Considerations for Traveling Kit
Most men can fit seven days of clothing in a school backpack and still have enough room for toiletries and maybe a laptop and notebook.
Once we’ve thrown all of our stuff into a duffle and got the minor items checked off. How do we pack the major items. The things you’re thinking about all the time: your .300 Blackout and plate carrier.
Tradition
Tradition says we pack it in the most Operator way possible. We use Pelican cases that are desert tan or ODG (Olive Drab Green), and we make certain they have rollers. But, if we’re on holiday in say, Nairobi Kenya, and we have to keep our profile as low as possible, how do we do so?
Functionality
Maybe you can slide a pelican case in as a photography case. I can’t, I don’t know the first thing about cameras and lenses. I’d have to act the part to pull the prank. So there’s no way I could do that with my current knowledge.
I’m going to opt for something different. I’m going to look at what’s the most common thing I could have for transporting my kit and run that. Often we can get away with suit cases and duffle bags.
This piece is going to be functional subterfuge, as it’s going to haul our weeks worth of clothes and possibly our action kit as well. So, it’ll need to run at least 50 – 60 Liters.
Recommendations
Based on what I’ve used to do this in the past, here are my recommendations with some quick reasoning on why I chose each. There will be a couple recurring themes:
- Wheels
- Semirigid
- Nondescript
Wheels make it easier to mask the weight and are just convenient in general. One of the additional benefits of wheels comes in the form of being able to easily roll it under a bed or in the back of the SUV.
Semirigid will hide the outline of what you have in it. Having a hard back, or even being a fully rigid suit case will take a bigger impact than a semirigid bag. This is a personal preference and if you’re more inclined to go fully rigid then go for. It. I use semirigid because in my mind it’s less conspicuous. That may not be the case, but it’s not been scientifically tested as far as I know.
Nondescript is pretty self explanatory. But I go pretty far to make this happen. I get my bags for this purpose at the thrift store. They will sometimes have very interesting previous lives. Like backpacks with embroidered patches for various insurance and real estate agencies. Bags with PALS all over them are more common now than ever
- Semi Rigid Rolling Photography Suit Case
Its not a soft backpack, or a hard pelican case, it’s somewhere in between and my favorite feature is the organizing dividers. Mine has drawers, which blew me away! It makes organizing super convenient. The interior of mine is made from a soft material that acts like a loop surface and allows me to make adjustments to the modular compartments, making them big or small or removing them all together. By far my favorite combination for traveling kit.
2. Rolling Duffle
This may seem like it’s less of an option due to the soft material, however it makes a great option for a lower profile because of the soft material. It’s far less likely someone will associate tactical kit inside of a rolling duffle bag, especially a medium sized one. The massive deployment bags are dead give aways to anyone who know what they are, but a medium soft walled duffle can hide all sorts of things. The exterior and often interior pockets facilitate some limited organization.
Conclusion:
Which ever type you choose I hope this information was helpful!
God Bless You and Keep You!
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