Puckster wrote on Sep 3^rd, 2009 at 1:30am:

Why change from something that works?  I do the same thing ... use the cheapest school-type backpack I can find and it holds stove, fuel, cookset, small grill, etc.  

I ditched mine after the WCPP trip with Jimbo et al.  It was beginning to get a bit frayed after several seasons of use (I probably would have just kept it if I hadn't been running close to my max bag weight for the airlines).  I went to Wally World and bought an identical pack ... maybe $10.00.  Don't get me wrong.  If you want something more expensive, go for it ... I'm just keeping my "better" small packs for other kinds of travel.

BTW:  I also find having some smaller bags useful when trying to balance the load of my solo canoe.  On portages, I just quickly 'biner it to the front of the food pack (at least for the front end of the trip), which also helps to balance my load front-to-back.

dd

I use a GG Talus rucksack, about 1900ci [I think it's been discontinued]. It has seen a LOT of use. GG still offers the Arete, (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)
A slightly larger but very similar pack. I also added a sheet of plastic to back up the foam back and add some stiffness to the pack.

butthead

A thought...
Check eBay for packs. I was lucky to pickup a small Duluth Pack - I think they call it a European style rucksack - for about $30 a couple years ago. I use it exactly for the purpose you're talking about. I was using one of my son's old Jansport bookpacks, and although it was good it isn't near as durable as the canvas Duluth. But brand new, well, they're mighty pricey.

Good luck,
Wind-in-Face

db wrote on Sep 5^th, 2009 at 7:02am:

Maybe its because I started in a backpacking tradition where everything has to go into one pack, but I've always been resistant to having fuel in close proximity to anything else.  Of course, it has to be close to SOMETHING, but I've always tried to place it in such a way that if I had a fuel bottle leak, it would have minimal impact on everything else.  Consequently, I started putting the fuel bottles in an exterior pocket or an exterior "lash on" pocket.  Since I now use a day pack for my cooking kit (everything needed for cooking is in this pack and it gets dropped in the cooking area when I arrive at camp and stays there until I depart ... of course food is in a separate food pack) I've had to resort to using the smallish exterior side pockets.  Even though the fuel bottles are relative slim (I use MSR fuel bottles), there is still a potential that they could pop out of these small pockets.  So to make sure the bottles don't pop out on a portage, I use a 'biner to attached it to the side compression straps of the pack.

This year, the strategy finally paid off on my Quetico trip.  I'd selected one of my older MSR bottles and had neglected to re-check the O-ring seal.  Over the years, it had developed a few hair-line cracks.  This resulted in a slightly detectable odor of fuel.  Luckily the cracks were small, so the odor was minimal and I don't believe I lost any fuel.  However, I did have the "luxury" of knowing that the only thing that would ultimately be impacted with a major leak was the cook pack and nothing else.

So, check those O-rings!  (I now have spares to put in to my "repair" kit.)

dd

I had an aluminum Sigg w/ the O ring. It was always tough to get a proper seal. Lucky for me a bear ate that one. My others are all the Nalgene plastic fuel bottles with the pouring spout that stores inside. You can tell when you screw down the cap they won't leak. Puncture maybe.... If you don't need to pressurize they're great.

S_T -- Yes, Nalgene discontinued producing their fuel bottles a number of years ago.  Focusing on their other product lines I guess.

prouboy

I use one or the other of these for food and cookware, depending on how many people are going.  Very sturdy bags.

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The Molle webbing comes in handy for shoving whatever you need in it.

I went through a number of day packs in the past fifteen years.  Usually a zipper goes.  I've had an Arcteryx day pack for about 6 years that I bought for it's heavy duty zippers.  It has held up well to a lot of abuses and can hold a surprising amount of gear.
Last season I used the BWJ Guide pack for the entire season.  Relatively expensive at $100, but I believe it's going to be a long term keeper.  Tough, spacious and comfortable.  It has two large side pouches with serious two way zippers and a zippered front pouch, as well.  I cut an old ridgerest pad in half and trimmed one half to make a 'liner' for the main body of the pack.  Pulls out to be a short camp pad and protects the contents (and your back--the pack has no padding).  It always has the first aid and repair kits, a fleece jacket and spare socks in a little drybag (this is also my pillow), tackle and gear (fillet knife, pliers, stringer, etc) and all the miscellaneous odds and ends (extra compass, handwarmers, space blanket, a couple of short lines, lighters, firestarter, etc) in it and has plenty of room for water bottles, lunch sack, cook kit, etc.
I find it handy, as a solo paddler, to have a pack like this along.  It goes on all the day trips, working as ballast and stowage.  I'm a bit ocd about my systems and placement of gear, I like to know where something (especially first aid, etc) is, at all times when I'm out there.  Most of the gear has it's place.  I hate wasting time searching for something.  But enough about me...

Arcteryx & Gregory are my current preferred brands.

Craigslist.

Sounds like you're looking for something cheap to abuse.  I've found some great deals on craigslist.