Here at Grey Man Tactical we have the pleasure of working with many different customers. Neil at YompNotes.com has an eye for detail and writes some great articles. Please see his below write up and give him a follow on Instagram and mark his blog page as a go to for great in depth reviews! - Paul
ASSETS [Kit] - Goruck GR1 Rucksack EDC
An EDC (Every Day Carry) can be all kinds of things to all sorts of people. It is the gear we carry every day. Our Keys, phone, a knife maybe a torch another knife and so on.
Some carry this equipment in their pockets, others in organised zip around pouches and others in their rucksacks, that's me that's what I do, I carry in my rucksack because I tried the others and for me, a rucksack works best.
WHAT RUCKSACK FOR MY EDC?
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| GORUCK GR1 - JUST THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF BOXY COOL AND MOLLE, UTILITY CHIC |
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| PACKED-UP AND READY FOR SCHOOL : ) TODAY IM USING A GORUCK FIELD POCKET (Sml) FOR MY DSLR |
So after several weeks of research I decide upon the Goruck GR1 21L. My pack would have to fit several criteria. It’s aesthetic would have to work in quite formal professional situations as well as down the pub and for me, the Goruck dose just that. Just the right amount of formal boxy cool and MOLLE utility chic make the Goruck design just right for my EDC. There are many videos and blog posts about the Goruck so here, I’m going talk about what I did inside this rucksack to really make it hum for me.
INTERNAL MOLLE
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| GORUCK GR1 INTERNAL, INTEGRAL MOLLE FIELD IS KEY TO CUSTOMISING OUR GORUCK EDC |
The Goruck GR1 has 6 columns x 3 rows of MOLLE that are integral the rucksacks design. A slight issue is that it doesn’t fit the usual NATO spec for MOLLE ie 2.00” instead of the standard 1.5” wide? I think I get why this is. In theory it makes it easier to weave MOLLE enabled pouches into this ladder but in reality, it means some pouches won’t fit unless you position them left or right, central is quite awkward.
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| CUSTOM SILENT ZIPPER PULLS TO FALL-IN WITH GORUCK STANDARDS |
However this internal MOLLE is a great enabler, allowing us to customise the rucksack in an which way we like. The genius is it gives us enough features without trying to second guess what we want but gives enough options to achieve exactly what we need. As I said; the GR1 gives us enough so that we are asked to think and be creative, with just how we want to rucksack to work for us. Was this judgment on the part of the Goruck designers or just luck? At the end of the day I don’t care, all I know is I like it a lot.
MY GORUCK EDC INTERNAL CONFIG
For me this EDC is all about the interior. To the untrained eye, the outside of the rucksack is quite neutral but the inside? That we can have some fun with. I had an idea as to how I would need the bag to work for me. I would need an easy access pocket at the top, where I can keep pens, light tools, notes books etc. I would need a pocket for my phone and somewhere to carry my morning coffee. Wallets and business card could go in the top front pocket of the rucksack.
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| LOVE IT WHEN KIT TAKES ON A LIFE OF ITS OWN, AS HERE, USING MOLLE FOR PENS AND TORCHES |
First aid, ear phones and cables and chargers could go in the bottom mesh pocket. The outside slant pocket is where my keys would go. You may have notice that in every case, I haven’t stuff pockets with kit! I’ve done this in the past, seeing my EDC as a suitcase that should be packed! This time I wanted my bag to be able to carry my every day useful items and still have plenty if room to carry my jacket, should I get to warm or the shopping or extra work files etc.
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| A NICE VIEW OF ZONE 2 BRINGING BACK THE SHOPPING - I LIKE SOUP |
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| USING THE RIP AS A HATCH TO ZONE 4 - MAGAZINES, LAPTOPS AND WORK FILES GO HERE |
I have deliberately left these last two zones empty, ready for when I need them. I’ve been using this config for several months now and for me it works well.
THE POCKETS
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| ZONE 3 BEING USED FOR SPARE CLOTHING, IN THIS CASE, MY BERGHAUS GORE-TEX JACKET |
I've tried several options here and I may well try others in the future but for now, I have settled on this configuration:
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| EARLY VARIANTS FOR ZONES 1 -2 IN MOST CASES, FAR TOO FINICKY |
All attached to a Greyman Tactical, Rigid Insert Panel or RIP if you’re in the trade (I’ll get to that in a bit) is a Maxpedition AUP pouch, Vanquest Hydra Bottle Holder and attached to the front of that, is a Maxpedition PHP. The all important, dedicated pocket for my phone. For me this solution works really well. The AUP is for my tools, pens, notes books etc all easy to reach at the top of the bag, should it be on the floor, maybe resting against my chair in the office.
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| ZONE 1-2 IN DAILY USE. NOTE THAT MY COFFEE BOTTLE IS SWUNG FROM A CARABINA . SOMETIMES IT'S JUST EASIER TO CARRY IT THIS WAY |
These new additions to the Maxpedition AGR line are perfect and could have been designed for this exact purpose, this doesn’t happen very often but when it does, I really enjoy it. Next to this, the Vanquest Hydra Bottle Holder keeps my morning coffee or tea easy to reach and upright.
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| A USEFUL SHOT OF THE VANQUEST HYDRO BOTTLE POUCH, CINCHED UP WHEN NOT IN USE. THIS SHOT IS PRE CUSTOM ZIPPER PULLS |
This is a very well designed piece of kit. It has a shockcord lace system so it can be adjusted for different sized bottles or even other kit, such as auxiliary power sources (batteries) and even one time, a solid state external hard drive, very useful. I use the AUP front MOLLE panel for need to grab such as my everyday pen, a small torch and from time-to-time; charger cables kept in order with a couple Web Dominators.
THE RIP
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| TWIN SIDE CLIPS USED TO ATTACH THE GREYMAN RIP |
As I mentioned earlier in this piece the Goruck has an internal MOLLE field which is great but for me, if used as intended would restrict the use of the bag. And bearing in mind the issues stated earlier about the MOLLEs none standard, none NATO lay-up I had to think of something which quickly presented its self as the Greyman Tactical Rigid Insert! I’ve used MOLLE inserts before with my day hike rucksack but for me the Rigid insert had an advantage.
1. Looking very clean, neat and tidy and yet just the right amount bad-ass.
2. It’s rigid which means your equipment has a firm foundation, which means that zipping and unzipping pockets one handed is much easier, which is very useful when reaching for something, in a line at a check-out.
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| CLIPPED UP AND READY TO GO |
The RIP is attached to the Gorucks internal MOLLE via 2 ITW side lock buckles. As I write this, I’m not sure if this is the best way for me to swing the RIP but for now this is how I’m doing it. This allows me to unclip the RIP easily from above with one hand, enabling me to slide larger items behind it; such as a laptop sleeve, files or mags. Alternatively the buckles and straps can be adjusted to allow for larger (fatter) kit while remaining clipped in.
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| LAPTOP ACCESS FROM BEHIND THE GREYMAN RIP. ONE HANDED OPERATION WHILE SAT AT A DESK |
So what’s with the quick release? This is an advantage in two main situations:
1. To quickly un-clip to slide items behind it
2. To un-clip and remove the RIP entirely, leaving the bag empty and ready for another mission, where all the space is needed and my every day gear isn’t.
IN CONCLUSION - THE GORUCK GR1 ENABLES US
The Goruck GR1 enables us to customise the interior so we can carry exactly as we wish, without lots of extra straps and fuss. As well as it’s primary purpose of enabling us to carry lots of weight, over long distances and smile at the end of it.
For me; at home, at work, at a conference, at the beach or on a speed March for charity this rucksack is understated utility chic, a classic example of being more than it seems and for that - I love it.
THE PARTS LIST:
If you would like to put together an EDC like this I have complied a full parts list with links below. Do let me know how you get-on:
• Goruck GR1 21L rucksack
• Rigid MOLLE Panel (RIP-M) 10.75in x 15in
• Maxpedition AUP Accordion Utility Pouch
• Maxpedition PHP iPhone 6 Pouch
• Vanquest HYDRA Bottle Holder
• Maxpedition CAP Compact Admin
• Maxpedition RDP Radio Pouch
• Condor Tactical Sidekick Pouch
• Helikon-Tex General Purpose Cargo
• Klean Kanteen 16-Ounce Insulated Stainless Steel
• Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel Cap (Flip D-Ring)
• Molle Backpack Accessory Straps
• ITW Nexus Side Release Buckles
• Maxpedition Web Dominators
• ITW GrimLocs
ABOUT THE LINKS WITH-IN THIS POST.
I've included links so you can find out more or even purchase. In some cases items have been upgraded or discontinued so I have linked to equivalents, I hope that's OK.
RELATED POSTS:
ASSETS [Kit] - EDC Admin / Organisers
ASSETS [Kit] - THE EVERY DAY CARRY [EDC]
Leave a comment. Tell me what you think. What does your EDC rucksack look like? It would be great to hear. Thanks very much for taking the time. Enjoy the rest of the site.