The Helikon tex summit 40 is a good choice for a low profile bug out bag.
It is lightweight, sturdy and offers enough room for your gear. 40 liters of volume are just right for a compact yet spacious bug out bag.
The design is rather simple and common, it wont let you stand out or draw too much attention, unlike bulky military backpacks might do.
Features
The Helikon tex Summit 40 provides just the functionality that we would look for in a lightweight bigoutbag:
– easy to use one clip rolltop opening
– sidepockets for waterbottles or other gear
– mesh frontpocket that can hold wet items like raingear or a tarp to seperate them from other gear and help them to dry
– frontopening, I honestly didnt thought about using it much when I bought the bag but it is incredibly handy to reach items deeper in the backpack quickly without unpacking a lot of stuff
– small zip compartment on the top for small items which you might need regularly
– hip belt pockets for similar use and e.g. energybars or a pepperspray
– simple molle webbing on the sides (enable using molle pouches if you need to, however we would rather not use them since they make you look tactical and draw attention)
Weight
Overall backpackweight 1300g / 2,86 lbs
The backplate is removable and can save you some weight. (It still has a good backpadding without the plate)
Weight without backplate 1125g / 2,48 lbs
If your systemweight is below 10Kg / 20lbs the backplate is not necessary in my opinion.
Waterprotection
Unfortunately the backpack is not waterproof which you might think of in a rolltop backpack. It has a waterresistant coating but the seams are not sealed.
However most backpacks are not waterproof and using a raincover will solve this problem to a certain extend.
A raincover made from olive green sil nylon is very light and provides an additional colourchoice in case you prefer a grey / greyman backpack in the city and would like to switch to green in the woods.
A few waterproof drybags on the inside of the bag help saving your gear too and get your gear organized as well.
(Be careful to not overorganize since drybags also add some weight and too much of them might make things more complicated)
Conlusion
The Helikon tex summit 40 is a great solution for an ultralight bugoutbag.
It is ideal as a “grey man” backpack (which basically means to look like an average guy and not like a potentially dangerous prepper).
Although it is heavier than a common ultralight backpack, it just fits the sweetpoint between stability/resistance and low weight very well.
Price
With a price of around 120$ the Helikon tex summit 40 is also quite affordable.