I always find it an interesting study when a company is named after something historical, whether a person or a group.  Sometimes it’s a catchy gimmick, sometimes it’s a true ethos that the brand lives and dies by.  In this case, today’s review item is the Cannae Sarcina Rally Pack.  The company name takes its cues from the legendary battle wherein Hannibal and his merry band of Carthaginians used sound tactics to defeat a vastly superior Roman force.  As per their website, Cannae states “The Cannae Brand of Professional Gear embodies not just this victory, but also the combination of Preparation, Intelligence, Strength and Bravery”.  A mighty ideal to strive for indeed.

Let’s look at the Sarcina Rally pack‘s specs.

• • Fabric: 500d Cordura® Nylon
  • Capacity – 34 Liters (Main Body)
  • Dimensions: 19” (H) x 12” (W) x 9” (D) inches / 48.26 (H) x 30.48 (W) x 22.86 (D) cm
  • Weight – 3.0 lbs / 1.4 Kgs

The Sarcina Rally pack is medium sized, designed for a low-profile approach via a general “outdoorsy” look, eschewing the overt tactical approach taken by many.  What Molle webbing it has is covered by the top flap.  The colors are commonly found on non-tactical packs, Sage Green and Black.

As soon as I loaded up the Sarcina and slung it on my back, I noticed two things immediately.  1, this pack feels like it’s riding close to my back, and that’s a very good thing.  2, the straps are very comfortable, striking an excellent balance between padding and girth.

Speaking on balance, one issue I’ve noticed on other packs that isn’t present on the Sarcina is imbalanced compartmentalization.  Too little and it’s a pocketless duffle bag.  Too much and it’s a maze of pockets and zippers when you just need to grab something quickly.  The Sarcinia has a padded sunglasses pouch and water bottle pouch on the sides and a utility compartment on the outside face.  That utility space has a couple dividers that fit phones, GPS devices and conveniently: 2 x 30 round mags.  The spinal face of the pack has not one but two padded laptop/iPad compartments.

In a small stroke of genius, what appears to be a zippered pouch along the right side of the pack (underneath the padded eyewear pouch) is actually an access hole to the bottom of the main compartment, allowing you to get in and grab goods off the bottom without unbuckling, loosening the drawstring and then accessing everything from the main hatch up top.  The quickness with which you can grab goods out of the main compartment this way is a testament to a good design by Cannae.

With regards to construction materials used, there are no complaints here.  The 500D Cordura is tough, the YKK zippers are top flight, and the Duraflex buckles are perfectly serviceable.

The Cannae Sarcina Rally pack is diet-tactical done right.  A good design and build with tough components.  Currently, the Sarcina runs $95,  though it’s not posted as a sale nor as a permanent price change.  I’m impressed enough by this that if I needed a bigger (or smaller) additional pack, I’d not hesitate to buy from Cannae.  Now bring on those Romans!

(If you like military history, check out the below video by YouTuber Historia Civilis on the Battle of Cannae).

–Rex Nanorum

@Rexnanorum