Covert EDC bag?

[Hangman]

Hey guys. I'm looking to start EDCing a bag, but I have a few criteria I'd like it to meet before I invest some money in a bag. Here's a description of my preferred bag:

 - Covert, "civilian" appearance as opposed to military (i.e. camo patterns, MOLLE webbing, etcetera)
 - Internal organization of a "military" bag
 - Sub $200 price tag

I'm liking the COVRT line of 5.11 stuff, but I'm curious as to if there's anything better out there I'm missing. Anyone have any ideas/suggestions?

[Lynn LeFey]

I would offer as an alternative...

Consider a relatively normal backpack. Here, I think a good leather bottomed Jansport model is good. Then use organizers and smaller containers within the larger backpack to provide organizational capability. I have a Jansport Right Pack in Olive Drab. It doesn't look remotely tactical. It just looks bland. Those run about $55 on Amazon. I've crammed probably 40lbs of books into it before, and have owned it for something like 7 to 10 years, and it's holding up fine. Plus Jansport has a lifetime warrantee. Send it in, they send you a replacement. At that price, you could buy a lot of internal organizer items and stay under the $200 pricetag. Plus, I find this pack to be the perfect size for shot travel trips. Dump out your normal stuff, and pack for travel. Fits under airline seats nicely.

I haven't looked at the COVRT stuff. I might check it out, and i don't know any alternatives to it.

[nuphoria]

I agree with the backpack thing. That said, if you want a shoulder bag, something like a nice canvas or even leather thing would look good, and then all your shiny hidden EDC would be very stealthy. Personally I have a Patagonia Minimass which covers everything for me and is very lightweight.

Also, I found having internal organisers which you can remove and throw in another bag really useful. My main EDC is transferable that way. Makes a bag switch very quick

[Andi licious]

Personally I have an Oakley. It has no tactical edge to it and its got more internal organisation than I can load out and I use it as my only travel bag for 3 month rotations.




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[Zed]

Yeah backpack gets a vote from me,ive tried a few man bags etc but the backpack is less obvious edc wise 

[Hangman]

The idea of using a JanSport is interesting. What kind of organizers did you guys mean?

[Zed]

Maxpedition 

[Zed]

Another pic 

[Lynn LeFey]

The idea of using a JanSport is interesting. What kind of organizers did you guys mean?

Zed, if you mean Maxpedition as organizers, I agree. I have a Fatty, and it works great. But this method also means you can use differnent sized bags to cover various functions, in a modular system.

I also carry a (in theory) waterproof stuffsack that's safety yellow. Useful both to hold gear you don't want to get wet, and can be used for signalling. It's just a cheap Walmart thing (where you get 3 stuffsacks for like $5 or something). This kind of arrangement also means that you could have a first Aid kit in one bag, clothes in a separate bag (which becomes particularly nice for swapping them out for changes of season), tool bag, etc. The brand of bag isn't important at all, only that the system works for you to get to your most essential or time-critical gear fast. I also prefer a set-up that allows me to get to ANY gear with a minimum of digging. I've used ziplock bags, old travel make-up bags, and a small zippered bag that came with a printer (that was intended to hold the power supply and wires).

For small organizers, I think Maxpeditions are WAY overbuilt, if they're going to be inside another bag. You could save a good deal of money going with something more generic, with the understanding that it's not the kind of container you want to hand off to someone as a stand-alone. You can get by for internal storage with just about any cheap thing you can find anywhere.

[Gareth]

I would also have a look at "SwissGear" bags, very good quality at reasonable prices.  Mostly they are laptop bags and backpacks, but they also tend to have good internal organisation and it's not like you need to put a laptop in the padded sleeve.

Oh, and another vote for using the Maxped organisers, a very convenient way of storing your gear.

[gardenvalley]

I wouldn`t worry too much about looking "tactical" or even "tacticool", haven`t people been using and wearing surplus/designer camo for years? Besides, not only do 99% of people not notice, I suspect they know little and care even less. Evidence of this exists in conflicting witness statements taken only minutes after an event or incident. My usual pack is a Blackhawk Cyclone, probably one of the most military/tactical bags there is and no-one gives it a second glance, I`m just a guy(like many others) walking along with a backpack.
I definitely agree on the sub-load principle, have your most-used gear compartmentalised so that you can take only mission-specific item or swap items between different bags.

[ICanFixThat]

A Maxpedition FatBoy in Pink would be pretty covert.    Their expanded color palete available on some of the Versapacks make for a more covert look.

The 5.11 Tactical COVRT Z.A.P. 6 bag looks pretty good, even if it is known as the Zone Assault Pack.  It looks like a great everyday bag that won't attract too much attention.

[powernoodle]

I carry a Maxpedition MPB http://www.maxpedition.com/store/pc/MPB-MULTI-PURPOSE-BAG-p62.htm because its "covert".  It looks like a laptop bag (and maybe it is), but it has tons of room, pockets, etc.  Plenty of utility, but no "sh*t magnet" or those other stupid patches that just attract attention.  I prefer to be invisible, and this bag does it.

[ICanFixThat]

The MPB is a great bag.  I have an orange one, but I don't use it much right now.  Great for boating trips, but I'd carry it more if i needed to carry a regular laptop.  It's one of the few bags that have a fair bit of padding, but maybe they have more like that now.  Now orange is not really covert, but around here is says marine or emergency.