MEC Blitz Crag Daypack

On our trip to Toronto last weekend, AM and I stopped by the Mountain Equipment Co-op, a great outdoors store with branches throughout Canada. That place rocks. It really kicks the ass of the American equivalent stores (EMS, REI, etc.) with their wide variety and awesome prices. Also, they have a freaking rock climbing wall in the middle of the Toronto store!

I have been running home almost daily since last January and have been using a drawstring gym bag to carry my miscellaneous crap (cell phone, wallet, keys, gels) home from the office every day. The bag has been working fine, since it is small and light, but its getting really gross and starting fall apart. Also, I am going to have to start carrying a change of clothes with me once I start running from work to night school starting in the fall, hence the need to buy a real pack.

Enter MEC. There, I tried on a few different packs and settled on the Blitz Crag Daypack. Its a pretty small pack (but big enough to fit a pair of pants and a shirt) and felt very comfortable when trying it on. Best of all, it was only $26.00 Canadian.

Just a touch bigger than my shoe (size 12).

Since purchasing, I have only run with the pack on two runs, but it feels more secure than the drawstring bag and weighs about the same. Today will be my first faster run with the pack, but I'm not concerned with it bouncing around too much. There's a clip to hold the shoulder straps from rolling off the shoulders and a waist strap that can hold the bottom of the pack tight to my back.

Lots of straps

I don't have a water bladder on hand, but there also is a compartment inside the bag to hold some water and the tube can come out the top of the pack. Beyond that, there is just one main storage compartment and one smaller pocket on the back. I'm hoping to use the pocket to keep my phone or a small digital camera to take more photos while on my runs.

If you're in Canada and need a solid daypack, go to the MEC and try on their bags, their selection is huge. If you're not in Canada, check out their website: MEC (I don't get any commissions or anything from you clicking through).

The pack is a nice upgrade for me, as I'm not nearly as ghetto as I used to be running home with a mish-mash of gear (I once rocked a fanny pack to hold my stuff, it didn't work, too bouncy). Aside from carrying my stuff home, the pack will also be nice for holding food and water on longer runs or hikes and might allow me to venture into some trails this summer.

Do you run with a pack? If so, what do you use and how has it been working for you?