It’s a big EDC market out there, and tons of awesome gear is released all the time. We made The Drop to help you discover the latest and greatest essentials worth a spot in your EDC.
Along with Dyneema, X-Pac is one of the most popular and desirable materials you can find on modern EDC bags and pouches. In many ways, it’s a significant upgrade over yesteryear’s plain ripstop or nylon exteriors, having proven its mettle in extreme environments like the racing sailcloths it was built for. Many popular bagmakers have made it a point to release special or collaborative versions of their flagship bags in X-Pac, including GORUCK, whose GR series have been community staples for top-tier tactical backpacks for years.
And while GORUCK’s early experimentations with advanced technical materials originally started with exclusive collaborations, they’ve gone all in on X-Pac, letting it be the foundation of their iconic GR1 and GR2 in their latest collection. If you’re unfamiliar, the GR1—in its two sizes of 21L and 26L—is the bag that laid the foundation for GORUCK’s popularity in EDC. Its simple but efficient use of bombproof materials and construction, full clamshell-opening main compartment, hidden laptop compartment, mega-padded straps, and MOLLE-compatible webbing for all the modifications you can muster has given the bag an enduring, buy-it-for-life appeal, and it’s only taken off from there with colors, collaborations, and exclusives over the years.
The GR2 is the GR1’s wider brother and incorporates a front section across its 26L, 34L, and 40L sizes which gives you a whole new compartment to organize with, in addition to a field pocket integrated into the top section. This extra space and a few more pockets make the GR2 line ideal for travel and is highly regarded as one of the best onebag options out there.
In addition to fresh new VX21 X-Pac (which is the same layered laminate technology with a 210D nylon face, hence “21”) exterior across all the bags, they come with a few more features from their collaborations that are now standard for the line, including YKK AquaGuard zippers that pairs perfectly with the water resistance of X-Pac and the much-coveted quick access pocket at the top of the bags that used to be an exclusive feature of the limited releases.
What we like: Fans of GORUCK’s rucksacks now have even more choices at their disposal when choosing the perfect EDC bag, and community favorite X-Pac is definitely a welcome option.
What to watch out for: Advanced technical materials come with a price, and GORUCK’s isn’t cheap. Still, a lifetime, no-questions-asked warranty care of their Scars team can be priceless to some.
Final verdict: CORDURA who?
