Love the review on this bag. I’m taking it across Europe and I find its the perfect size for all my needs (I’ve used it for hiking and other things as well).

I have to say the best part is that it fits under the seat on the airplane!

By the way, I posted a link to this page on my site in case people are interested in learning more on the backpack: http://operationblank.com/2010.....it-begins/

There are obviously tons of lightweight backpack options. The Opsrey Talons are terrific. The ones you mentioned look great, too. I suppose one has to figure out durability, organizational capabilities, and weight. 3lbs is still pretty light for a travel pack– add a good strap to the OPEC and you may be up to 2.2 or even 2.5. However, the durability can’t be compared. The Lookout has better zippers and better material. But it’s apple & oranges. All bags have their niches. What made me pick up this bag was the cost, the layout, and the size. For my travel uses, it seemed like a good fit. ‘Course, I could be totally wrong, but I’ll have to use it to find out. :)

As for commuting, I’ve been using my medium Timbuk2. It holds all of my bike gear (pump, spare tube, repair tool, etc.), plus has room for a change of clothes, if need-be. It’s also bright and comes with a stability crossbody strap.

Thanks for reminding me that if you don’t mind the “pack” look, a conventional backpack also makes a good travel bag.

My favorites tend to run a little lighter – and my experience is limited to hiking the High Sierra Camps in Yosemite out of Tuolumne Meadows.

Back then I experimented with the GoLite Breeze (no waist belt), GoLite Dawn, and GoLite Jam. All had sufficient capacity to carry sleeping bag, toiletries, warm layers, food for lunches, a lot of water.

I soon discovered that, as you mentioned, once you are over 15 pounds and if you have to spend more than an hour with the pack on your back, a waistbelt really helps. Actually I will back up a bit – to stabilize the bag so it won’t try to slip off, I needed at least a sternum strap. To shift weight to my hips, I needed a waist belt.

But in terms of a waistbelt, I didn’t need much more than a 3/4″ or 1″ strap, which I added to one of my Breezes. Admittedly it wasn’t as comfortable as a luxe padded hip belt as on your new bag, but it got the job done.

The Dawn and Jam included both sternum straps and waistbelts, iirc. Definitely waist straps.

I mention these alternatives because all of these bags were under 18 ounces each – much less than the 48 ounces or more for your REI Lookout.

I admit that none of these bags had a stay to provide support, but I always used a sleeping pad for my “stay” and it worked fine, kept the bags from slumping.

If you need an ultralight hiking bag that comes with a stay, the Granite Gear Vapor Trail is the one I recall that got top reviews. Also Glen Pesker used to design ultralight hiking bags with stays – he got out of the business but gossamergear.com seems to be in good hands, because they continue to churn out excellent designs.

Of course if you want to ever check a bag like this down to the aircraft’s hold, you going to need something sturdier than my old silnylon Dawn or even the Dyneema Breeze. Even the exterior mesh panels on these three would be problematic. But I still think you may be able to find lighter travel, and even lighter hiking, alternatives to the Lookout.

It should serve you well for bicycle commuting though – daily use really thrashes a bag. I hope you will share some of your bicycle commuting tips with us later!

BTW the reason I haven’t yet used one of my ultralight bags for travel, is their lack of organizing compartments. I much prefer the convertible backpacks which make a fair trade between organizing and ease of carry. And most of them are lighter than the Lookout! I think the OPEC is 1.8 pounds or so, almost half the weight. That’s a lot!