Fanny packs & other carry all pouches

[JD Spydo]

I carry a lot of knives and other assorted items when I go hunting, fishing, hiking or just out having fun. I discovered the Victorinox Swiss army fanny packs and man are they really well equipped for travel, work, sports or just plain having the tools accessories one needs at a time of need. They have all kinds of nice hidden compartments and not so obvious pockets and such. I got a feeling though that some of you might even have better ideas than that so tell me if you do. I like the fanny packs that Victorinox makes because they don't draw any undue attention to yourself. They look very benign and inconspicuous and I have never had the authorities even so much as give me a second look.

If there is another way of carrying, transporting, or utilizing the tools of the trade I do hope that some of you would share it with the rest of us. I do think it is a good idea to stay "stealthy" in our current political climate. Are there maybe any belts or belt type devices out there that I am unaware of ? I have heard that North Face also makes fine equipment for those purposes as well. ; :cool: :spyder:

[The Deacon]

JD, up to a couple weeks ago, I'd have agreed that fanny packs tended to look benign. So did backpacks and "laptop computer" type shoulder bags. However, I think the climate has changed dramatically in the past two weeks, at least where the use of public transportation and entry into public buildings is concerned. Am sure it's a different story out in the woods and fields, but I would no longer count on "the authorities" ignoring the presence of such items. I do use a shoulder bag, mostly on work days, to carry everything from a spare Spydie to my lunch. Has all kinds of compartments and pockets in it. Purchased it from a "dollar store" type place in NYC while on a sight-seeing trip. It was probably sewn up by eight year olds somewhere is Asia, but it has stood up to five years of work day use.

[Ted]

JD Spydo, I have an BailOutBag from CountyComm coming my way. I don't plan to use it as a BailOutBag but as a bag to carry around my camera and other gear that I usually take with me (flash light, bottle of water, cell phone). It got's loads of pockets so it should be really handy. I used to carry a small 10L backpack, which is one big pocket where my camera had no protection. I just hope it won't be too tactical looking for urban environments. Especially with the recent events...
This would be a nice option also.

[Jimd]

Any links to the Victorinox bags?

[pjrocco]

JD,

I have a pretty nice Jansport camo backpack that I take with me when I can get away from the city and do some fishing/camping.

It was like $16.00 at Wal-mart. :D

It has a nice spot for a first-aid kit, bottle of something to drink, couple nice small pockets to hang some :spyder: in, and a nice size from pocket I can put my travel tool kit in. After all that there is plenty of room for what ever else you want to toss in there. Clothes, laptop, etc...

Although the fanny pack is a novel idea, I just dislike something hanging around my waist, especailly if I'm walking fast.. "bounce, bounce" :p

[WORKER#9]

Well Jd We Must Be Related! :D I Carry My Gear In Some Off Brand El Cheapo Fanny Pack, Not That It Is Not A Nice Nylon Pack. Just No Name Brand. Now In California Looking Cool Is Important And Nothing Makes You Look Like An Off Duty Cop Or A Serious Geek Like A Fanny Pack. Yet I Still Take Mine Out. I Need To Carry To Much Extra Stuff And There Is Just No Other Way To Do It Unless I Have The Fanny Pack. I Carry Flashlights, Leatherman Charge, My Cell Phone, And On And On. Now At Work People Never Fail To Comment When I Arrive With My Fanny Pack, Comments Like Nice Purse As The Laugh Down The Hallway. It Is These Same Jack O*** That Are Back In My Office Latter That Day, Asking If They Can Borrow My Leatherman Or Flashlight Or Extra Knife That I Keep In There. Its Fun To Toy With Them And Ask For A $100 Dollar Deposit. So I Am A Fanny Pack Guy! There It Is Out In The Open. And Thanks To You I Will Check Out The Victorinox Bags Asap!

[vampyrewolf]

I'll have to get pics of the contents of my laptop case

My gear bag:

Front section(zippered and pouches):
1LED/3AAA light, white paint marker
card wallet(medical, insurance, pool)
byrd pelican, pain meds
butane torch
5LED/2AA light, 2 pens
cell phone
Spydie doublestuff, AA batt(for mp3 player), spare boot laces, mints

main section: front:
7oz flask
tensor bandage
aerosol Old Spice
the twins(leavitt drop points)

main section: rear:
large FMP with pen/pencil, 5 mini glowsticks, 1/2 pad of paper
16 cd holder with computer backup

comp backup consists of:
*2 MP3 dvd's for 7.5-8gb worth of music
*DBAN 1.0.5.1386 {Boot & Nuke}
*Data Backup 1 & 2(14 june 05)
*c:\windows backup
*d:\ system_save backup
*Dyne:Bolic 1.4.1 (gsu/linux runs from the cd on boot)
*old backup(30 may 05)
*compaq recovery disk, win xp pro, win SP2

edit: and space to spare for a 1litre bottle

[hanswurst]

for outdoor activities you can't beat camelbacks. most models have plenty of pockets for knives, fist aid kit and whatever else you want to lug around.

marco

[rastus]

The discussion of fanny packs came up several times on a CCW related forum. The black fanny packs were said (by some of the LEO's on the forum) to scream "Gun"!
One suggestion that I thought was good was to sew a patch on the FP that said "Sony' or anything that made the pack look like it held a walkman (That really dates the thread, now it would be "diskman" or MP-3-Man or something).
I guess a Victorinox FP would be perfect, if it had the cross thing on it.
---Tom

[David Lowry]

Any links to the Victorinox bags?

Victorinox Lumbar Pack
http://luggageonline.com/product.cfm?pr ... &C=KA23450


Victorinox Trek Pack Plus
http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_getp ... d=9813687/




As far as i know you can get them in black or red.

[Joe Talmadge]

These days, many bags make a statement you may not want to make (leather tote = european fancyboy; fannypack = geek), but courrier type bags are "in". They also work really well to carry stuff around. I've been using this:

http://www.rei.com/online/store/Product ... REI_SEARCH

It's not too big and doesn't look too geekish on you. Nice thing about it is that it rides comfortably at your back, and does not tend to swing around when you move, it just stays there. When you want something from the bag, just swing it around front. Ya, okay, it's a manpurse, but at least as good a solution as any I could come up with.

[gordonk]

Joe - sounds about right. I use a fanny pack and I work in IT (software testing = geek) :D The majority of the developers/programmers in my division (I work in a research and product development division) also use fanny packs :) I use my fanny pack to keep my wallet/keys/change/cheque book in. I tend to sit a lot, so a wallet or folder in my back pocket can get annoying. Convenient for most part - come in firs thing, drop it in my desk drawer. In Calgary, it seems to be a pretty normal thing. Also agree with you about those messenger bags. Up here, they seem to be getting more and more popular. I have one, but it's a bit on the wide side - been trying to find something similar but smaller, but still have some small pockets available. Maxpedition seems to have some nice ones, but I haven't seen any locally - I don't mind spending that kind of money, but wouldn't mind seeing one first. I have several smaller daypacks that I'm using currently.

- gord

[Irish Lager]

have you looked at the maxpedition fatboy s type? theyre pretty neat, i have been thinking of getting one. right now i have a kelty creel LG. it serves most of my needs as well. perhaps you would like it. can be carried w/ sholder strap, or has a conceilable belt to carry it as a fanny pack. both are great bags. hope this helps.
GS

[Joe Talmadge]

The Maxpeditions were a wonder the first time I tried them on. Cooler looking than a fannypack, well-organized, modular. As I carried it more, two problems began to bother me so much that I searched for a new bag (and ended up with the REI Mini above). First, unlike the Mini, the Maxpedition Fatboy does swing around on you. Every time you move, or even if you don't, you'll find the Fatboy moving from where it's comfortable (lower back) to where it's not (around front). It's a horrible annoyance. Maxpedition noticed this too, and "fixed" the problem by giving you a way to leash the Fatboy to your belt loop. That solves the problem of the pack swinging around front, but introduces a bigger problem: you no longer have the ability to swing your Fatboy around to the front when you need to get something out of it, or while driving or sitting, which means you've lost one of the big advantages of a courrier type pack.

Second problem, which might not bother everyone as much as me, is that to get to the main compartment, you have to go through a stiff clip. That's a pain: the way to get into and out of pockets easily is with zippers, not with clips.

I have only one problem with the REI Mini, which is that there's no outside pocket for a water bottle. I'm lazily searching for a new pack, but so far haven't found anything with the Mini's other advantages.

Joe

[JD Spydo]

I just recently had a very good Knife Dealer friend of mine introduce me to the Maxpedition line. I must say that I was impressed at first look. I would like to see them in person to see if they truly are what they appear to be.

Although I do think you all would benefit to take a hard look at the VICTORINOX line. I have 5 of their storage packs, fanny packs, laptop pack and I can't say enough good things about them. The Victorinox is so durable that I believe you would have to make a concerted effort to damage them. Victorinox is truly a quality company. You can find a myriad of their products on Ebay at super low prices. IF you are gearing up for survival then you need to take a closer look at them. JD :spyder: O

[Stormdrane]

I just wear black or navy BDUs all the time, with 6 pockets, there's room for whatever I need to carry.

[gordonk]

I'm actually hoping to get a peek at a Maxpedition of some sort this week sometime, probably Friday (I'm taking that off this week :D ) and get down to Seal Action Gear and take a snoop. For me, the Fatboy looks like a great alternative for my daypack. My fanny pack is convenient, because I can just grab it and head out for lunch. Anything larger would just get in the way. I use our transit system to go from home to work, and finding something reasonably compact, but at the same time, hold all the "things" you need and be conveniently located seems to be the never ending challenge :)

- gord

[jaislandboy]

Nothing Makes You Look Like An Off Duty Cop Or A Serious Geek Like A Fanny Pack.....LOL :)
I've been using an LLbean fanny pack for about 6 years (I never strap it on though) I just carry it like a "man-bag"....to keep all my crap together. ****, I missed the fashion boat again!

[J Smith]

I have a fatboy and a protus pack on the way.I think the fatboy will be about the right size to carry stuff while at gun-knife shows.

[JD Spydo]

I also have obtained an "over the shoulder" type pack which has about the same capacity as the fanny pack but will hold slightly more than the traditional fanny pack. Maybe with all that you guys have said it might be the way to go. It is a Victorinox product as well. Their line is just great quality. I even got one of their wallets and it is the best, most functional one I ever had. This over the shoulder is not like a conventional "back pack" at all and is more inconspicuous. The whole reason for me running this thread is to find out what else is out there. :spyder: