Since I am continually searching for a daypack which looks "innocent" with lots of compartements to fit my urban survival stuff, I am interesed where the survival forums members carry their gear. I am looking for something like a Adventure Medical Kit included in a dayback. <br>I always wondered- especially after 9/11 - why Blackhawk, or any other tactical gear producer, didn't take one of those Jansport, Eagle Creek, Wolfskin designs and make a bag of better quality, more/better organised inner compartments (with lots of straps, little pockets, etc.) but of the same size and without loosing the "innocent" look and price it just a bit ahead of all those common daypacks. I am sure they would sell a bunch-especially in the "tactical/survival civilian community".<br><br>Thanks for any input<br><br>Cato <br>

Have you tried jansport before? ive used one for school, this one ive had since the start of the school year, and its held up nice to my daily abuse. i use it for deflecting flying objects ( soda cans, water ballons, rocks you know, the usual high school stuff) and ive put out numerous fires with it at my bus stop ( hey, it gets like in the 30's down here! bus comes 2 early and friends and i got a huge gasoline/newspaper fire going) and i carry around 3 books in it, no wear or tear so far im really impressed! there "higher end" models seem nice but a simple one for 20$ does just fine for me! lots of compartments, hrmmm, im sure jansport has a few with numerous pockets

Thanks for pointing me to Jansport, but that is what I am currently using. It's a good bag for the money, but all those little survival items are flying around inside of it, so more pockets, loops, etc. on the inside would be a definitie plus.

Sometimes the best solution is to take an existing unit and modify it yourself. Im sure you could scrounge materials and find a upholsterer, seamstress or backpacking gear repair source to do the sewing.

Try Tripleaughtdesign.com. Click on cattagories, then scroll down to packs. See if you see anything you like there. Maybee the one by Vortex?

It seems to be a semi-discontinued item, only sporadically available, but the Continental Rucksack from LLBean pretty good.<br><br>Also, try the BLackhawk 3-Day "Assault" and Raptor packs, they might fill what you need.

Chris, I gotta agree - not even hard to do for oneself, even by hand.<br><br>Unless I'm missing something, though... what's wrong with simply using some purpose-suitable "stuff sacks"? They're so easy to make I can (and have) shown kids how to make them.<br><br>Exterior stowage takes a bit more effort - see first suggestion - but there are alternatives for that as well. Separate external pockets (zippered pounches, actually) are readily available and adapable with little or no imagination to most packs. Jansport, as one commercial supplier example, and your friendly surplus store for another (just about any pouch you can think of is available in some sort of OD configuration - may or may not take a bit more ingenuity to adapt to mate to your pack than most commercial offerings).<br><br>Scouter Tom

In an office environment, I use an Eagle Creek briefcase, the type with stow away backpack straps. It has room for my lunch, rain jacket, FAK, multitool, Clif bars, headlamp, water bottle, etc. with room for work related items as well! It has some compartments, but I suspect not as many as you prefer. A little stitching will solve that problem.<br><br>I think there is such as thing as "over compatmentalization" - I like to carry first aid items loose, for instance.

Hikerdon-<br>Can you tell us exactly which Eagle Creek model you use? Can it hold a laptop computer? Looking at their website I see a couple which might be useful, the Latitude Office and Office Overnight. <br><br>I currently carry a laptop and a backpack to work every day so I'm looking for ways to consolidate. <br><br>My backpack, a a Kelty Redwing "day-pack" holds my workout gear, some survival gear and other junk. It doesn't always make it out of the Jeep into the office. I'd like to get down to a single bag, even if it is a little bigger.<br><br>My laptop bag, a "Noteworthy Port" works fine and holds a lot, but it just screams "steal me" <br><br><br>I wouldn't be averse to modifying a bag or grafting two together to get what I'm looking for, either. The Eagle Creek "Computer Safe" and "Computer Vault" inserts might be valuable for that purpose.<br><br>Thanks for the input!<br>-red_jeep

Hard question! I bought the thing over ten years ago, using it as a field briefcase and I have no idea of what Eagle Creek called it then.. I found the backpack straps to be quite useful in the field and other applications.<br><br>It is sized so that it would take a current laptop computer, although it does not have the padding that such specific models usually have. It don't think it says "steal me" to most bad guys.<br><br>Basically, what works is a bag that will hold about 1500 cu. in., has about three compartments and some organizer slots, and can be caried by the handle, but once you have found the convenient phone booth, converts to a backpack for those situations where you have to do some serious walking.<br><br>It blends into the office environment, but is quickly adaptable to other uses.