Everyday Carry

Reader's Choice: 5 Bags EDCers Want in 2018

Authored by:
Mikey Bautista
Reviewed by:
Bernard Capulong
Founder and Editor-in-Chief
14+ Years Reviewing EDC Products
Reader's Choice: 5 Bags EDCers Want in 2018

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Last week our team put together a list of exciting new bags that came out this past year that we'd love to get our hands on. After sharing our picks, we took to the comments and social media to see what you, the readers, were excited about too. In this guide we've listed the bags you've chosen, and we hope it gives you even more great bags to pick from as the holidays come up and the year comes to a close.


KeySmart Urban21 Backpack

Facebook group regular Michael Syvret has an eye out for KeySmart's new Urban21 backpack. While the brand is more recognized for their popular key organization tools, it's no surprise that they're venturing into organizing into the rest of your gear as well. As its name suggests, the Urban21 is a sleek city-dwelling pack that comes with a few fresh features you don't see on its peers. With a focus on comfort and security, the bag comes with a unique hex-shaped foam back pad that hides one of the bag's many secret compartments. Protection is also a priority thanks to a water-resistant front panel, hardshell top compartment for your more sensitive essentials, and padded laptop pocket good for up to 15” machines. The Urban21 even comes with a few nice touches like magnetic Fidlock clasps and super-secure Parafinity stitching on its stress points.

View on Amazon


Dpark New Group Series Sling

Reader Henry picked up the sleek Dpark New Group Series sling earlier this year, and has made it a home for his everyday tech and gaming essentials. The compact bag can fit A4-sized documents, tablets, and other gear into its zippered main compartment, two inner mesh pockets, and outer zip pocket. No need to worry about the weather thanks to the bag's water-resistant canvas exterior, and its polyurethane handle stays durable even with repeated use. And thanks to a breathable strap and rear mesh panel, the Dpark New Group Series sling is a comfortable carry for daily errands. It's an inexpensive, yet effective addition to your daypack stable.

View on Amazon


Bellroy Classic Backpack Plus

Our friendly neighborhood Franklion has his sights set on the Bellroy Classic Backpack Plus, a 22L upgrade to Bellroy's original Classic Backpack, and comes with a few new nifty features. In addition to the larger capacity, the Plus comes a new vertical front pocket for quick access to your smaller essentials. This joins a slew of inner pockets, from a hidden stretch pocket for sensitive essentials like glasses or your phone to zip compartments and a discrete laptop compartment. And keeping it all protected is a water-resistant Venture-weave polyester and leather exterior. If you're looking for a minimalist, sturdy, and fully featured backpack for your EDC, the Bellroy Classic Backpack Plus is a strong option.

View on Amazon


Setout Divide Backpack

Two of our Facebook community members—Martin Chiu and Kim Macapagal—have their eyes on the travel-friendly Setout Divide Backpack. While the beefy 26L pack is designed as a compact carry-on that can expand up to 34L, it's sleek exterior with carry-friendly curves make it an appealing one-bag EDC, too. A classic clamshell opening gives you access into its roomy interior, which you can fill as is or with packing cubes, with elastic straps to lock everything into place. A front admin pocket gives you organization for your essentials, while its rear compartment has laptop duty. Its sides hold a water bottle and compression straps, while dual handles, hideaway shoulder straps, and a removable hip belt take care of travel-oriented tasks.

Buy


DSPTCH Medium Sling Pouch

Alain Victor from Facebook is looking to pick up DSPTCH's Medium Sling Pouch from their latest collection. The pouches are designed to ride comfortably against the body while keeping bulk to a minimum thanks to an ergonomic curved back panel where the strap connects to the bag. They all feature the same adjustable, removable and quick-releasing strap, but vary by their capacity and organization. The Medium Sling Pouch offers higher capacity and a more traditional rectangular pouch shape. Its main compartment is large enough to accommodate a tablet or book along with a few other essentials, while the front of the pack offers more storage via a zippered pocket and a row of webbing for attaching gear. Water-resistant, DWR-treated 1680D ballistic nylon construction for durability and structure, a removable D-ring, tactile zipper pulls, and back panel padding round out the pouch's features and make it a great option as an everyday bag.

Buy

Thanks for your recommendations! We'll be back again soon for more staff picks, and we'd love to hear from you again then.

Mikey Bautista

Director of Everyday Carry Operations


About the Author
Mikey Bautista is an everyday carry (EDC) expert who has been working with the EverydayCarry.com team for nearly a decade, starting with an interest in EDC as a hobby and ending up as a writer for the site in 2014. Through the years, he’s led the site in editorial content and writing about products across every category, from knives to bags to flashlights and everything in between, as well as discovering, bringing exposure, and building bridges with many brands in the industry. Today, he is the site's Director of Everyday Carry Operations, leading the editorial team and managing day-to-day operations.

He has lived through many personal and professional lives, spending nearly a decade in the workforce management industry, a minor career in gaming, and has lent a hand with entrepreneurial efforts back home in the Philippines. He has also been an active participant and helped build a number of significant social communities online, both for EDC and his other hobbies.

Mikey has been at the cusp of gaming, technology, and the internet since the ‘90s and continues to lend his experience, expertise, and authority to all his pursuits. When not online, in a game, or watching movies, you'll find him in the gym, speedrunning his next hobby, or talking at length about EDC with anyone willing to listen.

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 (9 total)

Jim Bell ·
Vertx. I use the Commuter sling and the Courier bag. The commuter sling lacks a water bottle pocket, but carries everything I need for off-work days. The Courier is my travel man-bag. I carry my personal items there, leaving my work stuff in its own Jansport backpack.

Velcro areas allow sharing of holsters and other velcro backed items.
Michael Mutant ·
Ogio Gambit 17 is a solid choice for a go back.. it doesn't have to be anything in particular but it can be a solid EDC/Laptop/Weapon carry option without the tactical look of say, a 5.11 bag.
MONOLITH ·
nope, nope, nope, nope and nope
Chris ·
Agreed.
Carl Bilodeau ·
I could not have said it better.
1 more comments
Daryl ·
I completely recommend the DSPTCH Medium Sling Pouch! It looks really tiny, but the main compartment is actually very roomy and fits quite a lot. The whole tablet thing is a bit of a stretch though, maybe an iPad Mini or something of the like.

If you're looking to get the sling, go with the black colorway for durability. The clear panel is really unique, but feels a bit flimsier because there are just more parts to stitch together I suppose.
Falk Hübner ·
So it doesn't fit a full size iPad?
1 more comments