You might want to look at what 5.11 has to offer. Their bags do not come with hydration bladders, but are set up to accept them.

I have found their equipment to be extremely durable and the prices are pretty good.

I also have four Military Camelbaks of various sizes.

I use those for large gear loads.

 

The CamelBak Military packs are all available in black so they will look just like the other black ones above.
I have some Camelbak better bottles and kids bottles. My daughter bit a hole in the bite valve and I e-mailed them asking how I could buy one (they weren't on their web site yet). They said they would warranty it and asked for my address and I said I'd like to buy a couple spare of each, and they mailed them to me for free. So knowing they give good service I helped when I wanted to buy a pack.

 

I have the very same camelbak you have listed above, and it's a great bag. My wife has one as well. It is very roomy. and has lots of storage options. The 3 liter bladder is nice as well. It's not my only bag, but it is my everyday carry bag.

I also wanted to add that Kelty makes an excellent product as well. I have an Arrowhead 2500 (no longer made), that has taken some serious punishment, and has held up very well.

 

Camelback has always been a bit pricy for me, for the price I think kelty makes great packs with a bit more volume for what you're paying. Target sells Kelty packs for around $40, just picked up a Kelty 'Big Basin' for 11$ on 75% off. They don't sell a ton of them so they're clearancing inventory frequently, they might have the Kelty's you're looking at. That being said, if you're looking for the best not necessarily the best price, Camelback is a good choice.

 

I can only talk about a Camelbak as this is the only one I have among these packs. All I can say that it's very lightweight, durable and comfortable. I have taken it on numerous hiking and short backpacking trips and it still looks brand new.

I purchased it from a local sporting goods store called "Big 5" for about $35. I think I used a 20% off coupon so the price was very reasonable.

I have an older Cloud Walker that looks exactly like this one

http://hunch.com/hiking-backpacks/camelbak-cloud-walker-hydration-pack-70-oz/154841/

 

Just curious - what is your price range?

And what is more important to you - weight or durability?

 

Thanks for the reply guys, much appreciated - I'm still racking my brains over which one to get..!



Price isn't really a factor, I'm prepared to pay out for this because I'm planning on using it for as long as it lasts. So I'm thinking the more I pay the longer the item will last.

Durability is probably more important to me than weight, but saying that, I'm not going to start carrying around a cast iron backpack so within reason.. :

 

I have carried a North Face pack for 6 years daily. The main zipper broke on the first one after a year and they replaced it. The current bag I carry has lasted over 3 years now. They're solid packs.

 

Hi Smith, I suggest none of those bags.

They have no belt to speak of and backpacks that are going to be carried for any length of time or have any appreciable weight require a good load bearing hip belt. :thumb:

I also don't subscribe to the Bugout bag concept anyhow, so my choices tend to be Get-Home-Bags

I am a long-distance runner so I won't touch a Get-Home-Pack that I can't run with. :

I actually have (had it was stolen on Sunday morning) the smaller version green one because I only carry a tiny tiny tiny bit of stuff to run home. :thumb:

If I ever have to get home and all the vehicles are somehow kaput, EMP, Solar Flare, etc. ...the there is no reason to sit in a tent with a cup of tea if my objective is to get home. I will run for the distance. Even is I am crossing a distance that is longer than a marathon or two, I will just stop for a few hours, knock on a door, curl up in a shed, sleep in a garage.

For me, playing survival in the swamp isn't the point of getting home. Whatever the case, if getting someplace with a load on your back is the idea, then a hipbelt is a must. :thumb:

 

Hi Smith, I suggest none of those bags.

They have no belt to speak of and backpacks that are going to be carried for any length of time or have any appreciable weight require a good load bearing hip belt. :thumb:

I also don't subscribe to the Bugout bag concept anyhow, so my choices tend to be Get-Home-Bags

I am a long-distance runner so I won't touch a Get-Home-Pack that I can't run with. :


I actually have (had it was stolen on Sunday morning) the smaller version green one because I only carry a tiny tiny tiny bit of stuff to run home. :thumb:

If I ever have to get home and all the vehicles are somehow kaput, EMP, Solar Flare, etc. ...the there is no reason to sit in a tent with a cup of tea if my objective is to get home. I will run for the distance. Even is I am crossing a distance that is longer than a marathon or two, I will just stop for a few hours, knock on a door, curl up in a shed, sleep in a garage.

For me, playing survival in the swamp isn't the point of getting home. Whatever the case, if getting someplace with a load on your back is the idea, then a hipbelt is a must. :thumb:

Don't get hung up on the term bob or ghb and limit your thinking, just because you only plan on getting home doesn't mean you may never need to bug out. Your house could catch fire, the bag beside your bed with clothes and spare vehicle keys can get you dressed and let you move your vehicles away. When tornado sirens go off I take my bob to the basement, using it to bug in there. I see a lot of people that quickly jump to the conclusion that a bob means you leave your house amd head for the woods but that's not always the case.

 

Thanks a lot for the responses guys, will look into all of these now!

 

Hi Smith28
Try this (3) three day bag it's from L A Police Gear I have one for me and my G/F.
We have only used them for day Hikes so far, they are well made and they have all bell's & whistles they look like they will go the distance and the price is great.

http://www.lapolicegear.com/



LA Police Gear 3 Day Backpack
Retail price: $60.00
Our price: $29.99
You save: $30.01

* Product Details

LA Police Gear has just introduced this new 3 day pack at an unbeatable price! This bag has tons of room for your gear, and is MOLLE compatible in case you need to strap on external pouches. Made as strong as the name brands, but without the name brand price!

# Features Dual compression straps
# Exterior straps to hold MOLLE compatible gear
# Removable 2" waist strap
# Main compartment has interior organization system
# 19" tall X 13" wide X 12" thick at bottom and 9" at the top
# 2590 cubic inches
# Made to carry heavy loads

This bag has received great reviews from customers! This pack is the perfect size and all the features you would want in a basic 3 Day style pack. Similar backpacks can cost anywhere from $100 to $250 dollars. You can't beat our price. This is one of the best value backpacks anywhere. We went factory direct to cut out the expensive middle men who do nothing but jack up the prices. Don't be fooled by the price. The most common customers statement about this backpack is that they are blown away at the quality they get for the price they paid. Give this pack a try and if not happy with it send it back for a refund.
XR750
Stop socialism now

 

Hi Smith28
Try this (3) three day bag it's from L A Police Gear I have one for me and my G/F.
We have only used them for day Hikes so far, they are well made and they have all bell's & whistles they look like they will go the distance and the price is great.

http://www.lapolicegear.com/



LA Police Gear 3 Day Backpack
Retail price: $60.00
Our price: $29.99
You save: $30.01










* Product Details

LA Police Gear has just introduced this new 3 day pack at an unbeatable price! This bag has tons of room for your gear, and is MOLLE compatible in case you need to strap on external pouches. Made as strong as the name brands, but without the name brand price!

# Features Dual compression straps
# Exterior straps to hold MOLLE compatible gear
# Removable 2" waist strap
# Main compartment has interior organization system
# 19" tall X 13" wide X 12" thick at bottom and 9" at the top
# 2590 cubic inches
# Made to carry heavy loads

This bag has received great reviews from customers! This pack is the perfect size and all the features you would want in a basic 3 Day style pack. Similar backpacks can cost anywhere from $100 to $250 dollars. You can't beat our price. This is one of the best value backpacks anywhere. We went factory direct to cut out the expensive middle men who do nothing but jack up the prices. Don't be fooled by the price. The most common customers statement about this backpack is that they are blown away at the quality they get for the price they paid. Give this pack a try and if not happy with it send it back for a refund.
XR750
Stop socialism now

I just received mine today via USPS. I will let you all know what my impression is and upload some pics. BTW I am not in any way shape or form associated with either company.

 

I went with a 5.11 RUSH 72 pack and love it.

 

I have an older Kelty with a waist belt which is stowable. It's also got built-in hydration. I got it on sale several years ago and it's been great. One thing I look for on bags and outerwear is the brand of zippers. I've found that anything less than YKK generally doesn't hold up well for me.

I have a Swiss Army (or Wenger, I dunno, can't keep up!) bag I use for EDC because my MacBook Pro fits in it well. It's not very good quality and the zippers stick some, but it's probably what I'll have on me if things go south and I am at work. I might work on swapping the two out tho, now that I think about it...

 

But don't plan on never bugging out either, house fire like the example I mentioned could be one reason. My BOB goes with us whenever we travel out of town and it then operates as a get home bag. Even bugging in its handy to have all you important gear organized in one place.
Then, getting into reason I bought my CamelBak Transformer, goes back to its original purpose, I wanted something that was just a hydration bladder for biking and short walks in the park but the ability to have more gear for a longer hike.

 

True.

But is a Bug-out Bag with a magnesium fire starter, k-bar knife, and a water filter really what is the most useful when you have to step across the street and watch your house burn to the ground?

Which would I rather have when my house burned down, chemical spill, flooding, wildfire, tornado, hurricane, etc etc etc - a fully stocked bug out bag or a credit card with bonus points for the local upscale hotel chain?

Don't get me wrong, I have three different Bug-Out type bags, and two Get-Home bags for each vehicle (summer or winter)

But try as I do, I can't really noodle out a time where I would ever actually need one more than a credit card, cell phone, and a quick trip over to a friend's place.

 

Mine gets used more when traveling. Break down when traveling to the farm late one night we may need a fire starter.

 

Well,for the occasional hiking trip,an overnight camp out or...for bugging out...(we hope that won't happen).
You can even use it for hunting,which is what influenced my decision.I checked a lot of packs and talked to an Alaskan hunting guide,and came up with a badlands pack.

Badlands packs are guaranteed for life,and come in many styles for different purposes. Here is a link...
http://www.badlandspacks.com/

I really like my pack. I chose the superday.I think I will get a larger one sometime for the extended trip and that would take care of all my pack needs..

 

Badlands packs are guaranteed for life,and come in many styles for different purposes. Here is a link...
http://www.badlandspacks.com/

Those are excellent packs. Versatile, lightweight, tough, and comfortable. The price is good too.

My only complaint is that most of their packs are only available in camo.

Az

 

Just my opinion, but the few LA Police Gear items I have bought were crap.

5.11 and Camelbak are my #1 packs of choice.

 

Take a look at Eagle Industries Becker Patrol Packs. I have the Becker Ranger Patrol Pack. Thing is indestructible, spacious, well designed to put all your gear right at your finger tips. Extremely comfortable to carry. Used by SEALs for decades so field tested in some of the worlds harshest environments. Not cheap but as good or better than many packs costing twice as much or more

 

Looks good!

 

I love my Kelty connection bag. It looks like everyone elses backpack, holds my get home bag equipment, and has room for a 17" laptop so I am able to carry my work stuff with me. It's not a tacticool bag, but it blends in well and can carry a ton. I have several maxpediton bags and a Blackhawk assault pack, but I like the fact that the Kelty pack blends in with every other college/young professional/hiker. I found mine for 40 bucks online.

 

My get home bag is a camelbak. When you factor in the price of buying the hydration for the off-brand, the camelbak prices are very reasonable. I have personally taken most of the pictures on this page, and can tell you from my photographing of a bunch of backpacks, camelbaks are the best for the money. If you have a backpack with a laptop sleeve, thats probably not what you want to be bugging out with.

Link to a bunch of backpacks with hydration sleeves: http://www.zappos.com/search/null/filter/zc1/%22Bags%22/zc2/%22Backpacks%22/txAttrFacet_Gender/%22Men%22/txAttrFacet_Features/%22Hydration+Pocket%22/sort/goliveRecentSalesStyle/desc/

 

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/PACK120-1.html

^Has anybody tried this bag? I know it's imported and considerably cheaper than a lot of the ones discussed in this thread, but I'm looking for something a little cheaper for now. It won't necessarily be my BOB, but sort of my everyday bag that I can keep some basic BOB contents in, in addition to things I carry with me everyday (books, sheet music, guitar-related items, etc.) It is also hydration compatible, which I like.

Most of the reviews on the page are good, but just curious if anyone here has any experience with it.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...ISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160607225461+&clk_rvr_id=243917970355&item=160607225461


this is a really good bag In my opinion. I paided $100 a year ago for about the same design, It's really stitched together well, has a lot of pockets. I was still finding pockets a month after I had it.

 

I can't vouch for any of these bags personally but I do have a north face Terra 30. Flexible side and back pouches. Hydration compatible. Dividable lower portion of main compartment. 1850 CI. Non removable hip belt.. I clip it around the bag when I don't need it. Works well for me. If the bag you are looking at has construction anything like mine I would vote NF.

 

regarding bags.. might wanna check out Direct Action: https://us.directactiongear.com

 

I'd only look at bags with a lifetime warranty because it is inevitable that daily wear and tear will happen if you carry any bag regularly.

Also welcome back zombie thread

 

I'd agree to buying the best you can afford... but even the best manufacturers like Eberelestock, Mystery Ranch, Tactical Tailor, etc... who do offer "lifetime" warranties exempt "normal wear and tear"... so if you use your bag the lifetime warranty does nothing...

Also, if the poop is hittin' the blades... its gonna be pretty hard to get that buckle replaced... :

 

I think you should consider the GR2 from Goruck which I have. It is - in my opinion - a superior design to other similiar packs. It's length and width are longer while the depth is less and - for me - this results in a ruck that is much more comfortable to carry a load in. They sell a padded hip belt for it as well.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

 

I had a buddy who used a GR2. Extremely expensive but very well made, which it has to be since the manufacturer wants you to throw bricks in it. My only complaint would be the relative lack of organization capability.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk