Check out 'Perez Camping Repairs' in Phoenix,AZ They CAN DO ANYTHING!! HIGHLY recommended. I'll find their card and post the info in a few days. They can make prototypes, or work from your designs in many materials......True 'Rocket scientists on sewing machines!!' IMHO Gene <img src="images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

I use the Kelty 50th Anniversary for normal backpacking trips. For my kit, I use this pack by Eastpak. Versitile and inexpensive.

Pack

Hi all,
I have LOTS of packs and bags, have been on a quest to find the right pack and have finally done it. The Huautla Pack by Lost Creek
These folks are great and for a very small additional charge they added a couple of outside pockets to this baby. Here is what I like about it; The pack is built for caving, ie dragging over rocks so it is fairly indestructible. You can get it lined with vinyl or more codura for extra waterproof ness or more strength. The best part for me is that you can carry this bag as a shoulder bag, a backpack or a fanny pack. All for a hundred bucks INCLUDING the custom work. You have got to love it!

ToddG

Whoops!
Same link as above but I have the Gorilla pack. Sorry all!

Todd

Cato:

I wonder, is there or should there be a difference in backpacks for survival gear? You used the word "innocent" and it got me thinking. I've got two packs, one at home, and one at work. My work pack is OD, the one at home is Woodland. I didn't get these packs specifically for their current use, I just happened to them when I decided to pull together stuff that I might need. My work pack remains stored in my office closet, where it will remain until it is needed or until I leave for another position.

I gather that the "innocence" of the bag might be of some value pre-emergency, but I question its value during or after an emergency. One might not want to alarm others with one's preparedness, and one might also not want to look overtly militaristic or overzealous or something, I suppose. However, unless one is carrying around this kit, others would be unaware of its existence, let alone whether it is "innocent" looking or not. And certainly, during an emergency, it really doesn't matter what others think; it's about survival.

May I suggest that the key criteria are function, space, and comfort. Looks are a distant fourth.

atty_guy

atty_guy
Innocent is good. I don't want someone sitting at a conference table with me to go "hey watcha got in there" or be curious enough to snoop and find out I've got signal flares, an air horn, four kinds of fire starters, extra ammo, fifty feet of rope, duct tape, four contractor trash bags, respirator masks, various meds, and sharper knives than a Japanese chef, all sitting at my feet. I routinely carry all of that and much much more in an innocent looking zippered burgandy leather portfolio. It also carries my 007 worthy DayRunner which is the ultimate in stealth urban survival preparedness if I do say so myself. "And they call me paranoid." - Burt Gummer. Regards, Keys

My caving pack is a Lost Creek product. It is very well built and quite substantial. It has served me well for many underground trips.

BUT - it would not be my first choice for a pack I was going to carry in an above ground environment. There are many packs just as sturdy, far more comfortable, and that will shift less on your back as you scramble or climb. Underground, the ability to carry a bag on your back, over your shoulder, etc., makes real sense because you are often changing as you go through the cave. Above ground, I prefer a properly padded pack that sits tight on my back as I cruise. At the end of the day I feel a lot better...

I think I see your point. I'm tied to my building during the day and so I leave my PSK in my office closet. I'm not lugging stuff around from floor-to-floor or meeting-to-meeting. Plus, as I go through magnetometers at work and when visiting other buildings, carrying too much can be burdensome. So, for me, "innocent" is not important, but complete (within the law of the District of Columbia) is.

Regards,

atty_ugy

hikerdon

Very true, as a standard pack I have some that are more comfortable myself, but for my normal tromping around the city I tend to like the messenger or shoulder style bags. That way I can get into them with out taking the bag off and it makes life on the submway much eaiser....and it does look MOSTLY innocent:)

ToddG

atty_guy
Got an attorney friend in a similar postion. His concealed carry permit is practically useless since he's in an out of the courthouse so much. Like you, I've got a more serious backpack in my credenza behind my desk including first aid kit, canned food, and water. Got a larger pack and duffle in the van plus an insulated food & water pack. The lighter portfolio is perfect when I'm in the downtown business district. I'm a little too old to pull off the yuppie urban backback look. Regards, Keys