Posted: 3/8/2026 10:46:10 AM EDT
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Going through my gear yesterday and cleaning out my bags. My main pack is a surplus ACU external frame pack, another is an internal frame Marine pack. Both okay, but not the best or good compartments. I live in a small town in a rural county so odds of truly needing to bug out are very low and due to issues my wife has, we aren't hiking out to anywhere. Home is the bug out location, more looking at extreme emergency use if leaving by car is not feasible for whatever reason. Looking at just sticking with what I have or something new and upgraded. Not a hiker or anything. Was looking at the following and staying with the price range of these bags if I can.  
65 L version, there is also a 55 L version. Or 
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Dare to tame me. Nothing can hold back my rage. Dare to tame me. You can't fool the faithless. Dare to tame me. Fear the man who lost it all.
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Personally I see those as a little large fornthe typical Bob bag, more sized for an inch bag where you may decide to take a compact tent or sleeping bag. While not totally happy with it my 5.11 rush72 has been set up as my Bob bag for over a decade. Its 55l iirc and tough as nails. That said the bulkiest items I carry are a fairly large cookout and fire kit, pretty big med kit, a large nalgene and my sleep kit is minimal since in Louisiana I dont need alot of warmth(sol survival bivy. Seatosummit sleeping bag liner, tarp) Realistically I can take both the water/cook kit and med kit out from inside the mag and move it to the outside using the molle pouch they are contained in which frees more room on the inside at the expense of pack width. Still weight becomes an issue fast and 50lbs is my hard limit. I recently bought a 35l bag from 5.11 for air travel and it'll be setup for a simple ghb once I get home from Chicago. It worked wonderfully for the flight to and from houston as a carry on. |
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True, understand that, kind of bigger with the thought i am going to have to deal with a large part for my wife as well as myself. My GHB is smaller at about 30L. My thoughts are if I need a bag, we aren't coming home if it gets to where we are. |
Dare to tame me. Nothing can hold back my rage. Dare to tame me. You can't fool the faithless. Dare to tame me. Fear the man who lost it all.
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Given you unique considerations with your wife I would take the larger bag. Just because it’s larger does not require you to fill it to the brim. I have always consider the “tacticool” look to be irrelevant, what with the huge ammounts of that style of gear on the markets. Heck I even see the libs in Boulder with the when hiking. I keep a pretty large bag in the SUV. It is only partially packed with my essentials. This way I can tailor the rest of the load out to my situation from a huge truck duffel I keep on there. |
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I think I might go the larger one. I like the one with the Molle so I can add additional items as I need, but the more civilian looking one looks like it has a more comfortable belt. I really like my GHB bag, but unfortunately, I think the company is defunct. Cannae Phalanx Pack |
Dare to tame me. Nothing can hold back my rage. Dare to tame me. You can't fool the faithless. Dare to tame me. Fear the man who lost it all.
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Have you considered a wheeled toolbox organizer? Some are pretty good size. If bugging out is by vehicle, totes would be easier to organize and transport more kit/gear. They’re also much easier to store and maintain. ROCK6 |
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants" - Thomas Jefferson
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Originally Posted By ROCK6: Have you considered a wheeled toolbox organizer? Some are pretty good size. If bugging out is by vehicle, totes would be easier to organize and transport more kit/gear. They’re also much easier to store and maintain. ROCK6 Kind of this. I was going to suggest a tote. For what OP is describing he doesn't need a backpack. Also consider the Boat Bags like Bass pro sells. They're reasonably waterproof. So if you need to throw them in the bed of your truck they'll be fine. |
| A tote might a good thing, going to definitely explore that. Maybe something with larger wheels that would help with rough terrain if needed. |
Dare to tame me. Nothing can hold back my rage. Dare to tame me. You can't fool the faithless. Dare to tame me. Fear the man who lost it all.
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Personally, I would avoid an unknown brand Amazon pack unless you are going to put it to the test for a few loaded miles right after getting it so if a shoulder strap rips off you are still in the return window. If it's something you are going to rely on in an emergency I would lean towards something name brand or even used locally. It's not hard to find a name brand large hiking pack on FB marketplace locally. With that said I also don't really subscribe to the leave on foot and never come home BOB version of preparedness. I have an EDC / GHB and a 72 hour emergency go bag but much like you, living in a small town, on my own 50 acres in the woods where am I going to go with a backpack that will increase my chances of dealing with whatever scenario is present? *IF in an end of society type situation I had to bug out, I will figure out a way to do it with a vehicle and possibly my camper. If not, I would rather make a stand as my odds will be better in the long run. Zombies? -eh fuck it I will pack a bag if I am out of gas but then again, I can't carry two weeks let alone 2 months of supplies on my back soooo.....  Localized emergency like wildfire or flood, while not likely in my AO I would take my camper, or go stay with family, or go rent a hotel room. I am a motor head with some gas stashed back, so if one of my vehicles won't do it, maybe one of my motorcycles or ATVs will... If not, then it's an interesting situation where staying home is probably the best bet. 
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Originally Posted By ar-jedi:
SO MUCH WIN IN ONE POST IT COULD CRASH ARFCOM !!!
SO MUCH WIN IN ONE POST IT COULD CRASH ARFCOM !!!
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I have been struggling to wrap my head around this one. If you cannot hike out because of the wife's condition then how can you bug out on foot? But having said that, I have spent a bit of time as a volunteer around homeless people over the last couple of years. One thing that I have see a bit of are the Ridgid Pro Gear 2.0 rolling tool boxes. Ref:  They may have two boxes stacked but I have never seen more than two. They pile bags on top of either configuration. And they often use them as stools. I have no idea how many miles they put on them before the wheels come off but they can get them on and off busses, cars, etc.... Maybe something like that with a smaller pack would work for you? At least it would keep the weight off your back. |
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For what it's worth, for my family we settled on a three bag system... The ladies generally have a purse (EDC), a backpack (go bag / travel bag), and rolling luggage (sustainment). The rolling luggage essentally acts as a tote for stacking / loading into vehicle purposes, but with wheels and a handle. I travel for work now, and I've found living out of my bags this generally works well for me as well (with a sling bag subbing in for purse). If for any reason I did have to actually hump a rollaboard cross country, I have an ALICE pack frame and cargo shelf available, but for the vast majority of situations that'd never be necessary. All of it also stores neatly by the door so that it's easy to grab and go. Take what you need for the situation -- EDC or daytrip? Sling bag. Traveling out of town an extended distance for a daytrip or overnighter? Add the go bag. Heading out of town for multi-day (including indefinitely)? Bring the rolling luggage too. If I need to go lighter, ditch in the reverse order. Nice thing is you can do all three pretty easily (sling bag riding in the front, backpack on back, and pulling or manhandling the roller bag) That being said, I do have large volume hiking type backpacks for extended off pavement purposes, if that was ever necessary, it's just not my go to. I prefer to stay lighter these days. |
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Originally Posted By 2Hut8: I have been struggling to wrap my head around this one. If you cannot hike out because of the wife's condition then how can you bug out on foot? But having said that, I have spent a bit of time as a volunteer around homeless people over the last couple of years. One thing that I have see a bit of are the Ridgid Pro Gear 2.0 rolling tool boxes. Ref: https://cdn2.ridgid.com/resources/images/1cf62630-181f-4203-b31a-e7f68c31e3cc They may have two boxes stacked but I have never seen more than two. They pile bags on top of either configuration. And they often use them as stools. I have no idea how many miles they put on them before the wheels come off but they can get them on and off busses, cars, etc.... Maybe something like that with a smaller pack would work for you? At least it would keep the weight off your back. I haven't tried one of those yet. I've seen guys use them on the range. I have a couple different luggage carts for carrying heavy parts, I'm not an especially tall dude, but it's kind of a bitch to walk across a parking lot with one. I wouldn't want to go far. I'd go full size hand truck if I was staying away from an actual wheelbarrow. Having said that, this is a phenominal deal. "Small" wheeled loadout bag I've been using it for work for about a year now. It holds two weeks worth of clothes, and there's still tons of space. With the frame, it does get heavy. |
Meowdy!
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Throwing this out there as I prefer the idea of being able to throw on a pack if needed. But there is always the deer cart option for your bag, etc. Or a golf caddy...
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