5.11 Rush 72 2.0 Review

I’ve been a fan of the 5.11 RUSH series backpacks for years and have previously reviewed the RUSH12 and RUSH24.

I had wanted a RUSH72 for a while but just hadn’t had the extra cash for one. In December of 2020, the year of the apocalypse 5.11 had a blowout sale of their RUSH series backpacks, and the price for a RUSH72 was at a point that I couldn’t say no to.

The new RUSH72 backpack arrived a few days later and I gave it the once over and unsurprisingly found that it was the same high quality as my other RUSH series packs. As I was going through the pack the attention to detail came more and more apparent with the many levels of organization available. The old adage a place for everything and everything in its place come to mind.

A quick review has an admin pocket on the front with internal pockets and sleeves for all your quick-need items. There’s a pocket on the front top that’s perfect for a charger, cables, and small quick-grab items.

The felt-lined pocket on top is perfect for glasses or your phone. There are external side pockets that can hold water bottles or other items and have double slash pockets inside of them.

The admin pocket area folds out to a space where you can store a jacket, poncho liner, helmet, extra shoes, or whatever you need.

The main internal area is huge enough to carry clothes or outdoor gear for a multi-day trip. Additionally, there are five internal organization pockets that are either solid material or mesh to keep things handy and easy to locate.

I had the opportunity to use the pack on a recent trip and was completely satisfied with its ability to haul all my gear and clothes for a week. The pack road in the bed of my truck and we hit several days of rain. Even with some rain getting through the bed cover the gear in my pack was dry.

I really like this pack it carries a ton of gear comfortably with padded straps, compression straps, water bladder compatibility, a waist belt, and back support.

This is a great travel pack and I look forward to using it for many years and adventures. At the time I purchased this pack I didn’t realize that 5.11 Tactical was about to release their 2.0 RUSH series and the upgrades look like they take these packs to the next level with the addition of more organization and a wide range of color choices.

The 2.0 series packs run from $185-$280 MSRP (Multicam will run a bit more) for the RUSH12 thru RUSH72 packs.