Like Russ, i am an REI fan (and have been for about fifty-five years). They sell good equipment for the most part, and they carry an extensive line of packs and backpacks, all of good quality and reliability.

The most important feature of any backpack is that it fits its wearer properly. This is best determined by an in-store fitting, with a load typical of that contemplated in both volume and weight. Usually the most important variable is your torso length.

Volume can be tricky. How long a trip, in what conditions, is contemplated? One carries different items in Wisconsin in January, compared to Arizona in August.

My closest experience to maintaining a BOB was building a backpack set up so that I could respond quickly to SAR operations. In Arizona, it required regular adjustment for seasonal and altitude changes. For that purpose, a backpack of about 4000 cubic inches was quite satisfactory, fine for about 72 hours of fieldwork. YMMV!!

It is probably better to have a pack that is a too much volume, rather than one that is too small. But fit is critical!

There are a lot of quality packs out there, sold in many different establishments. There are often frequent sales, and some stores will rent packs so that you can give them a try.

I heartily agree that a BOB need not be tactical (much hyped term, beloved by marketers).

"If the pack fits, wear it..."