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  1. #1
    Senior Member lesspayne's Avatar
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    Should I buy a Molly Macpack? How Do you Pack your Molly

    I am interested in getting a Molly MacPack but besides the manufactures review and a couple of people saying that they love it, I cannot find any real reviews of this system.

    I want to know more about practical everyday applications for the pack. Questions like can it be used without the belt? can it be used as a day pack? can I use it as travel luggage? exactly how versatile is it? will it work as a pack when i'm riding my four wheeler? what don't you like about your pack?

    I have searched and no one seems to say much about them, anyone here using the Molly Macpack for more than just backpacking?

    Also I would like to see the different ways that it can be packed. Show us how u Pack your Molly Macpack

  2. #2
    Senior Member SimonMc's Avatar
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    I love my Molly Mac Pack. For me it is just a good lightweight alternative that I can take as much or as little as i want. My packing is pretty standard with the dry bags on the back and a few of the different pouches on the belt.

    I have a few longer walks planned so intend on getting the front panel, to add to it.

    My use is pretty standard, but given the way it is constructed it's use is only limited by your imagination.

    The build quality and service from Mac I have found to be excellent. Plus it gets people talking - well at least here in Tasmania.

  3. #3
    Senior Member WV's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by lesspayne View Post
    I am interested in getting a Molly MacPack but besides the manufacturers review and a couple of people saying that they love it, I cannot find any real reviews of this system. The way you use your MMP will depend on the type of bags or containers you attach to it. That's the source of it's versatility, but it imposes some limitations as well. It just makes some things easier than others. Let's take your questions one at a time.

    I want to know more about practical everyday applications for the pack. Questions like can it be used without the belt? Removing the belt is not a quick operation. The pack would work without it with light loads and an appropriate bag, but I don't suggest it.

    Can it be used as a day pack? Well, yes, especially if you remove the belt and use a single vertical bag (see above), but you'd want a smaller frame, like the AngrySparrow model (which is a nice choice anyway, even for backpacking).

    Can I use it as travel luggage? Maybe. You'd need to limit the straps and anything else that could catch on things. Again, maybe a specialized bag for travel. I'd pack the frame inside the bag (maybe turned inside out) if I were going to check it. Mac also makes a neat canoe bag with PALS array but no frame. Check it out.

    Exactly how versatile is it? Amazingly. It will do things that no other pack will do, but you will need to "teach it" how to do what you want and teach yourself how to think outside the pack.

    Will it work as a pack when I'm riding my four wheeler? I don't know. Would you wear the pack or strap it to the vehicle? In either case, I'd guess, yes you could adapt it to your needs.

    What don't you like about your pack? It's one type of pack, but I use others as well. I'd be better off if I dedicated myself to a Molly Mac system, and didn't have to switch back and forth between packs. I'd probably have a better selection of bags for it and the adjustments needed for different functions would be more routine.

    I have searched and no one seems to say much about them, anyone here using the Molly Mac pack for more than just backpacking? I use mine mostly for unusual loads - tools, firewood, pulk, trail cleanup. Also for any trip where I'd need to change the pack function during the trip.

    HF member, Rat, has lots of experience with these packs. Ask him. Also, ask MacEntyre. He's great at adapting his designs to people's personal styles.

    Also I would like to see the different ways that it can be packed. Show us how you Pack your Molly Macpack. See Rat's posts. Also, E.A.Y. showed the MMP set up for backpacking and also as a daypack.
    If the system intrigues you (and obviously, it has), and you're willing to invest some time and thought with it, you'll be be repaid handsomely. However, if you're subject to passing fancies ... take a hike.

  4. #4
    Senior Member lesspayne's Avatar
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    This seems to be an amazing pack. I love the work load with the chainsaw that's awesome.

    Thanks for leading me to the other strings they had a lot of good information.

    Another thing i'd like to know how does this compare to packing and unpacking a traditional pack? Is it easier or more convenient to pack and unpack your stuff?

  5. #5
    Senior Member E.A.Y.'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by lesspayne View Post
    Another thing i'd like to know how does this compare to packing and unpacking a traditional pack? Is it easier or more convenient to pack and unpack your stuff?
    I don't carry as much as I used to, and I have few redundancies in the gear I take on a trip. So everything comes off the pack and all the drybags and most of the pouches are emptied. If you like to keep stuff in your bag while you are in camp, this might not be the pack for you since it is hard to keep a partially full dry bag on the frame sheet.
    it is the most comfortable backpack I own and I choose it over my other pack most of the time.
    For my next outing I'm going to inflict my Osprey backpack (one big bag) on myself just so I remember how much I love my Molly Mac Pack.
    -Liz -

  6. #6
    Senior Member SimonMc's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by lesspayne View Post
    Another thing i'd like to know how does this compare to packing and unpacking a traditional pack? Is it easier or more convenient to pack and unpack your stuff?
    It depends how you pack it but I prefer the MMP as I can pack my gear in specific bags. Food and stove in one bag, extra clothes in another, hammock and gear in another etc. When I need them I just grab that bag.

    Also being able to carry items on the belt, I find to be very handy, water, camera, snacks all close at hand.

  7. #7
    Senior Member E.A.Y.'s Avatar
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    My most recent trip report, here, calls out what I used for each bag and pouch on my MMP and what sizes the bags are. There's a picture (a bit blurry, but that's what I get for shooting while looking through a mosquito net) of the pack as well.
    -Liz -

  8. #8
    MacEntyre's Avatar
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    WV did a great job responding to each of your questions, but I disagree on a couple of small things.

    Quote Originally Posted by lesspayne View Post
    I am interested in getting a Molly MacPack but besides the manufactures review and a couple of people saying that they love it, I cannot find any real reviews of this system.
    There may be no "real" reviews... I have refused all offers of "real" reviews in return for providing a free pack. It's best to get feedback from users through a thread like this one.

    Quote Originally Posted by lesspayne View Post
    I want to know more about practical everyday applications for the pack.
    backpacking, tactical maneuvers, trail maintenance, bug-out, emergency response, search and rescue... you can put anything on it.

    Basically, it is a backpack that
    • can be quickly configured for large or small loads
    • can pack a load in a variety of ways
    • can carry things that normal packs cannot


    As Rat has suggested, hunters could pack a large load to a base camp, then make day hikes from there, and bring back what they take without having to carry a special pack at any time.

    Quote Originally Posted by lesspayne View Post
    ...can it be used without the belt?
    Yes. I have used both the Molly Mac Pack and the Canoe Pack without the belt. I have used the belt as a day pack, then carried the Molly Mac Pack while wearing the belt, without attaching the belt. It works just fine. The heavier the load, the more you will wish to have the belt attached.

    Quote Originally Posted by lesspayne View Post
    ...can it be used as a day pack?
    There are two ways to use the Molly Mac Pack as a day pack.

    The easiest method is the way Capital Bill did it... a water bladder above a single stuff sack, with nothing on the belt.

    I like to use the belt as a day pack, because most of what I want to carry is already on the belt in Molly Pouches. I just remove the Molly Panel from the belt, and sometimes put a single stuff sack where the panel was attached.

    Quote Originally Posted by lesspayne View Post
    ...can I use it as travel luggage?
    Travel luggage is best when it is completely contained. If you travel via airlines with a Molly Mac Pack, you might want to obtain a large duffel to hold it. I would recommend that for any kind of backpack as checked luggage.

    Quote Originally Posted by lesspayne View Post
    exactly how versatile is it?
    We have not yet found all the ways to use a Molly Mac Pack!

    WV carried his chain saw and logging chain, as pictured above.
    Rat carried a 75 lb outboard motor with his Molly Mac Pack.
    WV carries wood for fires at group hangs... he stacks large logs as well as kindling.
    I like to carry one configured with a quiver and possibles while bow hunting.

    Quote Originally Posted by lesspayne View Post
    will it work as a pack when i'm riding my four wheeler?
    You can strap it to the four wheeler, or you can carry it on your back.

    Quote Originally Posted by lesspayne View Post
    what don't you like about your pack?
    Some folks think they are ugly...
    ...some folks think they are expensive, although they pay more for one backpack and one day pack.
    ...some folks don't like the way some MMP users build their loads. It takes skill to keep them neat and trim.
    ...some folks just prefer a dump bag, instead of a modular approach.

    Quote Originally Posted by lesspayne View Post
    I have searched and no one seems to say much about them...
    Hopefully, that will change.

    Quote Originally Posted by lesspayne View Post
    anyone here using the Molly Macpack for more than just backpacking?
    Hunting is a close second. I'd like to see more folks try them for tactical, EMT and SAR uses.

    Quote Originally Posted by lesspayne View Post
    Also I would like to see the different ways that it can be packed.
    Basically, you use stuff sacks and Molly Pouches in different combinations. The belt will hold up to six Molly Pouches, using three on each side. The Molly Panel on the back can hold four or five stuff sacks (depending on size), four or five Molly Pouches (depending on size), or a combination of stuff sacks and Molly Pouches. Stuff sacks are attached using cinch straps. Molly Pouches are attached using the PALS array.

    If you need to put the pack back into the backpack now and then, there is the Molly Mac Gear Canoe Pack, in 15L or 30L sizes. They can be used with or without the Molly Panel, which makes for even more possibilities.

    - MacEntyre
    - MacEntyre
    "We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately." - Ben Franklin
    www.MollyMacGear.com

  9. #9
    Senior Member SimonMc's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MacEntyre View Post

    I'd like to see more folks try them for tactical, EMT and SAR uses.

    - MacEntyre
    Well Mac this might happen as I am joining what we call over here our SES (State Emergency Service). I will see what they think of the MMP .

  10. #10
    New Member
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mr Ploppy View Post
    Well Mac this might happen as I am joining what we call over here our SES (State Emergency Service). I will see what they think of the MMP .
    be good to hear feedback on what the SES think of the pack. Ive often thought such a modular system would be perfect for emergency services.

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