Warrior Assault Systems – HELMET CARGO PACK LARGE Review
A few years ago, I was looking for a day pack that could carry some sustainment gear and my helmet and night vision optics. It is important that these items be kept on me at all times for accountability, so a well thought out day pack designed for this was what I was looking for.
With that in mind I had the following requirements:
- Between 20-30L in volume;
- Features synch straps that make the pack usable when not at full capacity;
- Features a beavertail or other mechanism for external storage of a helmet or overload sized items;
- Exterior organization requirements;
- Room for bladder, room for easy access canteens; and
- Compatible and/or can mate with a plate carrier or chest rig.
I had considered the First Spear Exigent Circumstances Pack as I had seen my peers use it and provide positive feedback for it. Despite this, I ended up settling on the Warrior Assault Systems Helmet Cargo Pack (Large) as it was available locally and was quite similar and had better padding on straps. I have used the pack regularly since December 2020 and have recorded my observations below.
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| (Warrior Assault Systems Helmet Cargo Pack (Large) – Photo Credit: Kit Kobold) |
Philosophy of Use
The Warrior Assault Systems Helmet Cargo Pack is designed to be a functional day pack that can carry a helmet and other mission essential kit. It was designed by a company based out of Hereford, UK. I am informed that the products are designed and tested by current and former UK SF. With such a pedigree it is no surprise that the pack has features that would be desirable for the modern day war fighter that may need to carry wide array of equipment that would include helmets, night vision devices, batteries, warming layers, and other sustainment kit.
The pack embodies the old adage of “one man, one kit” which means that a soldier will need to keep accountability (and not lose) their gear. The pack is designed to carry kit that a soldier may be obligated to keep close at hand that may be considered sensitive or too valuable to be left unattended with third line gear.
The pack helps the end user have a place to put a helmet when they are not wearing it while hiking around. This is important as sometimes having a hat to offer some relief from the sun may be more appropriate than a helmet.
If kit is kept to minimum without any frills, the Warrior Assault Helmet Cargo Pack should be sufficient for a wide range of activities up to a day or a little more in duration.
Features
The pack comes in a large variant which is advertised at approximately 28L and the normal model which is advertised to have the capacity of 12L. I have the large version.
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| (Loaded to about 80% Capacity. Photo Credit: Kit Kobold) |
It features a main compartment, I will spare you the dimensions but in our experience it has been able to fit a 2-3L water bladder, a compact warming layer, a hygiene kit, a meal and a small night vision pouch/case with room to spare. There is also a small pocket that opens and closes with hook and loop that may be appropriate for a case for glasses or eye protection and a little more. The compartment has clips sleeve for a water bladder as you would expect.
The beavertail on the pack can be adjusted and compressed using straps and is well designed. The beavertail is adjusted by a total of six ITW buckles. There are two at the top of the pack, two on the sides and two at the bottom. The beavertail features mesh lining that helps the contents of the beaver tail breath and dry. This is relevant for airing out sweaty helmets or wet layers. In our experience, the beavertail has sufficient room to carry a helmet with ear protection with a bit of room remaining.
At the expense of not having the pack compressed and fitted to the contents, the beavertail can be overloaded to carry a helmet and a warming layer like a fleece. Although doing so may upset the balance and profile of the pack. Without a helmet, it can comfortably fit one or two intermediate layers or a bag of groceries.
Between the main compartment and the beaver tail there are two features of note. First, there is a pocket the size of a medium sized zip lock bag. This can fit a variety of items but is best used for lower profile items as large contents may protrude into the beavertail area. Second, there is an elastic shingle designed to hold up to six NATO STANAG style magazines or other similarly shaped items. In our experience if the shingle is filled to capacity, it disturbs the flush seating of a helmet in the beavertail. It should be noted that this feature appears to only be on the large helmet cargo pack and not the standard version.
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| (The zippered compartment behind the beavertail fits a soft pouch for night vision optics. Pouch by Woven Apogee Photo Credit: Kit Kobold) |
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(Magazine Shingle inside beavertail – Photo Credit: Kit Kobold) |
On the exterior of the beavertail where there is no mesh, it features MOLLE and another pocket the size of a ziplock bag.
At the side of the main compartment there are two large general purpose pouches with MOLLE on the outside. In our experience, each of these pouches have been able to hold a standard Nalgene 1L with nesting cup and other small accessories or a poncho with a small fire kit. Generally slightly larger than a standard nalgene bottle. Between each of these pouches and the main compartment there are hidden open top pouches that can fit a STANAG magazine or something like an Esbit stove.
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(Open top pocket behind the GP pouches. – Photo Credit: Kit Kobold) |
The straps and padding is a padded mesh similar to what you would see on a quality Mystery Ranch bag.
Compared to other similar Beavertail Packs
The Warrior Assault Systems Helmet Cargo Pack is larger and has more room that the First Spear ECP. Despite this, I think I would prefer the ECP for when I need something more lower profile or if I needed it mounted to a pack or plate carrier. My life is not dramatic enough to require that though.
The straps on the Warrior Assault Systems Helmet Cargo Pack are significantly thicker and more padded. I think that this helps it carry a heavier load than the ECP.
The beavertail in the ECP is held together with daisy chains and appear to be quite secure, but I prefer the mesh beavertail that can be synched by 6 connection points on the Warrior Assault Systems Helmet Cargo Pack. The clip system helps stowing the helmet and layers quickly and intuitively without having to struggle.
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| (First Spear Exigent Circumstances Pack – Photo Credit: First Spear Website) |
Applications
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| (A loadout for a light recce patrol – Photo Credit: Kit Kobold) |
I have personally used the pack in the following applications:
Night Hiking Bag: The bag holds my night vision device, helmet and warming layer in transit to the hike and other items with lots of room to spare. During the hike, it provides easy access to batteries, snacks, and warming layers as applicable. It also holds my night vision case and eye protection case so they are easily indexed. Plenty of room to spare.
Patrol/Day Hiking Bag: The bag holds: one/two warming layers, a poncho, a canteen, a nesting cup, eye protection, night vision case, helmet, hygiene kit, first aid kit, one meal, 1-3 litres of water, head lamp, cordage, headlamp, batteries, gloves note pad with little room to spare. When the helmet worn on the head, the beavertail really excels at stashing a warming layer or waterproof for quick/quiet easy on and off. The convenience of this is amazing as you would otherwise need to unpack and packing a layer multiple times on one hike. It is also easy to use the beavertail to layer up or layer down in clothing without any illumination as it indexes really well.
Observation/Listening Post Bag: This bag is great for carrying streamlined sustainment gear into a OP/LP. Warming layers can be stored or stowed when not in use in generally sized and adjustable beavertail. The bag can also used in a fighting position, laid in front of you with the magazine shingles exposed to access things like magazines rather than having to roll over and grip the magazines. The bag can be used as a pillow. It performs well in this regard and helps for kit accountability as well.
Assault Pack: My life and experiences are not dramatic enough to require an assault pack, but there appears to be sufficient room for direct action equipment, and accessories. It might be a bit larger than I would like if I were to use it as an assault pack in my imagination but, if kept to a minimum it can be synched down to a manageable size. The back of the pack has MOLLE tabs so it can be weaved and clipped into a plate carrier.
Gym Bag: Using the bag as a gym bag isn’t very grey man, but I have done so awkwardly. It holds my clothes, and hygiene kit and jacket. It gets close to capacity if I add a towel. The admin pockets have my keys and other pocket lint. The GP pouches usually hold a Nalgene and protein shake. The beavertail holds my gym shoes/outdoor shoes depending what I am wearing. It does the job with plenty of room to spare.
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(Use as a gym bag – Photo Credit: Kit Kobold) |
Overnight Bag: This bag has replaced the use of a small duffel or backpack I would bring to sleepovers. It can carry two changes of clothes, hygiene kit, towel. The beavertail can carry a boardgame box or a jacket that I choose to stuff into the beavertail rather than hang up. The beavertail also does well at carrying sealed takeaway containers with leftovers inside.
Limitations
It is hard to find much fault in this bag, but no kit escapes scrutiny.
The pack is generally comfortable when the main compartment under 80% capacity. When the pack is filled to capacity, overloaded, or has too many hard objects (like pelican cases) the contents can be felt through the backing. This is because there is no frame or formal backing support. Think of it like tougher Jansport bag with a beavertail and MOLLE. If you have a ton of books in there, you may be able to feel the corners and edges of the books. By itself it isn’t an issue but you have to be mindful of placing large, hard awkward objects inside the pack. I generally would not put more than 20LBs in there.
There is no hip belt. This pack probably wasn’t designed for heavy loads. If you bring only what you need, this won’t be an issue. It would be a nice to have, even if it was a small, stowable hip belt similar to those on a Mystery Ranch 3DAP.
Almost all pouches/compartments that use zippers have two zipper pulleys. Having two zipper pulleys per zipper is important in tactical/outdoors gear. Zippers can and will fail at the worst time. Having two pulleys allows the pouch to function and close even if one breaks down in the field. The admin pouch outside of the main compartment and the admin pouch at the bottom of the beavertail are single pulley zippers only. This was probably an oversight in design and I would like to see this be included in future iterations.
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| (Most compartments on the bag have two zippers, which provide redundancy when failure occurs – Photo Credit: Kit Kobold) |
Lastly the large version is perhaps a bit large for use attached to the back of a plate carrier, but if contents are kept to a minimum and the straps are synched down, it is doable.
Conclusion
This pack is my first choice where I need to carry my helmet where it is foreseeable that my helmet needs to be removed and my night vision needs to be stowed.
It helps me keep my kit in one place where I can keep it close at hand where the risk of it being stolen is significantly reduced. It is well made and is designed for activities where a helmet may be needed.
The beavertail is a great quality of life feature for helmets or for taking layers on and off without having to access the main compartment.
Links
Black Bear Gear – Black Bear Gear I purchased mine here a long time ago. Located in Kingston, Ontario.
Amazon CA – https://amzn.to/3Ddj2MQ
Disclaimer: This posts contains images, icons and depictions of some items that are non-functional. Those items in question props. For example, there are items that appear to be magazines despite their appearance. They are props and are not replicas, nor are they used in replicas.
