USAF04
Adventurist
The TAD Litespeed is an exceptionally well made and well designed pack, but if you're like me, you can't leave well enough alone. The continued pursuit of improvement is half the fun anyway. I only have two complaints about this pack, both of which are correctable...
1st, no belt. If you're just using this as a grab and go, throw it in the truck style pack, then it's perfect as is. I use mine for everything from EDC, to deployments, to day hiking. With no belt, this pack is only comfortable for about 15 minutes. With a few pounds of gear in there it digs into the shoulders even with the well padded straps. Enter the Omni belt by Kifaru.
https://store.kifaru.net/kifaru-pack-belts-p71.aspx
It is a perfect match for the Litespeed. The Velcro lines up perfectly, it's well padded, closely color matched, and has even more MOLLE to attach your gear to. I've done several hikes now carrying about 16 lbs of water and gear with NO shoulder or neck pain. The salesman told me that the new design of the straps meant that no belt was necessary...nonsense.
2nd, no separate pouch or compartment for a water hydration bladder. I always prefer to keep the water separate in case of leaks, or even sweating from ice. A simple solution is to add the Control Panel 1 from TAD, which straps inside the pack, and holds even more gear. It basically acts as a divider and holds the bladder in place. I'm using a 3L Mil-Spec Camelbak bladder and love the way it fits in the pack. I usually wrap it in a plastic bag. Another consideration would be to try the Hydro 3L from Mystery Ranch.
http://www.mysteryranch.com/hot-hydro-3L
I'm thinking it might act as a bit of insulation, and also keep the inside of my pack dry. If anyone has any experience with this, or if you know of a bladder bag, please speak up.
1st, no belt. If you're just using this as a grab and go, throw it in the truck style pack, then it's perfect as is. I use mine for everything from EDC, to deployments, to day hiking. With no belt, this pack is only comfortable for about 15 minutes. With a few pounds of gear in there it digs into the shoulders even with the well padded straps. Enter the Omni belt by Kifaru.
https://store.kifaru.net/kifaru-pack-belts-p71.aspx
It is a perfect match for the Litespeed. The Velcro lines up perfectly, it's well padded, closely color matched, and has even more MOLLE to attach your gear to. I've done several hikes now carrying about 16 lbs of water and gear with NO shoulder or neck pain. The salesman told me that the new design of the straps meant that no belt was necessary...nonsense.
2nd, no separate pouch or compartment for a water hydration bladder. I always prefer to keep the water separate in case of leaks, or even sweating from ice. A simple solution is to add the Control Panel 1 from TAD, which straps inside the pack, and holds even more gear. It basically acts as a divider and holds the bladder in place. I'm using a 3L Mil-Spec Camelbak bladder and love the way it fits in the pack. I usually wrap it in a plastic bag. Another consideration would be to try the Hydro 3L from Mystery Ranch.
http://www.mysteryranch.com/hot-hydro-3L
I'm thinking it might act as a bit of insulation, and also keep the inside of my pack dry. If anyone has any experience with this, or if you know of a bladder bag, please speak up.