I've heard of a few units offered that are essentially a ground cloth sans insulation with the sides and top fully filled. Outdoor gear is oftentimes just as much slave to fashion and tradition as clothing. There are always a few potential tradeoffs in overal useability. All I know is, I once rolled down a slight incline in the desert while asleep and woke up with the bottom of the bag now on the top. So I stick with a traditional mummy.

Hi Simplesimon,

There is a good article on this type of bag at http://www.planetfear.com/article_detail.asp?a_id=446

AFAIK, the old Photon X-light only has an ON/OFF switch. Single brightness level.
Now, the new X-light Micro offers multiple levels of brightness.




It IS MORE than worthy of consideration !!

Great idea! I'll add a DVD-RW into by BOB along side my flash drive. :^)

Cheers!

Well said! It's a great book and if nothing else it will give you something to read.

There's actually a "Collins Gem" edition of this book which I have in my BOB. It's rather small, and only weighs about 200g



Also, here's a little ultrarunning trick:

Duct tape works better than moleskin. It sticks well, prevents chafing, and doesn't add much bulk which can actually exaggerate hot spots in a shoe. Preventative duct taping before blisters form is best so get it on there the moment anything starts rubbing, but even if you have to drain a blister before applying - it will patch you up and let you keep going.

In a pinch, those empty energy gel packets are also really good for reducing friction and preventing blisters. Just put them between your sock and shoe.

I didn't realize how much was missing from BOB until I read this thread

BTW for all of you that have little children. Do you just pack extra in your own bag for the kids? Do you create one for them?

I am talking kids under 10 years old.

I am all for raising tough kids etc...but in a pinch, the last thing I want is a kid kicking, screaming, and crying about carry a small pack that is too heavy.


UPDATE:

Doing a little searching, I guess the best way to deal with everything is to just purchase a larger suspension pack and just pack the extra stuff with me. In all reality the only stuff that will be different then what I would pack for me is just extra of most personal items (toiletries, food, first aid) and an extra pair of clothes or two.

Kids clothes don't take up that much room anyway.....I think

They can carry packs if they are five or older. Even if it is just a bottle of water, a change of clothes, and their teddy bear or similiar.

Get a dog. You can load a good retreiver down with nearly 30 lbs of supplies. If you get in a real pinch, you can eat the dog later on as well.

I use a 5,000 cu pack. When I need to go in a hurry, I've no time to pack well -- just dump stuff in and move.