Mountainsmith Day TLS Lumbar Pack

Funny you should mention the MR SATL...I was reading you list and thinking that's what you need. I have one too and use it as my SAR pack. Treat your back right! Nice job with the Porlex, also one of my guilty pleasures for backpacking and man does it piss off my weight weenie pals. Cool list, I really appreciate you putting it together. Thanks. I've gone through a series of MS Lumbar packs over about 30yrs and really only use them for longer MTB rides now. Full packs have got so good in the last 5 years...

Here is everything I take bushcrafting on a regular basis. Not everything goes into the Lumbar Pack. What doesn’t go into the pack goes in my vest, on my waist, or around my neck. If I carried everything in the pack it would be far too heavy. Food gets carried in a separate bag slung over my shoulder. VEST & PANTS   On Waist       Bark River Bushcrafter (bushcraft knife)   Around Neck       Featherweight Hunter (food/skinning knife)   Duluth Workingman’s Vest       Compass       Eating Utensils       Toilet Paper       2x Whistles       P-51 Can Opener         Fire Kit             Ferrocerium Rod             Exotac Titan-Light Lighter             Bic Lighter             Pocket Bellows             Fatwood   LUMBAR PACK Vargo Titanium Water Bottle Wood Knot Titanium French Press Kieth 450 Cup Sawyer Micro Squeeze (water filter) Titanium Cooking Grill Miscellaneous Cooking Utensils 2x 100% Cotton Bandanas Pathfinder 1600ml Bush Pot       Cooking Oil       Salt & Spices       Honey   Pre-cut Paracord Lengths Bamboo Cutting Board Spare AAA Batteries   Small Wash Kit       Soap & Shanpoo       Wash Cloth       Toothbrush   First Aid Kit MISCELLANEOUS (Some of the things I take sometimes) Wool Blanket Inflatable Sleeping Pad Agawa Boreal-21 Saw Gränsfors Bruk Scandinavian Forest Axe Bark River Grizzly (knife) 1” Scotch Eyed Auger Flexicut Carvin' Jack Porlex Mini Coffee Grinder More thoughts on what the lumbar pack needs for improvement. . . Instead of having bottle pouches on the sides, there should be two square bags, one on each side, hugging your waist - this would put all of the weight close to your body. Having to connect pouches to the webbing on the back causes the weight to pull outward, which causes lower back and shoulder pain. Having water bottle pouches on the sides is useless as you can not access a water bottle if it’s on the side (I have to take the bag off, or have a buddy hand me my bottle). The water bottle pouch should be on the front where you can actually access it while hiking. These two improvements would add to the capacity, while at the same time make it more comfortable (less painful). I’m actually going to switch all my gear over to my Mystery Ranch SATL this weekend, because the small amount of gear that I carry is pulling at my lower back and shoulders in the Mountain Smith. The SATL is designed to carry up to 100lbs of gear and weapons, so it will easily handle my bushcraft gear - and food. I still say the Mountain Smith is good for someone more minimalist than myself. It is perfect for someone who just needs to hike with a couple water bottles, some trail food, and a rain coat. But it could also be improved to suit the needs of bushcrafters. —Rx