I have about a dozen of these things I store winter quilts and extra clothes in, but I noticed some of them have backpack straps. I think I could do a bit of work and make a decent bug-out bag out of one. Do you have any opinions/ideas?
A boy and his duffel bag.
- Thread starter Magus
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Once upon a time I hiked 20 miles using the the handles of a duffel bag for backpack straps. I was alot smaller back then- but it works just fine as long as you can get em on and the balance isn't too horrific.
There are a few companies that make duffel bags with straps that stow away- iirc maxpedition made an "adventure duffel" with that kinda feature.
My opinion though is that the capacity of a duffel bag doesn't lend itself well to be carried long distances- generally you want some sort of frame and hip support fit to the torso length of the user. Just much more efficient.
But yeah, if you are in a jam you can rig something up in a pinch, you could tie a couple lines around the bag horizontally and make straps from whatever you have on hand easily enough. If you're handy with a thread an needle the sky is the limit.
There are a few companies that make duffel bags with straps that stow away- iirc maxpedition made an "adventure duffel" with that kinda feature.
My opinion though is that the capacity of a duffel bag doesn't lend itself well to be carried long distances- generally you want some sort of frame and hip support fit to the torso length of the user. Just much more efficient.
But yeah, if you are in a jam you can rig something up in a pinch, you could tie a couple lines around the bag horizontally and make straps from whatever you have on hand easily enough. If you're handy with a thread an needle the sky is the limit.
You could make a very effective BOB with a duffel bag, but would you be able to carry it? I have one I keep in my car. It has almost everything I need, but I surely couldn't carry it very far. The car bag has things like tools, jumper cables, an inverter, spare clothes and shoes, things that you normally wouldn't carry. I have a few duffels that all have specific purposes, camping gear, a dry bag with clothing and bedding. These are grab-and-go bags to throw in the car if need be.
You could certainly use one as a BOB. I would just caution you to watch the weight.
The one I'm looking at actually has shoulder straps, it would hold a broken down weapon and a few goodies quite nicely! The trouble is, with my bad back, I'll be doing the luggage carry a lot anyway!
Mine all have shoulder straps, but you get so tempted with all the room you start filling it up. By the time I'm done it takes three men and a boy to carry it. Put a few things in one of them, and test it. See what you want to carry, vs. how much you can carry, and strike a happy medium.
I had this goofy idea once of using slightly modified hand trucks to pack a GHB/BOB but I couldn't get the right wheels.
