EDC
Every Day Carry (in case you were wondering). I have been wanting to post about this for some time now. With having 2 children and the desire to carry a gun, I needed to find a solution that would allow me to quickly access my weapon in an emergency and yet have it tucked away from the kids (should they get nosy in my bag) and also be able to carry everything that is normally dumped into my purse (plus some extra!). So the search began. I looked at many purses from the concealed carry genre and was disappointed. All the purses were so tiny and really made only for an evening out, not a war bag as I like to refer to my purse/bag and the price tag easily ran over $250. Aaron finally came up with the idea that we look for a bag in the military sector. I was super skeptical but once I tried this baby out, I was hooked!
Maxpedition is the brand we chose
This is my bag sitting
Here is the shoulder strap - notice my keys dangling? No more lost keys!
View from the top (yes that is a FULL pack of wipes)
This is some of the stuff located in this bag
Another view of the "stuff"
Of course these pictures were taken in August of 2010. I have changed the contents based on our needs. We added a dump pouch/rolypoly to the outside that is a collapsible bag attached to the outside that I can use for anything (normally sippy cups get tossed in there). I also wanted to have my camera easily accessible yet safe for those once-in-a-lifetime picture ops. So we added a 3×5 pouch and it offers protection and is still super easy to get into. We also changed the shoulder strap pad and it was WELL worth it!
This is the Maxpedition Mongo S-type (for lefties technically but it works wonderfully for me as a righty with a cross draw). The price tag is $125 plus the additional accessories. We have close to $200 wrapped up into this bag but it has held up to serious use and it serves me well. I can carry everything I need for a day out with the kids in just this bag and still be armed. It is great! I will say that after hours of wearing it, I do get a bit sore but less sore than had I been carry a purse and diaper bag around with me all day. The best part of it all is that I am hands free carrying this bag. Since it rides across my body, I have complete freedom with my hands. This is wonderful with 2 squiggly boys. And as an added bonus, I can sit Mr.Taters (Abel) right up on the bag to help me carry him around when needed and not completely kill my biceps!
So there you have it, my solution to EDC and yet have supplies on hand for a small emergency without having to make it to the car. Plus since my bag is kept in a temperature controlled environment 99.9% of the time, I need not worry about the sensitivity of some supplies (i.e. food). Again, this has been a lifesaver and definitely worth the money.
Thank you Honey for a great find!
May 11th, 2011 at 6:36 pm
I will add a few remarks:
1. This system is super durable. After about 9 months of beating it around, the 1000 denier Cordura Nylon is just now getting “broken in”. This bag will last far longer than Anna will end up needing it for a purse and diaper bag. Which leads me to my next point…
2. Maxpedition has an entire line of these “Versipack” bags for both left and right side carry, and of all sorts of colors and sizes. I went ahead and assembled this exact configuration in the next size down, called the “Jumbo S-Type“. It is my man purse when such a bag is called for; for Anna to use if we go somewhere without the kids; and it also is great for Anna to use when some day she downsizes permanently because the kids are no longer in diapers or eating baby food.
I think that about covers it, maybe we’ll do a new post just for my man purse?