Benjamin Conway

George Yacus wrote:One of my favorite "makers" for bags of all sizes has been...my mom.  

An avid sewer her entire life, she's made all sorts of useful bags and stuff sacks and whatnot for family and friends.  It's inspiring for sure. [/list]

Wow! That's pretty awesome, as a quick question because I've just picked up sewing myself, was she using a machine or hand sewing (probably a mixture of both, I imagine)?

I was looking at a post in the every day carry and Nicole Alderman(?apologies. New to the forum and getting my head around its features), and her awesome looking maxpedition thermite versipack. Which started me down a rabbit hole of options as I saw a kickstarter from kitanica for their new waistpack... BUUT, I was wondering what backpacks(small and large)/waistpack/pouches etc they have found to be great for themselves and any they might recommend.
I am an avid forager and camper, will probably get more into hiking when my kids are a bit older. I love pouches and pockets, but I also love spending the money for the higher quality.
So please take it away people for what is out there and what would be their favourite bags and how you came to your decision and if you had a chance to try it for comfort before buying.

Thanks for your help and sharing.

I'm leaning very heavily towards maxpedition proteus, but I am searching for competitors to understand the market better. Just looks like a reasonable day container for things I might need, but also expandable if I want to go further.

Hello everyone and wow!
What a variety of responses and some things to learn in here once I have a chance to look into some of these things.

For me, it is:
- leatherman
- lighter
- pen

If I'm out hiking/foraging:
- food and water
- ropes
- First aid

Sometimes a tarp, but depends a lot and don't go out as much now family is young. Look forward to building their leg strength and going out more