Lets talk Packs!

Xpedition Outfitters

Xpedition Outfitters

Adventurist
If you guys are like me i love me some backpacks/ tactical bags. I didnt see a thread about this so i figured i would start one
here a some of mine
Maxpedition (cant remember the name of it)
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5.11 Moab 10
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5.11

La Police Gear bailout bag
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5.11 Messenger bag
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Voodoo Tactical
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LA police gear bug out bag
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dont know the brand of this one
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and this one is not necesarrly a tactical bag but it does carry my toddler when he comes hiking with me
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I've been using this for camping and business trips for about a year. It is well constructed. I have the medium. It holds a lot of gear and can be used as carry on. No weird pockets or gimmicks.
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I don't have many cool bags, except for my wife's hiking backpack that is now our bug out bag, and filled with stuff. I am very jealous of the OP's bag collection. (No Homo!)
 
Hands down the best backpack I've ever purchased is the GoRuck GR1. I've used it in the field, as a book bag, and I never travel without it. I can fit a crap ton in it and it is so comfortable. I was concerned about it not having a waist or sternum strap, but have never missed them.
 
In search of a new bag myself. My Kelty daypack bit the dust after 15 years of faithful service thanks to a jagged piece of metal. I have thought about designing my own.


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Not so much for backpacking but for shorter day hikes, etc. I've had my Mountainsmith lumbar pack w/ the shoulder strap and optional strapettes, for almost a decade now. Also known to use bright yellow interiors as a visual aid with the contents which a lot of bag manufacturers have been using recently. And although they no longer carry my particular model, they still sell different lumbar packs to suit different needs.

http://mountainsmith.com/index.php/products/day-tls.html


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I was in search of a durable travel, go anywhere bag with backpacking capabilities. Ending up landing on a Mystery Ranch SATL 60L. I may upgrade to their NICE Frame pack setups (100L) if I decide to further my expeditions.

I'm able to fit these items:

One Kelty Cosmic Down sleeping bag
One ThermaRest ProLite Plus sleeping pad
One REI Passage 2 Tent strapped out on the underside
One REI Pot and Pan with Utensils
One Primus stove
Two MSR propane cans
One Mountain Series Medical Kit
Two REI cups
Three Bathing Wipes
Two Changes of clothes (2 pairs underwear, 2 shirts, 2 sweaters, 2 pants, 2 socks, one rain jacket,
One 3L Platypus Bladder
Dehydrated food for 2-3 days
Miscellany items like matches, flashlights, headlamp, extra batteries, Gerber folding shovel, toiletries

With the molle straps on the sides of the sack, I can add more pouches for additional gear.










5.11 RUSH MOAB 10L as my SHTF bag. I fit everything I need to get home safely for propper resupply in case of an emergency.

Osprey Stratos 36L as a daypack
 
Best backpacking pack ever: The Jansport D3, circa 1970's - early '80's. Nothing else even comes close. I still have my 1976 model (ripped apart by bears) and the replacement 1984 D3 still made in the USA. The "new" pack has performed flawlessly on hundreds of miles of Sierra trips providing comfort and cooling unheard of in today's "High Tech" Chinese made internal frame packs. This pack was designed, made and marketed by avid American backpackers who incorporated everything they learned on the trail. I am constantly amazed at the details of this pack design that just makes everything easier! They even had a long list of accessories that I purchased including a roll down rain fly and attachable stuff sack. It seems that now, the high tech look is all that matters in backpack design.


In my younger days, my friends and I would routinely carry 80 pound packs into the Sierra in total comfort (Beer was very important back then). The huge innovation of back-loading meant that you could unzip your pack and see everything in it all at once, grab what you want and zip it back up. All of the new "high tech" internal frame packs are top loading meaning that if you want something from the bottom, you have to pull everything out of the pack. Its insane! People today are told that what they are buying is "the best" so they are happy not knowing anything different.

Sorry Raul, I didn't mean to go off! You hit a big hot button issue that confounds me constantly. I have my incredible D3 and very few other people today will ever know the amazing backpack technology that has been lost forever.

Cam
 
Mystery Ranch (Made in America) has that same concept of front-loading and the combination of top loading as well on a number of their rucks. The "tech," or rather feature, is not completely lost. Hard to find a good one, but not lost :)

I guess the main point of today's rucksacks is all about high-tech materials and weight savings. You sacrifice a lot of convenience features especially when you begin to add zippers and other features. All the rigidity and materials needed just to support a zipper can add a good amount of weight, especially for those weight counting weenies. Then you add in durability and padding, and now you're back to nearer the basic original heavier ruck sack weight. It's all about what you're looking for and what you are willing to sacrifice. Keeping up with the newest and most high-tech item is just a waste of time and money IMHO. Find what fits the bill and whether or not it works for its need.
 
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This is my pack that I bought as a newbie backpacker about 12 years ago. It was rated the number two choice in the backpacker gear guide. (I couldn't afford the number one pick at the time which was the Osprey Ariel. I asked the salesman at REI did they have the Osprey and he said they didn't carry Osprey but that HE used Osprey packs, RRRRrrrr) Well, I got the Gregory Deva from REI so I could use the 20% coupon. This was also when they started marketing "Women's" gear. All I remember offhand that made this a female-specific pack is that the hip belt flares out and the shoulder straps are narrower. Anyway, it's been a workhorse! It's probably hiked 1500 miles and it won't wear out. It's really heavy with all the compartments and zippers and everything. At one point I researched and found the next pack that I wanted (http://www.ula-equipment.com/product_p/circuit.htm, made in Logan Utah, doesn't it look fabulous?) But I just can't see buying a new one while I have one that is more than acceptable. I know as soon as I buy it something better will come out, so I am just sticking with old reliable until I have a backpack catastrophe. (Cam, bears ripped up your pack? Holy hell!)

Cam, you are right, this (relatively) modern internal frame pack does make my back sweaty BUT it IS front loading. The gray area unzips for flat things like maps and permits, but the panel behind it unzips and I have access to the whole bag.

It is what it is...good enough for me. At least my 7 pound North Face tent finally got replaced by a 3 pound Big Agnes. Baby steps.

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If talking hunting or rifle centric there is no better line of bags in my opinion than the Eberlestock packs.

As for a daily carry setup I just picked up a new vertx pack and I carry my 50lbs of daily gear which includes my 2-3 days worth of clothes, laptop and iPad and all my essential law enforcement kit I don't carry on my person very comfortably. It's a good day to day pack but isn't comfortable enough for an actual hiking pack. I would resort back to an Eberlestock for that.


Brett C.
IronworksTactical.com - owner
 
I too am a big believer in the Mountainsmith lumbar packs. My dayhike rig is a late-model "Tour", with the Strapettes, of course.

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The newer model of the Tour is a mixed bag for me. They've added elastic mesh pockets to the waist belt, which is great for holding the GPS, cholla comb, snacks, etc., but the bad news is that they changed the way the side bottle pouches fit in relation to the delta straps (weight management system). Therefore, it's a LOT harder to get a big bottle back into the pouch when you're wearing the pack. Hence, I've added the SmarTube hydration adapters - these screw onto just about any type of bottle you can find (Nalgene's wide-mouth, narrow-mouth, and they even have an adapter for the PETT soda bottles). Now I have a bite-valve on each shoulder strap.

Mora knife and PLB on the outside. I now strap my shelter system on the bottom (poncho-tarp, polycro groundsheet, etc.), and all the other survival gear, lunch, maps, etc. fit easily inside.
 
My go-to day hike pack is the RedOxx Rock Hopper: http://www.redoxx.com/Backpacks-Daypacks/Rock-Hopper/91046/160/Product



Nice and small, pretty light, and built tougher than a brick outhouse. When you need it to, it's cavernous on the inside, so it can carry a lot of stuff. I use it as my hiking and snowshoeing bag. I keep a fixed blade Gerber, a flashlight, a couple granola bars, my gaiters, a shemagh, a couple maps, and a fire starter in there at all times so I can just grab and go. During the winter I carry an extra hat, light gloves, and a change of socks along with everything else. Still has enough room to store my North Face parka if I need it to.
 
I have the 5.11 RUSH 12 as my day pack, a Maxpedition Vulture II 3 day pack, a Maxpedition Sitka Gearslinger, and a Noatak for around town.
 
My day pack is getting a bit rough around the edges so I decided to look for a replacement. After checking every day pack in REI and Sport Chalet, I gave up. Water bladders are so popular now that I could not find a day pack with water bottle sleeves on the sides. Many had small pockets that fit a variety of gear but none had actual bottle sleeves.

I'm not a fan of water bladders because of clean up and it being a mystery as to how much you've used. I prefer to know how much water I'm drinking and more importantly, how much I've got left.

Does anyone have/know of a good day pack that will hold two 32 oz. Nalgene bottles that can be accessed while hiking?
 
Check out the Kelty MAP 3500. Has pockets on both sides that fit a Nalgene bottle with easy exterior access. It also has a bladder pocket.
 
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