Finally A Comfortable Military Pack! - Varusteleka Särmä TST RP80 Recon Pack - Review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ต.ค. 2017
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Today Luke is reviewing the Särmä TST RP80 Recon Pack from Varusteleka. This is a product that a lot of you have been asking about and I've finally got all of my testing done. A special thank you goes out to the Patreon supporters for voting and selecting this video to go to up today.
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Link : www.varusteleka.com/en/produc...
Price : $443.99USD
Weight : 8.1lbs / 3700g
Capacity : 80L when fully expanded / 85 liters when you factor in the 2.5 liter bottom pockets
They, in collaboration with Finn-Savotta Oy, developed the RP80, an 80 liter sustainment pack which is designed to be tall and slim. This design distributes weight closer and above the wearer’s center of gravity and spine, and also allows unrestricted arm and elbow movement when skiing; a must for Nortic and Arctic users.
Adjustable carry system for user heights 5.2 to 6.5
Top loader with bottom zipper access, optional space divider inside.
Vertical design allows unrestricted arm movement when skiing.
PALS webbing for attaching pouches and gear.
MILSPEC materials, 1000D Cordura and DUR-aluminium.
Made in Finland and Estonia.
THE PACK BAG
Max. dimensions 85 x 37 x 25 cm + bottom corner pouches.
Total volume 80 liters.
Weight 1700 g.
Drawcord divider inside, top compartment height 60 cm, bottom compartment height 25 cm.
Roll top closure with added security/compression strap.
Zippered bottom flap with two security/compression straps.
Two large baggy bottom corner pouches. Volume approx. 2,5 liters per pouch.
Two 75 cm long compression/tie down straps on each side.
Hydration bladder compartment inside.
Two horizontal tie down straps inside against the back.
Carry handles on the sides and lower back.
A seamless, uninterrupted 7 x 22 PALS matrix goes around the whole upper half of the bag.
Two vertical attachment point straps along the back.
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I was in finnish military and almost all our gear is made by savotta. The military uses the gear 24/7 for decades and sometimes its even painfull how long the gear lasts. I had cooking kit from 50s and some backpack from 60s or 70s. You can not complain about the price if you havent used some of their gear.
Yeah and the torture the gear gets in he military is just crazy!
My mess kit was from 70's and I gave it a nice coat of soot once when we we're competing on how to boil water and we burned the most tarry wood ever. I kept it with the black tar smell until we had to return them. Best thing ever was opening your cabinet after multiple weeks without forest and you got that tar smell.
mahonenk0 specially this design. Or rather it's military predecessor the Finnish paratroopers recon ruck sack. Meant for long range patrols behind enemy lines, where troops have to carry all their gear with them. Meant for dropping from airplane on parachute, heck designed to land from rather significant head without parachute etc.
This is development of that design with modern touches and ergonomics from varusteleka and savotta.
Made by the company who have been making for example those aluminium load bearing frames for decades for brutal military abuse and which have been torture tested to the point of soldier simply not being able to physically carrying anymore.
Because whatever you save in personal gear long range patrol packs on more in ammunition and explosive charges. 10 kg AT mines or explosive demolition charges etc.
i just bought a savotta jakkarri medium and it just feels good
lol your rifles are from the 60s and 70s as well
Well this pack went up in price quite a bit, over 600 if anyone is wondering, great review, it looks great
boy is my wife going to be pissed :)
Hahaha I know the feeling. You would think by now that our wives would be accustomed to our ways....but no!
- Luke
ric cartwright
Buy her one too. Problem solved.
I guess if you say it fast enough it sounds good buuut I don't think so :)
You should have married a Finn. Lol! My Texan husband doesn't always appreciate when I tell him I had to buy some new backpacking gear! Yep, I'm Finnish myself.
Hah !
I am digging the pack. The frame and suspension really have caught my eye. I do like external frame packs for the comfort level they afford.
Love your channel love your reviews and honest opinions.
I’ll be picking up one of these soon
Great video and review as always Luke! Thanks for making these!
i've built my own like that, combined a military pack with an external frame i bought second hand. super great load bearing quality !
I watched the review that you made of this pack I thought it was totally perfect for me because you thought so much of this pack I decided to buy one and I purchased a bunch of accessories with it I spent over $1,000 total with the pack and accessories and I want to say thank you very much because this pack is totally fucking awesome it looks absolutely great the way I have set it up it carries everything I need and then some and still very comfortable thanks again Luke
Hope all is great for you and your family Luke! Happy trails ;)
Everyone is doing great brother. Thanks for asking. My daughter is about to sign up for the.....
I'll make an announcement soon! Hope you all are doing great too.
- Luke
I’d like to see what you think about this pack now since having it for 3 years
I'd definitely like to see a new review!
Update needed!
How has it held up? Do you still think as highly of it? Have you found a better value?
I'm stuck between this and the jääkäri XL any recommendations please
@@Legionnaire7777 Same.
@@TitaniusAnglesmithI ended up getting the Jääkäri XL in a sale plus the XL has a lid which is removable too. 👍🏻
They've changed the design on these slightly now. Introduced a fairly crippling flaw in the shoulder straps. The adjustments aren't made with a ladder loc anymore, but rather a double d-ring setup like you see with some belts. Causes it to slip loose if it flexes in any way due to the lack of friction.
Easy fix is taping up one of the d rings, but I haven't seen this change addressed anywhere. All the reviews for the RP80 are for the initial release version, not what's being sold now.
Funny. Lots of comments about people telling their 150$ backpacks are as good and in the same category. Well, they´re not. Like said in the video it competes with other military grade backpacks made for professionals. It might not have the appearance of a stealth fighter but that doesn´t make it bad. It´s made to last. Not look pretty on the top of your shelves.
Price tags have a tendency to scramble some brains.
- Luke
Plus, someone trying to be stealthy would probably remove the bag if it's possible to retrieve it later. I imagine the large shape would stick out a bit, so I might look into some sort of camo netting system that I could jury rig to it.
Thanks for the review. I love backpacks (Military). Regular packs just don't stand up to several months in the Alaskan/Washington/Idaho/Montana Bush. You do a very good job on the reviews pointing out everything. I still have my original issue Large Alice pack and frame with upgraded pads and straps with added Molie webbing from 1976. It served me well on all my deployments and missions. It still serves me today as my INCH bag.
HellsScoutAct hey hellscoutact what is a inch pack?
I have too many packs already, but I watched the video just to see more of the beautiful Moose. Perfect in every way.
Hahaha More on Moose coming soon!
It's time to make a few changes.....
- Luke
I bought one of these last year and this review helped a lot. I haven't been able to use as much as I'd like because of recent events, but a couple of notes:
1. It seems they've revised the RP-80 pack a few times, so the pack I got is not exactly the same as in the video. Nothing major, but the pack I got does not have the grab handles on the side. They do supply some straps though which will allow you to attach grab handles wherever you like on the webbing. Also the assembly instructions on their website are slightly out of date.
2. As mentioned in the video, it's not exactly ultra-light. However I can agree that it is very comfortable. I haven't noticed any chafing with the straps or anything like that. The frame keeps the load well supported. In fact once I was strapped in the frame was keeping my back straight and preventing me from slouching. Standing around with a heavy pack feels absolutely fine. I'd suggest getting some nice boots with good support to help your feet out.
3. The bag can be removed from the frame and you could carry whatever you like with the frame. As noted, the frame has a small shelf. Varusteleka also sell the frame and straps/belt separately so you could probably fit another bag to this frame if you felt inclined to. Considering that the bag is a fairly significant portion of the weight, you could probably attach a smaller bag to the frame and save on weight while keeping the comfortable frame and straps/belt.
4. Sadly, the hip belt cannot be detached and used as a battle belt. A quick detach system would have been really nice.
I hadn't ever bought a outdoor pack or single item this expensive before but I don't regret it. Another option is to look at the Savotta Jaakari XL. Same manufacturer, similar size but with more features. However I do like the RP80 because it is simple and has fewer things to worry about.
I bought this pack a little over a year ago. Top notch great quality! Luke thanks for the review on this one. I couldn't be happier with this investment. GREAT PACK!
How do you like it??! Was it worth 500 bucks? Lmk please your opinions
Ugh thankyou!!!! Been wanting to see more of this for awhile now!!
Sure thing Crunkinthis!
- Luke
Great review! I noticed this pack on another video you made and was intrigued by it. At my age (75) it is not something that I would get a sufficient return on investment, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate the quality and versatility of it. Glad to see Moose back out of the shop. Keep them coming.
I'm 60 and will buy one if I can.The return will come back to me the first time I use it and it carries the load and does its job right without breaking. I will pass it down to one of many nephews and grandchildren that are active out in the back country.
i think for you older guys its even more important that its comfortable to carry and doesn't break you
Take it to the grave gramps!!!!!!!
You remind me so much of luke perry on the TV Show "Jeremiah" i even remember he had one truck just like yours!! what a great show.. nice vid!!!
a very thorough review and very entertaining, as they say you get what you pay for.
I absolutely love this pack, been using it on my hunting/backpacking trips this past month, and carrying my hunting rifle in the side pocket, it's an amazing pack and heaviest load using in the pack is about little over 50lbs
Just so you know, and my apologies on your wallet in advance, Savotta has released models with Rifle pouches and those things are an absolute treat.
+Jake Boss Do you mean they were designed to carry 50 lbs of kit and gear or do you mean that a bit more than 50 lbs is the heaviest loads you carry on most trips? Given the size of the ruck, the metal frame, as well as the tons of MOLLE and the ability to mount the CP15 on top, I'm guessing it's the latter, as mounting some big MOLLE pouches ( like the U.S.G.I. MOLLE 2 sustainment pouches, and similar pouches ) and filling the CP15 like an assault pack and mounting stuff onto the MOLLE on that would probably give you more than 30 extra pounds of stuff, especially if you added another 100 .0z hydration bladder in the CP15's hydration pouch. What do you estimate the ruck can carry when packed to capacity ( I'm sure it's more than most people could carry, but assuming the soldier carrying it is a big, muscular guy that works out a lot, can carry huge amounts of stuff, and is trained at a very high standard )? I'm guessing 150 and more
Depends entirely on the hip belt and how the frame stays connect into it.
If you are unlucky 50 lbs comfort is the maximum. I would guess 60 to 70 with this pack. If you want a real tried and tested frame look into barneys alaskan frontier gear.
Excellent review.
Exelent backpack , amazing as well the explanation
Impressive pack, the sleeping bag compartment is just great. outstanding review and outstanding reporting. Now to check the cost of purchase to australia.
Great pack Luke thanks for another great gear review..
You are welcome brother! Thank you all for watching and supporting the channel.
- Luke
Cool Video 👍
Thank U for the Info and the Links 👍
This is a must have love it👍
I’ve been wanting one of these! Having used military packs for years including my time downrange, I do want to try something different than the USMC issue packs. I have them all to date. Marines can carry 80 lbs or more. Most of that weight is ammo..I do like to hike a lot here in Northern Arizona when I get the time! New business keeps me pretty busy and slightly poor! LOL....I will give this unit some serious thought..Great video!
Fantastic review!
Thanks John!
- Luke
Excellent review, young man. I own a Maxpedition Vulture II, but if money were no object, this pack would be on my list to purchase.
I continue to enjoy this pack; truly excellent. - Luke
I already love this pack!!!!! 😍😍😍
I love it; thinking about my next trip now! - Luke
Just got the Jämä finnish wool blanket shirt from varusteleka. Cant wait to try it out.
I dig it,I'd buy it,I'm already working on saving up for the 170 pack,I believe it's 30 liters or so,nice pack as well.
Nice review man. I just ordered myself one and the wife is pissed!
When I was in the military I had to carry a 60 pound backpack which was most uncomfortable, nothing like this. And, of course the weapon and ammo too adding 30 pounds at least. And of course the skiis and sticks. Now that was an experience to go to long marches in the snow... Thanks Luke for this one
Love your videos! One quick comment...from the Varusteleka web site... "Varusteleka (pronounced [Where's the liquor?])"
VAR-oo-stel-ekk-aw...Varusteleka...easy enough to pronounce...buy once, cry once...you get what you pay for...great review...
For us finns its easy, but you in english you can pronounce it more like a "where's my liquor?" and its quite close correct :D
Savotta really makes good stuff, durable stuff. They might be pricey stuff but they're worth every penny.
and this one is build by savotta (i would say one of the best ones to build) and designed by Varusteleka (again i would say one of the best ones to design. They have seen all of the military stuff and used a lot of them).
Great review
I can't believe I missed this review. I am a huge fan of Savotta gear. Luke, not only is this pack good looking but it's a perfect match for Moose! My warm weather pack is the MiniJaakari or Jaakari S (small) that is only 20 liters but it holds everything I need for two to three days out. A 500ml Grayl water purifier takes care of my hydration needs. I have the Finnish sleeping mat with the "wings" that suffices for a groundsheet as well to protect my Helikon Tec Swagman Roll (sleeping bag, blanket, jacket, under quilt, poncho liner). For winter I will consider this Sarma Recon pack. Presently I use a MARPAT ILBE I've had for several years and it's still in great condition. When one joins the military be expected to learn and KNOW how to assemble and disassemble your pack, your rifle, your pistol, your gas mask and on and on. You'll dream about it, believe me! As Luke says it's a rite of passage.
Varusteleka needs to get that Finnish sleep roll back in stock. I missed out on the site, I snagged one of the those Swedish mess kits though. Awesome kit!
Lamnia sells them too.
This reminds me of the FILBE. They are both set up the same, both external frame, and both have a separated sleeping bag compartment. Bot have PALS all the way around, and both are solid color, military style packs. Both have radio pouches on the inside, and both have webbing on the bottom to attach more gear. Both have expandable pouches on either side, and both look really awesome. I think the Pros are more in favor with the FILBE though since it has a buckle lid, and attachment points for an assault pack. The FILBE also has 6 compression straps. 2 can be taken off and used as gear holders for the assault pack allowing you to strap you sleep system onto the smaller pack. The pro for the Sarma is that it looks thinner, if a little taller, and it has a frame shelf. It is also green, so it looks like more of a woods pack. If I can get the Sarma for what I got the FILBE for, then I will most certainly get it.
Looks like a good pack, I like it ^^
I've trained with Norwegian Rangers. They are a very small and elite unit that is unlike ours here in the us. We look up to them and their high standards. They on the other hand looked up to the Finish Rangers that they worked with from time to time. Finland shares a patrolled border with Russia. Graduation is a 100+ patrol across that border. If you return, you graduate. They truly travel light and live off the land and stay undetected. That is much tougher today than it was in the 70s. Their equipment is rugged. They do not have the luxury of swapping out stuff when they are conducting operations in frigid temps way beyond the border. I only met a few and they were soft spoken and very competent men. This equipment is made at a non compromising level. When there is no way to undo a failure, cost isn't the factor that drives the train. This stuff is for the real deal. It is difficult to grasp exactly how tough the environment these packs are designed for. Peace.
AAA-0
Nice pack. Looks like an upgrade to a pack that was made back in the 70's and 80's.
In the millitary the told us to use the bottom Section for water and other heavy stuff, basically heaviest stuff to the bottom and lightest on the top.
What you call grab handles on the sides are used for donning the pack, like you would with a Marine Corps FILBE pack.
You have it in front of you on the ground with the frame up and the head near your feet, grab both side handles, lift up onto your knees then over your head while standing up, and the pack swings onto your back as you slide your arms through the shoulder straps.
Adjust shoulder strap tightness and buckle and tighten the kidney belt, and you're done. Takes no more than two seconds, one usually.
Our packs also have quick release snap buckles so we can dump it instantly.
Heey luke, realy nice pack!
What is your opinion about the Savotta Jaakari XL?
Would realy like to see a video of de Savotta Jaakari XL VS the Sarma TST RP80, how these 2 packs would perform in normal and rough terrain.
real good video thanks
hey Luke, for your and the family to do some truck camping you might want to look into a light weight aluminum cap, you can find them cheap for that year Chevy! that should have 4:56 gears and a rear locker, you can go with a bit taller tire and probably help your mileage also!
Nice gear. Nicer truck 👍
More on good old Moose soon!
- Luke
Hi Luke . Great review as per your norm . How would you say this one compares to the Italian Surplus pack you got from Keep Shooting ? Thanks Gubs
damn, i love all the molle straps, the roll top, that thing is perfect...Only too much money lol
Hello friend!! Nice backpack and nice truck (I want see your truck in action)👍⛺
Great looking bag and nice vid. But at that price, I want one that is already assembled.
Great company response 👍👌😂😁
just looking a the frame it shelf ya that's a will made in the past I carried a lot of gear back in the day ya nice back pack
Good job 👍👍
coolness!!! out of my price range but still a looker of a pack
MAN THAT PACK IS SWEEEETT!!;-)
hello, first thanks a lot for your review!
Now If you were to compare the following two products, which would you recommend?
between the rp80 sarma and the savotta jakaari XL?
I thank you,
Raphael
It's $512.00 now. By the way, thanks a lot Luke for making me poor! I ordered it today along with the mini pack to act as a lid/daypack. I've watched this video over and over and I'm super stoked for this to come in so I can use it for Search and Rescue. Great video by the way. I usually end up ordering a lot of stuff that you review.
Did u get it was it worth it?
@@MrIlovebmw86 Yes, it's an extremely nice pack. Well worth it.
I like this pack, but I just fell in love with Hill People Gear, you know much about their packs? the harness/load carry system is amazing. I really like this though thanks for the review.
You should try one of the wisport backpacks... I have bought reindeer 75 and I have to say it is very good product with quality materials used to make it.
Does the belt detach like it does on the Savotta XL? They seem very similar packs, but that detachable belt will decide which one I buy and seems worth the price difference if it doesn't come off on this model. Great video, even though I'm a couple of years late!
you made the price go up! lol damn bro!
Probably the best...
Also a must have 👍
Wich one would U recommend more the Recon 80 or the Granite Patrole Chief Pack ?
If I was a rich man....I am not...dammit. I would have bought this pack yesterday. Along with just about everything else you recommend.... damn this budget of mine...LOl. What a pack...gotta get one. Another great review brother. Thumbs up. Anybody want to by a medium alice pack for $500.00...it has extra pouches ...LOL ARGGGHHHH
I prefer this carrying system to kifaru, and I destroyed my Kifaru pack on the first heavy hunt. This will and can take it. the load lifters are definitely not high enough but you can tweak that.
The external frame system is nice and like the fact the hip belt has molle on it but the bag style not to happy about when looking at it and the price I would expect a lot more. Take that external frame system and combine it with the bag such as the fox outdoor advanced mountaineering backpack and that would suit me better. I actually just bought the fox outdoor one, loaded it with 35 pounds of gear and it is very comfortable in which it is height adjustable, has internal frame support and just some better features and only 6 pounds for the bag. It was only $125 cdn all in as well and included a rain cover.
Finnish equipment is the best and decigned for war. I just love all of those.
I notice that in the videos showing you walking with the pack you have a pouch mounted across your sternum. Any info about that pouch?
I like that Square Body Chevy those are great
Do you like go outdoor in wintertime? If you do, you should try Finnish/swedish army wool jacket/trousers, or varusteleka´s own wool-things!
In the clip of you hiking with the pack, you had a chest pouch on...were you using that as a sort of sternum strap?
You the man Luke
You're the man Kyle! How goes your evening brother? - Luke
If I had that kinda cash to spend I would buy that based solely on your review Luke.
Savotta & Särmä 2 great quality Finnish products (like my school-days girlfriend Mia) Suomi, Sverige, Norge... they just make lots of good and sound outdoor equipment, and I use many (Särmä, Mora, Helly Hansen, Trangia, Marttiini, Primus, Helle, Gränsfors, Järvenpää, Optimus, Lundhags, etc, you name it)
Could the side carry snowshoes the same way they accommodate a rifle?
Currently use Osprey packs and am looking for something better for winter trips.
I like rugged tackticle packs with webbing. I have some halikon pouches to mount.
I bet I can get an eberlestock plus for that price on the eBay. Lol dig it. Looks super cool. Thanks.
I have a lot of Eberlestock packs and while very good, comfort-wise, this blows them all away! - Luke
85 inches tall lol! I know what you meant man! Great video brother.
Good review, i now see more about this product... Look foward to theese test ground videos mentioned in other vids.. Ty for your time
Check out the Overnight adventure The High Road on my channel!
Enjoy! More coming soon.
- Luke
Hey could you do a comparison of this pack and the Savotta Jääkäri XL rucksack both look great
@TheOutdoorGearReview does this ruck connect to the mystery ranch NICE frame?
Have you checked out the Karrimor sf preditor 80-130 liter?
how wide is the waist belt webbing and can the buckle be removed (for replacement for something better like a pin-roll or Bergbuckle)
Sounds great, you think it would work for 7ft individual.
Luke, would you give me the info on the tan front bag your using in the video? Is that a Condor TT Admin bag? Please share. Great video BTW, we are putting it on our R&D EQUIPMENT APPROVAL LIST.
Went to a second hand army surplus and got almost the same pack 80 bucks.
People hit up army surplus stores if your fortunate enough to live near one.
Between Särmä TST RP80 and Jaakari xl ,which one would you say is easier to carry? better framing and stability? Thanks,nice video
The only 'Con' I heard in the video was the price: were there other things you might have changed? I see a subscriber has issues with elasticized pockets. How did the elastic on this pack strike you?
Take a look at trooper pack or field pack from Tasmanien Tiger. Very nice and comfi. 👍🏻😊
Great looking pack unfortunately out of my price range but I totally agree with what you're saying
Looks like a Candidate for the next jungle expedition. Extremely frame and heavy duty construction. The Amazon Destroys cheap packs in days and when you out for 6+ months with no resupply and your life depends on your equipment. You must have Gorilla proof equipment to last and carry the tools to live off the land for up to one year. When the rivers drop you can be stranded for 6 months or more and I have been there and thay still make the pack in 2022. Great video! yes I am old school and 60+ and still going , live each day to its fullest.
I have the same frame and it has been used for 40 years now. my zipper broke (after carrying +50kg stuff in it) and I begun to modify my oldie. Probably also paint job to frame. I have also deuters and other packs, but nothing has came even close to this ones versatility. Why I have others? because I got this from my father after those others :D And it has been my 1# since then... My better half mocks me about it looks, but hey it does the trick (and I don't need those weather protect bags if it starts to rain) :D
Am I correct that the interior bag is a giant Dry-bag? I notice that in one look you have a kind of chest bag . Is that part of the system or an add-on?
Id want a pack I could have a lot of gear in but also have the ability of being able to move/mobility.
do ever review any eberlestock packs? the warhammer, specifically?? $299 / external frame / modular
great pack