>>452171>Why use the military styled assault packs?Durability, mainly. The fabric and the stitching on commercial packs tends to be pretty delicate, and more of the parts are plastic instead of metal. There are lots of elastic straps that will wear out, they have tiny zippers that get the teeth bent and separate or won't zip, etc.
See pic related, one of the highest rated commercial packs (Osprey) of similar size to the 3 Day Assault pack. Just look at the construction. You can't tell me that thing can handle a forest of thorns, downed trees, dirt, campfire sparks, fish hooks, chronic wear and tear and friction of being packed and unpacked and picked up and put down a thousand times. It is going to fall apart pretty quickly if used frequently this way.
I just can't sacrifice durability for a tiny extra performance edge from a pack being closer to your center of gravity and made of lighter and thinner materials. I can still do all the same things. I'm in shape and not a gentle flower so I can deal with a little weight if it means I only buy 1 bag every 20 years.
