Maz, I can't predict the future...so who knows.  But I know this:

-Houston PD can be (not always) over reactive and suspicious/nosy...bad combination
-Houston neighborhoods can be good one, then bad one, then really bad one, then good one......
-I'd rather look like some dork with a bookbag and have somebody underestimate me for the 24 hours it might take me to get home (at worst case)
-There are enough corner beggars and transients that it's possible to blend in with them.
-I already have plenty of mil-spec gear

Once home, everything changes

If you look like a dork with a bookbag in one of those really bad ones you are gonna get unwanted attention no matter what you carry! To each his own I guess!

What folks tend yo over look is mil packs stick out to those who know what they are.
You get three hippys....give one a vintage 1975 kelty...give the other a osprey ....give the last one a Alice pack
Who will get attached /searched 1st.
How you carry yourself is what matters.
Kinda like "take the uniform off a cop but you can still spot him a mile away "
Unless the person can blend in with the masses it doesn't matter.

When in Rome.......


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Maz - if you read my words, i am saying if you get attention better to be underestimated. Downtown Houston is not a place where you want to dress out in tactical gear and run down the street.  Military packs and camo ain't gonna work here.

Protus - true and I think I have studied the romans and found the middleground that will allow me to cross neighborhoods, college campuses and rough spots to walk home with "minimum attention"...not "no attention"....trying to stay off the radar completely would be difficult and perhaps only accomplished at night with nvg, which i am prepared to do if necessary.  but reducing the amount of interest is my intention and certainly preventing some nebbish from calling the cops is paramount. I can dirty up and fit into a bad neighborhood  or clean up and tuck my shirt in for a better neighborhood.  Either way, nobody will suspect what I'm carrying and nobody will think I'm worth the effort to roll.  They certainly will get a surprise if they try and surprise has value.  If stopped by a cop, it's just "tryin' to get home, sir" and that's it.

Maybe a "reversible" pack, one side is dork the other is "don't mess with me"? Or a cover that is one or the other? Dunno. I'm a couch potato.

Anymore links to gray bags? I bought a $25 bag that looks right but is no bueno, very poor quality. I am leaning to the covrt 5.11 but may be a little over the budget as I need two.

If your looking for higher end, anything Kelty is good to go IMO.  

https://www.kelty.com/category/backpacks#daypacks

Tough as any other pack out there and they have quite a large selection.  My smallest Kelty is a Redwing which is an internal frame pack.  Its all black and would blend in.  I also have an older green one but that has more of a "hiker" look to it.

As far as my GHB goes I like Drago tracker packs.  Obviously not "grey" because of the molle but I like the organizational layout of the pack.  Very well built, and not Maxpedition or 511 expensive.  Been part of my to and from work "EDC" for about two years now.  I have went on a few small hikes with it, when headed into the woods I really like a frame pack, even if its half empty.

I just ordered a DDT smaller sling style pack in tan.  I wanted something a little smaller then the drago tracker style pack, but in similar layout for daily organization.  Most importantly I wanted something that didn't have a ton of straps hanging of it for the purpose of strapping it down with a bungee net to the back of my KLR for commuting.  All the shoulder straps, waste belt, sternum strap, compression straps, every time I was always tucking them in making sure they weren't flying in the wind.

While molle probably isn't grey man in other areas, its nothing to see people with it on their packs this day in age, at least in my area.  Heck, some of Wal-Mart's cheapo packs are now laced with molle.

I am glad I live in the woods!  

Great looking pack!  Is this a discontinued model?   I could not find it on the Eddie Bauer website.

Here is what I have for "Gray Man" type packs. Ignore the Walmart tactical thing on the left, that is my current trunk bag.
Standard Jansport student backpack

For BOBs we run a Camp Trails Wilderness (sadly, discontinued) and an Osprey Aether 70 Osprey Aether 70 Linky

Both of these bags are wonderful...the CTW has lasted me a long, long time and the Osprey has taken a beating on a number of international excursions.  However, both are way too large for a GHB.  The Aether is light and has a great harness system, and it's design allows for a very packable system that still provides easy access.  It is also has a detachable daypack where I store my most frequently used items.  Pretty adaptable, too...plenty of tiedowns....pricey though.

I've never fully agreed with the non-military looking bags/packs concern. Personally, if the situation is bad enough that you need to use the GHB, or are leaving with a BOB, then folks are going to know you have supplies in the bag regardless of appearance. Especially if someone is decked out in their 5.11 suits. While I understand the logic, I don't believe it will make a difference in the end. EDC I feel could make a difference though. It's not hard to spot who probably has a firearm etc by the look of their bag; compared to just another dude with a backpack.

I think the Mystery Ranch ASAP would fit your needs well, especially in one of the solid colors. It is right in the size you want and is pretty low key and simple although it does have a little molle on it. I just ordered one yesterday after thinking on it for 8 months or so

I think a lot of people fail to realize, or because it's that they know what to  look for, that the vast majority of people don't know what 5.11 is let alone the type of clothing they produce.

Yes, in the event that you need your GHB, people "in the know" will know you have goodies, but the majority of people will think you are Joe schmoe trying to get home with you work backpack and not mind you at all.

And as previously stated mil gear has become such a norm in most parts, even a surplus bag wouldn't get any attention.  What over a decade of war will do eh?

Trying to blend in cant hurt in any situation, as long as its not painfully obvious that you're trying to blend in.

They have these on sale every once and a while for almost half price.
I have one, but for a little more money you can get the flash 22 that has a zipper pocket and a lid.
http://www.rei.com/product/877567/rei-flash-22-pack

These are both super lightweight day packs for when light weight is most important, like used as summit pack when backpacking, or for traveling.

During a disaster bad enough that I have to walk home with my GHB, hopefully it will be during that time when everyone is trying to do the same; get home, figure out whats going on..or during the time they are looting and concentrating on that.... You would be surprised how single mindedly focused people can become when a threat is pending or when they are grabbing free stuff from the burning CVS.  However, hope is not a strategy and I plan for encountering those who would try to take anything off of anybody...or rather everything off of everybody.  As you say, some would pick a fight for any number of reasons.  I hope to not be noticed by most people, have others hesitate if they are looking my way, and still avoid the interest of HPD and others that would cause me other kinds of trouble.  It's a fine line that hopefully eliminates 99% of the potential threat....training eliminates the last 1%.

My son's Maxpedition backpack makes him look like an ordinary college student.

Exactly!  With the first few hours to days, people will be trying to get home to be with loved ones / supplies, they won't focus on "normal" people.  Guys with giant packs are targets even in non-shtf situations that only goes up.

3 months in... it won't matter what you have on, you're a target.

If you haven't gotten home in three months you should have invested in maps, not a backpack.

Well... as I said I am trying to find that fine line that doesn't attract as much attention.  Attracting no attention  requires a different game.  Military gear is gonna increase your hassle factor at a time you least want it.  Police will have no reason to stop me..neighbors will not be suspicious.....criminals will be surprised that the dork has some moves if they make an attempt....

Should the situation require open carry later I am ready for that too.

The Osprey Quasar is my choice for greyman ghb use.  I've got a kestrel38 as well, and it's also excellent though bigger than your spec.  In my AO everyone wears an osprey so it's a good fit.

I've also got an Aether70, that's a killer pack.

yep. lots of bags at your typical walmart that fit the bill too.

Blackhawk Diversion Carry Board Pack

http://www.lapolicegear.com/bpg-65dc60-board-pack.html