Equipment suggestion bleg
I have a MOLLE full frame backpack, which I like, but it’s too big. I also have a small Swiss backpack I carried across Africa, but it’s actually too small, and it has leather fastenings and etc on it so itcan’t be washed. I’m looking for a cotton canvas washable backpack, about a 3 day pack size, with a couple of side pockets, and nothing very complex.
I’d like to have something that is currently or commonly available, so I can replace it when it needs it.
I’d like to avoid leather so it can be washed
I’d like to have something that will hold 2 days of food and two changes of clothing plus first aid kit and simple camping supplies. A pair of straps to tie on a sleeping bag would be nice but not vital. No frame please.
Army surplus would be dandy, if it is a common item that can be replaced. new is ok too but has to be under $100.
Suggestions? No nylon. Nothing tactical.
Updated to add: This is very close to what I want, but it’s a bit small and looks cheaply made.
21 comments Og | Uncategorized
I know you said cotton, and this is polyester, but it’s not nylon and has no leather:
http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/54123?feat=1098-GN2&page=classic-continental-rucksack
For my money you can’t beat LL Bean’s stuff either.
Everything I saw at LL Bean that’s cotton canvas has leather on it. I’ve seen this one in person and was tempted to buy it even though I don’t need it:
http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/49400?feat=504163-CL2&page=maine-guide-rucksack-waxed-canvas&attrValue_0=Khaki%20Brown&productId=851045
I’m sure there’s all kinds of cool specialty bags you can get from places like L.L. Bean and LandsEnd and etc.
I went to Wal-Mart a few years back and got one of these:
http://www.eastsport.com/sport-bungee-backpack-navy.html
I’ve taken it on weekend trips, I go on shopping expeditions with it, I have lived out of it. Works well, cleans easily. holds my stuff, fits on my back.
I think I paid something like 30 bux for it. Still looks pretty good after years of being hauled around.
You can go fancier. But this works.
(Of course buying a backpack when kids are going back to school, good luck with that.)
Jenny
I couldn’t think of anything off the top of my head that fit between the tactical-nylon and canvas-with-leather spheres.
That Everest you linked is the first option I found too. For $30 seems worth a try. Half a tank of gas, these days, for a bag?
This site has more pure canvas than I expected. My group has had great luck with the German alpine listed there, but it going to be too small for you. Very well made though. And usually hard to find these days.
I used to have one of the Austrian Army style bags listed there. But about the size of that Everest and it was pretty soft. Who knows sometimes with surplus though. Mine might have been a knock off back then too.
Much bigger than that Everest feels unlikely in pure canvas. That would be frame territory.
Until you said, “nothing tactical” you were perfectly describing a MOLLE assault pack.
One of the good things about it is modularity. You can add extra pockets for longer trips and it has lots of tie down attachment points. Tie on a sleeping roll or a whole sleeping bag. And it distributes the weight well.
Made of cordura type material and the seems are over-enegineered in a way you will appreciate. I still have mine, though I have no earthly use for one. If the color puts you off, you can spray paint it any color you like.
aczarnowski: That’s a great site, thanks! I’m gonna be checking that out.
Hale: Yeah, the Molle packs are ok, but they’re too thick, I guess, and not tall enough. I want something that is relatively flat, the Molle packs just look like I have an enormous hunchback or a gigantic neck-wart.
I don’t think we are talking about the same thing. It sounds like you are refering to the larger pack. The assault pack is really quite flat
Concur on your Update – I bought an Everest messenger bag, and it was poorly made. Not a terrible value for the $12 it cost, but not sturdy.
(I did end up using it as a pattern for a leather bag I made that should last me several decades, though…)
I’d suggest going to an REI or local equivalent (serious outdoors store) and checking things in person for quality and size. Some things are hard to do well on the Interwubs.
I can’t get past the hippie smell in an REI, and all the stuff I’ve seen there is plastic anyway, I really want canvas. Hale, I have one of those, 18 x 13 x 5 main and 11 x 11 x 4 pocket, and it’s a bad fit for me. Remember I’m not an in-shape graduate of Mrs bennings School for Wayward Boys, I’m a fat old man.
I too thought you were describing a 3 day military pack until you said no nylon.
But give this site a gander.
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/browse/mil-backpacks-bags-rucksacks.aspx?c=163&s=159&d=122
There’s several surplus and repro canvas packs that might fit the bill.
I’ve been ordering from them for year – satisfied customer.
Really good stuff here, but you pay for it.
http://duluthpack.com/outdoor-gear/camping-hiking-gear/packs
There is usually some leather, but it is treated.
LL Bean’s stuff simply cannot be beaten. They have been the pioneers of backpacking equipment for many years. Go there FIRST.
I have one of these http://www.specopsbrand.com/t-h-e-pack-3-day-assault-pack-foliage-green.html
Picked up one at Wal-mart made by remington. Has a draw string close on top with a flap and zipper down the side. I think it will take a hydration bottle as well. I’ve been using that and it works well. Has some molle attachment points, just not the whole molle thing.
Dunno if it’s nylon or not, but I have one of these, and it’s literally traveled around the world with me:
http://www.campingsurvival.com/thdaypababl.html
Egypt, Panama, Dominican Republic, Columbia, Puerto Rico, and about half the United States. I finally gave it away after seven years of hard use when the waterproof lining on the bottom started leaking. But I’m going to get another one as soon as I can.
Not under 100 but lookat Maxpedition. Really good gear
@jon spencer I immediately thought of Duluth Pack too. And their nearby competitor here in MN, Frost River. My family has run bags from both and they are old school great and old school expensive. They’re also solidly on the “classic leather and canvas” side of the bag spectrum so no-go according to Og’s requirements. Same with Filson and LL Bean.
Mil-surp and the reproductions are about all that’s out there in natural (mostly) materials without leather and without going $$$ custom.
Yeah, aczarnowski, the bloack european backpack on that site you linked looks like it migt fill the bill. I like the way black canvas wears and fades, too, and it looks like they might be in business for more than a few minutes. If I get one and like it, I’ll probably buy a couple at that price and keep them as spares.
Second the Milsurp- angle- got a couple of packs from Sportsmens- than- Dirt and they have been good workhorses.
Why the aversion to a frame? The design purpose of frames appears to be the ability to transfer the weight from hanging from your shoulders to sitting on your hips/waist. This allows you to either carry more weight, or just be more comfortable with the same. Getting the weight off your spinal column can be a big deal for most people.
For that matter, getting a bag that at least has a large waist belt to take some of the strain is worthwhile, even if you don’t want a frame. BTW, there are internal frame packs, though they are not rated as highly as the external. The main benefit seems to be that they keep the weight closer to your body.
Will: Did you not read the part about “I have a MOLLE full frame backpack, which I like, but it’s too big.”? It was the very first sentence in the post. I want a 3 day pack, and I want it to be lightweight and have no frame so it will be as lightweight as it can possibly be. I do not intend to scale the rockies wearing it, and it will be in my car 75% of the time. I also have a wood frame pack I carried in the scouts. An internal frame pack I use to hunt with. An Alice pack. And a long frame by itself made to be used to carry heavy loads. I have no aversion to frame, as I made fairly clear; that’s just not what I’m looking for now.
Og,
I know this is late to the party but I just saw this link on Blackfive. More damn 3 day packs than any other site I’ve ever seen.
http://www.militaryluggage.com/