Crumpler - Squid stuff-satchel

It's been quite some time since I added a new Crumpler bag to my collection. Back in 2012 I covered the New Year lucky red Hillman Hunter which was originally meant to be a new satchel for Omega, but seemed to fall into the role of "Tactical Baby" nappy bag.

Prior to that I had covered a Thirsty Al utility pouch and one of the John Thursday camera bags but my first love with Crumpler was their Considerable Embarrassment laptop and courier satchel. I loved that bag. I loved it to death. Crumpler offer a serious lifetime guarantee on their bags, but I had started finding my EDC was getting too much for a shoulder-sling bag to be comfortable lugging, so I moved to twin-shoulder strapped bags.

So, I've following along as new developments come along in the Crumpler line-up, and as Giftmas approached, I spotted a really good deal on their stuff-sack, The Squid.

The Squid is a lightweight, versatile drawstring backpack. It reminded me of the very slick First Strike - Snatch Bag ii  but obviously with a fair bit more marketing and design nuance put in.

The Squid features two storage zones, the main compartment holds 20L and is closed by the dual-coloured extra-thick drawstrings, and a smaller zippered front pocket. That front pocket was big enough to carry my Propper Liberty bottle,  although not enough to zipper it up. The internals of the main compartment are spacious but lacks any internal structure.

The pack is made of a weatherproof 150d ripstop outer fabric which has a very nice texture, and a fairly reliably water resistant. Spills and sloshes seem to run right off it.

Lightweight at only 200g (7oz) and compact, there are no frills, bells or whistles to get in the way of its simplicity. It sits at 28 cm (11.02") wide, and 43 cm (16.93") tall width a depth of  22 cm (8.66"). It easily fits a Nalgene bottle, and the combined Go! Hammock and Go! Apex shelter tarp
easily. The lack of structure means that the pack gets a bit lumpy, but it certainly makes for an easy carry when you don't have to lug a whole ruck around.

It would be perfect for stashing gym or beach gear, groceries, or supplies for a quick bug-out if you hadn't already prepared a bug-out-bag. Equal parts simple and useful.

When slung, the Squid holds itself shut, as the drawstrings also form the shoulder straps. Under a heavy load, they don't offer much padding, but again, it isn't meant to be a full-on ruck.

One of the nice things about its design is that the zipper pocket's internal attachment is sewn such that the whole bag folds up into itself and stows away in a bundle the size of two coffee mugs.

I'm going to be using the Squid as my wet-gear bag, and as an occasional snatch-and-grab bag. I respect and admire the Crumpler products, so I think it will serve me well.

Review: EDC

 

 So, this is what lives in my Crumpler messenger bag, which I carry with me everywhere I go. I've had some discussion with my partner Omega, that perhaps I carry either too much stuff, duplicates, or items that could be replaced with lighter kit. I really value both her support and helpful opinions. She was dead on, my bag is weighty. 

So, here is a recap of what I carry;

Crumpler Thirsty Al pouch  filled with paracord, on the outside strap.

Platatac FUP pouch carrying my 1L SIGG bottle

inside the bag I carry:

Wire saw 

Gerber bear Grylls "Basic" Survival kit 

First-Aid kit 

Sea-to-Summit Alpha cutlery set 

Lazerbrite in red and white 

DMT sharpening-stones 

credit-card tool 

Platatac CSI-folder 

Electrical tape

Toothbrush and Toothpaste

Sewing kit

Razor 

Cord

Cable Ties

Pad (great for injuries)

Spare glasses in case with HDD magnet

Waterproof pouch with q-tips

microfiber towel

specimen jar with hand-wash

collapsible cup

Compass

Swedish FireSteel

Poncho

Set of Allan keys

Tape measure

my lunch and an apple.

On top of that, I also pack my kendo gear, and a variety of other things, depending on the day, but this is my EDC.

Review: Crumpler Hillman Hunter

 I wanted to return to review one of my other pieces of rugged, dependable kit. This is the Crumpler Hillman Hunter which I got in the commemorative "Year of the Rabbit" all-red version last year for one of my partners' birthday. Red being her thing. As I've mentioned a few times, I'm all for brand loyalty, especially when the products are what I'm looking for.  As usual, the bag is made of the rugged, hard wearing and water resistant 900D Cordura outer and 150D Cordura Rip-stop lining. Twin Fastex style clips and webbing straps act as a compression closure, much like in my previously reviewed beloved messenger bag but also features a wide strip of reflective SOLAS type tape.

A 38mm wide seat-belt type strap lets the bag ride over a shoulder, across the body, as it features Crumpler's nifty QuickFlick™ buckle system. Inside the bag are a main pocket area and three smaller pockets, the middle of which is hook-and-loop closing. A slightly larger pocket sits on the "outside" of the the main body, but is also covered by the main flap. It is also hook-and-loop fastened, for added security. As well as the Fastex style clips, there are two sets of hook-and-loop pads on the leading edge of the main flap, which affix low down on the body of the bag.

I much prefer the clips over hook-and-loop, but for fast and easy, its hard to go past. As with all Crumpler bags I've encountered, there are always some "hidden" features which never cease to impress. On this pack, it is two external loops in the sides, which can be used to stuff extra pieces of gear that don't quite fit, or are perhaps needed in an instant. a wide mouthed carabiner could be clipped through them for extra attachment points.

This was a much appreciated addition to our household, and I'm glad I found it. It found a happy place in our collection as a every-day nappy bag for Tactical Baby, for times when the MEOP Medical Pouch by Platatac might have been overkill ... Its bright red colouration and reflector strip makes it an ideal carry bag for first-aiding, fast-moving (be it foot, bike or blade) or any other time you want to be seen and give the impression you are prepared for anything.

Review: Crumpler Thirsty Al (xs) pouch

Making my way back to one of the pouches I lug around everywhere, every day, I wanted to show you the Crumpler Thirsty Al (xs) accessory pouch. I was fortunate enough to have won this in a competition Crumpler put on to "send in photos of yourself with your bags" and one day it arrived in my mailbox to my delight. I affix it to my main Messenger Bag and if you look at the photos there, you may see it peeking around the sides. I have it looped to the main belt-strap of that bag where it is both out of the way, accessible and  blends in quite nicely. That's a big plus for me and something that Crumpler does quite well.  It's snug enough to slip the to corner of the strap and wedge against the main bag without disappearing entirely, and whilst the colours are slightly different, the schema fits in very nicely. Perfect for my kind of EDC. I do enjoy the "WTH did that come from?" effect, when I pull something from seemingly thin air.
It follows the same general lines as another pouch of theirs I have, the John Thursday 100 so there was no conceptual difficulty in integrating it into my collection. The construction is the same1000d Cordura outer,  ripstop 300 Codura inner as other Crumpler products, and it shares the John Thursday neoprene "body". Again the happy Kokopelli looking icon graces its front flap.

 

 The attachment system is the same double-hook-and-loop sandwich as well, which makes a surprisingly good connection, and I can't recall any time that it has failed me. It fits around the 50mm webbing used as the main strap of my messenger bag and also through MOLLE loops. As well as the sandwich-flap method, there is also a lanyard loop at the top, which I haven't yet felt the need to use for anything. 

Yet.

 Again, in keeping with the John Thursday / Thirsty Al comparison, behind the hook-and-loop loopy spot of the inside of the front flap there is a "secret" hidey-hole, which in this case, I have filled with a USB thumb-drive, (which you can see just poking out) but could also fit some small change, folded bills, spare keys or camera-cards, amongst the options.As with the John Thursday, the front flap does not quite cover the top of the neoprene sides, leaving the top a little exposed. Something to be aware of, but not a big deal in this case.

I found that the pouch was a little too small to accommodate my iPhone, or current camera, but would be perfect for a lot of the more moderns, slimline cameras or non-iPhone members of the iPod family. It could also fit some more useful preparedness kit, like a small stash of mask, gloves & dressings, compass and firestarters or any number of stow and wait items. I chose to fill mine with a 8m long hank of paracord I happened to have laying around. This fits in neatly (after tying it fast-rope style, with thanks to Craig Guest) and gives me a high density source of good cord pretty much at the flick of a wrist. I'm a firm believer in having rope on hand in the event of a disaster or emergency, and this was a great means to keep some close by, squared-away and discreetly.

Sadly this pouch seems to be discontinued, but I'm very pleased to say that this one looks like it will be in my collection, and in my EDC, for years to come. Rugged, useful, unobtrusive.

Review: Platatac CSI Folder.

Before I get into the more juicy and hard-core content from my friends at Platatac I thought I would cover what is probably an unsung winner in their range. Let me introduce to you the Platatac C.S.I. Folder This is an zippable, A4 capable folding administrative binder. I got mine in khaki, as its unobtrusive in my work environment, but still fits within my aesthetic (healthcare IT fixit-booyah, in case you were wondering). You'll note that as well as the subdued Platatac plata-skull logo on the front, which I love) there is a large square of hook-and-loop for patches (AFT's Ranger and MilSpecMonkey's Zombie Hunter decorating mine) and a business card holder. The whole folder is made from Cordura, the same as all of Platatac's gear. I filled the carry handles with a couple cable-ties each, giving them a little bit more substance, and ensuring I always have a few more at hand, JIC.

The folder zips open fully to reveal a variety of storage options. On the right hand side, a clip board which is backed with some sort of semi-rigid material. The left hand side is where the action is! There are 4 card holder sleeves, in two of which I keep my work and personal business cards, the other two I've stored cards I've collected and ID when needed. I found that my cards frequently spilled out, but a small clip sorted that. There are three pen pockets, and a larger pocket that I keep a multi-tool and yet more cable-ties in. 

A firm believer in redundancy, I have a small adjustable wrench and another tiny multi-tool with LED attached to that pocket via a recycled HDD magnet. There are two small general purpose pockets, (one with a hook-and-loop closure, the other with elasticized mesh), in which I keep memory-sticks, a Dexim iPhone battery ,  spare headphones, needle and thread, electrical and milipore tape and safety pins. All things I frequently find need for. I also keep a permanent marker and have recently added my fully awesome UV laser to it. 

There are also two internal document pouches, one opening at the far left, which is accessible when the folder is being carried, if the top is left unzipped. I store a variety of paperwork here, as well as my iPad, which has been a real boon, not only providing a case for that, but also giving me a handy place to stuff paperwork that comes my way. The second document pouch opens between the general purpose pouches and the pens-and-cards pockets, essentially a secret compartment, where I store my sensitive papers and infrequently needed items.

The final feature of this folder is that behind the left hand side of the folder, and closed by sets of hook-and-loop, are two middle-seam opening plastic map windows, which are capacitive, i found, and not only have been useful to use when orienteering, but will also protect my iPad for use "in the field" in the rain.

I love this folder, I've had a few over the years, but I can honestly say that I can not expect to retire this, unless Platatac comes up with something even better! Boardrooms or bushwacking, a very solid piece of adminstatum!

Review: Crumpler John Thursday 100

 After my last Crumpler review I got some good feedback from the company, and thought I would go on to review the other things of theirs I have. It seems I'm all about brand loyalty, where its due. In this case, I feel totally justified. So, here we go. 

This is the John Thursday 100 pouch. 

I bought it sometime in 2003 I think, to go along with my very first digital camera. I had already had good experiences with Crumpler, having one of their plain black original messenger bags (which I've regrettably since gifted away) and wanted something to secure and protect my precious new tech. After a little umming and ahhing, I settled on this little guy. It matched the colours of my original bag, which was nice, but also fitted my camera really well. 

Neoprene in the body was not only elastic to hold it in place, but offered padding, which I felt I would really, really need, given the adventurous clambering I often do whilst fully kitted. Sometimes you just NEED to be up that tree with your camera and packed lunch, you know? I did try several pouches, as I recall, but settled on one that matched my other kit, and had the happy kokopelli looking logo. It helps that the Kokopelli mythology rings a very sweet tune in my rather multicultural ear. However, on with the pouch. Lined with the same 300D rip-stop liner and1000D Cordura outers as the other Crumpler porducts, coupled with neoprene this pouch has never given me pause to worry about falling apart, or exposing my toys to harm, but the lid does not cover the entire pouch, leaving the insides a little exposed to incidental rain.  An internal pocket in the lid has ample room for the SD cards of the day. Both the lid and the internal pocket are hook-and-loop closures.  

On the back, the pouch has a openable, double sided hook-and-loop closure for a belt loop, and a lanyard loop at the top which offers two means of attachment, although I've always used the belt loop. That double-sided hook-and-loop is the only drawback, as some of the stitching lifted after time, needing to be re-sewn to ensure positive closure and retention. The pouch fits nicely over the shoulder strap of my messenger bag, as well as on my hip. It even feeds nicely into MOLLE and I've worn it as a part of my Stargate LRP kit when i still had space for it, and nothing that filled the same purpose that matched. Now that I'm using my phone as my primary camera, I dont have as much need of a camera bag, so I'm looking to repurpose it. 

Snack-pack is likely!

Review: Crumpler Laptop Messenger Bag

I thought i'd start my reviews with a piece of kit that is near and dear to me. My circa-1999 Laptop-Messenger Bag from Crumpler..

I believe it is a Considerable Embarrassment but time and use have made it hard to tell. This is a great bag. Roomy, many pockets, rugged. Its been carry-on, a day-pack, pillow, lunch-box, and part of my EDC almost every day since it was gifted to me, Xmas 1999 ( I think) . This bag has taken some pretty serious abuse over the years, and is still going strong. Not only does it hold my rather ludicrous swag of gadgets and disaster supplies, (which i'll get to in due time) but it also regularly carries my lunch, my document folder and iPad, my kendo clothes and other assorted needfuls. 

So whats inside?