We've been on a recent mission at our office to find a certain type of Everyday Carry pack for Mrs. BOBB. She has some specific requirements that ruled out to 20 packs we already have in the closet.

So we looked to one of our favorites, 5.11, and found that they had just released the new Rapid Quad Zip Pack. It looks like we may have found what she needs...

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Mrs. BOBB's Everyday Carry Requirements

1. First and foremost was the weight. The missus is 100lbs soaking wet, so she doesn't want to lug around an Eberlestock Terminator to play dates with the kids (her loss!) So the pack had to be lightweight.
2. The main compartment had to open fully. No top-loading packs like the 5.11 Covert Boxpack we initially got for her. The pack had to lay flat and she needed access to stuff from the top to the bottom at once.
3. It was big enough to hold enough stuff for her and Jr. That means clothes, food, water, toys, diapers, etc etc. Enough for a full day out of the house and in the mud.
4. Looks are important (we're talking about my lady here) so it couldn't scream tacticool...although we still want to only keep bags around that can do double duty as emergency kits if we need them to.
5. It had to be durable. Ok, that was my requirement. I can't handle garbage packs. I don't waste our money on something I'll have to replace in a year or two. I buy things ONCE darnit!

So why do we include this here? Because we think these requirements are pretty universal for lots of parents out there.

Spoiler alert: The 5.11 Rapid Quad Zip Pack meets all these requirements. For those of you who are looking for a deeper dive, read on...

5.11 Rapid Quad Zip Pack Review

The total pack volume is 27 Liters, which is pretty big. Good middle of the road size for men or women to wear.

The Rapid Quad is light. It only weighs about 2 lbs. That means it can be jammed full of stuff and easily stay under 15lbs, which is comfortable for all day use for most people.

That doesn't mean the pack is flimsy, au contraire. It's made from durable 600D Polyester, which is good and tough. Pretty water resistant too!

One fantastic feature of the Rapid Quad is the organizational layout and overall design of the pack.

Our favorite by far is the 270 degree U-Zip main compartment opening. Laying the pack flat allows you to access the main compartment from top to bottom super easily.

There are 4 sets of zippers along the main compartment, so you can open the pack up from the bottom if you want to get to the items on the bottom without opening the whole pack.

I like the cinch straps on the sides. They can help compress the pack down when it's not fully loaded out. The top straps also serve as a stop when opening the main area to keep everything from spilling out.

Inside the main compartment there are some nice organizational features. Not pictured is a mesh bottle holder on the bottom of the pack, which allows you to keep a bottle standing upright.

There is a padded laptop sleeve along the back and 2 mesh zippered pockets.

One of the smart features we like is the separation of the water bladder area from the rest of the pack. That way if you get a leak you have a firewall between the water and the main compartment.

In true 5.11 fashion, no detail was left out; there is a hook for the bladder right where it is supposed to be. 5.11 gets the details right, they do all the small things that really make the difference between them and lesser brands.

5.11 uses a yolk design for their chest straps, which conforms well to torsos. There are release buckles along the bottom of the straps for quick release of the pack, good if you ever get dumped in the water with a heavy pack, or just want to slide of off your side.

MOLLE lives on the chest straps as well. Good home for carabiners, doodads or a phone/radio pouch.

Speaking of MOLLE, the entire outside of the pack face also includes MOLLE attachment straps. Pouch-up if you so choose.

We added a Smart Phone holder that is big enough to carry both our phones. Depending on what we are up to we also might include a Radio Pouch as well.

Ad adjustable and flat-lying (when empty) water bottle holder sits along the left side if we need to carry a little extra hydration.

We also decided to drop in a small Condor Drop Pouch on the outside. This is helpful if we need extra space or want to carry some wet items.

Update 10/3/2018:

Both the wife and I still love this pack. We share it and it comes with one of us nearly everyday somewhere. It's a great overnight bag and can be a really useful day-pack as well.

It's held up like a tank, typical of 5.11. I suspect it will for many more years to come.

Where to get one:

Buy direct from 5.11 Tactical.

$905.11

Get a new one on Amazon with Prime Shipping.

eBay often has used ones for sale, see if you can grab a lightly used one there.