Exploring has made me into aself confessed bag whore and I’ve been on the search for the perfect exploring bag for years and years, the thing is there isn’t really any such thing. As long as what you’ve got gets your kit where you need to go without falling apart or damaging your stuff then it doesn’t matter.What is true though are certain bags are better in certain environments, for example in tight, flooded or really muddy spaces I prefer my Sitka Gearslinger as I can spin him round and access whatever I want without taking it off or let the bag touch the ground…..quite useful if you are in four feet of water :-)Every now and then I get an itch to try something new though but invariably they are on eBay within a few days as I’ve not done my homework properly or some ‘feature’ of the bag has annoyed me and I’ve fell out of love with it. My ‘daily driver’ up until recently has been my Maxpedition Sitka Gearslinger as he can carry my Canon, various flashlights, Gas Detector, batteries, bits of climbing gear and a side mounted tripod. More importantly its f**ing Bomb Proof which I like in a bag. I’ve had it years but it’s probably not quite as big as it should be……I hate carrying big bags but should probably upgrade him to a Kodiak Gearslinger which is the exact same design just a touch larger…
The last few weeks I’ve been taking out a Lowe Pro Flipside 300 AW that was gifted to me. He’s great in some respects, light, totally customisable and padded inside so I can get my Canon, GoPro, lighting rig, flashlights etc. in plus it has a really neat tripod carrying solution….BUT….the shoulder straps feel VERY flimsy compared to the OTT build qualityoftheMaxpedition stuff and you have to take the damn thing off to access anything inside.
Lowe Pro Flipside 300 AW
The main two I keep going back to though are the Sitka Gearslinger if I’m somewhere out of sight or if I’m trying to blend in a bit the 5.11 Rush 12, he’s great as I can get the camera and tripod inside the bag so is much less conspicuous. For silly ass wet/flooded sites I take an Ortlieb heavyweight dry bag in an attempt to not kill another DSLR.
The new kid on the block is a Maxpedition Colossus which I’ve not taken out yet but like the fact I can drop the Canon/Tokina rig straight into him and access it quickly. I’m hoping it will be perfect for handheld only trips where the tripod stays at home but I reckon it will take a side mounted tripod quite easily if I needed to.
The last 7 days have been a bit of a Bunker Fest and it’s time for a little rest. Last Thursday my explorer buddy and I visited six ROC Posts and a Battle HQ and then this week I have hit up something every single night on the way home (actually there was 2 ROC Posts on Wednesday night..).
Last night I promised myself I would go straight home but I ended up making a short diversion and hitting up a really neat Battle HQ and a cracking Cantilevered ‘Mushroom’ Pillbox instead and found a whole pile more stuff to check out. It’s not Cold War so not really my MO but the place has an interesting vibe about it….watch this space.
Total for this weeks explores:
10 ROC Posts 2 Battle HQ’s 1 Mushroom Pillbox
Another neat thing this week has been a new kit bag, normally I use a rucksack but these are a pain in the ass in confined spaces like tunnels and access shafts and I’ve been wanting something different. I found what I was looking for in the shape of a Maxpedition Sitka Gearslinger. The theory with the Gearslinger series is a single shoulder backpack that can be rotated to the front of the body without removing it as well as providing access to all the compartments, perfect for the challenges of exploring.
Its been tried out in various bunkers and underground locations and I love it 🙂
