It’s barely begun, but 2022 is already looking to be the year of the EDC pouch. The utility and customizability of the form factor has led to crazy popularity, with brands like Garage Built Gear, Greenroom136, and RoverEDC pushing out releases to meet the immense demand. Alpaka joins the fray with their own take on the EDC pouch, built with the same technical and minimalist design language they’re known for. It fits their futuristic aesthetic, plays well with their modular ecosystem, and offers another versatile option for you to grab a pouch of your own.
The concept of the EDC pouch goes back to the very beginning of EDC. Specialized pouches present a great way to segregate and organize your gear, ensuring the right combinations of equipment are in the right bags or easily switched and moved between them. The most recent version of this pouch comes with two key features that lend to its popularity: it’s a more minimal and pocketable size akin to a caddy you can zip closed, often barely larger than the standard flashlight, knife, and tool combo carried within, and an external loop field on some of the popular models led to the rise of compact RE (Ranger Eye) patches that offer limitless personalization.
The HUB pouch remains on the smaller size at 4.72“ x 3.54”, only slightly larger than a pocket notebook. This size allows it to slide effortlessly into a front pocket or bag compartment while still being able to store a full complement of tools. It opens up clamshell style via YKK reverse coil zippers, allowing it to completely lay flat for ease of loading and unloading.
The pouch dives into two parts. On the left side you’ll find four pockets in a vertical layout, perfect for medium-sized items like a knife, flashlight, or charging cables. Two of these pockets also feature an elastic strap, allowing you to better secure your gear. On the other side, are two wider pockets, are perfect for flat items like a pocket notebook or card and cash essentials that let the HUB be an all-in-one wallet as well. Mirroring the design from their opposite side, one of these pockets has three elastic bands attached as well, handy for storing larger items like your favorite multi-tools.
Alpaka forgoes the loop field in this version of the HUB pouch to make full use of black X-Pac X50 technical fabric for the exterior. This design choice not only gives it an understated, clean look, but it also provides it with abrasion resistance, water resistance, and a light weight. The outside of the pouch also comes with a zippered pocket, perfect for tiny items like spare change, a spare key or an SD card. Thanks to a well-placed loop on the rear, Alpaka’s HUB ecosystem also lets you utilize the HUB pouch to its full potential. The HUB keychain in particular lets you use its modular and magnetic, quick-release system to easily attach and detach the pouch from modular webbing, bag straps and HUB ModPanels.
And the best part of the HUB pouch: its technical versatility comes at a very affordable price point. Pre-order one from Alpaka at the link below.