By London Bridge Trading — or LBT for short — has been a world renowned name when it comes to tactical gear for over 30 years. In those 30 years they have outfitted numerous military and law enforcement units around the world, and in the past couple of years they have begun to add products with the same robust DNA but more minded for civilians.
This 8005A Day Pack is one of those products that was more marketed for the civilian market with a tacticool appearance, but does not necessarily have the incredibly overt look of being covered in PALS and straps. At an advertised 14L volume, the 8005A seemed like a good idea for a day out and about.
Tech Specs
| US | Metric | |
| Height | 18.5” | 46.99cm |
| Width | 10” | 25.4cm |
| Depth | 4.75” | 12.07cm |
| Weight | 1.25lbs | .57kg |
| Volume | 878.74cu in | 14.4L |
| Primary Materials | 500D Cordura, YKK zippers, 4 way stretch panel |
Quality and Comfort
The quality of this bag is seemingly good. For a bag with a pretty simple layout and appearance, the material choice is well thought out. The construction is primarily of 500D Cordura nylon and some thinner nylon for the inner lining of the outer pockets and for the sleeve in the main compartment. While not weatherproof, the lining helps in adding a second layer for any rain or splashes the bag may encounter.
The back and straps are also 500D with some foam inside, but no mesh or airflow channels. All day carry in a hot and/or humid environment can leave one with a sweaty back. The enclosed foam is not too firm and very flexible so it does contour to the wearer well. However, the softer foam and lack of structure does make it uncomfortable with an oddly sized item pressed against the back.
Both the shoulder straps and the sternum strap can be adjusted very far out for those who are bigger or taller than average, and/or are wearing bulky clothing or armor; thankfully LBT provides velcro wraps on the webbing for keeping everything in place.
Organization
The organization in this bag is very simple. Inside the main compartment there is a single sleeve with a cinchable cord. The sleeve is spacious enough to run a medium sized laptop, folder, and notebook with ease. Since the sleeve is cinchable, it can unfortunately pull on the sides of the bag when fully cinched. Additionally, the sleeve is raised slightly from the bottom of the bag, keeping valuable electronics from hitting any hard surfaces when the bag is set down. While the sleeve may seem more like a water bladder holder, there is no hangar or hose pass through for any hydration. The bottom of the pack has a drainage hole which seems odd considering there is a lining on the outside pockets to protect from inclement weather.
On the outside of the pack there are two general purpose pockets. One on the face of the bag and two water bottle pockets on each side. The pockets do not have provided slots or loop to add any divisions, however the top pouch does have a medium sized external loop field for morale or ID patches.
LBT does make an admin insert for the larger, bottom pouch for a couple of credit cards and a phone sized item, but nothing for flashlights, multitools, pens, or other items that one may want to carry. The pockets are somewhat spacious so bigger pouches like IFAKs can fit, but may eat up some of the main compartment space.
The water bottle pouches on each side of the pack also have some cinchable bungee cord, along with a 4-way stretch material to accommodate larger water bottles or larger oddly shaped items. If not in use, the bungee cord sticks out so the cord should be tucked in at all times. The water bottle pouches are a bit short so taller water bottles can still fall out easily. The pockets serve well as stash pockets.
What’s Perfect
- Excellent build quality and quality material/hardware choices
- Lining in front pockets helps keep weather outside where it belongs
- Adjustable for all shapes and sizes
- Excellent for theme parks due to size and simple organization
- Cavernous main pocket for storage of larger items
- Comes with strap management already
- Tactical roots but not incredibly overt like other PALS webbing covered packs
What’s Not
- No structure leads to a floppy bag. Benefits from a rigid insert
- Oddly sized/non flat items can be uncomfortable
- No ventilation or air channels lead to sweaty back when worn all day
- Organization is too simple and generalized for an EDC focused pack
- Drainage hole on an EDC pack is a bad idea considering people want to keep water from ever reaching the contents of the bag
- Despite having a PU coating, lining of front pouches is absent from the main compartment where rain would come through
- Water bottle cord tends to stick out, a new generation of the pack would benefit well from having elastic band or having less cord
Wrap Up
The LBT 8005A Day Pack is a smaller pack 14 liter pack made for a day out for those who want simplicity and durability. The pack is very simple with two pockets, two water bottle pockets, and a cinchable sleeve in the main compartment. Due to the simplicity of the pack, the bag does feel a bit unfinished. Most packs with a tactical background that are made for EDC can omit admin pockets and organization, but make up for it for having loop lining for personal customization (like the Arc’teryx LEAF Courier 15 or the Vertx series of packs), this pack omits the loop, having inserts and pockets. However, it makes a good bag for theme parks, light traveling, or for those who need or prefer a simple bag without lots of pockets. Additionally, the bag can benefit from aftermarket inserts such as the one from Greyman Tactical so the user can organize the interior, improve structure, and keep items on hand.
The pack does keep its tactical roots evident with the overt LBT tag, material choice, loop field for patches, but keeps a less overt approach with the lack of PALS webbing. In fact, it has a variant called the Low Vis Day Pack which omits the patch space, and trades the 500D Cordura and normal YKK zippers for a weather resistant 400D Pac Cloth and Aquaguard zippers to look even more low profile while maintaining weather resistance. Both packs are available direct from LBT at $129, and are frequently the subject of holiday sales, promotions, and combos.
Editor’s Note: the LBT 8005A Day Pack was purchased privately and used subsequently for this review. The content of the review was not shared with London Bridge Trading prior to publishing. Our reviews are unbiased and never edited to keep brands happy.
The Perfect Pack 