If you are using karrimor and lowe alpine I think it is better that you stick on with them. Lowe makes excellent waist bags,( now specially for carrying vulnerable photo equipment) and karrimor is a brand which had lots of contrubition into the bag-pack history. All karrimors I know and have used are triple stiched. They have been officially used by the SAS. I used to have a Condor (90 lts, discontinued) which was 15 years old when it came to me, I had used it and now passed it onto someone else who is still using it on rough jobs. I now use a Vaude Terkum 90 with all the high-tech stuff on it and I regret I gave my karrimor to someone else.<br><br>I use a Lowe-Alpine waist bag for my daily carry. I have been using it for more than 6 years by now and I am fond of it. The 2 inch straps make it easy to carry and after all the hard days it had been through it still resists water. <br><br>It is also important not to attract too much attention with your equipment when you are travelling around. I do not prefer bright colors and also tape the excess length of straps etc so they do not catch attention. I travelled a lot in North Africa and South Eroupe and I remember to have rolled my pack in dust in Morocco when I found my equipment to be cleaner than the environment