Boker Plus man-bag.

[PackLemming]

As far as preperation for the urban/city enviroment goes I was hopping some folk on the Zombie Watch could give me some pointers on gear and tricks of the trade. So far from all the choices available on the market Ive settled upon a Boker Plus Slingbag with a couple extra addon pockets. The price is fairly reasonable and the Boker label from previous experience is reliable enough to endure the daily rough and tumble. Heres the sling pack from Bokers website, color selection isnt as youd expect that diverse but at least you get a choice. One is Black (mall ninja black ofc) and the other is Coyote brown (subtle tone) so not many options to mix up the color physcology.


Sorry about pulling the photos from a 3rd party but I dont have access to a digi-camera and this kit is already costing an arm and leg. I have a Pelican mini case also the way to house a small medi kit (advice on where to get the best & affordable sterile kit from within the UK/Eurozone would be appreciated) and also a Zebra 80 lum headlamp that runs off a CR123 battery.

So any advice?

[the_alias]

Hi, welcome to ZS. Probably a good idea if you drop by Introductions and post a thread so we know a lil more about you.

The pack looks like a Maxpedition clone of their Verispacks. They are pretty popular here but haven't used one myself. As for medical kits Lifesystems Trekker isn't a bad basic set up. OR you could put your own together, glance around the First Aid section, and Gunny's where to buy medical supplies as UK/EU sites. http://www.fenixtorch.co.uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; This site has Zebras and is UK based.

[TC]

Welcome to the boards. These styles of bags are becoming very popular it seems, as the_alias said, it looks very similar to other bags on the market. Another poster here, called Korv, bought a similar bag recently for an EDC/GHB but found it disappointingly small in real life.

I suppose it all depends on what you want it for. If you wanted a way to carry extra ammunition/dump pouch, trauma gear and smaller supplies like batteries in a tactical situation where you were going to be getting into and out of a vehicle regularly, then it might be a good set up. That belt snap on the back looked like a good idea at the start, but I realised that it means that you have to carry it at a specific height on your body, which I don't like. It would be much better with a leg strap instead IMHO.

For day to day use though, I think you will find it too small and far too tacticool looking, which is likely to draw unwanted attention IMHO. Personally, I have and like my EDC messenger bag set up, but it is way, way less eye catching than this bag. I am also assuming that you are in the UK judging by your comments about the medkit. I personally feel that in this day and age it is much better to be as 'gray' as possible when in public, by which I mean not attracting any attention to yourself and blending in as much as possible. This bag just doesn't allow you to do that.

I appreciate the need to be able to move fast and light in an urban environment, my gear is set up the same way, I just wouldn't recommend trying to do that with this bag. Low profile is the name of the game.

For medical supplies, I usually buy from the US, since it is a lot cheaper most of the time and they also have better stuff. For example, British Army surplus Emergency Trauma Dressings don't have the pressure bar, for some strange reason, unlike the US ones.

ETA: Your gear doesn't have to be expensive. My EDC bag is full of goodies, that have been helpful to me in the past, but the most expensive item in it is probably the £15 AA powered phone charger.

[PackLemming]

Alias,TC thanks for the replies. I spent a few hours browsing these forums before deciding on a pack and came to the conclussion that my needs in the event a zombie festation occured would be limited to evacuation rather than digging in.

ETA: Your gear doesn't have to be expensive. My EDC bag is full of goodies, that have been helpful to me in the past, but the most expensive item in it is probably the £15 AA powered phone charger.

I absolutely agree with gear not having to cost the earth but im very picky with tools over disposable/perishable items for weight & quality reasons . The AA phone charger sounds like an excellent bit of kit I assume Maplins would be the best place to start looking for a simular unit. Speaking of things to do with energy I was flipping through a Machine Mart catalog yesterday and the solar pannels on offer seem like a reasonably cheap and effective bit of kit for the car/shed the smallest pannel on its own looks as if it could easily be carried in a pack without becoming a pain in the neck. Not so sure about the battery but the load can be rotated amongst the uninfected if it came down to a hike.

[TC]

Cool, it's good that you've given thought to the most practical course of action and are shaping your gear around that.

As for chargers, I have owned a solar charger before and found that it was complete bollocks. Wind up is a better alternative if you want to go battery free, but even that isn't so great. For the AA phone charger, I specifically recommend the Energizer 'Energi 2 Go', mine has saved me time and time again.

[chr0nos]

I would use a small backpack instead; Ogio makes some nice ones with padded shoulder straps and better construction than most generic brands. I think the man-bag is too small for any kind of EDC bag with BOB construction/contents in mind. YMMV.

[acropolis5]

I live and work in the NY Metro area. I've tried about a dozen different types/configurations/contents over the years to arrive at a walkable, urban GHB, low profile, with some extra room for options/lunch /a book/ etc. IMO a small civilian backpack that's expandable and available in subdued colors, is the most versatile and comfortable option. Currently, I'm carrying a Camelbak Snoblast, in grey/black, bladder removed and outside straps stowed in the pockets provided. I've added 2, 24in. nylon bootlaces with spring adjusters to the bottom carry patch and wrapped them in black rubber hair bands, 2 small twin biners to the backloops and 1 or 2 OR shoulder pockets to the shoulder straps. The bag holds ~800 to 1000cu. in. of gear, depending on whether you open the expansion zipper. Whether I'm wearing a suit or shorts and atee shirt, it hardly gets a second glance on the street. The whole setup is available from Campmor (and other suppliers) for about $75. If anyone's interested I'll list my standard loadout in a later post.