Jedburgh teams are a fascinating piece of history. These World War 2 commandos were a multinational infiltration force designed to team up with resistance forces. These men parachuted into occupied territory and acted as force multipliers to resistance forces across Europe. I’m giving you this small history lesson because I find the Jedburghs fascinating, and the backpack we are talking about today is called the Jedburgh in honor of these men. The Blue Force Gear Jedburgh pack is a lightweight daypack designed for a multitude of uses.
The Jedburgh is no hiking pack, and it’s designed for daily carry in both nonpermissive environments and college hallways. The bag comes in many colors, including your favorite tactical colors like Coyote and Multicam and plain colors like black, wolf gray, and green. The Jedburgh is a low profile backpack that doesn’t have the traditional bulkiness associated with it that most military or tactical backpacks posses.
The outside has two strips of laser-cut MOLLE webbing. This MOLLE isn’t as apparent as most and keeps the pack low profile. The Jedburgh has two compartments. One small external pouch and then one big main pouch make up your storage options.
Organizational Attitude
The Jedburgh backpack is perfect if you are into hardcore organization. The Jedburgh uses the DAP system, which relies on hook and loop material (AKA Velcro). The inside of the pack is covered in loop material, and they can accommodate a multitude of pouches and organizational gear. Blue Force Gear also produces a series of Dapper pouches and accessories that allow you to organize the pouch as you see fit.
Outside of the BFG produced gear, you can use just about whatever hook and loop attachments you want for organizational tasks. Vertx makes internal MOLLE webbing, as does 5.11 Tactical that uses hook and loop to attach. There are compatible velcro straps, holsters, and more that make the Jedburgh a multimission compatible pack. One mission might be attending class with a laptop and books, and the next might be a patrol across the Helmand province. Either way, the Jedburgh can be tuned, customized, and organized for your mission.
Jedburgh Durability
The pack is made from one big piece of Blue Force Gear’s proprietary ULTRAcomp material. This is a high-performance laminate designed for rough use. The material is hydrophobic, meaning it resists water, but isn’t 100% waterproof. The pack is very lightweight, and I appreciate that when I’m just packing a laptop and writing materials.
The material is ultra-tough. It’s wear and tear-resistant, and I’ve been using it for almost four years now. It’s yet to tear or rip, or even started to rub away. The straps, the zippers, and polymer components are still going strong. I’ve used the pack for a variety of tasks. It’s been a simple daily backpack, a piece of luggage, and it’s also been worn on controlled wildland burns, on hikes, and volunteer search and rescue ops.
The Jedburgh just keeps on keeping on.
Using the Jedburgh
Speaking of use, I keep coming back to the Jedburgh for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, the pack is incredibly comfortable. The straps are thick and well-padded and use the same material as the BFG Vickers padded sling. It’s puffy and absorbs and distributes weight well. They don’t rub or dig in when being used over long periods of time.
The pack has a clamshell design for the main pouch. This means the main pouch opens up entirely and allows you to access everything in the main pouch with ease. When using the organizational gear, you pull out what you need when you need it without having to dig through the pocket and pull things in and out. This is perfect as a Range Backpack, or a bug out bag.
The Jedburgh has an HDPE frame. This lightweight frame is strong and puts a layer between you and your pack. This keeps the pack light, provides some comfort and stability. Best of all it keeps things from poking and prodding as you hike and hump.
The DAP system is handy when you want to use the pack for various tasks. I can toss the pouches in the pack as I need them. If I’m going for a hike, I toss in my medical kit pouch, if I’m going for an overnight trip, it’s my toiletry pouch, and sometimes the Jedburgh is my range backpack, so I toss in a pouch with ear and eye protection and my firearms cleaning kit. The modularity of the design is absolutely brilliant, and it allows the back to work whatever task you so choose.
The Ole Jedburgh
The Blue Force Gear Jedburgh pack is worthy of its historical name. It’s a multipurpose pack perfect for a role behind enemy lines or in the halls of your local higher learning institute. It’s mission adaptable and doesn’t mind when the mission is a run to a coffee shop for free wifi or on a two-day patrol in Indian country. It does as it’s asked to and does so brilliantly.
