Alternative Pack Ideas – Out Your Backdoor

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So how do you carry your stuff when you’re out and about?

I use a shoulderbag most days for casual erranding. For a modest step up in outings I use a med.-lg. fannypack with drink-holders. For all day I use yer standard backpack/bookbag-ish thing. Nothing fancy. For better on-trail access to stuff I’ll strap my fannypack on under a pack. I have a narrow medium “Mule” Camelbak bladderpack and a medium real-old ruck to pick from in packs. For a weekend, I’ll bring a bigger vintage Austrian ruck and a duffle.

It’s fun sorting out what works for what kind of activity.

For XC skiing where I’m kinda bobbing up and down and swinging my arms, I have to watch out for stuff dangling from my neck, like binocs, and for bulk to the sides.

I really like my fannypack but I often have about 10 lbs in it and it can sag at times. Rotating it requires constant un-cinching and re-cinching. I use suspenders to keep my pants up and non-binding, so I wonder if it might be neat to clip the fannypack to the suspenders somehow.

I know that many military rigs use suspenders to help carry the load — the vintage packs that I’ve retailed often have harness clips for intense accessories that I’ve never gotten into stocking. The poor military guys are carrying a lot of lead in addition to their other stuff and need all the help they can get. –But the idea has persisted.

Now, with suspenders I’d lose my easy, groovy ability to rotate the fannypack to the front. What I need are pouches in the front…

A friend has a newer-style ultralightweight-type of pack (Arcteryx brand, I recall)—with pouches on the waist-band. That was inspiring to see and kind of put me on a path to seeing what else was out there.

In exploring the subject of how to carry my stuff in a handy way, via a bunch of googling and catalog browsing and reflecting, it’s occurring to me that there sure are a LOT of ways to skin the cat.

It’s not just about packs and duffles.

I’m starting to catch on to the ways of MOLLE and ALICE accessorizing for various belts and harnesses. Those terms refer, I think, to newer and older (respectively) ways of creating modular packs in the US military system. But I think I’ve only scratched the surface. Now, many of these accessories relate to ammo-clips, canteens, and grenades, but I’m thinking there’s a TON of versatility to be had.

So, if you want to get out there and have access to your goodies while you’re on the move, maybe there are other ways to load up. Maybe the weight can even be distributed in handier ways, or maybe the rig can be handier when taking it on and off. I dunno. I haven’t really used the alternatives much yet, but I look forward to trying them out.

Here is the basic alternative range that I see now, going from what can even be classy civilian attire to what might seem to be more far out…

*Blazers/jackets/shirts — with lots of pockets and hidey-stashes — some with pockets on the outside, others go quite stealthy (one could carry a lot in a handy way with some of these rigs and not even look bad)

*Sling packs — like a rucksack but with only one strap, or like a shoulderbag but with more of a fit-contour, better for dynamic action, probably with waist-strap

*”Gearslinger” pack — a slingpack that rides more on your back rather than at your side, yet it’s designed to be rotated forward, where it works like a chest-pack, exposing zip-openings on the SIDE which becomes the TOP when rotated forward.

*fishing/photographer vest — been around forever, but still a neat option; pockets and pouches galore (sometimes mesh; seems like a decent, if nerdly, way to carry a lot of small stuff; sport-vests also used to be a good way for guys of a certain age to get “made” when “carrying concealed” — don’t know if that’s passe now)

*Modular vest — with slots/straps that pockets and pouches can attach to (to me, some of these seem overly-oriented to loads that ride on the chest, which would seem binding in outdoor/trail use, or some seem overly-dense and stout so that there’d be no breathability)

*Modular belt — that you can add a fannypack to, and also other pouches along the whole belt around to the front (I kinda prefer a system that lets you keep weight low on a belt and tucked close to the harness parts)

*Harnesses and suspenders — seems like all militaries have had these since maybe WW1. They are used to support heavy pouch-belts and often are integrated into rucksacks. Nowadays they can have MOLLE slot/strap attachment points. Older rigs might have ALICE metal-clip attachments. I notice some older GI rigs that have snap-loops which I do NOT see how to use at this point. (Maybe the most awesome of these that I’ve seen is the South African Assault Harness Vest — it has pouches, big and small, danging from it everywhere yet seems a bit compact and not totally weapon-specific.

I’ve read that Bushcraft folks are often into the harness mode. But then again many of them also report not being into it. The outdoor scene runs the whole gamut, from re-enactor purists, to vintage buffs, to mix’n’match, to high tech, to UL, to macho. Whatever works!

Some folks don’t like to sport a military look when out and about. I can understand that for around town, but some even hesitate when out on the trail. I guess whatever is comfy for ya. To me it seems like modest loads wouldn’t stand out too much no matter how they’re distributed on a body. I suppose the pouch colors also often indicate a military sourcing.

It looks like basic harnesses and modular vests can be had for $15-40. I suppose the add-on pouches are $5-20 each.

Now, would any of these rig alternatives work for me? For certain duties? Let the finding-out fun begin!