mercop
05-06-09, 14:51
Like many reading this I am a bag junkie and my quest for the perfect BOE (Bag of Evil), the MCS name for our EDC bags, has over the years seen several bags from backpacks to messenger bags. Several years ago I gave up using a backpack for EDC for three reasons. One was that I seldom used both straps as intended and instead just tossed it over my shoulder using only one. Two, I like to be able to work out of my EDC bag like a big pocket since it is full of stuff that I use all the time, and backpacks did not lend themselves well to that. The last thing was that most of the time my BOE goes from the house to car and back again, and backpacks just don’t work well for front seat bags.
After relegating the use of backpacks to times when I would be on foot for long periods of time, I began my quest for the perfect messenger bag / soft sided brief case. During this time I used awesome bags from several of the top tactical nylon manufacturers. These bags were all bomb proof and well thought out. The two major problems I found was that they were either too blocky and or too big. They also screamed tactical.
In early 2007, I saw a post on a forum for an inexpensive copy of the bag Jack Bauer carried on the series 24. It looked interesting so I ordered three of them since they were only about $25 each. The easiest place to find them seems to be on amazon.com. Upon receiving them, I used one and gave one to both my wife and oldest daughter.
I had been using my bag for a while when my Mom was involved in a serious motorcycle accident. For better than a week I lived out of my Jack Bauer. Several times I have posted about my disdain for BOBs (Bug out Bags) that are full of break in case of emergency stuff instead of the BOE/EDC bag that you live and work out of everyday. Part of the BOE concept is making sure you have enough room in the bag to add mission essential gear in addition to things you pick up along the way. My new bag and BOE concept worked well for me allowing me to have all my normal stuff (clothes, foodstuffs, and my laptop and cables).
Later in the year my lust for new nylon continued and I went through a few more bags. Eventually I gave my original bag to my Dad. Then one day I noticed exactly how well my daughter’s bag had held up as it began it’s second school year carrying a very heavy load of books. The weight of the books along with and care of the bag on the part of my daughter left the bag no worse for wear. My wife had used hers infrequently and usually as a weekend getaway bag since it easily swallowed everything she would need. That was it. I had to have another. At the same time I looked at my website and saw an article I had written on what I carried in the BOE and decided it should be updated to reflect changes. To kill two birds with one stone, I decided to do a review on the Jack Bauer Bag by Rothco and an update on my EDC and some reasons behind it.
Before getting into the bag I will first talk about my first line gear (gear carried on the person). Most of the time this includes-
Glock 23 w/ spare mag
Surefire L2
Spyderco Military / Al Mar Payara (one or the other as a primary defensive folder)
Al Mar SERE 2000 / Strider Suspect SMF (one or the other as a utility folder)
Emerson Combat Karambit (worn reverse grip, reaction side)
Leatherman Squire S2 (my favorite multi-tool that I use for everything)
Titanium Zippo with butane insert
Foster Coin Sap
OK, now we can get back to the bag. My current bag was purchased from Galaxy Army Navy for approximately $27 shipped, which is about 75% cheaper than any other bags that have served as BOEs.
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/mercop/BOE.jpg?t=1227813171
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/mercop/FrontofBOE.jpg?t=1227813238
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/mercop/InsideofBOE.jpg?t=1227813311
The bag is made of heavy canvas and has a two-inch wide non- detachable shoulder strap that offers lots of room for adjustment. The hardware through out the bag has a handsome antique brass finish. The pockets / compartments of the bag are as follows-
One large compartment with a small wallet type pouch that features the only zipper on the bag. This small pouch is the perfect size for my Spec Ops, the Wallet.
Two side pockets that have the ability to be snapped closed.
Two large front pockets bringing the total to six pockets overall.
The large flap easily covers even an overstuffed bag and secures with two pieces of Velcro.
Now for the contents-
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/mercop/BOEContents.jpg?t=1227813390
Even though I carry this bag most of the time, there are occasions such as when on a day trip etc that I would rather carry my Eagle AIII. To facilitate easy transition and quality of carry I like to subload the contents of my BOE into the following.
Most often used items
Camelbak water bottle
1030 Pelican case containing Oakley sunglasses, lens cloth and repair kit
1020 Pelican case containing digital camera
Baby wipes / Hand sanitizer
Trauma Kit
CAT tourniquet
Quick Clot
Asherman Chest Seal
Large roll of Kerlix gauze
3-inch elastic bandage
Boo Boo Kit
Fabric band aides
Burn Gel
Tagaderm
Steri Strips
Triple antibiotic ointment
Medical tape
Dermabond
New Skin
EIK (Emergency Intervention Kit)
Rubber gloves
Mechanix work gloves
Becker Tac Tool wrapped with 32 feet of parachute cord
Hand towel
Krill lamp
Boker Subcom rescue tool
Possibles Bag
Large OD bandana
Surefire Backup
Cylume light sticks
Laser pointer
Dental floss
Safety pins
Zip ties
(4) spare 123a batteries
Kershaw knife bit kit
Ibuprofen
Tums
Artificial tears
Ti-spork
Mini Bic lighter
Lighter magnifier
Parachute cord fast rope
Suunto wrist compass
When the bag is packed, a folded Shemagh is folded and placed in the bottom of the bag and the contents are loaded on top. This is done so that heavy things inside are not damaged if dropped and doesn’t make sounds thus drawing attention.
The bag is comfortable when worn over one side or suicide strap style. I added a padded shoulder strap I had laying around because it was handy, however even a fairly heavy load is easy to bear without it thanks to a wide shoulder strap. As with whatever bag I am using I have a glow ring attached to the bag so that it easy to locate in low light conditions.
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/mercop/wearingtheBOE.jpg?t=1227813471
Except for some of the most obvious things the contents of the bag have evolved over about the past five years. Many things made their way in by being needed a few times. When that happens it makes sense to add it in.
Don't confuse the BOE concept with the BOB. The BOE contains things you know you will need with space to add things along the line. These days I do a large amount of traveling and the back sits next to my bed with a Glow Ring attached allowing me to get out of the room fast in an emergency. You work and live out of your BOE, it is not something that is sealed with "Break In Case of Emergency" across it. The only way to know your gear is to work with it.
I am currently working with a very well known tactical nylon manufacturer to design my official BOE which will be a tad bigger than this with some added features including a lap top sleeve. Stay tuned- George
After relegating the use of backpacks to times when I would be on foot for long periods of time, I began my quest for the perfect messenger bag / soft sided brief case. During this time I used awesome bags from several of the top tactical nylon manufacturers. These bags were all bomb proof and well thought out. The two major problems I found was that they were either too blocky and or too big. They also screamed tactical.
In early 2007, I saw a post on a forum for an inexpensive copy of the bag Jack Bauer carried on the series 24. It looked interesting so I ordered three of them since they were only about $25 each. The easiest place to find them seems to be on amazon.com. Upon receiving them, I used one and gave one to both my wife and oldest daughter.
I had been using my bag for a while when my Mom was involved in a serious motorcycle accident. For better than a week I lived out of my Jack Bauer. Several times I have posted about my disdain for BOBs (Bug out Bags) that are full of break in case of emergency stuff instead of the BOE/EDC bag that you live and work out of everyday. Part of the BOE concept is making sure you have enough room in the bag to add mission essential gear in addition to things you pick up along the way. My new bag and BOE concept worked well for me allowing me to have all my normal stuff (clothes, foodstuffs, and my laptop and cables).
Later in the year my lust for new nylon continued and I went through a few more bags. Eventually I gave my original bag to my Dad. Then one day I noticed exactly how well my daughter’s bag had held up as it began it’s second school year carrying a very heavy load of books. The weight of the books along with and care of the bag on the part of my daughter left the bag no worse for wear. My wife had used hers infrequently and usually as a weekend getaway bag since it easily swallowed everything she would need. That was it. I had to have another. At the same time I looked at my website and saw an article I had written on what I carried in the BOE and decided it should be updated to reflect changes. To kill two birds with one stone, I decided to do a review on the Jack Bauer Bag by Rothco and an update on my EDC and some reasons behind it.
Before getting into the bag I will first talk about my first line gear (gear carried on the person). Most of the time this includes-
Glock 23 w/ spare mag
Surefire L2
Spyderco Military / Al Mar Payara (one or the other as a primary defensive folder)
Al Mar SERE 2000 / Strider Suspect SMF (one or the other as a utility folder)
Emerson Combat Karambit (worn reverse grip, reaction side)
Leatherman Squire S2 (my favorite multi-tool that I use for everything)
Titanium Zippo with butane insert
Foster Coin Sap
OK, now we can get back to the bag. My current bag was purchased from Galaxy Army Navy for approximately $27 shipped, which is about 75% cheaper than any other bags that have served as BOEs.
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/mercop/BOE.jpg?t=1227813171
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/mercop/FrontofBOE.jpg?t=1227813238
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/mercop/InsideofBOE.jpg?t=1227813311
The bag is made of heavy canvas and has a two-inch wide non- detachable shoulder strap that offers lots of room for adjustment. The hardware through out the bag has a handsome antique brass finish. The pockets / compartments of the bag are as follows-
One large compartment with a small wallet type pouch that features the only zipper on the bag. This small pouch is the perfect size for my Spec Ops, the Wallet.
Two side pockets that have the ability to be snapped closed.
Two large front pockets bringing the total to six pockets overall.
The large flap easily covers even an overstuffed bag and secures with two pieces of Velcro.
Now for the contents-
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/mercop/BOEContents.jpg?t=1227813390
Even though I carry this bag most of the time, there are occasions such as when on a day trip etc that I would rather carry my Eagle AIII. To facilitate easy transition and quality of carry I like to subload the contents of my BOE into the following.
Most often used items
Camelbak water bottle
1030 Pelican case containing Oakley sunglasses, lens cloth and repair kit
1020 Pelican case containing digital camera
Baby wipes / Hand sanitizer
Trauma Kit
CAT tourniquet
Quick Clot
Asherman Chest Seal
Large roll of Kerlix gauze
3-inch elastic bandage
Boo Boo Kit
Fabric band aides
Burn Gel
Tagaderm
Steri Strips
Triple antibiotic ointment
Medical tape
Dermabond
New Skin
EIK (Emergency Intervention Kit)
Rubber gloves
Mechanix work gloves
Becker Tac Tool wrapped with 32 feet of parachute cord
Hand towel
Krill lamp
Boker Subcom rescue tool
Possibles Bag
Large OD bandana
Surefire Backup
Cylume light sticks
Laser pointer
Dental floss
Safety pins
Zip ties
(4) spare 123a batteries
Kershaw knife bit kit
Ibuprofen
Tums
Artificial tears
Ti-spork
Mini Bic lighter
Lighter magnifier
Parachute cord fast rope
Suunto wrist compass
When the bag is packed, a folded Shemagh is folded and placed in the bottom of the bag and the contents are loaded on top. This is done so that heavy things inside are not damaged if dropped and doesn’t make sounds thus drawing attention.
The bag is comfortable when worn over one side or suicide strap style. I added a padded shoulder strap I had laying around because it was handy, however even a fairly heavy load is easy to bear without it thanks to a wide shoulder strap. As with whatever bag I am using I have a glow ring attached to the bag so that it easy to locate in low light conditions.
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/mercop/wearingtheBOE.jpg?t=1227813471
Except for some of the most obvious things the contents of the bag have evolved over about the past five years. Many things made their way in by being needed a few times. When that happens it makes sense to add it in.
Don't confuse the BOE concept with the BOB. The BOE contains things you know you will need with space to add things along the line. These days I do a large amount of traveling and the back sits next to my bed with a Glow Ring attached allowing me to get out of the room fast in an emergency. You work and live out of your BOE, it is not something that is sealed with "Break In Case of Emergency" across it. The only way to know your gear is to work with it.
I am currently working with a very well known tactical nylon manufacturer to design my official BOE which will be a tad bigger than this with some added features including a lap top sleeve. Stay tuned- George