I'm reposting this from what I just posted over at the Tactical Forums--I don't have it in me to type up a new version of the same thing!
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Whoo-hoo! Got my Typhoon in tonight. The lower "U" pocket has an organizer similar to that pictured for the black Falcon-II and Condor-II backpacks--instead of being all-black (and thus hard to see), it's got some khaki fabric for pockets. Against the outer part of the main pocket is a mesh pocket, and the inner part of the main pocket has a full-width pocket (in tan) with two half-width pockets attached to the front of that (my largish Garmin iQue 3600 fits in one, and my scientific calculator *just* fits in another). There are no pen "pockets" here, but that's okay by me. There is an internal clip ("keyper") which I'll probably use for a Swiss Army knife or something).
The smaller upper "U" pocket is just a plain empty pocket. The "electronic pocket" on the right side (as you look at the "front"--err, back--of the bag) would fit a large cell phone, although the zipper makes it inconvenient for quick access. I've put my Kestrel weather meter in there--fits perfectly. Above that is a sheath, very very, *very* sturdy--too narrow for a phone, but good for a knife or mag-lite.
And now... the mysterious main compartment is finally unveiled! It's mostly an empty compartment except that at the top of the front portion is a full-width zippered pocket (again in the tan material) that goes about 1/3rd the length of the compartment down. It is fronted by an open mesh pocket. This main compartment is easily big enough for 8.5x11 papers, magazines, even (probably) three ring binders, plus some books and stuff. The top of the compartment has the velcro pass-through for the water tube from the concealed carry/hydration bladder pocket (it's a massive piece of velcro work--I don't think it would leak much when closed, even in a heavy rain). The top portion of the Y compression strap does tend to flop down into the main compartment when it's open, but this is only a small irritation.
The concealed carry/hydration bladder pocket has a zipper that runs from about 2/3rds across the top down the right hand side. It doesn't open quite wide enough to make it easy to put in something the size of a magazine, but you could store books or such in here, no problem (although that would mean they're against your back). There are two generous vertical strips of "loop" velcro--not so much as to be in the way or to snag stuff, but plenty for their hook 'n' loop add-ons.
The main strap is nice and wide and well padded. I've just tried it on, but it seems to fit okay, although I've never used cross-body bags before. You can sling it over just one shoulder, but because of the design it only feels "right" on the left shoulder, not the right; it'll be interesting to see if Maxpedition makes an "S-Type" Typhoon (which may be better for right-handers!).
On me the waist belt barely fit across my belly--I'm too long-trunked to make this a real waist belt. It would be nice when biking, though, to keep the bag even tighter against my back. One nice feature on both shoulder strap and waist belt is a sliding loop to keep the "tail" of excess belt/strap material from flopping about.
I love MOLLE attachments, and the Typhoon sure supports them! I've got my M5 attached on the lower-left side, a cheap cell phone holder scavanged from another bag (I use it for my sun glass clip-ons) above that, and two of the (clones of the?) Spec-Ops brand pocket organizers on the shoulder strap. I'd like to replace/move one of these and put a holster for my scanner in their place, but I don't have a holster yet, nor do I have the MALICE clips necessary to try attaching my Proteus to the front of the lower "U" pocket (it does look like the Proteus would fit just perfectly across the back, although this might make the whole thing too awkward in carry).
One thing in my bag that I'm not sure is a feature or a flaw... if you look at the pictures of the back of the bag, you see a little D-ring dangling from a strap just below the bottom row of MOLLE/PALS webbing. The webbing strap this is on actually--in the pictures--runs all the way up behind the webbing and the Maxpedition logo (it forms part of the lower section of the Y compression strap). In my bag, though, this strap tail is flopping loose, and the D-ring is too wide to fit through the webbing points. This leaves it flapping lose--aain, a minor irritation, and maybe it's meant to be looped up and attached through the little snap/loop thingy just above the top part of the Y-strap (if not, what is that little snap and loop for?).
Just for kicks and grins, I tried hanging my Devil Dog from the lower compression straps. It worked, but looked goofy, of course, and loaded I suspect it would put too much stress on the straps.
Oh, cool! Just discovered two little bonus pockets I don't think we've heard about. One is at the lower end of the "vertical" portion of the shoulder strap--pretty tight, but you could put an ID card or some money in there. The second is in the "waist" part of the shoulder belt--it's just perfect for a wallet (albeit not overstuffed like mine). It closes with a snap loop over the top to hold the contents in.
Whew! That's a lot to cover. I'll try to get some pictures up, but probably not until Wednesday when my wife can help take some pictures. I'll take it to work tomorrow and see how it works. I'll be happy to answer any questions!
