Not sure how much of that really counts as desperate easy access items... but we're all different.
On my Osprey Tempest (Osprey Talon is the men's version). It has a pocket on each side of the hip belt, plus one small elasticated one on the left shoulder strap.
In the left hip belt is my emergency first aid kit. This is a First Field Dressing, a few plasters in a ziplock bag, and [thread=127274]some pills[/thread].
In the right hip belt is a small folding saw, a whistle, and some storm matches.
In the shoulder strap pocket is my EDC fire kit from Polymath Products.
If my knife isn't in my trouser pocket, then it goes in the right hip pocket. You can fit a lot in a small space.
Other packs have larger hip pockets.
Something else you might want to consider is the Maxpedition Rolly Polly dump pouch. One of these on your hip belt would have plenty enough space for everything you listed.
See post #10
I will be going 1 man tent over the hammock and tarp setup due to costs (I am being bought a tent and bag for my birthday).
Will be wanting to be able to attach sleeping bag and rollmat either on top or bottom of the bag.
Will only be doing 2-3 nights out at a time for now till I get some experience.
Clothes for those days away.
Food for 2 people .
Space for a book or two
Easy access Bottle holder
I have yet to do a night out so I guess I don't know what I'm missing till I do it.
Yeah, unless you're packing particularly bulky kit, you won't need a 80L pack for that lot. Clothing wise, for 2-3 nights, I carry one spare set, plus what I'm wearing, along with clean underwear for each day. On my recent trip, all my clothing fitted in a 4L dry bag...
My food for 3 days fitted in an 13L dry bag (could have been smaller but I didn't have a spare 8L dry bag). Paul Kirkley has a video of a weeks food fitting in a PLCE side pocket (about 15L capacity).
Books fit in the odd spaces round everything else.
Many modern packs have elasticated side pockets that are ideal for carrying a water bottle. I used to use a 1L stainless steel Nalgene bottle, but decided at 340g it's far too heavy, these days I use an empty diet coke bottle (either 0.5L, 1L, 1.25L, 1.5L or 1.75L depending on the trip).
I would caution against getting too big a pack. If you have space, you will fill it. The more you take, the heavier it is, the harder it is and the less you will enjoy it (IMHO).
It's more military related than bushcraft, it's the shoulder strap part of the old PLCE webbing.
