Everyday Carry

10 Utility Pouches for Your EDC Bag

Authored by:
Jonathan Tayag
Reviewed by:
Bernard Capulong
Founder and Editor-in-Chief
14+ Years Reviewing EDC Products
10 Utility Pouches for Your EDC Bag

Related Gear:
  The 17 Best Utility Knives and Box Cutters in 2024
  The 15 Best Laptop Bags [Find the Right Bag For You]
  11 Best Bug Out Bags in 2024

You might already have a great EDC bag that can fit all of your gear and then some. But if you're wasting time rummaging through your whole pack whenever you need something, your bag situation could use some help. 

Adding a few utility pouches to your EDC can provide just the organization and protection your bag needs. Think of them as useful bags within bags to help you organize, compartmentalize, and safeguard your gear even further. 

For the loose essentials you pack up and take out quickly, EDC organizers with all their loops and webbing might even be overkill. In this guide, we're looking at simpler solutions that focus less on compartments, bells, and whistles and more on convenience and quick access. 

Read on for a round-up of EDC-worthy bag-in-bag solutions from packing cubes to zip pouches and much more in between to suit any carry setup.


Flowfold Ace

While simple in design, the Flowfold Ace sets itself apart with its materials. Like Flowfold's wallets, the Ace uses a technical sailcloth fabric that's both waterproof and incredibly strong for its weight. This made in the US pouch clocks in at just 1.4 ounces, offering a simple solution for storing and transporting just the essential. The durable YKK zipper provides easy access, and it comes with a hand strap for independent carry.

View on Amazon


Hazard 4 Hatch

The Hazard 4 Hatch is a semi-soft utility pouch that's made to provide added protection to your small valuables and electronic gear. It's made of thermoformed 1000D Cordura nylon that's coated with water repellent to stand up to the elements. The Hatch opens up like a clamshell, but has internal webbing to make sure your gear doesn't accidentally fall out when you open it in an upright position. Finally, MOLLE webbing on the back lets you attach it to other gear.

View on Amazon


Tumi Packing Cube

Tumi is a master at making gear that not only looks good but is also highly practical for travelers. Their packing cube is conveniently lightweight at 2.4 ounces, letting you store your gear without adding needless weight. This makes it perfect for travel and long treks. It has a zip-around closure that makes it easy to open and pack flat, a mesh top for easy identification or airing out used clothes, and a side handle for standalone carry or easy transfer from bag to bag.

View on Amazon


Magpul DAKA Polymer Pouch

With its reinforced polymer fabric, welded construction, and YKK water-repellant zipper, the durable Magpul DAKA line is made to stand up to whatever you throw at it. Integral holes at the corners of each pouch let you attach it to your gear or keep it on hand with the strap of your choosing. And they come in a number of convenient sizes, from pouches large enough to carry your tablet down to compact pencil case dimensions. There's even a larger version with a clear TPU window that lets you see inside the pouch without having to open it.

View on Amazon


Maxpedition HLP Hook & Loop Pouch

Unlike most tactical pouches, Maxpedition's Hook & Loop Pouch has a modern, streamlined look that keeps the durability you expect. This soft pack features approximately 1L of capacity, perfectly sized for fitting in your day bag. There's an internal gossamer mesh divider to help you organize, and the exterior of the pouch includes space to hold pens and other small items. True to its name, the back of the pouch features hook surfaces that will attach to loop panels. It also has two eye hole attachment points for paracord or lanyard carry.

View on Amazon


Blackhawk Roll-Up MOLLE Dump Pouch

Sometimes, there are things in your kit you need to carry, but not necessarily need to have organized. In this case, containment and separation can be more useful than precise organization. The Blackhawk Roll-up MOLLE Dump Pouch is designed for quick and dirty loading and unloading thanks to its wide, shock cord cinch opening. It's built with heavy-duty 500D nylon and MOLLE panels for added expansion or attachment. A stiffener at the opening prevents it from closing in on itself, which is especially handy when filling or emptying the pouch. Aside from being a bag in a bag, the Dump Pouch can also fit on your belt for easy access to your gear or disposal of whatever you need.

View on Amazon


GORUCK GR1 Padded Field Pocket

GORUCK's GR1 Padded Field Pocket helps keep your more fragile valuables safe no matter which bag you put it in. It has a generous 3L storage capacity, which is big enough to fit your small electronics or action cameras. Like GORUCK packs, the Field Pocket is also made of durable 1000D Cordura nylon and it's compatible with MOLLE webbing attachment points for further utility.

Buy


Topo Designs Utility Bag

The Topo Utility Bag takes on a flat, sheet-like form factor to fit your tablet or other small tech gear and accessories. It's lightweight at 3.04 ounces but durable enough for heavier loads thanks to its 1000D Cordura nylon construction. A single YKK zipper across the top of the sack makes loading and unloading the sack easy. An integrated wrist strap makes the sack easy to retrieve from within a pack and lets you carry it on its own as a minimalist EDC bag when you're on the go.

Buy


DSPTCH Accessory Cases

DSPTCH's accessory cases are made of lightweight nylon, and they cut weight further by with a mesh composite construction. This gives you an idea of what's inside without having to search through them. The bags are designed to stand upright for easy access on a work surface and the full-length zipper makes them easy to pack and keep organized. Two sizes are included, a small 7x3.5 inch case and a larger 10x5 inch version for your gear.

Buy


Dyneema A5 Zip Pouch

If you want nothing but the absolute best in lightweight yet durable construction, you'll want a Dyneema composite fabric pouch. It's often used in ultralight backpacking applications and often touted as the world's strongest fiber. This simple, A5-sized pouch lets the materials do the talking (and the heavy lifting), with a waterproof Dyneema composite fabric construction and a water-resistant YKK zipper. These are handcrafted out of Germany in other sizes as well at the Etsy shop link below.

View on Etsy

Do you use simpler pouches like these for organizing your bag? Let us know your favorite bag-in-bag solutions in the comments below. For traditional EDC pouch organizers, check out our buying guide from the archives.

Jonathan Tayag

Senior Contributor


About the Author
Jonathan Tayag is secretly an information technology and corporate security expert who prefers to moonlight as a creative event and commercial photographer whenever possible. His varied experience and substantial travels have led him to seek, without even thinking about it at first, the best gear for the best use at the best price available. Before the concept of EDC (everyday carry) firmly took hold, Jonathan already spent untold amounts of time optimizing for the best-in-slot pieces of gear, from cameras and lenses to pocket knives, pens, and bags and packs. In November 2015, Jonathan joined EverydayCarry.com and has since written numerous articles and guides to help impart his knowledge to the community as a whole.

Jonathan's photographic works have appeared on numerous online websites, print, video, and television outlets for over a decade. Jonathan's previous clients include Blizzard Entertainment, Red Bull, ESL, Razer, and several other endemic and non-endemic esports sponsors and brands. His work also features heavily in online competitive gaming communities, especially those of the StarCraft and Fighting Game genres. You've likely seen his work if you've spent time in a stream or in-game chat over the years.

Bernard Capulong

Founder and Editor-in-Chief


About the Reviewer
Bernard Capulong is an everyday carry (EDC) gear expert, entrepreneur, all-around nerd, and the founder and editor-in-chief of EverydayCarry.com—the largest online community for EDC gear enthusiasts. Since founding Everyday Carry in 2009, he’s built over a decade of experience in the industry, reviewing and highlighting brands and products, including pocket knives, flashlights, wallets, watches, bags, pens, and much more.

Bernard is known for bringing everyday carry out of obscurity and into the mainstream, having been published or featured in various publications such as GQ, TIME Magazine, The New York Times, VICE, HYPEBEAST, Outside, and many others. He has also played a part in curating, designing, and developing digital and physical products, resulting in successful crowdfunding projects or limited edition collaboration products with established softgoods brands. He stays on the pulse of the EDC industry by attending trade shows, participating in online interest communities, and actively engaging with fellow gear enthusiasts on social media.

In addition to being the editor-in-chief and main social media personality for EverydayCarry.com, Bernard is an avid gearhead and collector in general. His personal collections span technical bags, fountain pens, digital cameras, retro gaming hardware, personal hi-fi audio gear, and mechanical wristwatches, to name a few. Bernard Capulong is a prominent figure and trusted authority in the everyday carry industry with a career dedicated to helping people discover this hobby and stay prepared with quality gear.

Discussion (12 total)

Goldthunder ·
Good choice ... also look at recycled firefighter. Few options on smaller bags, water resistant, rugged and made in the good ole USA.
3l3phant ·
The link to the Dyneema A5 Zip Pouch throws a 404 on Etsy ...
T Shrapnel-Carruthers ·
To keep things organised, and facilitate switching between bags, I use several different pouches, of various makes. These range from two nylon pencil cases that cost a couple of € each from a local store, a quarter-size packing cube from Eagle Creek (cheaper than Tumi), to a Tumi cable pouch that came with my briefcase.
weehawk ·
This might sound weird but I'm really in love with these wet/dry bags I have. They make them for parents with kids in diapers, but honestly who doesn't need at least one bag that can either safely keep electronics etc. dry or keep something that's wet from getting everything else wet? I just went for a few with very non-nursery themed fabric. They're available anywhere baby stuff is sold. This has absolutely improved my quality of life, lol.
7 more comments