Day Packs
I road my bike to work today after about a three week stretch of conflicts that prevented riding. The morning was cool and crisp and it felt good to get back out and ride. Today I became frustrated, however, with my lack of quality equipment. Mainly the Outdoor Products Vortex pack I use to carry a change of clothes, water bladder, keys and other stuff.
I picked up this pack at Wal-mart for a lousy $20. At the time it seemed like an okay pack with nice features, plenty of room, and an unbeatable price. It was not long after use that the zippers began to fail. Currently the pack has only two pockets capable of zipping closed. Of those two pockets only one of the zippers on each side will actually zip. I keep wondering when the two remaining zippers will fail (probably while miles from home) and leave me with a pack full of stuff and no pack to carry it in.
What I need is to fork out the money for a quality day pack. One I can use daily as I bike to work and that would also be good for some day hikes from time to time. I have looked at the REI Flash 30 pack and have considered purchase.I currently use the REI Flash 65 for overnight and weekend trips and have been very pleased with its construction and quality. REI seems to have quality products at affordable prices. Other options include Mountain Hardwear Agama, and the Kelty Redwing 2650. The Flash 30 is the most affordable…but then again being cheap is what got me in the situation to begin with. I am sure REI’s products are quality and will more than likely buy the Flash 30 in the future.