Gear Haulers- you've got the gear, what do you carry it in?

When I go camping with my daughter and her kids, we bring a lot of gear, including folding chairs, blow up mattresses, etc. Usually the camp site is about 1/4 mile from the parking lot. She bought a fold-up wagon, with fat plastic tires. It is bulky, but handy. Of course, Poppy wanted something bigger and better :rolleyes:

So I built it! :)

Please see my instructable here
 
Been using the Maxpedition G.T.G since the middle of November now and I really like the bag. I wouldn't have paid full price for it as I don't think it's that wonderful, I believe a UTG, Condor, or Drago bag would be just as good, but overall it does do a good job at keep my daily items organized. I carry it with me everywhere, every day and it shows no signs of any wear. The maxpedition individual first aid pouch makes for a great organizer for the main pocket and can be used as a smaller grab and go pouch.
 
My everyday backpack is the TL pack by Black Ember. So much space inside, it's waterproof and looks pretty schmick :)
 
A discontinued Victorinox "Swiss Army" backpack. I looked, but they don't offer it anymore. It's outlasted two wives. :)

It's my bug-out bag.

+1. My Victorinox laptop bag is about 10 years old. It looks like the day I got it - indestructible. I don't use it every day, but when I do it's relatively hard use. Not big enough for a bug-out bag, though.
 
I have two Vertx bags that I switch between for EDC the Commuter sling and the Gamut.

I like the Commuter sling when I am in town driving mostly from home to office - it does not hold much but my biggest items are a laptop and Ipad (+my EDC) this one can conceal a handgun and allow you to get to it pretty fast.

the Gamut I use when I am going out of town on business. I usually only have to go to NYC twice a year for meetings and does the job there with all the walking you have to do. It is smaller than the gamut plus but that works out well because I think down my load when walking around.

Both bags are well made but expensive and I would recommend that you look for discounts before buying.
 
This past weekend we took one of my grand-kids camping with the cub-scouts.

It was a great weekend of shooting bb guns, arrows, fire building, cooking, hiking, etc.

Smores!

When you go with the scouts, they want the kids to carry a pack on a short stoll, as though they were going on a three day outing, without seeing the weather forecast. :shakehead We did some geocaching and a three mile hike. All of the kids carried knapsacks crammed with gear. I ended up carrying one of the kids bags for them or they wouldn't have finished the trip.

My grandson, OTOH, packed light, and traveled at the head of the pack. :)

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He had a fanny pack with two bottles of water, and a bear bell attached to the outside.
Inside he had a mylar emergency blanket, and a larger "SOL Heatsheets"
two whistles, a compass, pencil, dry marker and index cards, bottle of Deet,
a pair of nitrile gloves, a pair of socks, and thin plastic bags (if his shoes get wet, he can put fresh dry socks on, cover them with the plastic bags, and put his wet shoes back on, but still keep his feet dry.)
A pair of velcro high visibility reflective bands, AND an "Altoids Survival Tin"

The altoids tin contains:
Altoids Tin Survival

Cutting edge (Utility knife Blade)

Water purification

Fire - Flashlight - Compass

Cordage... (Wire and Dental floss)


Missing a whistle, and mylar/space
blanket :(


Fire:

Cut down Magnesium bar with flint bar
and hacksaw blade striker

Small Bic lighter

Three sealed plastic straws of
vaselined cotton balls mixed with Mg dust.


Water:
coffee filter (to be used as a prefilter) (SHTF dust mask)
folded aluminum 16-24oz. container (made from aluminum (approximately 7"x9") cut from throw-away aluminum roasting pan)
folded 2 qt mylar bag marked at 16 and 24 oz.
2 spring clips to hold bag over fire
22 ga wire wrapped around lighter
12 iodine tablets in 3 sealed straws

instructions for pasteurize temp and iodine use

candle to melt at 145F and 160F as a pasturization thermometer

gumball size plumber's putty to repair alum container (I unfolded one that I made and found that the corner developed a hole in it)

Additional items

Utility knife blade taped to cover

12 lumin 4 button cell Browning bore-scope flashlight 8 hours runtime

compass

six feet minted dental floss.
six feet 22 guage wire wrapped around lighter
<HR> _______________________________________________________________________</hr>

The standard magnesium bar with mesh metal flint glued to the side takes up WAY too much room. I cut off about 80% of it and put some of the shavings into a straw with the vaseline coated cotton balls. I left some of the Magnesium to give the mesh metal support.
 
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When I go camping with my daughter and her kids, we bring a lot of gear, including folding chairs, blow up mattresses, etc. Usually the camp site is about 1/4 mile from the parking lot. She bought a fold-up wagon, with fat plastic tires. It is bulky, but handy. Of course, Poppy wanted something bigger and better :rolleyes:

So I built it! :)

Please see my instructable here

Nice work, Poppy! I'm reorganizing my small SUV since we're expecting another little one. Gonna have to keep a stroller in there at all times. It will help with hauling though.

--------------------

I have to travel for work and I stay a few days on the average in 2-4 countries a month. From 1st to 3rd world countries.
Being an outsider in a lot of places, I try to be as self-sufficient as I can when and try not to attract much or if any attention.
Going through airport security often limits what I can bring on the plane and depending on the destination country, what I can bring when out and about.

I just switched from an anti-theft Pacsafe Metrosafe 200 GII shoulder/sling bag for my local EDC. The Pacsafe is for my international EDC. Nothing wrong with the bag as the quality is good and the features nice, it just didn't have space for a pistol when I'm in my home country. Need a different bag for local and international travel since changing bags and transferring my EDC gear everytime is a pain.

I was looking into pistol bags from the staple makers like Maxpedition but they didn't have the anti-theft features that my Pacsafe had.

Then I came across the Travelon Anti-theft Pistol bag.
6a00d83453140969e2014e8b93814b970d-580wi


What makes these bags anti-theft is the steel mesh surrounding the compartments to prevent slashing, high tensile wires in the straps to prevent slash & grab as well. The strap also is unclippable so it can be tied around a fixture. Helps prevent crime of opportunity unless the thief also plans on dragging the whole chair or table with him as well.
Pacsafe and Travelon have similar anti-theft features
 
Nice work, Poppy! I'm reorganizing my small SUV since we're expecting another little one. Gonna have to keep a stroller in there at all times. It will help with hauling though.

--------------------

I have to travel for work and I stay a few days on the average in 2-4 countries a month. From 1st to 3rd world countries.
Being an outsider in a lot of places, I try to be as self-sufficient as I can when and try not to attract much or if any attention.
Going through airport security often limits what I can bring on the plane and depending on the destination country, what I can bring when out and about.

I just switched from an anti-theft Pacsafe Metrosafe 200 GII shoulder/sling bag for my local EDC. The Pacsafe is for my international EDC. Nothing wrong with the bag as the quality is good and the features nice, it just didn't have space for a pistol when I'm in my home country. Need a different bag for local and international travel since changing bags and transferring my EDC gear everytime is a pain.

I was looking into pistol bags from the staple makers like Maxpedition but they didn't have the anti-theft features that my Pacsafe had.

Then I came across the Travelon Anti-theft Pistol bag.
6a00d83453140969e2014e8b93814b970d-580wi


What makes these bags anti-theft is the steel mesh surrounding the compartments to prevent slashing, high tensile wires in the straps to prevent slash & grab as well. The strap also is unclippable so it can be tied around a fixture. Helps prevent crime of opportunity unless the thief also plans on dragging the whole chair or table with him as well.
Pacsafe and Travelon have similar anti-theft features

Congratulations on the upcoming new little one! :thumbsup:
Yeah... those strollers properly set up can be a life saver regarding carrying gear. LOL, and with a new little one... one carries gear! :)

Thank you for explaining what makes a bag anti-theft. I had no idea.

I hope that ALL pistol bags have anti-theft wiring.

We did an overnight camp out with the cubs two weeks ago.
It is great when the kids get big enough that they can haul the gear. :)
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We made two trips.
This one had tent, two tarps, cooler, stove, cooking pans, cleanup, tent pegs and line, a Royobi bag full of multiple fire starting methods so the kids can have fun, smores, three folding chairs, flashlights, 12V battery and 12V air pump for 2X air mattresses.

The second trip had a large plastic container of sleeping bags and the two full size air mattresses. It could have been strapped on top, but the trip wasn't that far, and it was just easier that way.
 
That's awesome poppy, great way to haul gear when it's for many people. In the winter here we do similar when on foot (or snowmobile then by foot) big ol' sled with tents and all. Works well
 
I'd have thought that you would use dogs. :)

Each year the scouts have a "Klondike Derby" where a team of scouts are the dogs pulling a sled loaded with gear (over snow, or grass, weather depending) and they have to compete, to complete various scouting tasks, knot tie-ing, first aid, fire-building (flint and steel), compass orienteering etc.

It's a fun day... full of exertion! LOL... at the end of the day, my grandson was asleep in the back seat of the car before we made it to the bottom of the mountain. :)

I built that cart from a harbor freight cargo carrier that slips into a class III receiver hitch, and parts from a jogging stroller. The wheels snap in and out at the push of a button, and the handle of course folds down for compactness.
I wrote up an instructable here
 
We went camping again this past weekend.

We made two trips bringing all the gear to the site, but on the way out, I decided to do it in one.

I didn't bring stuff sacks for the bags, because I store them loose, not stuffed. The second trip was primarily the four bulky bags, and sleeping pads. All thrown into a bin and tied down.

On the way out, I decided to use one sleeping bag as a stuff sack for the other three, and just strap it on top of all the other gear. It worked great! :)

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Questions for bagaholics; I'm thinking I need to finally start carrying an EDC bag. I think I am going for a Med Cafe Bag from Tom Bihn after reading that thread. I have some smaller Maxpedition pouches I can put in it to organize gear as well. Do you guys carry your EDC bags all the time? Do they stay in the car if you go in someplace, say a friend's house or a restaurant or a store? Or do you carry it every moment like women do their purses? I'm thinking if I put my tablet and cords and powerbank, extra lights, cells, multitool, aspirin, etc. in this bag and carry it with me, in many cases the car is close enough that if I need something I can go grab it. At least it's near enough to be useful. What about a concert or fair or movie, where you wouldn't easily be able to go out to it and then return? I cannot deny I am afraid of funny looks if I am walking around a store or into a movie or something with it slung across my shoulder. "Man purse alert!"
 

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