Luggage Bags and Packs
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@ddtrash I have the Blitz which uses the same clamshell opening as the Dragon but with extra pockets on the front. I really like the accessibility to the contents of the bag with the clamshell design. When you lay the bag flat, you can openit and get at everything and I find that useful. Like @Giles said, the frame makes this bag a bit heavy but it works great for hiking and is damn comfortable to wear when adjusted right. I've hiked many miles in mine and didn't get fatigued by the weight.
The sneaky extra laptop side zip pocket is really useful too for a laptop or documents.
One negative I have with the Blitz is that when near fully loaded, it doesn't shove under the seat in front of you on an airplane very well so it takes up some of your precious legroom unless you can put it in the overhead bin.
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@jordanscollected said in Luggage Bags and Packs:
the frame makes this bag a bit heavy but it works great for hiking and is damn comfortable to wear
Yeah, amazingly comfortable. My Patagucci Black Hole back pack is an instrument of torture compared to The Assault. Plus the zips are shite - stick to making clothing why don't you (of which I have a shit load).....?
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Thanks to all the helpful comments @Giles @jordanscollected @mclaincausey. I think I am on the right track with either the 2 day Assault or the Dragon 2.0. I just need to decide which type of opening I would prefer.
I have been using a very nice 30 litre roll top climbing style sack from Black Diamond, the Street Creek 30.
While I am perfectly happy with the pack there is an annoying downside, other people struggle to close the top effectively.When I travel offshore my bag is checked just like at a standard airport security check. However once the bag has gone through the scanner then you can not touch the bag again, it gets whisked off to the waiting helicopter. Medication and laptops have to be taken out the bag before being scanned and this causes the problems. The security staff are not great at rolling the top down sufficiently or cinching down the securing strap having put the laptop and medication back into the bag.
I am stuck behind a perspex security screen giving "gentle encouragement" for the staff to do the bloody thing up properly.End result has been my stuff rolling around the heli deck of the rig as the bag is offloaded out of the luggage hold, not ideal at all.
A more foolproof design of bag closure would help.
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@ddtrash this is too small for you but the Mission Workshop Rhake I think navigated the rolltop well by allowing a couple of different closure options.
Even better than that is the rofmia Backpack v2, which is zippered at the top. You don't have to roll that down at all to secure it and that's kind of the max expanded/unfurled setting. I used this bag in a recent trip to Barcelona and am obsessed with it. I've sung its praises here already so I'll leave it there.
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@ddtrash the Trakke Storr might be another option. They have a flat zip to open the front like a suitcase, so they should be pretty foolproof.
I've linked to the 35 litre version, there are also 20 and 25 litre models. There's not much stock at the moment, so you might have to wait if you want a particular size or colour.
The Bannoch Pro has a traditional flap opening, with zips down each side of the front panel, allowing easy access. That might be another option, but it's a more complicated closure than the Storr, which increases the risk that the security people can't close it properly.
Trakke are made in Scotland, and the packs I've seen are well put together. They tend to be conservative in how they estimate volume, so they can be larger than other bags with the same capacity on paper.
Since no-one has mentioned it, the GoRuck GR series would also be an option.
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@ddtrash I also considered the Dragon 2.0 for an overnight bag but every video review I watched felt it mentioned that it packed a little smaller than what I was hoping for. I do like the zip opening of it a bit more than the classic tri-zip but it's hard to justify the Carryology premium price tag.
With that said I have the Alpha One Niner Cobra, which is a Carryology collab version of the Evade 1.5 Full and it's fantastic 25L clam shell bag. I also have a 26L GoRuck M23, which packs more like a 30+ liter bag and it's an awesome travel bag.
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These Ortliebs look awesome. I need a new bag to put my swimming stuff in and those could be perfect. It looks like they can be completely hosed off. My current swim bag gets very dirty from the bottom of the lockers. I walk to the pool most times and the backpack looks like a beast. The Atrack looks perfect.
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I’ll take a good look around the site tonight while at work. I was only looking at the Canada website briefly but sometimes there are different products available in different countries. I’ll check out the International site tonight. I see a bag I like and it becomes very easy to justify the need
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@Giles I ordered the 35 L Atrack in Dark Sand last night at work. Was going to get the water system too but figured I’d just stick with my trusty Nalgene for now. I’ll make sure to post some photos.
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@Giles said in Luggage Bags and Packs:
Cabin luggage sorted......
How is that working out? Particularly that dyneema tote?
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The Atrack bag got to me a couple days ago. It’s going to work well for me. The only issue for some people would be if you need access to stuff in the bag often while you are walking. There is no real quick access. You would have to take the bag off and lay it down and basically unzip the whole thing to get what you wanted depending on where it is in the bag. This is not an issue for me because I pack it, walk to where I’m going, then open it. Plus there are two big side pockets for for whatever you need quickly and two little pockets on the waist buckle part. There is a cool little detail you won’t find on line but I’m sure is common with Ortlieb. The straps are folded over on the ends and stitched in an “o” shape to secure the folded end. Could have easily just stitched across but the added detail is nice. There is also a little hook inside the bag you could attach your keys or whatever to and 4 nice big zip pockets.
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New daily bag. I liked the look of the Arcteryx Granville 16 but read reviews about the back panel fabric tearing up jackets and shirts. Then I found a vintage-y one with an earlier design smooth back panel and a slightly different interior setup with a side zip divided front pocket and picked it up. I am happy with it, and for days when I take it to work and go to the gym, I put wet/stinky gym, clothes into this Musto rollmop dry bag 1.5litre, which fits those things perfectly.
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We travel quite a bit and one thing I’ve realized, is that there’s no substitute for a back pack.
My go to is Ogio. They aren’t all that expensive but they hold up really well, they have a great mix of handy pockets and travel straps. Comfortable and balanced too for trekking.
Oh …. And get yourself a hero clip. They are indispensable IMHO
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I agree on backpacks and Hero Clips.
I've come to realize that there's almost nothing that a messenger does that a well designed backpack doesn't do about as well or better and it's much better for your back and shoulders to have the weight distributed more.
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Love hero clips! I have a medium and a large one on two different bags. I usually buy at least one every Christmas for someone on the list.