The Ultimate Maxpedition EDC Pack Setup

In this video, with a painstakingly detailed write-up, I go over my EDC Pack (EDC Kit). I carry this same EDC Pack every day, everywhere I go.

My EDC Pack! Tell me if this isn’t the Ultimate EDC Kit with the most detailed and extensive write-up you’ve ever seen? Ridiculous? Sure. Out of control and overkill? Absolutely. But this has been my dream kit, soaking up years of gear fetish, leaving me to be more gray man and realistic with more important packs such as my bugout and get-home bags.

The EDC Pack I put together serves my particular situation and needs. It’s designed to make my life easier. Everyone will have their own unique needs and situations. The EDC loadout dump offers some ideas — not to suggest what every EDC kit should have.

Tactical -vs- Gray Man

The first thing I want to address is the tactical-looking aspect of my EDC kit. I believe in the gray man approach – to a degree. This pack screams tactical. It’s very noticeable.

Here’s why:

First, I think preppers and the survival community, in general, focus a little too much on OPSEP and Gray Man. I’m a local truck driver in Michigan, and there are two truths to my coworkers – most of us drive pickups, and most carry a tactical-looking pack. Not to mention the tattoos, Harleys, and how many of us are veterans. It’s the world I live in.

I believe it’s best to understand what fits well in your community. BTW, I live around local colleges and see kids walking around in camo and tacticool packs daily.

With that said, I won’t be walking home or bugging out with this pack in an SHTF situation. I have separate packs for such events. This is my fun EDC Pack.

The Cost Of An EDC Pack Can Get Out Of Control

I’ve been working on my EDC Pack for well over a decade now. It’s a continuous work in progress as my needs change for seasons, age, events, and daily routines. I’ve been upgrading its contents for years and some of what I now have would be considered top-of-the-line (In my world). I started with whatever I could afford at the time.

I started out with a lunch box and a handful of inexpensive gear. If money is a concern (If not, send some my way), I recommend starting out reasonably inexpensive and upgrading as needed. That’s the best way to know you’re not throwing money away. I can talk for hours about the EDC and survival gear I’ve purchased that I didn’t use.

My EDC pack is dialed in very well now, and I love what I’ve built. With that said, I’m not done — not by a long shot. I have a couple of items on their way, and I already have plans for more, such as a small pocket tape measure and maybe upgrading my multitool to a Leatherman. My wife will divorce me if I spend another dime on more flashlights.

The last thing I’ll mention about costs is how hurt I’ll be if it gets stolen. The time and expense I’ve invested in this pack is immense, and I’d rather someone stole one of my cars than this pack. #TrueStory Keep that in mind as you’re building your EDC kit. It’s a lot to lose if you’ve invested as much time, energy, and money into your kit as I did.

EDC Pack Weight And Comfort

This pack comes in at 25 lbs, including water. That’s a lot for a sling bag. It’s not something I would carry around all day. Some purests insist that EDC means you carry it all day, every day. I’m not that person.

My EDC pack lives in my home, car, or truck. I don’t walk around all day with it slung over my shoulder. I carry it out to my driveway, garage, or my truck at work. We’re talking about twenty feet. I am not hiking with this thing.

My EDC Pack And Everything Inside

Note: There are A LOT of items to list. I’ll try to organize them the best I can, moving from the outside to the inside and listing items within each pocket/pouch. To keep it simple, I list and link to everything organized in the pouch, pocket, or compartment they are in.

The EDC Pack I Use

Another Affiliate Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. There are about a million links to products in this article, and I don’t want to add the ^(Aff) identifier to each one. Please consider every Amazon link as a paid link. You know the drill – doesn’t cost you any more to use my links, and thank you for your support and all that.

I’m currently using the Maxpedition Mongo Versipack for my EDC Pack. I purchased this sling bag in September 2016, and I love it. I’ve used this sling bag for the better part of seven years. I’ve switched out with other packs briefly over the years, including the eBags Pro Slim (No longer available because they’ve improved it with the eBags Mother Lode Travel Backpack. It now opens up clamshell, which was my only issue with the eBags Pro Slim). Still, I always end up coming back to this Maxpedition pack.

I’ve upgraded the Maxpedition Mongo Versipack in every way possible, from multiple Maxpedition MOLLIE pouches to many other Maxpedition accessories. You’ll see in the video that I’ve kept Amazon busy over the years, as well as my imagination.

Some will think it’s the best EDC pack around, and others will think it’s overkill to the point that I’m out of my mind. There’s probably truth to both those thoughts.

The Outside Of My Pack

Beginning from the outside of the main pack, I upgraded all of the zipper pulls. On some of the main compartment zippers, I added paracord zipper pulls I made myself and the rest are tan Maxpedition Positive Grip Zipper Pulls, both large and small.

Maxpedition Janus Extension Pocket

Just to add more awkwardness, I added the Maxpedition Janus Extension Pocket. This adds length to the shoulder strap (with a removable 8″ to 13″ extension strap using 2″ compatible splicing buckles), as well as an additional storage pouch.

Inside the Janus Pocket, I keep a khaki Maxpedition Spartan Wallet, tied in with an ELV Heavy Duty Retractable Keychain with Magnetic Closure and Carabiner (One of two in this kit). I had to cut/drill a small hole in the wallet to accept a round, flat-split key ring.

I keep cards in this wallet that I don’t keep inside my EDC minimalist wallet on my person (See that video here). While this system isn’t a secure method, not even close, it has been one of my most convenient.

Maxpedition 0203K RAT Wallet, Khaki

Next up, on the other side of my EDC pack’s carry strap, I have this ridiculous-looking Maxpedition 0203K RAT Wallet. Maxpedition has discontinued the RAT Wallet, but it may still be available on third-party sites.

I use the Rat Wallet to hold my ‘Bathroom Kit.’ Since I already carry the necessities of public bathrooms on my person, this serves more as a refill kit.

I have a very small roll of TP in a small Ziploc bag, Dude Wipes, Wet Ones, and a roll of Portawipes Coin Tissues that expand with water.

Maxpedition Gear Tactical Can Case, Khaki

All I keep in the Maxpedition Gear Tactical Can Case (Connected using a LefRight Tactical Strap Management Clip) is a decent rechargeable headlamp. I have several brands of headlamps, but the GOFORWILD brand has served me well. I use the GOFORWILD Rechargeable Headlamps because they are inexpensive and haven’t given me many problems.

Of the eight I own (4 two-packs), only one unit has a switch that seems to fail at first click. I also like the ‘Motion Sensor’ function, where the light comes on when it detects something in front of my face. I wave my hand in front of my face, and it switches on.

Maxpedition Gear Cocoon Pouch, Khaki

I keep a spare pair of glasses in the Maxpedition Gear Cocoon Pouch tied in with the Maxpedition 5-Inch TacTie Attachment Strap system (Khaki). Getting this pouch onto the EDC Pack along with the pouch was tedious. I kept this together even when I wasn’t using it because I never want to have to get those all tied into one another again.

Maxpedition E.D.C. Pocket Organizer (My First Aid Kit)

I use two pouches on my EDC Pack for first aid. This Maxpedition E.D.C. Pocket Organizer and the side pouch built into the Maxpedition Mongo Versipack.

• OLIGHT IMINI 2 EDC Rechargeable Flashlight – This is cool. You pull the flashlight out of the tiny attached charger, which automatically lights up. It also has a magnetic base.
• 6″ Israeli Emergency Bandage
• Assorted bandaids and bandages
• Gauze roll
• First Aid Cloth Tape
• Nitrile gloves
• Q-tips
• Aluminum 3-compartment Pill Case
• Z-Pak Dressing Emergency Gauze
• QuikClot Advanced Clotting Gauze

Maxpedition Mongo Versipack Built-In Side Pocket

Behind my first aid kit (The Maxpedition E.D.C. Pocket Organizer is attached) is a built-in side pocket of the Maxpedition Mongo Versipack (My EDC Pack).

Inside this built-in pouch is another roll of 6” Trauma Dressing, Self Adherent Wrap Medical Tape (Stretch gauze), two doses of NARCAN^® Nasal Spray, and a second roll of cloth medical tape.

Maxpedition RDP Radio Pouch (As Tourniquet Holder)

I’m using the Maxpedition RDP Radio Pouch as a tourniquet holder. Inside is a North American Rescue C-A-T^® (Combat Application Tourniquet) Gen 7 tourniquet and a cheap pair of Trauma Shears.

Maxpedition Mongo Versipack Side (Slit) Open Pocket

Behind the built-in side pocket of the Maxpedition Mongo Versipack (My EDC Pack) is an open deep slit pocket. I don’t know what else to call it.

Since it is difficult to pull things from this pocket, I attached a small Drawstring Bag with various medications and pain relievers. This allows me to easily access the bag by pulling it out by the attached cord.

The small round pill case is one of the EZY DOSE Daily Pill/Vitamin Containers I bought for my wife. We have these things all over the house. They come in handy for many different items.

The Radio/Phone Pouch

The Maxpedition Mongo Versipack comes with a built-in radio/phone pouch. It’s too small for most of today’s cell phones, and at one time, I did carry a BaoFeng UV-5R HAM radio, but I moved that to my Get Home pack.

Today, I use the radio pouch for quick access to a large SABRE Crossfire Pepper Gel.

Semi-Hidden Sleeve Compartment

There is a semi-hidden sleeve compartment at the base of the carry strap and it is the perfect place to keep a fixed blade. I keep a (Mora) Morakniv Carbon Steel Fixed-Blade Bushcraft Survival Knife with Sheath and Fire Starter with my EDC pack. Thanks to Dave Canterbury, I have a sail needle taped to the back of the sheath.

Maxpedition Mongo Versipack Grab Handle

It’s hard to believe this grab handle has held strong for over seven years with the abuse I’ve given it, but it has. I wrapped the handle with a homemade paracord wrap that I probably found on YouTube years ago.

The only thing I have attached to the grab handle is a GEAR AID HEROCLIP, one of the most recent additions to my EDC pack. This adds a convenient way of hanging the pack when I need to.

The Left Side Of My EDC Pack

The Maxpedition Mongo Versipack comes with a generous bottle holder built into the left side of the sling bag. I kept a 40-quart Klean Kanteen in there for years, as well as a 38-quart Nalgene Stainless Bottle, and it holds either of those with no problem.

Just this year, I upgraded my water bottle to a YETI Rambler 26 oz Bottle, which I upgraded with the YETI Magdock Cap. This uses a magnet to hold the cap in place when drinking. I fill the YETI with cold, filtered water (I’m still using the ZeroWater Filter) every morning and never use it for anything else.

More Outside The EDC Pack Accessories

Hanging off the side of my pack is a ball cap, using a SlideLock Nite IZE S-Biner. I have a cheap pair of work gloves hanging with a Glove Belt Clip Holder and a bottle of hand sanitizer wrapped with paracord by a friend. Both are fastened to the bottom of the carry strap using a Maxpedition Tactical T-Ring.

Because there are not enough gadgets hanging from this pack 🤣, I keep a Tactical Key Ring Chain D-Ring Snap Clip Carabiner to store my keys, depending on what vehicle I drove that day.

The Concealed Carry Compartment

The Maxpedition Mongo Versipack comes with a Concealed Carry Compartment. My personal thoughts are if I’m going to carry, and I do, my EDC carry is on me – not in a pack.

I still utilize the compartment, however. I keep a spare mag with a magazine belt holster, fastened to the inside hook and loop panel with a Maxpedition Gear Sneak Universal Holster Insert with Mag Retention.

Also attached to the hook and loop is a Maxpedition Hook-&-Loop 3″ x 5″ Zipper Pocket holding a Perfect Pi Tape Measure that I sometimes use for work, and a set of SureFire EP4 Sonic Defenders Plus filtered Earplugs.

And just for precaution, I carry a LifeStraw Peak Series Personal Water Filter Straw stored inside a LifeStraw Personal Water Filter Case.

I also have a Master Lock Python Cable Lock that I use to lock my pack up inside my car or truck. It’s also used to lock in my Get Home Pack. This isn’t going to stop a pro, or anyone determined enough. It’s also not going to prevent anyone from cutting the strap or just taking the contents of the pack. Hopefully, I will hear the alarm and arrive in time to stop the steal 😁.

The last item I keep inside the concealed carry compartment is my old (2015) Kindle Fire HDX 7″, but thanks to the advice from my prepper buddy Kate, my new Kindle Paperwhite (16 GB) should be here next week.

Long Zippered Top Pouch

On the top of the Maxpedition Mongo Versipack lid is a long zipper pouch. It has a mesh zip compartment and stretchy retainer loop sewn into the bottom of the pouch.

In the main compartment, I have a OneTigris Eyeglasses Hard Case Tactical Molle Zipper Sunglasses Carrying Case holding my prescription sunglasses, a microfiber eyeglass towel, and a couple of lens cleaner towels.

In the zippered mesh compartment under the lid, I keep a small Ziploc bag of bandaids, spare batteries inside of a Powertron 5 AA/AAA / CR123A Black Battery Holder Storage Case, and a Zacurate Pro Series 500DL Fingertip Pulse Oximeter Blood Oxygen Saturation Monitor.

Eventually, the Pulse Oximeter will be moved to the first aid section, but for now, I need quick access.

Zippered Lid Pouch

In the lid of the Maxpedition Mongo Versipack is another zippered pouch that extends to the back of the lid and down the front of the lid. All I keep inside this lid pouch is a Light My Fire Titanium Spork and a few snack bars.

If I have something I may need for the day, such as a document or tool, I will generally throw it into this zippered pouch.

Wrapping Up The Outside Of My EDC Pack

Lastly, the custom patches you see outside my pack are from two vendors. The large custom patch that displays ‘Next Step Survival‘ and the four smaller patches.

Wow, that was a lot of work just getting the outside of my EDC Pack covered.

A better blogger would make this a multi-part article, but I will power through. You with me? Let’s do it.

We’re Going In Side

Moving Inside The EDC Pack

As you can see, this EDC Pack is stuffed full.

We’ve barely scratched the surface of my EDC pack so far. What’s inside the pack is, well… overwhelming. This is years worth of dreaming, research, and upgrading.

Front Open Pouch

The front pouch on the Mongo Versipack is open once the lid is up. With the lid fastened down, the pouch is covered.

Inside this first pouch, on the left side, I keep a:

• Recycled Firefighter Notebook Cover with a 3.5″ x 5.5″ Field Notes Notebook
• An OLIGHT O’Pen Bolt-Action Mini Ballpoint Pen (I used to keep a Fisher Bullet Space Pen with the cover and it worked nicely too.)
• A few loose index cards
• A Fresnel Lens

On the right side, inside a Maxpedition Gear Hook and Loop Mini Organizer, I have:

• Rite In The Rain Notebook
• Fisher Space Pen Cap-O-Matic Space Pen, Chrome Cap with Space Shuttle Imprint
• Fat SHARPIE Chisel Tip
• BIC Brite Liner Highlighter
• Pilot, G2 Premium Gel Roller Pen
• Eyeglass Mini Screwdriver

First Main EDC Pack Compartment Zippered Pouch

Inside the first main compartment zippered pouch is a front pocket, and the back is lined with a sewed-in loop field panel, on which I have the Maxpedition PT1065K HL Hook to Loop Admin Panel attached. Inside, I have:

• OLIGHT I1R 2 Pro Eos 180 Lumens EDC Rechargeable Keychain Flashlight attached to the compartment lanyard.
• Carmex squeeze tube inside a protective zipper bag.
• An Old heavy-duty Sheffield stainless steel multi-tool. I want to upgrade to a Leatherman Wave Plus Multitool with Premium Replaceable Wire Cutters, Bit Kit, and Bit Driver Extender.
• Streamlight 88061 ProTac 1L-1AA 350-Lumen Dual Fuel Professional Tactical Light (Runs with a CR123A lithium, AA alkaline, or AA lithium battery)
• SOG Folding Pocket Knife
• Bic lighter with FlameNest Waterproof BIC Lighter Case, wrapped with Gorilla Tape and Survival Paracord.
• Tactical Pen
• Tweezerman Stainless Steel Nail Cutter
• Titanium Alloy Tweezers
• TACRAY Emergency Whistle

Second Main EDC Pack Compartment Zippered Pouch

The Mongo Versipack’s second main zippered compartment is larger than the first, with a smooth back wall and another sewed-in loop field panel lining the front.

Attached to the loop field panel, I have a Maxpedition 5″ x 7″ Hook-and-Loop Zipper Pocket. Inside the zippered pocket, I have a small pair of Physicians Care Titanium Scissors, a small plastic hard case with a couple of small zip ties, a four-bit tiny screwdriver, and another precision flathead screwdriver.

Key Pouch

I have my spare keys (That I need but not daily) and discount tags inside a Maxpedition Cocoon EDC Pouch. I don’t see this pouch in Khaki anymore, so if that’s what you’re looking for, the Maxpedition Coin Purse would work just as well or better.

The keys are kept in the pouch using a Maxpedition Tritium Key Ring. The Cocoon EDC Pouch is tied in with an ELV Heavy Duty Retractable Keychain with Magnetic Closure and Carabiner (Two of two in this kit). I also keep a P-38 can opener and a spare sardine/meat can opener key (Keep one off a used can that didn’t break).

Survival Pouch

I use a Maxpedition Gear Beefy Pocket Organizer for a small survival pouch for my EDC Pack. I have survival kits I have put together over the years in various packs and every vehicle. I’m not particularly concerned with having an extra one in my EDC pack, but I can’t help myself. This is Next Step Survival, after all.

Inside the survival pouch are:

• Small zippered mesh bag with birch bark (for fire tinder) and ZIP Premium All Purpose Wrapped Firestarter. I talk about how impressed I am with the ZIP Firestarters in some past videos. I know there are a lot of alternatives promoted out there, but I’m sticking with the one that saved my bacon in the cold rain during a multi-day hike. Note: I started to notice some hardening after five or so years. I just ordered more to replace the older ones I have.
• Mylar Emergency Blanket
• Nite Ize SQL2-02-R3 Inova Squeeze Light LED attached to the pouch keeper cord. Note: I purchased two of these on Sep 2, 2016, to live inside pouches like this, and they both still work after seven years! 👍🏻
• Bic Lighter with one of my wife’s hair ties wrapped around the fuel button.
• A sail needle (I know, that’s two) inside a piece of drinking straw heated with clamped ends.
• Light My Fire Swedish FireSteel
• Large hank of SGT KNOTS Tarred Bank Line
• Hank of HERCULES Type III 550 Paracord
• Duct Tape and some Gorilla Black Duct Tape wrapped around a Stainless Steel Survival Pocket Tool someone sent me. Also inside the tape are a couple of Schick double-edged razor blades.
• UST WetFire Tinder
• EZY DOSE Pill Container with some Atwood Rope MFG Micro 100 lb. Test Utility Line
• Stormproof Matches inside a small ziploc bag.
• Water Purification Tablets
• Double-sided folding mirror. I don’t see this one anymore, but I have several of these I use for kit builds.
• Large black trash bag
• Bandanna
• SUUNTO A-30 hiking compass with Pace Beads (Ranger beads) tied in.

The EDC Pack’s Main Compartment

Wow, we’re finally at my EDC pack’s main compartment. Inside this section, I have two Maxpedition pouches that I will list separately below. They are my electronics pouches—one for phone and charging and the other for Bluetooth and lighting.

Other than the two pouches, there are only a few items. A COB Rechargeable Mini Light, a Sun Company Brrr-ometer (So my EDC Pack knows how cold it is) tied into the compartment with a Paracord Lanyard (Similar to but not the same one I purchased on Etsy). A Ziploc bag sits at the bottom containing a spare pair of socks and underwear.

Phone and Charging Pouch

I use a Maxpedition Skinny Pocket Organizer for my phone and charging pouch, which is stuffed full. I have half a dozen of these charging kits I put together and plans for a video soon.

I have a backup phone in this kit, as well as a large battery bank. Inside are:

• An activated REVVL 5G phone. (Sprint/T-Mobile gave it to me when I refused to upgrade my old 3G Galaxy S7 backup phone) inside a Faraday Anti-Radiation Cell Phone Signal Blocking Shield Pouch (I doubt whether this really works).
• Anker 325 Portable 20,000mAh Power Bank with 15W fast charging and simultaneous charging of two devices.
• AUKEY 2-Port USB & C 30W Wall Charger. The AUKEY brand seems to have disappeared from Amazon. Here’s the Anker equivalent: Anker 323 2-Port USB & C 33W Wall Charger, which I also own.
• Anker 52.5W 2-Port USB & C Car Charger Adapter
• Yinow USB C-to-all Adapters in Pocket Mirror Case
• Various C-Type & USB adaptors inside a small oval zipper case (Low quality)
• Samsung 256GB Type-C™ USB Flash Drive (Loaded up with survival articles and manuals)
• SAMSUNG BAR Plus 128GB 3.1 USB Flash Drive (Encrypted with personal documents and information)
• Type C Micro SD/TF Card Reader
• USB Micro SD/TF Card Reader
• JSAUX USB & Type-C Data Blocker
• Various high-speed charging cables for my devices

Bluetooth and Lighting Pouch

My Bluetooth and lighting kit uses a Maxpedition Gear Beefy Pocket Organizer and contains:

• Streamlight 73001 Nano Flashlight
• Various charging cables that fit my devices
• Flashlight that uses 18650 rechargeable Li-ion, or 3 AAA, or CR123A batteries.
• EBL USB Rechargeable 3000mAh Batteries (Fits the above 18650 flashlight)
• BlueParrott B350-XT BPB-35020 Noise Canceling Bluetooth Headset tied in with an Elasto-lok,Tactical Gear Clip
• Soundcore Anker Life P2 True Wireless Earbuds
• OLIGHT Baton3 Premium Edition 1200 Lumens Rechargeable LED Flashlight, with Charging Box secured in the pouch with Molle Web Dominators with Elastic String

Wrapping Up

I have to admit this write-up took days of work. It has to be one of the most challenging articles I have ever tackled, and I still have to record and edit the video.

If you didn’t see something new or get an idea or two from this EDC Pack, you have my admiration.

Call To Action / Next Step

Next Step: If you missed it, Every Day Carry – My (On-Person) EDC – Video

Stay safe. Stay prepared.
Hawkins Out.