Dad Bags!
As avid bag nerds, we focus on bringing the highest quality products to the market and help our customers stay organized and prepared for the day ahead. One of the most satisfying things we see from our customers (and employees) is the different uses for our gear. While we expect someone to use the IBEX-26 for a hiking pack, or the TRIDENT-21 as a photography bag, it’s the ones who use these bags in unexpected ways and still take advantage of the features that are built into them that help us get our gears spinning. Our marketing coordinator Taylor, who recently had his first child, went through a mild crisis when he completely changed his daily carry away from the normal loadout of knives, flashlights, first aid and a camera in place for baby bottles, formula, and diapers. That’s right, we’re talking about dad bags today!
First up, the pack! He uses an Addax-25 in shadow gray. ‘I wanted a bag that fits my needs, but doesn’t scream dad bag’, Taylor explained as we went through his pack and the contents. He later expressed that the size of the Addax-25 was perfect for everything he carries, and gives him a little extra room for adding items as the day dictates. ‘I’ve realized having all the things for a newborn in my pack, compared to packing my EDC are two very different things.’ While packing the daily EDC gear can remain somewhat consistent, the baby’s needs change as they get older, items are greatly influenced by the location they are traveling to, and if his wife is also bringing a bag for the baby or if he is on a solo mission.
Here’s where it gets fun! Well, as fun as a diaper bag gets. Organizing all the items in the Addax-25 is easier than you think. Taylor broke down categories of items into modules using our Sticky Cubes (size small & medium). The most important module of course is diapers! In a sticky cube, he fits 5-7 diapers plus a small pack of wipes. It’s oriented upwards so he doesn’t need to filet the bag completely open in the case of “emergencies”… Food goes into a second Sticky Cube, and that contains a handful of formula packets plus a bottle. To make the formula, he uses the side bottle pocket to hold a water bottle. The next module is clothing. Babies can be messy and sometimes a mid-day wardrobe change is necessary. A Sticky Cube medium holds spare onesies, a light jacket for the evenings, and pants.
That was the basics, but there are a few items that are lifesavers for him and his wife also included in the pack. A changing pad fits into the hydration/laptop compartment of the pack. A nursing cover also lives in the back tablet sleeve. He also keeps a few burp rags and toys in the top area of the main compartment for cleanups and necessary distractions. The top pocket holds hand sanitizer, a spare pacifier and a facemask. The front pocket is his EDC pocket, where you will find titanium chopsticks, a multitool, basic first aid, a pry bar, and a questionably large folding knife… Lastly, kept at the bottom of the main compartment inside another Stick Cube Small is a trauma kit from Urban Medical Gear.
If you or a friend is in the market for a dad bag then we have a solution for you!
