Lii Gear Roaring Cricket Gen II — Review
Finding a bag that’s just the right size can feel like you’re in the story of Goldilocks. Some are too big, some are too small. You have to find the one that’s juuust right. That’s how I normally feel about finding a backpack to use as a daypack. Backpacks used for work and the office are too big. I don’t need that much space or that many pockets if I’m just going out for a day trip somewhere. But small sling bags are a bit too small and I still end up carrying some things in my hands. Lii Gear has a variety of smaller-sized bags that fill this need well, one of them being the Roaring Cricket.
Disclaimer: This bag was provided to us by Lii Gear as a sample to review. We are grateful for the chance to try out the bag, but as always, our reviews contain our honest opinions based on real usage, including both positives and negatives.
I’ve been using the Roaring Cricket multiple times a week for a few months as a day bag, and it’s been great for that purpose. It’s small but mighty, like the Noisy Cricket.
Overview
The 16-L Roaring Cricket has a full front panel opening. It has a somewhat narrow body with bungee cords on the outside. The back panel and shoulder straps have thick padding and the sides have water bottle holders. The level of organization is pretty minimal. There are only a couple internal pockets and a couple external pockets. It’s still probably enough if you’re just using it as a day bag, and it has PALS webbing / MOLLE lash points so you can add modular components too.
Strengths
- Good construction and durability
- Front panel opening makes for very easy packing and organizing
- Lots of options for modularity
Weaknesses, and these are pretty minor
- The bag is overbuilt in terms of materials and features. Some of it isn’t really necessary
- The lower internal mesh pocket can get in your way when you try to load the main compartment. It would benefit from some elastic
Organization
The Roaring Cricket’s organization is relatively normal compared to other EDC backpacks we’ve reviewed. It’s not meant for office life, just stowing a few small things while you’re out. So, it’s not intended to have a ton of organizational features.
Main compartment — This large cavity is lined with a Velcro loop field on the back side for attaching modular pieces. The main compartment is actually wide enough to fit a 13" tablet, plus a book, my headphones, and even a hoodie. At the bottom of the main compartment is a small hole, allowing the bag to drain water out in case you are getting dirty or need to wash the bag.
Internal mesh pouch — At the bottom of the front side of the main compartment is an 8 x 7.5-inch (H x W) mesh pocket. It’s not zipped nor elasticated, so the opening can get caught on items that you’re putting into the main compartment.
Internal zipped pocket — Above that mesh pouch is a 6 x 7.5-inch (H x W) zipped mesh pocket where you can keep pens or your pack of M&M’s.
Quick access pocket — At the top of the front panel is an external quick access pocket. It’s 5 x 7.5 inches (H x W) and a good place to store ear phones, tissues, hand sanitizer, more M&M’s, or whatever else you need easy access to.
Two side water bottle pockets — Elasticated so they stay out of the way, but the elastic is pretty tight so the water bottle will push into the main compartment. Makes it a tight squeeze if the main compartment is loaded. Even when the backpack is empty, large water bottles won’t fit. My medium S’well bottle fits snugly.
Hidden pocket — On the right side of the backpack (when looking at the front panel) is a small 4.5 x 2.5-inch (H x W) hidden pocket with a vertical zip. Even though the walls are made of an elastic material, it’s very small and tight so its use is pretty limited. You can keep items you want to keep a bit more secure in there, like keys. Just keep in mind that the elastic material that means this pocket is not as water resistant as the rest of the backpack.
Additional Features
Bungee cord — One of the most noticeable features are bungee cords over the front face. This is super convenient for those days where it’s a bit chilly in the morning and you need a light jacket, but then it gets warm so you shed the jacket and just strap it into the bungee cord. The ends of the cord run into the main compartment but there is only a cord lock on one end, meaning if you pull outward when stuffing that jacket into the cord, you’ll easily pull the whole cord out. I’m not sure why they don’t have a cord lock on the other end, it seems like a very obvious need. But you can also just tie a knot to the end of the cord, so that it can’t get pulled out of the hole.
MOLLE / PALS webbing — On the left water bottle pocket (when looking at the face of the bag) are a couple short rows of PALS webbing for MOLLE compatible attachments. The upper half of the shoulder straps and the front panel also have two columns of laser-cut PALS, and I’ve found these pretty useful for holding my sunglasses or a multi-tool.
Gen 2 Beaver Tail attachment — LiiGear also provided us with this attachment to complement the Roaring Cricket. The modularity is easy to work with and attach/remove. There are 4 side release buckles at the top and bottom that you attach to the backpack, but there are also straps that you can insert into the backpack’s front PALS. Personally, I don’t love the look of this Beaver Tail on the backpack when it’s not fully packed, though it’s a bit better when you keep the attachment straps tightened. I don’t use it unless I know I need to carry an additional large item that I can’t conveniently fit in the main compartment or in the bungee cord. It does have an additional zipped pocket on it, though, which is a good add. With its elasticated sides, the Beaver Tail is large enough to hold a helmet, even larger ones that have visors. The Beaver Tail itself also has laser-cut PALS on the front so you can add attachments to your attachment.
Hydration bladder compatible — The top of the main compartment has a webbing loop where you can hook a hydration bladder and a zipped port for the drinking tube/hose. The Roaring Cricket is actually a comparable size to large Camelback hydration backpacks.
Microfleece lining — The interior of the main compartment is lined with microfleece along the back and sides, which can also act as Velcro loop fields and allow you to attach patches or other modular pockets to the interior of the bag.
Internal rings — Inside the main compartment are also 6 plastic rectangular rings for further attachments. Lii Gear does sell some pouches that can be attached to these rings, such as their Pencil Pouch and a laptop sleeve.
Grab handles — The bottom of the backpack has a small grab handle. It’s a nice-to-have but definitely not a necessity on a bag this small. The grab handle is wrapped in rubber padding. The top of the bag also has a grab handle that is wrapped in Dyneema.
Attachment straps — At the bottom of the backpack are two attachment straps with side-release buckles. At the bottom of the sides are another two (one on each side). Given the relatively small size of this bag, these could be useful for things that don’t fit in the main compartment, like a tripod.
Sternum strap — Fully adjustable and attached to rails on the shoulder strap. Unfortunately, it is relatively easy to pull the sternum strap off the rail and extremely difficult to get it back on the rail once detached. But not impossible!
Load-lifter straps — Though the Roaring Cricket has load-lifter straps, I didn’t really feel like they were needed on a bag this small. But if for some reason you’re carrying a ton of weight in a 16L bag, then perhaps they’ll come in handy.
Attachable waist belt — The Roaring Cricket does not come with a waist belt, though there is a bracket system at the bottom of the back panel to attach their waist belt if you like. The pack isn’t large enough that you need the waist belt for walking around, but if you’re wearing it while on a bicycle or motorcycle, a waist belt might be useful to help stabilize the bag.
Construction
The Roaring Cricket measure about 17 x 9 x 4.5 inches (H x W x D) and comes in at about 2.2 lbs, or 1 kg, which is pretty standard for a small backpack. It feels true to its listed volume of 16 L and there aren’t any major issues that reduce the amount of usable space in the bag.
The version I have is all black and has a Dyneema exterior with Hypalon strips on the shoulder straps and front panel, where the PALS/MOLLE cuts are. There are also X-Pac and Cordura nylon versions available. All these options of materials provide excellent water resistance and durability. The construction and hardware feel very solid as well. The zippers are all YKK — the main compartment zipper is #10 RC, the internal mesh pocket has a #8 RC zipper, and all the other zippers are #5 RC. The exterior zippers are all AquaGuard as well. The stitching and finishing all seem pretty well-done and while there isn’t a ton of reinforcement in the stitching at the anchor points, it’s enough for a bag this size.
Comfort
When I initially saw the bag, I was admittedly a bit apprehensive about the comfort of the back panel. The padding is arranged in two columns with four blocks of foam and plenty of space in between each block. But I’ve definitely come around on them. The padding feels like a memory foam, which on it’s own may not be the best approach, but with the internal frame sheet of the Roaring Cricket, it seems to work well. The spacing of the blocks also creates plenty of airflow channels for your back.
The shoulder straps are lined with the same memory foam and slightly contoured. The shoulder straps are actually removable, creating an adjustable torso. The fabric that wraps the shoulder straps also wraps around hard plastic strips that travel downward underneath the foam blocks and attach with Velcro halfway down the back panel. Just removing the shoulder straps is a herculean task because there is so much Velcro and not much space to pull the hook and loop fields apart since the foam blocks get in the way. Putting the shoulder straps back in may be downright Sisyphean. Alright, that’s enough ancient mythology…
With the padding, airflow, sternum strap, and load lifter straps, comfort is definitely not something Lii Gear overlooked.
Additional Notes
A couple last notes:
- The shoulder straps also have side release (SR) buckles at the bottom and a pull tab that releases those SR buckles if you pull hard enough. I’m not quite sure what the intent of adding those pull tabs was. The SR buckles don’t take more than a second to undo on their own and there have been instances where I was trying to pull the webbing on the shoulder straps to tighten them but accidentally pulled the SR buckle pull tabs instead. But it is an interesting feature that I haven’t seen before. You can unhook the pull tab from the SR buckles and remove them if they become too much of a nuisance.
- The Velcro fields on the top of the bag and on the right side’s water bottle pocket let you add your own flair to the backpack. I’m always a fan of these loop fields. I need something to do with all my morale patches anyways.
- The backpack is not very deep, so it doesn’t stand on it’s own very well unless you pack it very specifically. E.g., with thick books or putting a brick at the bottom of the main compartment.
Summary
The Roaring Cricket is a small backpack and doesn’t look like it has a lot going on initially. But upon deeper examination, it is actually has a lot going on behind the scenes.
This backpack is great as a daytrip EDC bag or for a short hike, but can also handle quite the load with all the attachment options. The main compartment is probably too small for most people’s needs in the workplace or school, but if you have a light load then it’s worth considering.
Features: 5 of 5 — The Roaring Cricket has a lot of features when you get to know it. There is plenty of modularity and the basic features are well-designed.
Organization: 3 of 5 — Though the modular components can add additional organizational options, on its own, this backpack just has a few basic options for storage.
Construction: 5 of 5 — The materials used in this backpack are all top notch choices and the craftsmanship has so far stood up to the test.
Aesthetics: 4 of 5 — The Roaring Cricket definitely leans more toward the tactical and techwear look, but in my opinion doesn’t go too far. Not everyone will love that tacticool aesthetic but hopefully the all black exterior of the one I reviewed is still subtle enough (though I also love the looks of the other colors they offer). The Velcro loop fields also let you add your own personality.
Comfort: 5 of 5 — Plenty of padding and stablizing straps for a backpacks this size. For a typical EDC carry, it’ll feel great.
Life Integration: 4 of 5 — The features are all easy to use, but like all modular packs, it takes one or two times to figure out how you want to arrange things.
X-factor: 3 of 5 — Though the Roaring Cricket is a great bag, Lii Gear is a small team and doesn’t have the biggest global following. But they’ve certainly made a fan out of me.
