Looks good to me. Seam lock or seal all the stitching. Make sure the top and bottom of the carrying straps are really secure. Paraffin any zippers. Trash sacks and freezer Ziplocs for inside organization and water proofing. Make sure to have some EDC on you incase you need to ditch or loose the pack.

I generally favor just an earth tone pack as more of a gray man. I don't really worry about it though because when the chips are down you will be a target because you have a pack with stuff.

 

Dye it grey, brown or black. Camo in the city screams "probably survival goodies inside, rob me!" so I suggest changing it to be lower profile.

If it's nylon, a strong bucket, 2 bottles of Rit Dye, cup of vinegar, cup of salt and 5 gallons of boiling water will do the job. Stir constantly for 30 minutes. If not dark enough repeat the process. In fact, do it once with black dye and take it out early. It'll look like a really weathered urban camo and you will fit in with the hipsters PERFECTLY.

 

just go to a Ross or a thrift store and buy one that fits your local

 

Looks like a good bag just not a fan of the color for an urban application. I agree with dying it black or some sort of darker color. If you dont want to mess around with dye then try to find a black or grey rain cover that you can slip over the backpack

 

thanks for the replies everyone, I think that dying it is a good idea but, I've never done that before and I dont want to ruin it.
anyways here's the pics:

http://i1254.photobucket.com/albums/hh617/LUNA_USMC/2014-01-27-114911.jpg
http://i1254.photobucket.com/albums/hh617/LUNA_USMC/2014-01-27-114942.jpg
http://i1254.photobucket.com/albums/hh617/LUNA_USMC/2014-01-27-114930.jpg
http://i1254.photobucket.com/albums/hh617/LUNA_USMC/2014-01-27-114919.jpg
http://i1254.photobucket.com/albums/hh617/LUNA_USMC/2014-01-27-114946.jpg
http://i1254.photobucket.com/albums/hh617/LUNA_USMC/2014-01-27-114951.jpg

 

It would work better as a GHB over a BOB. Has smaller carrying capacity, but will do the job if going minimalist on everything and relying on caches for resupply during a BO situation.

 

I still say having a pack makes you a target because you have stuff. Ruin a pack with dye, doubtful - in fact the crappy it looks the better.

 

Just leave the damn thing the way it is. It will work just fine for your use.

If it worries you, buy a nylon rain cover for use during the walk from downtown.

If you're bugging out on foot in an urban area, you've got other problems than camouflage. Mostly just problems of avoidance and interaction with others. In an emergency foot movement, you can either avoid folks, defend what's yours, or outrun pursuers. Otherwise... sooner or later someone is going to be in your face and tell you to give up the bag... regardless of color.

That Woodland pattern will work a lot better in an urban area than a dyed black ruck will work in a vegetated area. Black anything (gear or clothing) is a horrible color in the woods and is a poor choice for most urban areas except when crouched in a very dark shadows (like an alley). Black particularly sucks in daylight, isn't much better at night, and suffers when viewed through night vision devices.

Black blends in while you are in a crowd or riding public transport. Other than that, it doesn't offer any actual visual camouflage. It just offers a deception gambit that may work among folks who are already mostly ignoring you. People who are interested in you (predators, neighborhood watch, gang lookouts, LEO, or military) will dial in on any pack like a rat sniffing cheese... regardless of color.

Those who want to know what's in your pack will focus on the fact that you have a pack... period. Not the color. Everyone else will either completely ignore you or just give you a glance.

Eventually you're going to wind up somewhere with vegetation: a city park, a backyard, a drainage ditch or canal, a grown-in patch of weeds around an industrial park, a copse of scrub or trees, or just in the middle of somebody's landscaping. The Woodland pattern will prove useful. Even in urban terrain.

I have walked across major urban/suburban/industrial terrain wearing Woodland, carrying a pack, and with a rifle to hand. While folks were looking for me. It can be done.

I've also done a fair amount of low profile foot surveillance / counter surveillance work in urban centers. Dressed gray man style.

You can change human perception by use of props, by having an apparent purpose, by seeming to be something...

Woodland pack? Add a plastic hard hat, handheld radio (doesn't even have to work), clip ID badge, work pants, boots, and minimal tool belt. Nobody will question you. Work crew. Obviously you've got work gear in that pack.

Stick a couple of baguettes from the bakery protruding from the top of the pack. Obvious grocery shopper. Not threatening.

Add lightweight neutral external props to your pack. An umbrella, diaper bag, or child's stuffed animal. Slap on a patch or flag: God Bless the USA, University, Save the Whales, Global Warming, Boy Scouts of America, etc. Your pack goes from looking like a war bag for the apocalypse... to just looking like some guy carrying everyday stuff.

Have a puppy on a leash or an empty child carrier strapped to your pack... and no one will ever notice the bag. Have a bunch of knives, machetes, hatchets, bed roll, and magazine pouches attached... and you are gonna attract attention.

 

A bunch of great ideas above. I hadn't thought of camouflaging a pack with kids stuff. Brilliant.

I'll have to look into dying an ABU pattern pack to look less mil. I couldn't make it much uglier. I could also get some use out of old uniforms by dying them as well. How durable is the dye? Will it bleed when wet?

 

A bunch of great ideas above. I hadn't thought of camouflaging a pack with kids stuff. Brilliant.

no one wants to steal a diaper bag !!

 

When bugging out I wouldn't care much what it looks like. The words ,"that's close enough" should work just fine, or ?????

 

Exactly.

I also use a 3-day assault pack as my EDC & if ANYONE makes the mistake of assuming I'm an easy target that they can snatch the pack from...well, brother, they're going to get a 230-grain .45 ACP surprise that'll open their gourd up like a canoe.

I'm not just carrying crackers & books in there and a SHTF situation is no time to worry about whether you're making the proper fashion statement or not. :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:

 

Or just get another bag that's more appropriate.

I'm far from rich, but I have like 7 different bags ranging from small tactcial camelbacks to large internal and external frame hiking back packs. I assume you are an adult and have things like...a job, considering you must be able to afford a computer and internet access if you are here. So save up your birthday money or whatever and buy a $40 pack that is the color you want and don't worry about dying some old pack that isn't all that great in the first place.

 

...So save up your birthday money or whatever and buy a $40 pack that is the color you want and don't worry about dying some old pack that isn't all that great in the first place.

Why the unneeded snark, man?

How do you know that "...old pack isn't all that great in the first place"? ...and in comparison to a $40 pack?




OP - don't worry about the pack. If it works for you, then it works for you.
If your local culture sees camo packs as something out of the ordinary and you have questionable things inside, then you may consider a different aesthetic. Those little accessories as mentioned above, could make a difference.

If the crap has hit the fan and people are hurting or killing people for their goods, the color of the pack isn't going to make that much difference. Stereotypes may be reinforced to some degree, but if it's some fantastic scenario that you're worried about, I think anyone with a pack will be a target.

If you--meaning anyone reading this--were the type to go after someone's stuff, would you let the "ordinary" packs go and wait to single out the camo packs, missing an opportunity? When people are desperate, color probably isn't going to matter much: pink, black, or camo.

My point/opinion quite simply, is that camo doesn't stick out now to the average Joe because it's normal to see in suburbia and it probably won't stick out much more "then," either.

 

I agree it's a tad small for a BOB. I favor a bag that is at the upper limit of my ability to walk with under load and has removable sections if I have to start re-prioritizing due to injury, speed, etc.

As for color:

Go with the color scheme that best fits your environment. The basic camo for Alaska isn't the same as you'd want in Barstow. What works in Louisiana may not fit Maine. The cover options can get you through winter and short "green" periods.

 

A good BOB needs a lumbar support of some type around your waste. Otherwise it's little more than a camouflage book bag.

 

As others have mentioned, in a true emergency, tactical looking stuff may attract un-wanted attention from a variety of people.

Also, in the minds of many, tactical looking stuff is also linked to a right wing socio political world view. The fact that this linkage is not always accurate may not matter to people under stress. In certain scenarios some people may wish to harm you on account of that assumed linkage. For example, are you tring to leave the Seattle urban area? Potential hostility may increase if some right wingers wearing tactical stuff went out of their way to **** off their neighbors - nobody has a monopoly immaturity, rash decisions etc.

I would just go down to the thrift store and buy a sturdy book back pack in drab colors. Its cheaper, but not as sexy or as capable as the tactical stuff. It also says "college student or "office worker" more than "right winger".

 

As others have mentioned, in a true emergency, tactical looking stuff may attract un-wanted attention from a variety of people.

and as others have said, during a true SHTF scene, any pack that looks like it has supplies in it will be a target, regardless of the color scheme.

OP said this will be a BOB.......not a GHB. so in terms of bugging out, the shyt has already hit the fan, bad enough that it causes the OP to leave his home or current position. there may be people ALREADY preying on others at that point. do you REALLY think a small camo pack will draw more attention then ANY other stuffed pack?

the chest thumpers need to stop and think for once. lets say the OPs particular BOB will be used in this scenario: natural disaster happens, a flood or so. OP needs to walk out of his home for whatever reason, and has this pack on. he'll probably be amongst many of his other neighbors, also walking, also carrying bags/packs/luggage. do you really think THIS small camo pack will attract more attention then the yuppie and housewife dragging along $300 worth of rolling luggage?

2nd scenario: some sort of SHTF happens, and the OP has to walk away with this pack. some 'event' may have already happened, supplies may be low/empty, society is starting to degrade. the OP is walking down the road with this little camo pack....and behind him is another person, with a huge external frame hiking pack, overflowing with gear, more stuff strapped to the sides, etc. who do you think would be a bigger target, to someone looking to prey on the public/prepared??

 

Looks fine. What you gonna put in it???

 

I think a key point is to avoid walking roads. Sometimes you have to, but strolling down linear danger areas is always risky when the natives are restless.

I have done a lot of surreptitious movement under a pack through built up areas. Walking roads was by exception, planned in detail and utilizing best time of day to accomplish. Usually while most folks were sleeping.

I'd rather walk over hot coals than approach a block warren where folks are looting, rioting, or just standing around waiting for trouble on the streets. Visible columns of smoke or flames should be a key indicator that it's time for an immediate detour.

If a crowd of daylight foot refugees are making good time with no drama, then by all means lose yourself in the herd. But always be ready to cut away and seek a better (safer) route.

 

If the SHTF.....a pack is a pack is a pack....people will get targeted for just having A pack.
Nothing can be done about that.

 

Wow, alot of people replied! A little backstory, I live in Phoenix Arizona, surprisingly woodland type camouflage is very widespread and I am often asked where I got my bag. That's the number one reason why I selected it, the things attached to it makes it seem more innocent as well. I don't really plan on going to far with just this pack, just to my bugout location. I'll probably be able to drive there, so I don't see it's load carrying potential as a problem.

On another note, I'm still not sure what I want to put in it, mostly food and some basic tools like a good fixed blade knife, fire starting materials, extra clothing, and a good wool blanket. I'll also include a hydration bladder and some clean water.

 

Molle 2

Yeah. There's a surplus place near me that has loads of Molle 2's. I'm planning on buying one for a b.o.b.

 

I still use my old alice packs, one framed and one sloppy ruck rit dye wont ruin it, ive dye'd a bunch of different pouches and clothing, changing the color on the multicam. long as the pack is in good condition, not rotted out or Ripped up, modify it as necessary and and fill it up.

 

Exactly!