It’s almost the end of the year, and it’s been a good one for EDCers. From knives to lights to bags to tech, there have been plenty of releases primed and ready to be added to our kit. We obviously love talking about gear around here, and with this series, the Everyday Carry staff have put together a few lists of the ones we can’t wait to get our hands on. We hope it gives you a good idea of products that you may have missed throughout the year, and gets you as excited as we are to pick up the latest and greatest gear for your EDC.
5 Bags We Want Right Now
Aer Duffel Pack 2
Mikey Bautista: I’ve been doing a lot of traveling lately and found myself in a position to try packing as light as possible for a couple of flights, meaning living out of my laptop backpack and saving myself time and hassle by not having luggage checked in. It was as convenient as you’d expect, letting me breeze through the arrival at my destination, but unpacking became a chore as a bag built for laptops isn’t as friendly for organizing clothes and other gear. Aer’s new Duffel Pack was on my mind a lot as I moved around as I could have used its specialized compartments like its front-loading main storage and dedicated shoe storage to streamline my stuff, while still organizing and keeping my laptop and other smaller essentials within reach. Added bonuses include its padded and adjustable, well, everything for comfort from plane to pavement, and modern construction means I get the benefit of the latest materials like 1680D Cordura nylon and Duraflex hardware to keep my gear dry and protected in inclement Philippine weather.
DSPTCH Daypack “Moss Green”
Ed Jelley: In my opinion, DSPTCH makes some of the coolest bags around. The military-inspired designs feature super durable materials, but with a distinctly urban aesthetic. I particularly like how they make use unique fabrics like the speckled twill, black camo Cordura, and waxed canvas. This year, they released their line in a new “Moss Green” colorway. I’m guilty on several accounts of buying the same bag in different colors, and I’m strongly considering picking up another Daypack in the Moss Green. The internal organization is just enough to hold things in place, but not over the top to where you don’t have any room for larger items inside the bag. There’s a dedicated padded laptop sleeve, a tablet sleeve, internal water bottle pockets, and a useful side zip front compartment for smaller items. The bag can also hold their padded camera inserts, turning this already versatile bag into a camera carrying system. Another bonus of the Moss Green color way is the water-repelling 1680D ballistic nylon exterior (versus the thinner 500D on the “Black Camo” version I have) that helps the bag keep its shape. Best of all, DSPTCH packs are made in the USA.
Outlier Ultrahigh Waterfall System
Bernard Capulong: I’m a self-proclaimed minimalist, except for when it comes to my black bag collection. I’m also a sucker for experimental designs and futuristic materials or construction, so the most exciting bag release from this year for me was the Ultrahigh Waterfall System from Outlier. It’s an experimental cross-body bag that’s simple in theory, but executed with really high level materials and hardware. Think of it like 3 MOLLE-compatible stuff sacks of different sizes attached to each other, but made using ultra light, ultra strong, waterproof materials. It’s more than enough to hold just the essentials, and it rewards you for packing less by keeping lightweight and low bulk when empty. The best part is that it’s super modular, meaning you can separate the bag into 3 separate MOLLE pouches, or hook the whole thing into another backpack for internal organization if needed. It’s definitely on the pricier side, but few alternatives at lower pricepoints come close in terms of weight, modularity, and material performance.
5.11 Tactical Rapid Quad Zip Pack
Jonathan Tayag: I love the durability tactical bags give me, but I dislike how hard it can be to get things in and out of them. This seems to be a common theme with tactical bags but I wish it wasn’t. The 5.11 Rapid Quad Zip pack is different though. It has a 4-way U-zip flap that gives complete access to the main compartment from any point of entry. The 27 liter capacity is spacious, but it’s not a bulky and heavy pack. The compression straps help keep things slim when the bag isn’t filled to the brim as well. Plus it has a padded laptop section and mesh admin areas to keep my EDC organized. Also, it doesn’t look too tactical, especially in some of the other colors it comes in. While there is MOLLE to accommodate any accessories I want to install, it’s not overdone. It has a low-profile design that doesn’t look out of place to me even in an urban environment.
ARKTYPE Dashpack
Adam Molina: As a bag addict I really don’t need any more bags to add to my collection, but the ARKTYPE Dashpack caught my eye because of how it blends minimal and tactical design elements into a single discreet package. This obviously isn’t a bag you can live out of if you’re backpacking across Europe, but luckily I have a bag for that. The slim 15L Dashpack is more at home carrying the things that I use for work should I decide to head out to a coffee shop. It’s sized about right even for leisure if I drive by a trail that looks like a fun hike. Here in the Pacific Northwest, it rains often, so having water-resistant materials to protect my gear is a must. Between the YKK zippers and the 1680 ballistic nylon exterior the Dashpack has me covered in that aspect. It also has webbing along the bottom for added modularity (first-aid kits, clipped gear, etc.), internal webbing for organization (extra charging cables, EDC gear) and dual side pockets for a water bottle, which is a useful feature that’s sometimes missing from minimal bags. The Dashpack seems like it would have my back on an average day but remain practical when the going gets tough, which is what EDC gear is all about.
What new bag is on your EDC wishlist?
Now that you’ve seen what we want, we’d love to hear about what bags you want that came out the past year. Let us know in the comments below, and we’ll feature your picks in a follow-up article!
