For years, I've carried my EDC tools in a SpecOps Brand Packrat. Overtime, it has gotten pudgier and pudgier, and seen the addition of custom slings and been modified itself with a single MOLLE/ALICE attachment point along the top inside, and a large loop velcro patch on the outside. About a year ago, I decided that I would at some point upgrade to a Maxpedition Jumbo.
Some point was a month ago. A word about the vendor- I went through
American Equipage , they are new-ish and small. It took an extra week because they were out of stock, but once they had the bags on hand, it was in the mail to me. I mention them because they have very good customer service, and they are asking $62 plus shipping on their Jumbos as of the time of the order.
First up, the bag. The Bag of Tricks Mk 2 is a black Maxped Jumbo. Most of us are familiar with the pack, so I'll not bother with a full fledged review, just observations. Mine is a second generation Jumbo, so it lacks the original's locking buckle on the main pouch with a non-locking one, and the original PALS channels on the top pocket with more loops side velcro. I like the first change.
The zipper on my back pocket doesn't seem to quite close at the starting end, and every so often I'll see it has opened three or four teeth back there. Not a big deal- I am not carrying a pistol back there, and as it seems to have stopped when I changed my internal configuration I suspect I had over packed this guy (more on that later). As it is a self healing zipper, it just takes
a moment to fix the problem. Other than that, the fit and finish is perfect.
I have a minor grumble with the design of the water bottle pouch, and that is that the cords spread around the bottle which is a little less secure with a wide mouth bottle than it would be with a narrow neck.
Modifications/Additions:
I laced shock cord through the webbing on zippered side pocket, so I can compress it down. I have pens in there, I don't need a lot of depth, and I can use it to hold gloves. With black-on-black, they are almost invisible in the photo.
On the front side's "sling root" (for lack of a better term) I have added a pair of small wire gate biners, and a third to the back sling root. The front ones anchor the lanyard for my cell phone (yes, I finally broke down and joined the 21 century), my keys, and a 16oz Nalgene I call my "gypsy bottle" and make tea in. Also to the front PALS webbing, I've added a two-cell HSGI pistol magazine pouch, which holds my Leatherman Supertool, a McFeely Pocket Wrench II, and my cell phone (with a pair of nitrile gloves under the phone to serve as a riser).
Internally, I'm using a Case Logic HDD case, one of their 6-cell thumb drive cases and a small white Johnson & Johnson box for organization. More on that later.
Suggested Factory Modifications:
Stiffen the top edge of the non-mesh pocket in the main pocket more. It is prone to rolling if there is heavy stuff clipped to it.
The pocket under the lid should have two zippers, so it can go either way.
Increase the size of the loop patch in the CCW pocket. And add something better for a pull, this takes too long to find by touch.
Some simple loops inside of the main pocket- not key leashes, just a place were we can tie one in if we need it, or add a small biner with a SAK or a tiny flashlight. Or glowring.
Bring back the PALS on the top pocket. Functionally, it makes pretty much no difference for me, but I think the PALS webbing is more versatile.
Even better, bring out a variant model with PALS webbing instead of the top and side zippered pockets. I can use them as is, but there are other things I rather do. As it is, it is VERY good in terms of lay out, but customizable would be better.
And no matter what, DO NOT remove the storm flap. I know a lot of people hate it. But since I live about a mile from work, I often walk, and this is critical.
The Items:
Enough with the outsides- none of you clicked on this for that.
MIght as well start at the back. In the water bottle holder I have *dramatic pause* a 32 ounce Nalgene. I also wiggled a GSI space saver cup into the bottom of it. A little tricky to get in and out, but when I want it, it is worth it.
Moving to the front pocket, I carry a small note book, a good pen, my check/date book, my wallet, and my watch and work pass card. And pocket change, now in a 35mm film cannister to keep it a little quieter.
At the front, I've got the phone, LM, second set of gloves, and pens I mentioned, plus my keys. I know that most people don't leash their phones- mine first one went through the snowblower less than two days after I got it, I'm justifiably paranoid. The top pocket carries my sun glasses.
The flap pocket carries my MP3 player and ear buds, and quite often a small plastic box with a dozen standard dice in it.
The back pocket has the 3-cell magazine adapter. Two of them are currently empty, the third has a Surefire G2 in it. I also carry an AMK SOL in there, to which I've added some aluminum foil and a Sparklite, improved the fishing/sewing kit, a couple small zipties and some MicroPur tabs.
Inside is where the real action is.
The front/non-mesh slip pocket has my mini-FAK (pair of nitriles, 3 2x2s, assorted bandaids, antihistamines, psuedoephidrine, tylenol, immodium), trauma sheers, standard-sized zip ties, wire cutters, Light My Fire spork, a current sniffer and a tire pressure gauge. The back/pocket has a MiniMag with the NiteIze LED conversion, bore inspection whip, a half-size notebook, a small spool of solid core wire, and a dental mirror. My "minimalist EDC" of a Vic Climber and a Gerber Infinity are clipped to the cord for the water bottle "flap" when I'm not at home (then, they are in my pocket or tucked into the waistband of my sweats). I also have a Tikka headlamp in here, along with an Essential Gear Gaurdian in red clipped to the back of it to serve as a "tail lamp".
The white J&J box carries a half dozen each AA and AAA batteries, and a pair of CR123s. It isn't optimal, but it works.
In the thumb drive case I carry thumbdrives, the rechargeable AAAs that I use in my MP3 player, short USB cable for my MP3 player, and the headset for my cellphone. It also has a mesh pocket on the outside which I carry two pouches of E'Mergen'C drink mix.
The HDD case has my Doc Allen Versatool, a variety of bits, a 2" and a 6" adaptor, a small set of metric sockets (need to change that, most of my stuff is Imperial right now), a thumb driver and a pair of hemostats. I've got a set of precision drill bits, some needle files, and a set of precision screwdriver bits and their handle (phillips, straight and torx). They are accompanied by a LM Squirt E4, 4" zip ties, and duct and electricians tapes.
Now, some might have noticed that this is the Bag of Tricks Mk 2 Mod 1, not Mod 0. That is because the Mod 0 package had all the smaller items in an inside out PackRat. It does fit, very snuggly. But you can't get good access to the various tools that way. It felt overstuffed, and was hard to close. So the Mod 0 period ended yesterday. This change even gives me room to add something if I need it, say a paperback and a hairbrush when traveling, or a pair of socks and a small meal. You can see the bulk below.
[img]
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i132/ironraven/BOT2_main.jpg[/img]
Taken in total, I've got a liter and half of water, several ways to start a fire, a cup, and PSK, along with small tools. With my ditch kit, it gets me home.
Future Modifications/Additions:
Replace the standard cord on the water bottle flap with shock cord, with a second cordlock so it can hold a wide mouth bottle a little better.
Procure a second of the Case Logic HDD cases to consolidate some of the smaller stuff (headlamp, batteries, thumbdrives, etc). That will probably happen in a few weeks.
I am looking at a number of pouches to put on the rear sling root. The Emdom Blow Out Medical Bag (BOMB) has struck my fancy, being lighter and with less extra stuff on it than the very similar FR-1 from Maxped. But they are very tall for this area, 7", so I'll have to figure out a GOOD way of attaching the very top of the MALICE clips to the Keyper. This would be used for my FAK. Alternatively, I know that pouches in the size range of the Maped M-1 and Anemone work perfectly back there, they just aren't as convinent in terms of layout for a FAK as they are top loaders. Either way, this gets a real FAK at that point.
I am giving serious consideration to adding a Janus, but want to get the FAK mounted first.
I'm also strongly considering modding the sling so there is a second SBR on it, similar to the Fatboy modified by
HarlDane over on EDCF. The difficulty is locating the UTX Warrior buckles. Given the difficulty in locating those, I might simply cannibalize the ones from the unneeded strap extension of the Janus.
In terms of gear, the MiniMag will get a clip and filters as soon as I can find a local source. I intend to locate a AA recharger for my cell phone, and add a Krill lamp or Glo-Toob Lithium (I really want them to make a 1xAA model). I am hoping to locate a supplier for tritium glowrings that doesn't have the "will customs let it pass or am I out of luck" issues to illuminate the inside of the main pocket.
I'm also going to swap the subdued flag with a full color one, and add a moral size Vermont flag and a couple of other meters. I've looked at picking up one of the 2" wide adhesive reflector strips, and attaching it lengths of it to hook side velcro that I can add if need be. With all the black I wear, road kill is an unwelcome possibility.
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