Kelty Redwing 50 Tactical Pack Review – New Series

This Kelty Redwing 50 Tactical Pack Review is about a military-style backpack from a new series. This is a very sturdy and reliable tool with several great features.

Key features & benefits

What kind of pack is this

This is something new from Kelty, a series of tactical backpacks inspired by their celebrated Redwing series. So the pack presented here is the largest of the three, and the series includes also Redwing 30 Tactical and Redwing 44 Tactical.

If you are familiar with Kelty’s Redwing series, you will realize that these new Tactical packs have some features very similar to the initial Redwing series which was around several years ago before they launched the existing Redwing series.

Sizewise, this Redwing 50 Tactical is big enough for weekend outdoor tours and overnight tours, perhaps even for a several-days tour dependent on the quality and bulkiness of the stuff you carry in the pack.

Obviously, it is designed with hunters in mind, and you will see a bit more about this below.

The pack is built in one size and the torso length is fixed here. They do not give the torso size range, so I asked them and in the reply got this: “We don’t have a measurement for the torso size on these packs, as they are one size fits all. The 50 hip belt measures to 43 inches, the 44 to 40 inches, and the 30 to 34 inches.”

The numbers this person gave for the hip belts do not make much sense to me. But regarding the torso length, most likely you should keep an eye on the “regular” Redwing 50 pack where the torso size range is given as 15.5 – 21 inches (39 – 53 cm). This because the differences in size between these two packs are next to none.

The pack is a panel-loading type with a long zipper which opens it like a suitcase, see the picture below. But its top is profiled so that it looks almost like a pack with a lid, and the zipper can be open only on the top, which only increases this feeling of a top-loading pack.

Kelty Redwing 50 Tactical vs Kelty Redwing 50 

So here is a table with the most important differences (and similarities). Please follow the link in the table to see more about the regular Redwing 50 pack.

*Kodra is a very durable nylon, the Korean version of Cordura.

The other changes include the following:

• Stronger buckles on the Tactical pack.
• Redwing 50 Tactical looks more rugged.
• The back panel padding is completely different.
• The shoulder harness padding is completely different.
• The regular Redwing 50 has dual V-shaped front straps on the hip belt, on both sides. The Tactical pack has single straps leading to the front buckle, see the picture below. The dual straps system is better because you have better hugging of the hip bones by the hip belt fins.

  

So I would say that the crucial differences are in the padding (which is much better in the regular Redwing 50) and the torso adjustability (which you do not have here).

Overview of the remaining features

I already mentioned the main compartment entrance, so inside of the compartment you only have one padded sleeve which can double as the compartment for a laptop or for a hydration bladder, it is shown in one of the pictures above.

Suspension system

You have a central aluminum stay visible from outside, as you can see in the picture above, plus am HDPE frame sheet which gives the pack its shape. There is no torso adjustability.

The lumbar padding is really massive and the same is on the hip belt and on the shoulder harness, so one could hardly make any objection here. The waist belt is removable.

Pockets

You have in total 6 pockets, plus 2 pass-through storage pockets, plus several smaller pockets in the front pocket. But there are no hip belt pockets. 

On the top, you have a zippered top pocket which gives the pack its shape similar to the classic lid, in particular when it is full.

One large zippered organization pocket is on the front and you have several smaller mesh pockets inside, including one for glasses and Velcro tab, see the picture below. Note that you do not have the front stash pocket which is available in the regular Redwing 50.

Two lover side pockets are pre-shaped and built from the same fabric as the pack, so they are not stretchy, see the picture below. They are shallow and too close to the upper side pockets so you can hardly use them for a water bottle when the upper side pockets are full.

The pack has two upper zippered side pockets shown below, which are a very useful feature, my favorite in any pack. Their size is great and you can keep things organized. Some of my packs have such pockets and I keep different things in different pockets and always know where things are.

Yet another great feature here are the pass-through “pockets” behind these upper zippered pockets. You can carry any longer object and pass it behind the side pockets and then store in the lower side pockets. They suggest using this feature for a riffle, see below.

Attachment elements

You have dual side compression straps shown in the picture above. You will use them to cinch the pack or to fix an object which you carry in the mentioned pass-through pockets.

There are 3 large attachment loops on the bottom, and this is one more than in the regular Redwing 50.

Here you have exposed central daisy chain with a handle on the front of the pack, and this is also different from the regular pack.

Two parallel daisy chains are on the bottom of the pack, and you do not have this in the regular Redwing 50 backpack.

Kelty Redwing 50 Tactical vs Competitors

Here I give the Tactical 50 pack side by side with two top models from some other brands. See how it compares. To read more please check the links in the table.

Final thoughts, rating, pros & cons

The strange design of the side pockets they explained to me after I asked: “You can use that side pouch for whatever you’d like, but it is made to fit the bottom of a shotgun/longer gun.”

See how I rate this pack:

Kelty Redwing 50 Tactical

8.4

Volume/Weight ratio

8.7/10

Features & Bonuses

8.0/10

Comfort

8.4/10

Pros

• Quality workmanship.
• Durable & quality materials.
• Very strong suspension system.
• Side zippered pockets.
• Side pass-through pockets.

Cons

• Not adjustable harness.
• No rain cover.
• Not so great side pockets.

Check on Amazon

Check at Kelty

In any case, if this pack is too big, check its cousins from the same series, the Tactical 30 and Tactical 44. If this is not enough, please check my page with packs in the size range 35 – 55 liters, you will find tens of backpacks all from top brands. You might want to check this new 2018 Deuter Futura Vario 50 + 10 with some new features. If ventilation is very important to you, check this Osprey Rook 50 Backpack.

Thank you for reading. Please use the comment box below in the case of questions and comments. Have a nice day.