 |
Not actually Erin. As& is used with permission. |
January 2020, aka "in the Before Time", I decided that my current Get Home Bag wasn't what I wanted and that I should get a new one. It's taken me a long time to get to a point where I'm mostly happy with what I have, and so I'll share it with you.
My old GHB, detailed in this post from 2014, was a SwissGear SA9259 Backpack that has since been repurposed into the bag I grab for late-night trips to the Emergency Room with my parents. I still really like it, as you can tell by the fact I continue to use it, but it just didn't have what I wanted in a GHB. In fact, I made a list of my requirements:
- Affordable
- Durable (i.e. good reviews)
- Comfortable to wear
- MOLLE loops for modularity
- More than 30 Liters of storage
- Belt and sternum strap
- Backpack-style wide zipper opening (as opposed to a rucksack-style top-load method)
- Did not interfere with carrying a concealed pistol
As with most things in life, I never got 100% of what I wanted. However, I got pretty close and was able to modify the rest into more or less what I wanted.
 |
| https://amzn.to/3AuyeBc |
The pack itself is a 50L "assault style" backpack with removable MOLLE-strap pouches that give an additional 10L of storage to it. It has a 4.5 star rating and close to 5,000 reviews. I bought it for $35.
It's better than okay but less than great. It does what I want it to do, and it's durable enough to withstand being banged around in a vehicle and hauled around the neighborhood, but I haven't yet tested it in field conditions. In other words, while I expect it to last for its intended purpose of getting me home after a period of 5-7 days, I wouldn't expect it to last for weeks or months of hard living like I do my Bug Out Bag.
The biggest problems were how the bag attached to me:
- The straps were thin and narrow and I didn't trust them, so I replaced them with heavier, more durable webbing and better buckles.
 |
| https://amzn.to/3fJpFKT |
- The pack's belt was practically worthless in that while it did secure the bag to my waist, it in no way bore any of the pack's weight so I acquired a battle belt and attached it to the pack.
 |
| https://armynavyoutdoors.com/usmc-padded-tactical-sub-belt-surplus/ |
- Since the battle belt also had MOLLE loops, I was able to attach to it a universal holster and magazine carrier. They aren't ideal, but this was the only way I could find to have a weight-bearing belt that didn't interfere with a carried pistol.
 |
| https://amzn.to/3s3Q1wg |
 |
| https://amzn.to/3s3Q1wg |
- The shoulder straps were as thin as the belt, so I added shoulder strap pads to increase comfort.
 |
| https://amzn.to/3Am9Xxg |
This is how it looks now. As a point of interest, it interfaces well with my chest rig.
I wish I could say that I love it, but I still have problems with the way the shoulder straps attach. If I attach them to the sides of the pack the way it originally went, then it pinches me along the side below the armpit. However, if I attach them to the battle belt, then the belt cinches upwards rather than cinching the pack downwards. Any suggestions on how I can fix this are greatly appreciated.
Next week I'll detail what I've mounted to the outside, and why.
Make & model? Source? Want to put this on my "to buy when the Eagle screams" list.
ReplyDeletehttps://amzn.to/3AuyeBc , but there are similar models to it on Amazon.
Delete