How about the REI Traverse Backpack for BOB use?

It doesn't seem to have too many pockets where it's easy to forget where everything is. I like the use of putting pockets on the hip strap for small stuff like a multitool.

Check out the women's pack for a 360 degree view and the men's for closeups on the compartments.

Thanks in Advance.

At about 1800 c.i. you might find it a bit small, depending or what you choose to carry. Also, if your carry weight is over about 15-20 lbs, you might prefer a pack with a frame capable of shifting the load from your shoulders to your hips. But REI does make reliable gear, so if the "one size" fits your body, and the weight and volume of your gear fit within the pock's limits, you are good to go. I like the fact that the colors of the pack are subdued, without looking "tactical." A wise choice, in my opinion.

Jeff

I've got a similar backpack, made by EMS. It's a "good" bag, but I didn't like it. The foam back made me sweat like crazy, despite the air channels. I think it's an OK day-pack, for light loads. But if for a true BO, think bigger. This bag would hold the 10 essentials, a water bladder, and probably squeeze in a fleece jacket. Anything else would start stretching its capacity.

I have the big brother of this pack - the Lookout. Mine is the 2005 version. They've changed it for 2007. Good packs, good design, good build quality.

It really depends on how much gear you're hauling. My Lookout will hold 2700 cubic inches. That makes it a very large daypack or a small weekender. Anything bigger needs a rigid frame. I've used it for weekend snow camping trips in Yosemite when I was trying to travel extremely light, and it was a tad too small. I had to strap the sleeping bag on the bottom, and that's awkward.

The shoulder straps are comfortable and somewhat adjustable. The hip belt is very good, and does shift the load to your hips. The pockets on the belt are downright handy. I carry sunscreen and lip balm in mine. The water bladder pocket and tube routing is great. The side mesh pockets will carry water bottles, camera, binocs, etc, but are just a bit awkward to reach with the pack on. I use the top pocket for stuff I might need in a hurry - headlamp, FAK, etc. The older version had full-length zip pockets on each side that would hold a bunch of gear. One of mine is for a very small rain/wind suit, the other is for the emergency part of my 10 essentials, with room left over.

Overall I give REI packs a 4 out of 5. A lot of thought went into the design. They're quite well made. The only thing you'd have to consider is how big a bag you need. Personally I thing 1800 cubic inches is a good size for a temperate weather BOB.

Kevin B.

That bag is Too Small.

BOB (Bug Out Bag) is an evacuation bag. Can you get enough gear
and consumables into that bag to keep you alive in an evacuation?

That bag is for day hiking. For me, it would be adequate for
day hiking in very familiar, and not very demanding, territory.

What you need for an easy day hike and what you need for a
Bug Out are very different.

I'd go bigger. Packing in a hurry is never efficent, and you should consider packing both the essentials ( clothes, perscriptions, etc.) and some comfort items...

Au Contraire, the REI Traverse may be ideal if you need to move fast. Some guys load up a big backpack and call it a BOB and then they throw it in their car and drive. I have a couple large duffel bags in my car, my Bug-Out-Bag is a Camelback Mule and is designed to sustain me while I'm moving fast. A BOB is not a 72 hour kit, it's a bag designed to have enough supplies to get you to wherever you are bugging out to. Don't have a destination?? Then stay home and Bug In, no bag required.

Ducttape,

It is about having alternatives. What kind of equipment gives
you the most good alternatives?

During an emergency situation, you may have to leave your car.
(If you did not leave your car, you would not need pack at all;
a bag, or bags, carried in the hands, and stored in the car,
would be fine.)

At that point of leaving your car, you want the alternative of
carrying more than a small day pack will hold. If you have a
4000 cubic inch internal frame pack, you have an alternative:
load it heavy or light. The pack itself does not weigh much,
but you could have a day pack, in your car, as an alternative, also.
I would take the 4k ci pack even if it was half empty; I might
need the capacity later. You might choose differently, Ok.

"Travel light" and "move fast" sounds like an adventure;
and indeed you see it a lot in fiction books and movies.
If the protagonist had proper gear, there would be no story,
i.e. no adventure.

"Travel light" can actually create the adventure; if you do
not believe me, go into the woods with what is in your pockets,
and stay 5 days. You will have an adventure.

Go into the woods for 5 days with an equipped backpack,
and you will probably just have a good time. If you do have
an adventure, it will not be for lack of gear and supplies.

It comes back to the purpose of a Bug-Out-Bag. If you have a place to Bug-Out to, then the bag only needs to carry enough to get you there. If OTOH its purpose is to sustain you while you are wondering around going nowhere, then it doesn't matter much how slow you move, carry a whole lot of stuff. But if you have nowhere to go, why Bug-Out?

Size is irrelevant. What you do with it is.

I'd be inclined to agree with Hike that this pack is on the small side, but I also carry over a gallon of water in my BOB and need space for cold weather gear during the right season. People who don't/can't carry as much weight and don't need the space could very well find this a doable pack. My bug-plan is also about a 80 mile trip in Vermont- my BOB wouldn't have as much water or carry a cold weather sleeping bag if it was a 20 mile trip in, say, Georgia.

My main concern is the construction. But I'll be the first one to admit that my opinion of ultralight packs is very much colored by some spectacular failures that I've seen. If you don't have to push through close vegetation, it's fine.

Looks good, def. avoid the 'military look'....would be nice to have 300-400 more cubes so you can mix/match more clothing/sleeping options but that is a size that will force you to carefully think about what you put in it.

I guess I have a "Jack Bauer" opinion of a BOB -- it's for bugging out, not camping. 4000-5000 ci is a camping pack. If your idea of bugging out is to head to the hills and live off the land then yeah, you need a big bag. But is that a realistic Bug-Out plan? IMO, the first thing any Bug-Out plan should have is a destination, a place to bug-out to. Size your BOB to get you there and stash a cache of supplies in that location. No need to carry it if it's already there.

One thing to consider- in a car, you measure distance by miles. Maybe hours. But remember, while in a car, 30 miles per hour is crawling, 30 miles per day is a pretty good clip. Measured in days, bugging on foot might as well be camping. Under hostile trail conditions.

This forum always makes me think. Thanks for all the replies.

Maybe "bug out" isn't what I meant. The most *likely* scenario I would encounter would be some sort of neighborhood evacuation due to a fire, gas leak, chemical spill, etc. This would most likely occur during the night. So I would like to have a couple of changes of "day" clothes, FAK, a couple of meals, water, and some other items that will make staying a hotel, friends/family's home, or a Red Cross shelter (church, school, etc) more bearable. So I'd also like to carry something that's not going to attract too much attention and is easy for me to take around, I don't want to leave a huge pack at the shelter for others to rummage through. I'd also like to keep it in the car or truck so a 4000 cu in would take too much space.

After checking out the Traverse, it is too small, although the REI Lookout seems much better, but may still be too small. My thinking is to have an "essentials" bag for "short" 72hr or less stints where I have a place to go. Then I would have a much bigger pack for SHTF/survival situation containing shelter, more food, water, mini stove, etc. that I would throw in the truck and head 200 miles away. I think I'll save up some more and go with one from Camelbak or Maxpedition.

BTW: The most likely natural disaster for Utah would be an earthquake.

Well, to me, that is a bug out bag for someone who's plans don't involve cross country travel if they are a light mover. I like the looks of the Lookout a little better, it looks like it gives you more room and flexibility.