In my seemingly never ending quest to find the optimal means of carrying my stuff, I decided to give the Emdom Recon Waist Pack a try. I know fanny packs have a bit of a reputation as being something that only daggy geeks wear, but since I am of course super cool, and incredibly stylish to boot, I figured I could pull it off with aplomb. (Yes, that was self deprecating sarcasm you detected there.)
Now it is a great bit of kit, with the usual Emdom attention to detail.
Now it is a great bit of kit, with the usual Emdom attention to detail.
But, (and if you have read any other part of this blog you’ll know what’s coming) there were things about it that didn’t suit me, so I opted to change them.
Now I should maybe back up a bit and explain why I chose this in the first place. There are always things that I want to be able to quickly access when I am walking along. Having to shuck my pack all the time to get at those items gets very annoying, very fast. Having things attached to my trouser belt is really uncomfortable if I have a pack waist belt over that. Stuffing items into pockets is only marginally feasible. I figured this could be worn so that it could hang below the pack waist belt and allow me to get at all those things I needed. Sun screen, bug repellent, snacks, tissue, lighter, etc., etc.
Two items that I wanted to be able to carry as well were a flashlight and a multitool. I thought attaching them to the outside would free up more room on the inside, but how to attach them. Putting them on the outer edges where the belt attaches made lifting my legs a bit awkward. I decided to sew some PALS webbing down the edges of the front pouch. This way they would be accessible but without any interference of movement.
Very tricky sewing them on. Trying to get a needle and thread into that small a space was quite a challenge, but, I managed.
The light pouch is the one shown here, and the Leatherman pouch is pretty much the same as the one shown here, except I used OD webbing and hardware and painted it.
Some later pictures. Leatherman pouch replaced with a TT multitool pouch. Zipper pulls replaced with paracord fobs.
This setup was okay. The weight was noticeable, especially the Wave (and the bits that accompany it), as it was quite a bit heavier than the SureFire. However, I found the front pouch not entirely to my liking. The thought entered my head to just remove it altogether and cover the front with PALS webbing to set it up exactly how I want.
This now gives me the option of setting it up to my liking.
The other thing that adding PALS to the front allowed me to do was address another deficiency – the lack of organization inside the main pouch. There is a mesh slot pocket at the back, but that’s it. I thought of how best to be able to keep certain small items contained and organized rather than having them loose in the pouch. Even though I dislike Velcro in many applications, this was an instance it would work. Loop face of the pouch on the inside, and hook on the back of some pouches or some sort of holder I’ll make. Velcro that is opened and closed repeatedly wears out and on the outside of something tends to gather all sorts of crud. Here it will be fine though. As a means to keep a pouch in place and still allow me to swap something out if need be, it’s great. At first I thought of gluing the Velcro in, but then realized that the bartacking would hold it in place just fine.
I had to use two 2" pieces (all I had) and it’s just sewn vertically, not horizontally. This creates little slots that can hold a pen, knife sharpener, etc.
Still have to make any pouches that will work with it, but that will come soon.
The other thing that adding PALS to the front allowed me to do was address another deficiency – the lack of organization inside the main pouch. There is a mesh slot pocket at the back, but that’s it. I thought of how best to be able to keep certain small items contained and organized rather than having them loose in the pouch. Even though I dislike Velcro in many applications, this was an instance it would work. Loop face of the pouch on the inside, and hook on the back of some pouches or some sort of holder I’ll make. Velcro that is opened and closed repeatedly wears out and on the outside of something tends to gather all sorts of crud. Here it will be fine though. As a means to keep a pouch in place and still allow me to swap something out if need be, it’s great. At first I thought of gluing the Velcro in, but then realized that the bartacking would hold it in place just fine.
Still have to make any pouches that will work with it, but that will come soon.
I haven’t nailed down exactly how I’ll set it up yet. This was one attempt – TT frag pouch holding a Petzl TacTikka, TT compass pouch, and the aforementioned TT multitool pouch.
Here I have a Maxpedition RollyPolly in the centre. Good for when I have to collect twigs for a fire or if I’m gathering wild foods. I have other ideas for what to put there. Maybe a camera, or a radio. On my list of pouches to make is a flagging tape holder. It would go well on the front too. I’ll keep playing around with it until I get the right setup.
I like having options.
I like having options.
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Good mod.
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