just slide the mag between the loops of elastic and there is no resistance for getting the mag out.
They constructed the dual mag holder the same way with the double layer loops.
Might consider the ingenuity of that for another half star in the rating.

So that puts me at four stars general rating, right?

Not bad considering how easy it is to find fault for my needs/wants with something I didn't design.

Summery, the only four things that I will do to make this my 5 star bag is, make the cover wider, add velcro loop material to other side of CC compartment, add quick disconnect to both ends of the waist strap and the zipper pulls I've already.
So good job Vanquest, nobody gets a 5 star unless it's free.

 

[Cyclops]

and I sit here wondering if there's room for another pouch of Tuna fish,,,,,,,,

ok, maybe one more mag,,,,,,,

still got a spare water bottle pouch, it would give me an excuse to purchase the Mollie Sticks and review them,,,,,,

it's up to 13lbs. now w/water,

The bag needs to be a grab one bag and go on the hoof, for an old man it can't be a very large bag, but yet sustain him for 36hrs.
two 6.5lb bags, one might get left behind due to haste needed for exiting the car & area,,,,,,,

 

[sk33tr]

and I sit here wondering if there's room for another pouch of Tuna fish,,,,,,,,

ok, maybe one more mag,,,,,,,

still got a spare water bottle pouch, it would give me an excuse to purchase the Mollie Sticks and review them,,,,,,

it's up to 13lbs. now w/water,

The bag needs to be a grab one bag and go on the hoof, for an old man it can't be a very large bag, but yet sustain him for 36hrs.
two 6.5lb bags, one might get left behind due to haste needed for exiting the car & area,,,,,,,

i have a few of those on one of my packs that i used to attach a bottle holder and another small pouch. they're awesome and so easy to implement. they're also really easy to remove. the lock is sturdy and makes it easy to secure them and to remove them in a hurry if needed. i highly recommend them.

 

[Cyclops]

I think I'm going to pass on adding a W/B pouch on the molle loops on the side pocket, I can just drop the extra plastic bottle in a coat pocket, drink on it first and finish it when my hands get cold an need that pocket back,,,,,,

besides, $20 for 4 from VQ, and 6 of any length I need from 5.11 for $5, plus I have som generic ones if I ever need them, the idea was to make the load smaller and that ain't goin' to happen if I just keep adding space to fill on this pack.

First day there and back again, like it, got it trimmed down, this weekend I'll add the velcro loop material to the other side and move my carry back up to the top of the pocket, it;'s too deep down where I have it now, but on the outer wall of the pocket where VQ put their velcro loop material for their holster & mag holder, it causes wide spot on the back, the weight of the carry, which is smaller than any of the ones used for the sales and review video's.
Still it's a nine, just a not very large one,,,,,,,,,,,,,

here's a tip, when working with large patches of velcro just put a piece of paper down between the two materials,, hook & loop velcro, place what you're putting there in place then slide the paper out while holding the holster and/or mag holder, double check it's where you want it then press it into place..

 

[sk33tr]

I think I'm going to pass on adding a W/B pouch on the molle loops on the side pocket, I can just drop the extra plastic bottle in a coat pocket, drink on it first and finish it when my hands get cold an need that pocket back,,,,,,

besides, $20 for 4 from VQ, and 6 of any length I need from 5.11 for $5, plus I have som generic ones if I ever need them, the idea was to make the load smaller and that ain't goin' to happen if I just keep adding space to fill on this pack.

First day there and back again, like it, got it trimmed down, this weekend I'll add the velcro loop material to the other side and move my carry back up to the top of the pocket, it;'s too deep down where I have it now, but on the outer wall of the pocket where VQ put their velcro loop material for their holster & mag holder, it causes wide spot on the back, the weight of the carry, which is smaller than any of the ones used for the sales and review video's.
Still it's a nine, just a not very large one,,,,,,,,,,,,,

here's a tip, when working with large patches of velcro just put a piece of paper down between the two materials,, hook & loop velcro, place what you're putting there in place then slide the paper out while holding the holster and/or mag holder, double check it's where you want it then press it into place..

the reason i added one to mine was because the pack that it's on is a ghb and i don't have much room on the inside for the bottle. also, the water bottle is stainless steel and has some items stored inside of it. i also use the front pocket on the pouch to hold some other things. it's almost like a mini survival kit in and of itself.

 

[Cyclops]

I had considered stuffing the water bottle with stuff, but then where do you put that stuff when it's got water in it,,,,,,,,

I guess I should have titled this thread the "Never Ending Review"

The top pouch of the Mobius is suggested to hold glasses or a phone, well wrap around sun glasses or safety glasses are a bit too tall when folded and stuffed in, I'm not much for that, I mean you can get the zipper closed but it's a stretch so I put the quick grab small stuff, compass, multi-tool, drink mix packets, snack bar.

If I put my phone in the top pocket the soft pocket liner helps muffle the ring tone,,,,,,,, but it's a nice idea.
The velcro molle loops on top are helpful, my gloves have velcro wrist straps for adjusting to your wrist and so when facing down the hook part latches right onto the loops, and the end of my sweater sleeve,,,, and anything else soft or fuzzy, like the inside of the coat sleeve,,,,,
That's a design flaw of the glove that worked out to be beneficial,

If the zipper isn't closed on the front part of the cover flap the pocket stretches way open when the pack is lifted and carried by the handle, and it looks to strain the ends of the opening, would have been better to secure the cover buckle to the inside of the cover instead but that's the soft material of the pocket so that won't work unless they change that to Cordura like the rest of the cover.

I do know why they went to using the two handed release shoulder strap buckle at just one end of the strap, so the strap can't be easily released by snatcher's from behind, plus you have booth hands on the bag when you do release it maintaining control of it is nice.

Designing the perfect pack for me won't work for other's, we all have different needs, I've mentioned this before so I'll make a few changes for my need's and if the idea's work for others then great to share idea's.

Tonight, if I remember to stop by the hardware store and get the 4" wide self adhesive velcro strips I'll try to secure the back of the main pocket to the support I cut out and mentioned before, and then on the other side of that I'll try the idea of securing my carry holster to the inside side of the carry pocket sandwiching the pocket material between for better support,
The advantage of experimenting with the self adhesive velcro is that you can heat the adhesive up with a hair dryer to remove it without doing any damage to the material,,,,,,, yeah, I go through a lot of that velcro stuff,,,,,,

 

[Cyclops]

Here's another tip, if you want to carry the pack into store, malls, and public gathering's, instead of the aggressive moral patches, just put a red cross med patch on the pack and hang an oxygen nose hose on it.

Helps keep the woman from mauling me in the canned meat isle of Safeway,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[Cyclops]

Six day re-review,,,,,,

Ok, so I did what I described up above, put velcro on the other side of the ccw pocket, supported the back from the main pocket with the mre cardboard backing plate secured to the other side with the 2" wide velcro,
I like the bag,,

The zipper pulls, but I didn't extend the sides of the cover flap, I'll wait until rainy season.

I have ot packed for 36hrs survival in the city.
Cover, FAK, extra wool,socks, fleece neck tube food, 938 and 4 mags., Mora Bushcraft Black, fire, water purification by Nuvo, Eton Scorpion II wind up radio/flashlight, and some other things,,,,