Hi
Well, they don't make packs like my old man Bugs anymore. And, inexplicably, the younger set have thrown off the to front loader to be hassled by the shortcomings of the top loader....but the best approximation of my panel loader is the MEC Walkabout, which comes in a number of sizes. costs about 120 prunes. Good cordura like fabric. It flares out at the bottom, which improves over my bag (in just this way) It sits up readily. The person who thought of this must have chugged through a bus station or two in their day.
The Kelty Redwing 3100 is a good option. But I don't like the compression straps of the new version. It's like they build a good bag and then backpedal to make a slightly shittier bag after each iteration. I think they went back to ripstop for the fabric, for instance. The rigging is a little funky.
A-Solo makes a bag that tries to be all things to all people. The Navigator 60...Not only a zip on daypack, but a zip on fanny pack....for 180 dollars, not too bad...But you'll NEVER use it in it's complete config ever. The compressions straps are right...and it has two compartments to front load (panel load, to some folks) which is good cause you can put a jacket into the smaller compartment and don't have to mess up anything to get at it. Suffers from not having side pouches though. And ripstop again...I know a guy in the industry who says ripstop has gotten way better since my day....But it still seems to flimsy to me.
And, finally, Outbound makes a bag called the Tallaroo 65 or 75. My boy Bugs is the grandfather of this bag, and it is still designed to pack flat rather than the round duffel bag with strap config. They have the daypack option, and the compression straps are right. And they work even if the daypack is separated. The fabric is something in between ripstop and cordura, so it is pretty sturdy....I don't like the new rigging...
Good choice in choosing a panel loader, my friend. It is just the best thing for the traveller....I carried Bugs, an Outbound panel loader, for 22YEARS!!! to every country I went to but the first, where I bought a top loader, and regretted it for the entire trip.
GLOT
D
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