Due to the nature of the pack and its ability to conceal multiple weapons, it was a necessary safety check put in place by our management team.

This is probably old news to a lot of folks, but years ago Camelbak made two products targeted at folks who like to keep a firearm handy, but don't feel the need to announce to the world they were doing it. These were the Demon and the Goblin. I have the Goblin, and while it's ok as a drinking system (it's a bit on the small side for serious use), it's *great* for concealing a firearm when you're in clothing that basically prohibits the carrying of a firearm (for example if you're going to the beach or bicycling/running).

Camelbak didn't sell these for very long, and by the time I found out about them they were basically discontinued. I just assumed they were discontinued because they didn't sell very well. A lot of folks who carry concealed are adamantly opposed to what is called "off body carry", and they have a legitimate reason. The further it is from your body, the less control you have over it. But life is complicated, and options are always good.

Recently a friend of mine was asking about options for his child--who is going away to college in the fall, and intending to get a CCW permit. This caused me to go digging and see if the Goblin or Demon had been reintroduced.

I eventually found my way to a youtube video video of Camelbaks "new" (about a year old) Urban Assault Concealment pack.

Nice.

Unless you happen to be a non-LEO civilian. In which case you're not cool enough to own one because Camelbak, as a company, thinks you're not competent enough to own one.

I had trouble believing that some metrosexual panty wetter would put a *backpack* off limits to "Civilians" who weren't LEOs.

So I followed a link to US Cav's website and there, big as day it said:

This item requires identification verification for Individual purchases and the item must be a tool of the trade. Note: To order this item via Agency or Department Purchase Order please contact our Contract Sales Department at 1.800.200.9455. Click here for more details.

Uh huh. Department Purchase Order.

For a backpack. Not a backpack like this:

Which is WAY cooler, and under current law, require one to have certain bona fides. No, just a backpack that you can hide a firearm in.

Because that's, you know, not common. 

Maxpedition hasn't built an entire COMPANY around the idea.

5.11 Tactical, which used to be a Royal Robbins like before they became cool guy clothes doesn't sell a small handful of bags, including one that is designed to hide a FREAKEN RIFLE.

Nope., None on the whole Web.

So by keeping you, the incompetent civilian from owning one of these dangerous backpacks it means that competent, trained professionals can get them.

You know, like this guy:

Yeah, this jackass was (at the time the video was taken) eligible to purchase one of Camelbak's cool guy backpacks, and *I* am not.

I've got probably 50 hours of firearm instruction over the last 12 years (include the 2.5 I've spent overseas working for various DoD projects as a civilian) and 100s of hours of range time. I have or have had CCW permits in 2 states, and took (and passed) the class for a third.

And I can't buy a damn *backpack*?

I don't need a CCW backpack right now as I'm living in Australia until the end of the year and didn't bring any guns with me (it's also illegal to carry *any* weapon here unless you've got a non-weapon reason to do so) but I'm REALLY tempted to buy the 5.11 tactical JUST BECAUSE CAMEL BACK DOESN'T WANT ME TO.

Oh, and so I wrote Camelbak and verified US Cav's claim.

The title to this piece was the response I got back from the Customer Service Rep.

So to Camelbak: Yuk Foo you panty waist ninnies.

You get NO more of my money, and if I can help it no more money from *any* agency or organization I work with. There's lots of companies out making as good, if not better products.

You suck.