For most of the summer I’ve been evaluating the Bongo Gear Becker Mk. II and I’ve really been liking it. I’ve been taking it for regular hikes with 30-50 pounds in it to get a really good feel for the pack and to test the quality of it’s construction. The things I’m looking for as I’ve been evaluating it have been:
- Is the pack durable? Is there any stitching coming undone under load? Are the buckles durable under load? Do the buckles slip under load? Do the zippers work properly?
- Is the pack well designed? Is it a good size to carry a standard amount of gear efficiently and in an organized manner?
- Is the suspension comfortable and ergonomic? How do I feel while carrying the pack as well as after I’m finished hiking?
The load I put in it is the same as I detailed in this article, which I’ve come to think of as a “standard load”, which weighs roughly 30 pounds, plus various small dumbbells weighing between 5 and 20 pounds.
Some of the hiking has been done off road, that is to say out in the bush. When I’m hiking in that environment I follow more of what I think of as a “patrol pace” of about 1 MPH. This is because I try to train multiple skills as well as evaluate the pack, so my movement is slower and more methodical. The other hiking I’ve done is at a “ruck march” pace. I try to shoot for sub 20 minute miles, and depending on the weight, route and how I’m feeling I’m usually +- 1 minute of that.
I feel like both of these types of testing are good so that I can get a feel for the pack under realistic conditions in the field as well as under less comfortable conditions on the road.
Half of my testing was done with the standard shoulder straps that came with my BPP initially. These are well made and comfortable. After I wrote the article recently on putting a Hill People Gear shoulder harness onto the pack the owner of Bongo Gear reached out and asked me to test a prototype shoulder harness he’s been working on. He’s a very good guy and a wealth of information so I wanted to help him out so I of course agreed.
Shoulder harnesses are a bit different from a set of straps in that it is one continuous piece so that when properly adjusted it distributes the weight more across your upper back instead of just your shoulders. This isn’t too big of a deal when using a hip belt, since it supports most of the weight, but if you were to remove the hip belt to use the pack for lighter loads the extra coverage is nice. I personally don’t plan to take the hip belt off so I left mine on for testing.
These harnesses and packs have been extensively tested in the Amazon jungle as well, and Bongo Gear plans on offering the finished versions of the shoulder harness as an upgrade on future packs. These aren’t just a copy of a HPG shoulder harness but are a redesign which is smaller. I actually find this one fits me better than the HPG version.
Conclusion
After a combined 30 miles of patrol pace and ruck march hiking I honestly can’t find anything truly negative to say. In the pages of emails I’ve had back and forth with the owner I can tell he’s truly passionate about his company and designs, and has a mountain of experience in the field to back it up. I honestly think he’s building the gear he wishes he would have had in his past, which is an approach I can really identify with and I’m excited to see what gear he brings out next.
After setting up the suspension properly the pack is comfortable! After all the hiking I’ve done with it I’ve had zero upper body soreness during or after the hike. While my feet and legs were sore, that’s just the nature of the beast. This tells me that it’s a very ergonomic design and that my muscles are not being overused by being contorted out of a natural position.
Another problem I’ve had in the past is with other packs putting pressure on different nerves, causing my arms to go to sleep. This is caused by poor fitting shoulder straps placing pressure on the nerves in your shoulder and putting them to sleep. The design of the suspension is very comfortable and I had no issues at all with this problem on the BPP.
Despite the fact that the pack is an internal frame design, which I haven’t been a fan of typically because I overheat with them, this one is done right and provides ventilation on the back to help keep you from overheating.
I personally think this is an ideal pack for someone looking to move quickly and lightly in the back country. It offers great organization so that commonly used and emergency items are at hand, and enough storage to hold what you actually need. Bongo Gear has done an excellent job updating and bringing this classic pack design back to the market, all the while doing it right and selling it at an affordable price.
Recently the owner reached out and is offering a promo code for readers. Use BADLANDSFC to get 10% off your own pack!
Badlands Fieldcraft 
Thank you for this article! Does the belt fit at the waist, or does it fit in the lower back (like and ALICE pack)?
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Hey Cody, good question. The suspension is very similar to that used on other high quality internal frame packs like those from hill people gear. By adjusting the shoulder straps, frame stave and waist belt you should be able to adjust it to your body dimensions pretty good. When it’s adjusted properly the hip belt should be resting on the iliac crest of your hips and the frame stave should be adjusted so on the bottom end it’s putting weight into the small of your back and on the upper end it’s pulling the pack away from your back an inch or so for ventilation. Shoot me an email if you’re needing any other help, take care!
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