The Gregory Baltoro is an ideal men's go bag. It comes in a variety of sizes (measured in liters), but for the use of a go bag, we prefer the 85, which is big. But exterior straps can be used to cinch everything down. It is VERY comfortable with a full load, and has lots of pockets and access points to get to your gear when you need it.
Gregory Mountain Products Men's Baltoro 85
WHERE TO BUY
THE ESSENTIALS
Importance: Crucial. You need an able go bag.
Bottom line: This is a stellar bag in so many ways. Hiking or traveling, it allows a variety of gear to be carried easily, and has lots of access points to GET to that gear. For those same reasons, it makes a fabulous go bag. You need the type of bag you can carry and live out of for weeks on end, if necessary, and the Baltoro qualifies.
FIELD NOTES
We've taken this bag to Mongolia and the Gobi desert; where it survived a massive desert storm, hundreds of hours in various vehicles being jostled and thrown; multiple multi-day hikes, and various other indignities. What we've found is that it holds its shape due to the tough internal aluminum frame. It has a small removable daypack that is actually useful; a rain cover; and a bunch of access points. Our only complaint is the side water container pockets, which swivel out of the way when not needed — but don't keep the bottles quite as secure as we might like.
OFTEN BOUGHT WITH
Women should look to the Baltoro's sister bag, the Gregory Maven 55 Liter. Same great points as the Baltoro, but the Maven is made to fit a female frame. And for children we like the Osprey Ace 38.