Essential Item... the pack

Bags and packs - A quality backpack is essential for my every-day-carry items minus keys, wallet, phone, lighter (which should almost always be carried on your person). But for backpacking I need something both lighter and larger than the Currier bag I use on a daily basis. As far a brand names, Deuter and Osprey at at the top of my list. Equivalent quality and price these two brands are definitely worth their hype. I currently use Osprey backpacks for almost everything so I write this with Osprey pack in mind. I fully support their business practices and costumer service is rated very highly, and they guarantee their bags for life. My choice pack is of the Osprey Exos models. For a seven day summer trip expecting night time temperatures of no less than forty degrees Fahrenheit I use a 75 liter pack. I tend to cram as much as I can into a bag and after adjusting for bulges and lumps I've found this to be a little small but ideal and giving enough to add a few extras. I keep nearly all of my essential gear stored in my bag at all times. All my essential equipment as well as a single pair of wool socks, a schmag, an orange bandanna, a thin wool balaclava, finger-less wool GI gloves, and a wool beanie, and moccasins are stored in my pack. The few items I do NOT keep stored in my pack are food and sleeping bag (see sleeping bag). In a bug-out situation I would only need to add food, pants (which I'm usually wearing, long underwear, water and my sleeping bag. There is some concern over the durability of the material used in a bug-out-bag but after many weeks and hundreds of miles in the bush living out of my backpack I've learned to both take care of my gear and trust in the quality of the materials. Some choose packs of seemingly more durable materials such as canvas or leather, but in my years of experience, it is much easier to patch a few tears in a nylon/polyester ultra-light pack than to carry the extra weight of one made from other materials. My largest aversion to using a canvas pack is the inevitable wear that all packs suffer and the irreparable nature of canvas. Also, canvas soaks up water like a sponge and can become much more heavy than it already is. While a nylon bag can be patched with ease and maybe by cannibalizing a nylon jacket or other item, a canvas bag is much more difficult to repair with only simple patching tools. 

Considerations when choosing a new backpack: size (a minimum of 60 liters for anything "outdoors"). Zippers, or rather the minimal use of zippers. As these are one of the things that will inevitably fail over time, use and pressure, I try to avoid zippers all-to-gather. Draw-ties are far more reliable than zippers and can be repaired or replaced with minimal effort. Loops and external attachment points; I like to keep a smooth pack free of anything swinging, dangling, hanging, and swaying. But sometimes it's good to have places to attach frequently used items like a camera. I've found that the cinch-down points found all around most packs are excellent places to improvise repairs from broken straps clips and buttons. Mesh and netting; essential, super light, quick drying, and (slightly) stretchable, mesh pockets backing and straps can save impressively on weight. Thick strong belt clip; the last thing you cant to do is carry all your packs weight on your shoulders and if your belt clip breaks, that's exactly what you will be doing. That is the perfect recipe for misery.