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.