One to hold a lap top, travel with, and maybe a couple water bottles. I like the Swissgear packs, but I want something that doesn't have a bunch of colors on it - at the same time I don't need 100 pockets and straps like a medic bag used in an airborne jump.

http://www.amazon.com/SwissGear-Travel-Gear-Scansmart-Backpack/dp/B013KQQD56/ref=sr_1_34?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1443530452&sr=1-34&nodeID=10445813011&keywords=swissgear+backpack
This is cool

http://www.amazon.com/Red-Rock-Outdoor-Gear-Assault/dp/B00768NEUW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443531159&sr=8-1&keywords=military+backpack
Not this

What's your budget?

Arc'Teryx makes awesome stuff, but some don't need that quality.

Camelback has some good offerings and aren't too expensive.

Are you looking for a mitary bag or civilian?

I was trashing a pack about every 6 months. Daily carrying about 40lbs of books would bust seams or tear out the stitching on the straps.

2 years ago I bought a Targus off of Amazon. It was big enough to carry my 17in laptop and I can fit 10-15 books in it easily. It has a clip flap on the outside that has been a bonus for rolling a jacket or rain gear up in on days when the weather just could not make up its mind.

Targus 17XL

I'm looking for a bag I can wear in uniform. That and if I need to make a weekend trip, I'm not carrying a digital camo bag around with me.

$100 budget. I'm gonna use this for a while. I really like my Swiss backpack, but it's blue and red.


Something like this maybe.

Huge fan of my Under Armour Storm backpack. Waterproof enough to keep my laptop and other stuff dry in a blizzard and normal enough to not look like a private in the airport. Mine has survived over two years of carrying books, computer, etc with no tears

Under Armour Coalition

Used a fabric pen to color over UA logo

Thanks - that looks up my alley. That looks like a lot to mark over, but considering what is out there, may be good enough to meet the standard.

I am no longer up to date on back packs and uniform regs. Do the regs require the pack to be all black or is a limited amount of light colored piping on the seams acceptable?

I am just really sold on Targus, both for their price and the durability I have had with mine.

TSA Drifter Plus

"If Soldiers choose to wear a shoulder bag while in uniform, the bag must be black or match the camouflage pattern uniform being worn, and may not have any commercial logos. The contents of the bag may not be visible; therefore, see-through plastic or mesh bags are not authorized. Soldiers may carry authorized bags by hand, on one shoulder using a shoulder strap, or over both shoulders using both shoulder straps."

Pretty much any decent bag doesn't meet the standard, hence Tango's work around with coloring over the logo.

A lot of people swear by the GoRuck bags. However, they are pretty spendy.

Well within your budget (and reg) at Oakleysi.com

Blade Wet/Dry 30

Love my Camelbak H.A.W.G. Got it for similar reasons...cuts the mustard in uniform (AF) and not camo-patterned. Awesome day bag in the mountains and great to travel with on a plane/train.

http://sport.woot.com/offers/yukon-tactical-alpha-backpack-5-colors?ref=cnt_dly_img

I went through 3 x Alienware Orion backpacks in 3 years but, I got this AR500 pack about 2 months ago and I've been very happy with it. At first It was a little heavy with 2 laptops plus the armor plate.

But, I've since gotten rid of the 15" MacBook Pro and I took the armor plate out to fly commercial to Australia and I haven't put it back in, yet. I don't know if you can fly with the armor plate in or not and I certainly didn't want the TSA to take it off of me so I stuck it in my checked luggage.

Now, in full disclosure, the backpack by itself was $79 and the armor plate was another $70 bring the full bill up to $150. But, the armor plate add-on delayed the order by 3 months. If you order just the backpack, they can probably send it to you right away.

AR500 Armor Go Pack - Black



Since this backpack has a place for velcro patches, I ordered a variety of patches to put in rotation on my backpack as the mood strikes me. I ordered a Confederate Battle Flag patch that I intended to use to irritate some Yankees I work with however... this was about 2 months before the Confederate Battle Flag controversy so, for now, I'm just sticking with the Puerto Rican flag. I've already had some fellow Puerto Ricans introduce themselves when they see my backpack so that's pretty cool.

Not sure how much laptop protection you want, but I carry around an Osprey daypack. It has a little silver on it but nobody has bit**ed at me yet. Holds a bladder from a camelback as well. Will not protect a laptop from a fall (no cushions inside.)

quote:

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Not sure how much laptop protection you want, but I carry around an Osprey daypack. It has a little silver on it but nobody has bit**ed at me yet. Holds a bladder from a camelback as well. Will not protect a laptop from a fall (no cushions inside.)

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A little pipe insulation in the right spot makes good impact protection.

Check out GoRuck. Veteran owned and made in the good old U S of A!