Favourite outddor backpack color?

Hi,

I'm currently in the process of choosing color (black or green with some brown) to pick for my next backpack (for general outdoor use, hiking, canoeing) and so I decided to ask you, the circle of experienced bushcrafters, what would your choice be ...

Also, feel free to say what your favourite bushcraft backpack color is.



I got the black one because I thought I'd use it for work and school stuff as well - but in the end I'll stick with my EDC Osprey Quasar with much better admin section and notebook pouch. Since I don't use the backpack in photos as a work bag I started eyeing the green one ...

PS: The backpack in the pictures is a 25 liter "Zálesák" (say "Backwoodsman") by JUBÖ Bushcraft, Czech made bushcraft brand. Here is the green one in action:

 

Might not be an issue where you're from but a solid black pack or wearing a lot of black clothing can get you mistaken for a black bear and as a result shot accidentally by hunters. Green is always a good choice and one of my favorite colors

 

PS: I certainly hope there's no black bear around these parts.

 

Olive Drab wins on nostalgia, but Ranger Green may be one of the best colors ever.

 

I think Kermit the frog said it best...

 

No idea what he'd said.

 

I'm partial to the green one myself. I've only every owned black or grey packs. Often less popular colours are on sale in my experience. My next pack will be what ever fits the bill in the cheapest colour.
Cheers Jim

 

That's good approach. I would hope the cheapest one isn't pink though! :-D
PS: "Unfortunately" the two packs I'm talking about cost the same ...

 

ROFL pink is easier to find in the dark. Plus with just the right shade. You can blend in with the salmon! ROFL all over again! Sorry been an odd day!

 

Coyote brown.

 

I love this color as well. Have two shoulder packs (Rapdom T311 and a Maxped clone) in this color.
Here it stands out more than a black bear though ...

 

The Devil Dog in me sways towards the OD. Otherwise earth tones will suffice.

 

Kermits song - It's not easy being green. (Lots of grandkids)

One pack I use a lot is olive drab, the other pack I use a lot is coyote brown.

 

Yellow & black
I like to be seen

 

I tend to like drab muted earth tone colors like browns and some shades of green.

 

In WW2 the RAF photo reconnaissance Spitfires were painted a very pale pinkish white or sky blue. The pink was determined to be the most difficult to see in early morning haze when they often made low altitude runs. Do a websearch of Squadron leader Warburton for a fascinating read on a unorthodox officer, well if you want real unorthodox research Mad Jack Churchill; champion piper and archer who landed on D day with pipes, English longbow and a full on claymore. he stated no proper British officer went into combat without a sword. He later launched an attack on a German position killing the sentry with the longbow. I like green, but OMG tomorrow is that dreaded day when my family once more watches another #$&@!!! rerun of THE QUIET MAN and I am presented with cadaver grade corned beef and cabbage with potatos and Guinness served to cold. Venture outside and normally polite people are wearing orange giving even the grass grim looks and I have to uphold tradition and call them a effing Sassananch with his brains kicked out or something and it's dumber than South Central L.A. with Crips and Bloods going at each other.

 

gotta blend into the bush!

 

My rucksacks, hell my gear in general always stays with greens, tans and browns. When I go out hiking or camping during deer season, I tend to wear a blaze orange hat and maybe some blaze orange contractors ribbon on my rucksack so as to avoid any happy trigger types, but other than that, as others stated above, I like to blend into nature. I’m not into camouflage, just muted colors that are already prevalent in the eastern woodlands.

 

ahh the dread supermarket "corned beef". while i find it makes decent pastrami, I CERTAINLY wouldn't serve it as corned beef. I get my 17lb slab from a local butcher that makes his own.

 

We colorblind folk be easier pleased than some of you,,,

 

When I'm out in the woods and I see another person in the distance with some pink or bright blue or what have you colored pack it take a little bit away from the view in a way. I like earth tones because those colors belong in the woods and, to me anyway, don't detract from the view of others (hopefully).

 

I'm pretty subdued, color wise. I have a favorite pack that's bright green, but when you buy all your packs used, you get what's available/cheap. But I prefer greens/tans/browns, but not camo as a general rule. Dark reds and blues are ok. Even dark purple. Just don't like things to glare. Guess some folks see it as 'I can find it more easily', but I use reflective line for that, relying on my memory and woods sense for 'where I left it' during the day.

 

All of my packs are brightly colored. However, of the 2 you are choosing between, I like the green.

 

Always been a big fan of OD Green and leather straps with brass buckles old school you my say . Prov 27 : 17

 

Coyote Brown and Ranger Green all day long. 2 tone if I can get it!

 

I vote green. black gear is so Delta Force that Delta Force doesn't even use it any more...

practically speaking, black absorbs sunlight so it may dry sooner but the contents will be subject to more heat and it's hard to find things inside a black pack without a light. it also shows dirt more than earth tones (I know, I know...).

and I don't like the flower-power colors that have infected backpacking. I have Klymit and Six Moons Design packs in yellow/white. snazzy but I'm phasing them out. I just picked up a ULA Circuit in their original green/black checks color that is closer to the muted colors found in nature. I'm not trying to do the camo thing, I just find it more harmonious.

however, I do use stuff sacks in assorted bright colors to identify them in the pack and locate when stuff is scattered about. and my critical gear is bright orange or red and/or has a red or orange light reflective lanyard...

 

I tend towards green for outdoor backpacks. Back when I used bookbags, it was also my favorite color.

 

Did anyone realize how "black gear" looks similar to "black bear"?
Sorry, the first answer just stuck to me big time ...

 

I like the Coyote/OD mix that seems be becoming more popular

 

My AO is extremely hot during the summer and black backpacks would be like carrying a sack of burning coals on my back. Of the two colors I voted green but fwiw, Coyote is my favorite outdoors color.
Dominick........

 

Thank you all for your answers!

I eventually kept the black one because a) I already had it, and b) I learned the company changed the color scheme of the green backpack somehow and I had to decide if I should get a pack whose design I'm not sure about (we have 14 days to return stuff here). So, I kept the black one. Maybe I'll buy the green one in the future if the black one holds fine.

One little OT here: the backpack has a very soft back panel (I'm not sure about the correct word - I mean the "plate" that is in the part of the backpack that touches my back when I carry the bag) and I would like to make a more rigid one - and put it into the hydration bladder compartment. I already tested this using two clipboards duct-taped togeter (lol) and it works. But I don't know what material should I use for the final version ... something firm yet lightweight ... any ideas, please?

 

At Home Depot, or Lowes, they may have what's called a "slip-sheet". It's used for pallet-less loading with forklifts.
Heavy gauge, but flexible.

 

Green ages better than black. 10 years from now with dirt rubbed in, sun bleached and full of berry and coffee stains, olive will look right at home but black may look cheapish. Just a thought.

 

I'll try to find it here but we don't have HM nor Lowes here.

One more question - the buckles (the ones you use to tighten the straps) are a bit stiff and are holding the straps a bit too much. Any way to loosen them? It's not a critical problem though.

PS: The term I'd been looking for probably is "side release buckle" ...

 

PS: I got a tip to use kydex for the back panel.

 

You can drill it out to whatever degree to make it lighter if it's more stiff/heavy than you need. Another thing that works really well for light packs is the corrugated plastic they use for political signs sometimes. It's basically cardboard made of very light plastic, strong in one direction so you orient that strength top to bottom.

 

The last bunch of gear I picked up has all been green, it was the only colour ever on sale for anything. That's how I usually decide on which to pick up.

 

A pack totes gear. Who cares about color!

 

Faded red!

 

Good for you! I wish I had this "option" as well!
PS: I'm afraid I'm going to buy the green as well and then I'll have two exactly same bags in different colors and I wouldn't know which one to carry. OMG LOL.

 

HPG sells the Aston Framesheet (when it’s in stock) that you can cut down with scissors if needed to fit your pack. The single stay provides plenty of support.


https://hillpeoplegear.com/Products/CategoryID/6/ProductID/62

 

Thanks!

 

My pack is black, however, I didn't have a color choice. I think I'd prefer a "color", but I'd have to see it first.

 

Camo for me as my pack is used for a variety of different things and many are hunting related. I love the support my internal pack gives me and it packs down small enough if I am not needing the extra space.

 

Well, pack works very well. Is small and light but can take all the c**p I carry with me. Thank you for your opinions!

This is it packed for a 3-day trip with friends: