I see an advantage to a few of the premade kits I have seen. The first is to be the grey man. When on foot, one needs a bag that does not call attention to its self. Likewise, there are home kits that can hide in plain sight. Meaning, it can be a part of modern decor and not alert people that it contains life-saving supplies. The second advantage to some kits is their uniformity. This is a psychological advantage, especially in a stressful situation. The third is, even if the manufacturer adds something bulky and heavy such as a folding shovel, the company reduces space and weight in other areas that are hard to duplicate outside of an R&D lab.

Originally Posted By: hikermor
I can walk into my local REI blindfolded and come up with better gear (and cheaper!) than this ghastly assortment of rip off specials,

I hear this a lot. I would love for someone to shop anywhere except for Uncharted and build a kit that has ALL of the advantages that the SEVENTY2 has to offer for the suggested retail price or less.

Jeanette Isabelle
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I'm not sure whose twisted idea it was to put hundreds of adolescents in underfunded schools run by people whose dreams were crushed years ago, but I admire the sadism. -- Wednesday Adams, Wednesday