I've got a Mountain Smith that I love for the bush. I prefer a briefcase style bag for the city. A waistpack in the city screams tourist.

M

Not bad, but I'd like something more secure on my waterbottles. Nothing is worse than realising that your nalgene is under the snow somewhere over the past mile. I used to use an LL Bean pack of about the same size with a pair of pouches added to the oustide to carry my water bottles and FAK, but like others here have concluded, it needs shoulder straps.

At the risk of being called nasty names, I think they probably work better for women due to the shape of thier waist-hip region. *ducking behind cover* Particularly as when guys get plump, we put it around the waist, which makes it even more likely to slide down without support from above. *digging in*


Instead, I've come to like a chest rig that can be worn as a lumbar pack if you wish. That way you can have it up front if you are using a ruck, or in the back if you are going light. I know I"ve been promising pictures, let me shake it out for a few more weeks.

going back to Bee's question about "fading popularity"
i would say say like most good ideas the pack was taken
to far..the less than a backpack..more than a fanny pack
ended up being not enought of one and too much of the other..
it depends on your body shape and strength..the amount of gear
and so on but i would go with a back or fanny pack and stay
away from a halfway choice...having said that i will tell you
that one of my canoe buddys on long wilderness trips takes
a waistpack with a belt and shoulder straps for his "day bag"
it allows him to lift and carry a canoe without a backpack
that would get in the way when i heaves the canoe up on his
shoulders..

I use a Montiansmith "day" lumbar pack or fanny pack, it has 2 water pockets for 32oz. nalgens. I also use the supenders and I have mine packed with gear. I love it for day hiking, and my back pack stays in the truck for more equipment or longer stays. the back pack and the lumbar pack can both be used at the same time by moving the lumbar pack to the front.

As far as water bottles go, I use a simle trick well used in the army; I tie a piece of 550 cord to the bottle. That way, if it falls out, it gets dragged, instead of lost.

Did someone say "Mountainsmith"?

Add me to the bandwagon. I am a huge fan of their stuff. It's tough as nails, fairly light, and doesn't have the commando-look that raises eyebrows.

I us a "Tour" lumbar pack with the shoulder straps. It's one step down from the larger "Day" model. Holds about 500 cubic inches and stays put nicely on my rather large frame. It's the perfect size for day hikes while still carrying plenty of gear to be safe.

Mountainsmith - Tour lumbar pack

Good hiking,

I use the same bag, but never in the city. Don't want to be confused with the touristas.

M

I use a Mountainsmith Tour also. It claims to hold the 32 ounce bottles and does but not so securely.

That pack is what I call my personal kit and goes with me everywhere. At work, it resides in my truck. If going to the mall, football game, etc, it goes with me.

The pack supplements my edc and contains the following:

Fire:
Stormproof matches
Birthday candles
Cotton balls

Water:
2 12 oz dasani water bottles (fit securely with minimal bulk)
2 potable aqua chlorine tablets
Quart size ziplock bag

Food:
Bag of mixed nuts
Bag of dried cherries
P-38
HD aluminum foil

Shelter:
Tacoma Mtn Storm Shelter
Mylar space blanket
cheapie poncho
25 ft nylon rope
50 ft masonry rope
mini roll duct tape

First aid:
Visine
Sunscreen Wipe
Bugscreen wipe
3 Q-tips

Tools:
SAK - Camper
River rock .5 Watt LED (nice and small)
All leather gloves

Misc:
One 2-way radio
Flash drive with family stuff
Phone card
4 quarters
Monocular
A few diapers (for my kids!)
Butt wipes
2 MRE toilet papers
Trial size alcohol

There might be a couple other items but that is all I can remember. This kit is meant to be supplementary, sort of like the "concentric rings" that the writer for Outdoors Magazine talks about.

The nice thing about this bag is that the waist straps tuck in, so you can use it as a shoulder bag when using hte attachable padded shoulder strap. The shoulder strap can also be used in conjunction with the waist straps for great support and feel without having to buy the optional and dedicated suspenders.

I like the bag but in hindsight it was very expensive (70? for a fanny pack at REI, come on!) and I would probably now make do with something similar but less expensive (like one of the eddie bauers at target or even a wal-mart model).

I question its long-term durability.

Final analysis - Good Option.

I have the same Arcteryx waist pack and I think is great but I can't seem to get it right on me. I love them for biking but for hiking I prefer a good old backpack. My biggest beef with waist packs is that I carry on my belt always a leatherman and a glove pouch. Them two when combained with waist pack belt make for very uncomfortable combo.

I want to use them more since a lot of times I have enough gear for waist pack and dont need so much space that backpack offers but I opt for the latter becaude of a more comfortable fit.

I currently use a Maxpedition Devil Dog Versipack for my Small BOB. However, when I go hiking, it goes with me in one configuration or another. I get a few funny looks from some of the other hikers I pass along the trail, but that's no big deal.

I like the fact that I've been able to make my BOBs, both small and large, modular, but I'm thinking I might just switch out the Devil Dog for a small backpack. I'm still toying with configurations.

Don't get me wrong, I really like the Devil Dog, and the MOLLE attachment points are an added bonus. Because of this I had webbing sewed to a few other pouches such as the Katadyn pouch showed, which allows me to attach it under the Devil Dog and save space for other equipment in the bag's interior.

I'm having a small backpack modified so that I can attach it to the H-Harness above the Devil Dog, but the buttpack's handle may have to go. It takes up a lot of space and gets in the way. Even when I attach the Thermobak to the H-Harness the handle causes it to stick out farhter from my back than neccesary.

Here's a picture I took for a project. Please excuse all the extra equipment in there. Hopefully you can figure out what's what. And excuse the bad flash photography.