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I seek wisdom from the Great Board . . .

I am looking to upgrade my 72 Hour Kit/Bug Out Bag from a regular backpack to an internal frame backpack. Purpose for this upgrade is to accommodate gear for my children, who can't carry their entire 72 hour kits. I'm about 6'3", if that helps guide recommendations.

Thanks in Advance.
 
I second the motion to get professionally fitted. It will make a significant impact on your ability to carry and your comfort.

I've had good luck at REI, Marmot, and some smaller town mountaineering shops like Hyperspud in Moscow, ID.

I've seen a lot of comments about backpack colors and suggest that a black rain cover will mute any bright colors you may be concerned about. That way you don't look like you're on a military movement with your digital camo.

I can personally recommend Arc'teryx, REI, Northface, Lowe, and Kelty brands.
 
true, i would try on a bunch but the most comfortable one i have found and use to this day is the osprey 65. great pack super light weight and super comfortable. i usually have around 50 to 75lbs in it and love it.
 
We got set up with a couple different bag brands at the bike shop my family owns. I have a Dakine Blade snowboard pack that seems to work pretty goods, but I think I want to upgrade to a larger model that has an internal frame. There are 2 IIRC. The thing I like about the snowboard/ski bags is that they are very technical and have a ton of features that cross over really well into firearms land. They are very easy to adapt to carry rifles, tons of pockets with multiple access points on the main storage areas, they are also set up for hydration systems, and they don't look all tactical. Frankly if I bug out or need to get home, I want it too look not out of the ordinary. having molle webbing and odg or some sort of digital camo kind of would make you stand out as a potential gun toter. At least in my mind anyway. But a dirty old ski bag kind of blends in a bit more, around here anyway. I don't know why, but I kind of like blending in in a situation like bugging out or what ever. I am just kind of weird like that.

We also got set up with JandD (Jandd) at the shop. I got a couple simple frameless bags for me and the misses and they are pretty dang nice. Very simple, yet very robust. They are by far not the lightest packs out there, nor are they the most tech'd out, but they are way over built and will last a very long time. They do cost a bit, though, for their framed packs. They are good stuff though. Been around for ages.
 
true, i would try on a bunch but the most comfortable one i have found and use to this day is the osprey

What I love about the Osprey brand is that you "cinch" the waist straps IN towards the body instead of trying to pull "out" away from the body. I find this important as the majority of the weight should be on the hips.
 
Thanks All.

I spent Saturday afternoon at REI trying on different packs. While they don't have a great variety of brands, they had a variety of styles, and that was helpful. Thanks again for the input.
 
I got one of these last year YouTube - Huge Internal Frame USMC ILBE MOLLE Main Pack used for hiking and campingand used it at Ironman this year humping around about 100-120 lbs of gear, I really liked it. The only weak point seems to be the zipper on the lid.
If you get one used make sure it's complete or that you can get the missing parts. Most surplus ones will be missing the hip belt because you can't use it over armor and 2nd line gear, and the lid will be gone because of the zipper issue.
 
I got one of these last year YouTube - Huge Internal Frame USMC ILBE MOLLE Main Pack used for hiking and campingand used it at Ironman this year humping around about 100-120 lbs of gear, I really liked it. The only weak point seems to be the zipper on the lid.
If you get one used make sure it's complete or that you can get the missing parts. Most surplus ones will be missing the hip belt because you can't use it over armor and 2nd line gear, and the lid will be gone because of the zipper issue.

If you don't mind, what was the cost?
 
If you don't mind, what was the cost?

I paid 50 for the main pack off CL and then got the waste belt of 30 off ebay and the lid for 20 off ebay.
If I needed a pack now I would just get a new one off ebay for 150-200. Worth every penny and a great deal compared to comparable sized packs from REI or similar and is rated for more weight.
 
Amazon.com: SwissGear Extra Large 5,200 cu. in. Backpacking / Hiking Backpack - ORANGE: Sports & Outdoors

I have this, only in red, and I love it.
It's proven to be incredibly durable and comfortable with a sturdy internal frame. I've used it on many many hike-ins and wouldnt hesitate to recommend it.... It's also very affordable.
My heaviest load so far was 110lbs and it felt like it was connected to me the entire trip, all the while keeping my back nice and air dried.

It also has a black fold out rain cover that works great, and it's set up for upto a 3liter camelbak or similar hydration system.
 
I personally like Osprey, Kelty, REI, Northface, and ArcTeryx. The styles vary, but for a BOB, bigger is better and I'd rather look like a backpacker than some ACU camo molle bag on my back.

Ultimately it's the lightweight and compressible stuff you put in it that matters, such as your sleeping bag, tent/bivy sack, stove, cooking gear and food.

Since this is a gun forum, I'll plug two videos I made on youtube:

VIDEO: Best Backpacking Stove

VIDEO: How to carry a Firearm while Backpacking
 

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