“Hi, my name is Todd and I am a bagaholic…”
Words that I am quite sure most of my friends would not be surprised to hear. I have a little, er, problem. Over the years I have amassed a truly stunning collection of; shoulder bags, day packs and messenger bags. Why you ask? I am on a noble quest. Please, hold your applause.
It started with Indian Jones. Indy had this great bag that he used to wear along with his whip and gun. I loved it. Later, much later, I started to carry a daypack while in college. The pack carried what ever I would need during the course of a day. Things like books, pens, sunglasses, soda, smokes. Every thing a proper college dude needed to survive.
Things started to get out of hand after I had been out in the real world for a while. At first I carried the same old battered daypack or other daypacks until I decided that my increasingly self important position required something that was a little more professional. There followed literally dozens of bags of varying sizes shapes, sizes and functions. For some reason I just could not seem to find one that was perfect.
Indy was not the only thing to get me on this kick. In the movies the hero was able to pull just what he/she needed “out of the bag” as it were. As a fan of fantasy novels it got even worse, have you ever heard of a Bag of Holding? No? Well, let me tell you about this wonderful literary creation. The inside of a Bag of Holding is larger than the outside, much larger. So large in fact that when our stalwart hero finds that he needs to leave town in advance of the coming hoard, he simply reaches into his bag and pulls out a horse. See what I mean? Large.
Most people think that it’s easy to find a bag for daily use. I suppose it is, if you just want to schlep a lunch and paperback from house to car to work with no sense of style at all and no flexibility. I say; never friends! I want a Bag of Holding. I want something that will provide safe storage and transport for my lunch, book and DPSG. (Daily Personal Survival Gear) I want something that will do all of the above and still have room for any odd or end that I pick up during my adventures.
I may have actually found it. I recently came across a bag made by Lost Creek Packs located in Indiana. Lost Creek makes a variety of bags, packs, coveralls and other gear specially designed to be used for caving. Now, the thought of caving does not really do much for me. The image of squirming through a body sized hole several hundred feet beneath the earth and, gasp, getting stuck is just a little too vivid for me. However, the gear made for such highly abrasive exploits is very hard to hurt. It is in fact nearly indestructible in daily use. Now that, say I, is interesting.
I chose the Gorilla Pack, one of their standard models. A standard caving back, as I learned, is built to be rubbed continually against cave walls, so it is sturdy. Also it has few or no external pockets to catch on things. The pack is made of heavy duty ballistic nylon on the outside and a second lining layer inside of slightly lighter material. The inside layer gives the bag a double bottom as well as forming two inside pockets that run almost the entire front and back of the bag. The bag closes very securely via a draw-string top that can then be rolled down and clipped into place with three Fastex buckles. Once this pack is closed it is not only fairly water resistant but nothing, and I mean nothing is going to fall out.
The very helpful folks at Lost Creek Packs were also willing and able to add three exterior pockets for me as a custom order. I had them add two large pockets on the sides that will each carry a thirty-two ounce water bottle or stuff with ease. I also had them add a zipper pocket to the bottom front for things that I wanted safe and handy. The fine Lost Creekers did all this for a very small fee, I think the whole thing came to twenty dollars over standard cost and only added three or four days to the length of the order.
The thing about packs designed for caving is the variety of ways you can carry them. My pack came equipped with two straps made of seatbelt material and having sturdy clips at the ends. The pack its self has a series of five D-rings attached to the back that allow you to carry the bag either; slung over a shoulder like a briefcase, cross body like a messenger bag, as a fanny pack or like a standard daypack. All based on how you configure the straps. Now that, friends and neighbors, is versatility.
I have been using my Gorilla Pack for some time now. As far as I can tell, it is ideal. It’s big enough that I can carry all of my daily stuff, add a raincoat or fleece and still have room for things I may acquire on my travels. At the same time the simple but ingenious roll-down-and-buckle closure system means that when the bag rides empty it can be kept small and out of the way. Being able to go from messenger bag carry to full back pack, means that I can give my shoulders and back a break when the load gets heavy. A very important function if, like me, you tend to frequent used book stores.
It seems that my quest may be over, my addiction in remission. I have what has become for me my Bag of Holding. The Gorilla Pack by Lost Creek Packs…now all I need is a horse...
