I have been carrying this bag for a few years and is an upgrade from a messenger bag I used to carry. The bag so far meets my needs for work/light camping/hunting/bushcraft/etc. While I have little room for expansion (aside room for a few loose items in the main pouch - two water bottles or so and the dump pouch on the strap of the bag for collecting fire tender, wild edibles or magazines/brass when at the range).
My background aside from running the 7P's Blog is in Emergency Response and Oil and Gas Field so most of my items are tailored to one of those three functions. First and foremost this is not a bug-out-bag or a get home bag it is merely an EDC bag with all the tools I need to get through any issue in my day. While I wouldn't have a major issue getting through a week or so in the woods with this kit (I have a couple times) it was not set up for this purpose.
More Pictures and information about the bag and its contents can be found here: http://
The Bag (Center Black Bag): It is the perfect size to fit between the seats of a vehicle or in the front of a car while still having room for all of my essential gear.The back has plenty of room for expansion via MOLLE and has countless interior pockets for additional organization.
On the exterior of the pack I keep the following Items: Large Fire Kit (http://
The rear zipper compartment contains a water bladder and when in the woods it also includes a grill, large gauge copper wire and thinner gauge wire for trapping.
Exterior top pocket of the bag includes Sunglasses case (Oakley's, 2 lense cloth and 1 fleece lense wiper), six AAA batteries, six AA batteries, one AC/DC charger, one usb charging cord (spare battery and spare stylist at work and not in picture).
Contents of my dual magazine pocket: three magazines loaded with critical defense ammo, three magazines with FMJ ammo and twenty rounds of FMJ ammo in small plastic bags which act as a spacer for the magazines to sit on.
Contents of the front zipper pocket: Check book, Cash (needed for filing legal documents), bottle of pain reliever and a small first aid kit.
Front pocket behind the zipper pocket contents: EDC Tool Kit (http://
Top right interior pocket contents: trail mix (one used this weekend), boil in bag rice (one used this weekend), two cliff bars, Salmon, Italian sandwich, Breakfast Sandwich, Shrimp Ramen x2 (used this weekend).
Bottom right interior pocket contents: Grabber survival tarp, SOL Survival Blanket, SOL Bivi Bag, Two clear plastic bags, two black contractor bags, 50' paracord, two beiners, six short sections of paracord (for trapping or securing a shelter.
Main Bag Contents: HexArmor Rescue gloves, rain coat, hat, 220 lumen head lamp with night vision mode, bandana, and paratec padded dew rag (great for use with a hard hat).
Bottom left interior pocket contents: cologne, mouth wash, deodorant/antiperspirant, three shout wipes, packable towel, comb, tooth brush, four toothpaste, four sun screen, wet wipes, N95 mask.
As always feel free to ask any questions you may have or make any suggestions you may have. Thank you for reading and as always I look forward to your feedback.
From Alex:
Thanks for the entry!
First thing that comes to mind...this is a lot more wilderness-focused than a typical EDC...but - I don't know what your emergency response/oil and gas field job looks like. If your job brings you into the deep wilderness often, where a night (or several) in the bush is a fairly decent probability and a hot lunch is one you cook over coals, then carry on.
Assuming that is the case and you're not carrying a bushcraft saw and cooking grill around suburbia, and viewing this as a woods/wilderness based EDC...
In terms of warming up lunch off the grid, you might want to look into a alcohol stove, sterno can or a Jet Boil. Lets you get things cooking faster and cleaner.
For shelter, a fleece or other lightweight layer item would be helpful if forced to sleep in the boonies. Good choices on the combo of SOL gear and contractor bags - functional for not a lot of weight.
Am I missing a compass and/or GPS? I'd also want a water filter of some kind if a wilderness walkout or unplanned stay in the woods was potential.
The SD gear carried in the tool bag may be very tough to access...you'd likely have to remember to remove and pocket it on your way to deal with a potentially hostile person. Not ideal.
Six pistol mags is a lot to haul around on a daily basis. Not sure what scenario you're envisioning, or the mix from JHP to FMJ. Clicking through, looks like your sidearm is a low cap single stack...maybe a .380? If you're worried about needing that much ammo, you'd be better served by upgrading to something double stack and higher cap and/or more potent.
Finally, ensure you're 'legal' well on all the gear you're carrying, and think through the perception of an LEO or even a jury if you did have to say use your pistol in self defense. A fixed blade knife, baton, pepper spray, handcuffs, zip ties, pistol and six magazines...the prosecution tried to use the fact that Zimmerman topped off his mag against him. They could have a small field day here. If your emergency response gig = LEO or some kind of security work, then that's a different story. But for an average citizen, certainly something to think about.