Arterra Falcon2L Hip Pack Review

If you’re looking for a fun activity that mixes the adrenaline rush of possibly falling off a cliff and time spent in your VO2 max heart rate zone, try mountain biking. As you grind your pedals up a never-ending climb, you feel how parched your throat is. You think about that water bottle in the bottle cage all caked in dirt. Your alternative is a Camelbak and you remember how annoying it is to clean a hydration bladder. But you see your buddy riding with his hip pack and his clean water bottle. Not encumbered by water tasting like dirt or a bladder hose with month-old stale water in it. You think to yourself — I need to get a hip pack that can hold a water bottle too. Enter the Arterra Falcon2L.

For the past couple months, HL and I have been testing out the Falcon2L as an EDC hip pack and bottle holder for biking and running and we’re sharing both our experiences with it. I’ve been using the Dune tan colored pack and HL has been using the Obsidian black pack you see in the photos.

Disclaimer: Our Falcon2L packs were provided to us by Arterra. We are hugely grateful for the chance to try it, but we also caveat that we strive to provide our honest opinions in the reviews, both the positives and the negatives. Additionally, this review may contain Amazon associate or affiliate links.

Overview

Quick specs

• 2L capacity
• Weighs 8 oz
• 840D ballistic nylon exterior
• 2 main compartments for organization
• Exterior “wing” holds additional large items and uses side-release buckles (Arterra just release a new version that uses magnetic buckles)

The Falcon2L can be worn as a sling or a hip pack and has enough space to hold your valuables (e.g., wallet, phone, keys) plus additional EDC items (e.g., lip balm, pen, tissues, hand sanitizer), and a few snacks. Using the exterior wing, you can also carry a water bottle or light jacket. A 1L Nalgene bottle fits securely in the wing. The adjustable straps for the wing also allow it to hold smaller bottles too.

Pros

• Water bottle stayed secure in the exterior wing, even when running and mountain biking
• More versatile use cases than many other slings. Can work for EDC and also on the running/hiking/biking trail
• Has a simple but effective way to manage the excess strap

Cons

• Holding a large bulky item in the exterior wing reduces volume in the main compartments
• If carrying a water bottle or something large in the wing, you have to keep the wing’s straps tight, which can crush fragile things in the main compartments
• Carrying something in the wing hinders access to the main compartments
• Interior lining material is relatively thin

Main Features

• Inner main compartment — the main compartment closer to your body includes a zipped pocket inside if you want to keep anything extra secure. This compartment is where almost all the volume sits, so this was where I kept my phone, wallet, and snacks. There is also a gated D-ring you can use to keep your keys secure.
• Outer main compartment — the compartment further from your body includes three small elastic pockets. These can help separate small items like lip balm, hand sanitizer, Band-Aids, etc. The compartment doesn’t have much depth, so it’s not meant for bulky items.

• Exterior wing — can hold larger items (e.g., light jacket, rope, water bottle). One concern I had with a firm water bottle is that it might slide out if the bag is jostled around. I was delightfully surprised when my water bottle stayed in place all throughout testing. Albeit I did not wipeout on the mountain bike while testing… so maybe I need to get back out there and flip over the handlebars. In any case, you need to keep the wing’s straps tight, and it probably helped that part of the side of the wing wrapped under the bottom my bottle. I think adding some rubber strips on the inside of the wing to let it grip the bottle would definitely give me more peace of mind. Unfortunately, the need to keep the wing tight to hold a water bottle makes it difficult to get things in and out of the compartments. I would have to take off the water bottle if I wanted to access the main compartments. The need to keep it tight also means fragile things in the main compartment, like granola bars, may get crushed. Lastly, the wing can only hold one water bottle. For longer rides or hikes, I’d stick to a proper hiking daypack or Camelbak so that you’re not trying to ration your water.

Construction

The Falcon2L is roughly 13" x 5.5" x 3.3" and as the name suggestions, is about 2L in volume. It comes in at 8 ounces, which is not heavy for a 2L sling. The body is 840D Ballistic Nylon with a PU film backing to provide water resistance. The liner is 210D nylon, also with a PU film backing. Though having multiple layers helps keep your cargo protected, the liner felt a bit thin and is slightly translucent. The zippers are Zoom #5 coil and have Hypalon pull tabs. The other hardware is Woojin Acetal buckles. The main strap is 1.5" polyester webbing, is adjustable, and uses a large side-release buckle to quickly put the bag on/take it off.

The back panel of the body has a mesh-covered padding. While the mesh provides some airflow, if you’re doing some rigorous exercise with the Falcon2L, it’s probably getting sweaty. Additionally, if you’re using the Falcon2L out in nature and have the tendency to toss it on the ground, small pieces of grass or pieces of leaves can get stuck in the mesh.

Overall, everything feels very well built. I haven’t noticed anything concerning with the stitching or craftsmanship. You can see reinforced stitching at the anchor points of the strap with bartacks and box-stitching. The materials are all robust and should be able to take many years of beatings.

Summary

I have a handful of different slings, and most have more specific use cases. My other MTB waist packs have dedicated water bottle holders but are not ideal for EDC use when I’m not carrying a water bottle. On the other hand, other slings, like the Aer City Sling 2, can be used for EDC but aren’t well-suited for more adventurous activities. The Falcon2L fills both sides well. It works well for EDC but also works well for more active days on the trail. The main downside is around the use of the wing — particularly how holding things in the wing can impede access to the main zipped compartments and holding larger items in the wing can crush fragile items inside the bag. But of course, you don’t HAVE to use the wing, and without the wing, the Falcon2L is still a reliable and well-made sling. The wing is just an additional feature to give you more versatility.

As always, thanks for reading. Drop a note in the comments if you have any questions about the Arterra Falcon2L and follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on what bags we’re trying out.