Introducing the Bedouin x Carryology Triptych Collection.

Bedouin x Carryology: Balian TT

Bedouin x Carryology: KHAN TT

Bedouin x Carryology: Sharky TT

Bedouin, one of our favorite carry brands on earth. A brand with unmatched uniqueness, timelessness, storytelling, and flair. With products that aren’t your average – they’re beautiful handmade pieces of artwork.   

As our Senior Editor, Laurence Fry mused in his Bedouin Barbarossa review (also, my personal most used bag of 2021 and 2022), some of my favorite lines of text in Carryology history: “This handmade masterpiece is charming and endearing to use. It truly feels like it has been loved into existence.” This pretty much encapsulates how I feel about all the Bedouin pieces that I own and use: the Barbarossa, Genghis, KHAN, Sharky, Balain, Barbary, Delireis, and Mamluke. It truly is a brand at the very top tier of Carry. 

There is one man behind the helm of this buccaneer vessel, Silas Grant: artist, visionary, and a man I’m proud to call my friend. I’d make my way to Wales to meet him for our last design trip to the UK – he’s now uprooted himself, his family, and Bedouin, moving out to the picturesque countryside, and designs out of a new Bedouin HQ. 

I was headed to Wales for the first time in my life. And my travel colleague Laurence (visiting Wales for the ten thousandth time) joined along for the rural hangs and to work on the newest Bedouin x Carryology collaboration project.

In a mutually despised rental Peugeot coupe, Laurence and I depart from Trakke HQ in Glasgow, Scotland down through England, placing a GCEP patch at Hadrian’s Wall on our road trip, and then crossing into Wales. 

Laurence and I arrive at Silas’s home, an old farmhouse, with a sprawling lush garden and a large barn on the side, converted into Bedouin’s headquarters. While he’s currently using one small room in the barn for the office and design studio, he toured us through all the future rooms and their respective purposes – Bedouin’s future looks bright! – and then we got down to the business of dreaming up the next best project. 

For the last three collaborations, we used high-tech Dyneema, buttery leather, and a hand-printed orange cotton drill liner, creating a little product family:

1. Balian (Design Article & Release Article)
2. KHAN (Design Article & Release Article)
3. Sharky (Design Article & Release Article)

So the challenge was, what’s next? We had already nailed, in our humble opinions, the best possible examples of a sling, a messenger, and a backpack that represented the Bedouin x Carryology concept direction. Two of the products were designed together from the ground up (Balian and Sharky), while the KHAN borrowed from the existing perfect messenger (Genghis). So what could we do now? A small accessory? Another messenger? We were proud of the work we had already done and the end users all loved them, each selling out in less than 60 seconds. So what if we didn’t create something new, just for the sake of it? What if we used what we already had? 

Sometimes simplicity is best. Why mess with perfection? We’d re-release all three in a new vision. Being that Bedouin products are normally offered in Halley Stevensons waxed cotton canvas and our Bedouin collaborations have all used Dyneema, we all wanted to see these three previous products in the iconic fabric. 

That was the brief, a full three-piece collection, which we’d call the Triptych Collection. Triptych means “something composed or presented in three parts or sections”. But we couldn’t just pick a color of fabric from the catalog. No, sir. Silas reached out to the Dundee-based, Scottish weatherproof fabric maker boasting 150+ years of manufacturing experience, and went in search of something unique and special.

The folks up in Dundee had just released a new technology to their production offerings, which isn’t very common with such a traditional manufacturer, so we were immediately intrigued with this news. Basically, they’d started offering up custom digital printing on their heritage waxed fabrics. One of the options was the screaming bold Swedish M90 Camo printed pattern (humorously nicknamed “the leaf pile” by Swedish soldiers), which we had used a variation of previously on our Carryology P06 morale patch. We loved it. Even though it was brand new as part of the brand new Spring/Summer 2023 fabric collection, we just had to elevate it a step further… because… well, you know how this works by now. 

So we called up the fabric gurus and played with a variety of different fabrics, scaling options of the M90 pattern (both larger and smaller), and we color-swapped out the bright yellow to our signature bright orange. We opted for the P400 Desert Wax Plus, a 100% cotton base fabric, digitally printed, with a natural dry wax finish, and coming in at a confident 537g/m² weight. After a handful of lab dip samples and playing with the swatches at Bedouin HQ, we had arrived at the final perfect fabric: the Halley Stevensons P400 Desert Wax Plus Bespoke Swedish Camo Bedouin X Carryology Edition (AKA HSP400DWPBSCBXCE). An intentionally funny mouthful of word soup? Yep. Damn awesome custom Scottish-made fabric? Absolutely.

While we waited on the full production roll of custom fabric, we played with some different leather color options. We were really torn between using brown leather, just to try something different. But after a handful of mockups, the bold contrast of the black leather was the perfect complement. 

Commemorating the Triptych Collection, Silas called upon the legend himself, the designer of many of Bedouin’s iconic artworks, graphics, and internal print liner, Zeke Wade. Zeke whipped up a few different graphic logo options for the custom collaboration triptych internal label. We finally ended up loving the geometric sphere, specifically a polyhedron based on a three-pointed star. Very Bedouin. Perfect.

Each of these three products is individually handmade in the small Bedouin workshop in rural Somerset, England. There are only 33 units of each. Yes, 33 of each. The reason there are so few? Because this is a small cottage maker who doesn’t focus on big quantities. That’s the way they do things. The old way. The slow way. Their own way. 

To make the whole naming thing nice and simple, we added “TT” to the end of each product name. Each already has its own character or codename, which we loved so much, we didn’t want to reinvent them – TripTych = TT. 

Balian TT:

SPECS

Dimensions: 22.5 x 36 x 13cm

Weight: ?????

Capacity: 4.5L

Exterior fabric: HSP400DWPBSCBXCE at 537g/m²

Back panel: Italian top-grain vegetable-tanned leather, rumbled for pebble texture.

Wing accents: Italian top-grain vegetable-tanned leather, rumbled for pebble texture.

Zippers: YKK AquaGuard nylon coil, front 6mm double puller, 4mm back with fold-down zip head.

Zipper pulls: Italian top-grain vegetable-tanned leather

Buckles: 2 AustriAlpin Cobra frames, made from cast aluminum alloy, and 38mm Cobra with double tension.

Lining: Cotton drill, hand-printed in a railway arch Deptford, South London on the last 25m tables in London.

Print: Signature ‘crank print’, with a decaying geometric framework interlaced with bicycle parts and curios in custom orange.

Webbing: 38mm 9 bar seatbelt webbing on main straps, 25mm ribbed webbing on tension straps.

Handmade in Somerset, England.

FEATURES

1 large expandable compartment with YKK AquaGuard zipper and storm flap

X3 Internal organizing pockets

1 secret security pocket on back panel (YKK AquaGuard zipper)

PALS webbing across face for external carry

Ambidextrous strap setup

Side wings

Webbing loops for strap management

KHAN TT:

SPECS

Dimensions: 51 x 30 x 15cm

Weight: ?????

Capacity: 25L (Estimate)

Exterior fabric: HSP400DWPBSCBXCE at 537g/m²

Front flap, lash strip, and binding: Italian top-grain vegetable-tanned bridle leather 2-3mm thick on flap, skived for binding.

Zippers: Swiss-made RiRi size 8 in matte black

Zipper pulls: Black KTL slider with bridle leather puller.

Buckles: 2 AustriAlpin Cobra Pro Style 25mm female fix, male adjust, made from cast and post-machined aluminum alloy, and a 50mm Cobra with female fix, male adjust.

Lining: Orange cotton drill, hand-printed in a railway arch Deptford, South London on the last 25m tables in London.

Print: Signature ‘crank print’, with a decaying geometric framework interlaced with bicycle parts and curios in custom orange.

Webbing: 50mm 11 bar seatbelt webbing on main strap, 25mm 5 bar webbing on tension straps, all straps have bridle leather keepers with a black rivet.

Internal label: Exclusive Carryology collaboration woven full damask label

Handmade in Somerset, England.

FEATURES

Cobra Pro Style buckles 

Large laptop sleeve (fits 15″)

Lash strip (PALS style) for external attachments

Textured leather to reduce slip on underside of strap setup

2 sleeves and one secure zip pocket under front flap

Leather keepers and loop on main strap for strap management

Internal pouch with eyelet for attachments

Padded rear panel and base for comfort and security

Sharky TT:

SPECS

Volume: 24L to 26L 

Exterior fabric: HSP400DWPBSCBXCE at 537g/m²

Rear leather panel and base: 2mm Italian vegetable-tanned rumbled black leather

Leather flap and lash patches: 3.5mm Italian vegetable-tanned bridle leather

FEATURES

2 black Cobra Pro Style 25mm main opening

2 black Cobra blocks for tension on backpack straps

Padded rear panel and base with a floating laptop sleeve 

2 external front sleeve pockets, one zippered

2 side stash pockets

Fully opening front panel with YKK AquaGuard zippers

Fully padded backpack straps, with leather lash patches. All padding is sealed cell

Internal stash pocket on laptop sleeve and internal zippered pocket on internal front panel

Fully lined with hand-printed orange cotton drill

Introducing the Bedouin x Carryology Triptych Collection:

Bedouin x Carryology: Balian TT

Bedouin x Carryology: KHAN TT

Bedouin x Carryology: Sharky TT

Each can be purchased individually and will ship globally the next day, arriving to you before the holidays. 

For those who are aiming for the entire Triptych Collection, we made a discounted package combo deal available for you.

The post Bedouin x Carryology | Triptych Collection appeared first on Carryology - Exploring better ways to carry.

From the densely fogged alleys, there’s cold silence in the sleeping metropolis… save for the neon signs buzzing overhead, painting the puddles below with a saturated glow. From the mist, a low rumble trembles through the steel and glass. The Tokai returns.

(Overly-dramatic introduction, I know, but let’s have some fun, right?) 

One of the biggest and best collaboration launches we’ve ever had, with one of the Carry Community’s favorite brands, comes back for a sequel. 

We’re proud to announce the Aer x Carryology Tokai Backpack.

Soaring Again with Aer

Our friends Aer probably don’t need any introduction, but we’re going to give them one anyway. Based in San Francisco, they stormed onto the scene with their Aer Fit Pack, and never left, delivering a brand that does it all: style, minimalism, versatility, utility, and affordability all in one complete package. 

They’re leaders in the industry, and no stranger to the annual Carry Awards, racking up an unprecedented three 1st place titles. That’s no easy task. 

And for all these reasons above, we were stoked when Aer hit us up back in 2019 with interest in doing a collab project. Later, we launched the Tokai Sling, a nod to Japanese streetwear: “Tokai” is Japanese (都会) for “urban” or “city”.

It sold out in just over a minute. For many, the Tokai Sling, inspired by the City Sling, is one of their favorite sling designs out there, and a grail piece for our hardcore carry collectors. 

So after the dust settled, we decided to go round again, to develop a sidekick for the Tokai Sling – a backpack inspired by streetwear, and a complementing piece for everyday adventures. 

The Foundation

After the launch of the Tokai Sling in 2020, Allen Choi reached out with a new pack he’d designed, the Aer City Pack, and we got our hands on some production units before they launched. 

Just like the City Sling, it was compact, perfectly designed for city essentials, and had an ultra-clean exterior – and with its contoured back panel designed to curve with your shoulders, its on-body comfort was top-tier.

After months of testing the City Pack, we knew it was one of the best compact daypacks in the industry – and the perfect partner to the Tokai. 

City Pack’s Greatest Hits

• Padded, suspended laptop pocket with soft lining (fits up to 16″ laptop) 

• Quick-access top pocket with soft lining

• Smart organization for your everyday essentials

• Contoured back panel for enhanced comfort and excellent fit

• Exterior water bottle pocket

• Smart tracker pocket designed for AirTags or Tile trackers

• Padded, quick-grab side handle for versatile carrying

• Luggage handle pass-through

Keeping It Tokai

First up, color. With the same philosophy as the Tokai Sling – a balance of loud/quiet, calm/rush, black/white, rugged/elegant, patterns/solids, and, of course, yin/yang. 

It would be inspired by all of these, and give a nod to the flair and expression of Japanese streetwear. A culture that continues to inspire us here at Carryology HQ. 

We opted to put an all-black front face on the backpack, with MultiCam Black wrapped around the top, bottom, sides, and back. Onlookers see stealth black from the back, until the pack angles for that camo pop. 

High-Vis Interior

Of course, our signature feature, a high-vis interior in bright orange is throughout the main “3/4 clamshell” compartment. This is made from a custom water-resistant nylon ripstop fabric that’s bluesign® approved. 

Inverted Camo

Playing with the yin/yang concept like we did with the sling, the front lower accessory pocket and the admin accessory compartment are the panels that we flipped vice versa, lined with MultiCam Alpine (X50) or MCB (X50). A playful nod, hidden away, but enjoyable for the user when accessing your gear on the go.

Containing the pattern, we selected waterproof Dimension Polyant X-Pac, in two fabrics, White in X42, and Black in X50.

A fan favorite, X50 and X42 is brutal stuff. The front faces are made from Cordura’s 500D and 420D nylon, commonly used on military packs and gear. On that face, there’s a DWR (durable water repellent) coating, to create those sexy water beads. Then, it’s sandwiched via Dimension Polyant’s proprietary lamination process with a mid-layer of black post-consumer recycled polyester, an X-PLY® at 22° for strength and anti-stretch, and finally a 0.5 mil shiny polyester film on the back face. 

Weatherproof 

To keep all these waterproof X-Pac panels closed up tight and keep out the weather, we opted for YKK’s AquaGuard zippers. The three main compartments all use a chunky matte-finish #8 zipper coil for durability. The top accessory pocket uses a svelte #6 zipper to keep things tidy.

Allen and Andy also told us about their new zipper pullers, which we were totally on board with incorporating into the collab. An Aer-debossed cylindrical plastic puller at the end for grip, all woven through mini YKK metal zipper pullers via orange nylon cording, a pleasure to use. Most importantly, they’re much quieter than the previous designs.

Magnets Are Key

We decided to pimp out the key lanyard, with a Korean-made magnetic “Magic Short” key lanyard with a metal keyring. Stronger, more functional, and a little more badass. 

The sternum strap also utilizes magnetic hardware, making it easy to pop open and shut with one hand. We kept branding minimal, so the Aer and Carryology logos are debossed into the hardware itself, black on black. Gloss into matte. 

Hypalon Hits

If you’ve been following what we do, you know we love the technical goodness and weatherability of Hypalon (the stuff used in Navy SEAL inflatable boats). Its matte black looks would work in tandem with the black X50 for a super-clean face, and give some variation to the handfeel. And while we were at it, we added a zipper garage in Hypalon too, for that extra notch of weatherproofness.

Bag It Up

And the last finishing touch – each Tokai Pack comes with a black ripstop nylon dust drawstring bag with orange cord for shipping and/or storage. We’ve added gloss black Aer and Carryology logos to the exterior of the bag, keeping it subtle and classy. Use it for a laundry travel bag, for dirty boot storage inside your pack, as an emergency bag in the car door pocket, or whatever you can dream up.

Dimensions/Weight

Features

The post Exclusive Release | Aer x Carryology Tokai Backpack appeared first on Carryology - Exploring better ways to carry.

(Overly-dramatic introduction, I know, but let’s have some fun, right?) 

One of the biggest and best collaboration launches we’ve ever had, with one of the Carry Community’s favorite brands, comes back for a sequel. 

We’re proud to announce the Aer x Carryology Tokai Backpack.

Soaring Again with Aer

Our friends Aer probably don’t need any introduction, but we’re going to give them one anyway. Based in San Francisco, they stormed onto the scene with their Aer Fit Pack, and never left, delivering a brand that does it all: style, minimalism, versatility, utility, and affordability all in one complete package. 

They’re leaders in the industry, and no stranger to the annual Carry Awards, racking up an unprecedented three 1st place titles. That’s no easy task. 

And for all these reasons above, we were stoked when Aer hit us up back in 2019 with interest in doing a collab project. Later, we launched the Tokai Sling, a nod to Japanese streetwear: “Tokai” is Japanese (都会) for “urban” or “city”.

It sold out in just over a minute. For many, the Tokai Sling, inspired by the City Sling, is one of their favorite sling designs out there, and a grail piece for our hardcore carry collectors. 

So after the dust settled, we decided to go round again, to develop a sidekick for the Tokai Sling – a backpack inspired by streetwear, and a complementing piece for everyday adventures. 

The Foundation

After the launch of the Tokai Sling in 2020, Allen Choi reached out with a new pack he’d designed, the Aer City Pack, and we got our hands on some production units before they launched. 

Just like the City Sling, it was compact, perfectly designed for city essentials, and had an ultra-clean exterior – and with its contoured back panel designed to curve with your shoulders, its on-body comfort was top-tier.

After months of testing the City Pack, we knew it was one of the best compact daypacks in the industry – and the perfect partner to the Tokai. 

City Pack’s Greatest Hits

• Padded, suspended laptop pocket with soft lining (fits up to 16″ laptop) 

• Quick-access top pocket with soft lining

• Smart organization for your everyday essentials

• Contoured back panel for enhanced comfort and excellent fit

• Exterior water bottle pocket

• Smart tracker pocket designed for AirTags or Tile trackers

• Padded, quick-grab side handle for versatile carrying

• Luggage handle pass-through

Keeping It Tokai

First up, color. With the same philosophy as the Tokai Sling – a balance of loud/quiet, calm/rush, black/white, rugged/elegant, patterns/solids, and, of course, yin/yang. 

It would be inspired by all of these, and give a nod to the flair and expression of Japanese streetwear. A culture that continues to inspire us here at Carryology HQ. 

We opted to put an all-black front face on the backpack, with MultiCam Black wrapped around the top, bottom, sides, and back. Onlookers see stealth black from the back, until the pack angles for that camo pop. 

High-Vis Interior

Of course, our signature feature, a high-vis interior in bright orange is throughout the main “3/4 clamshell” compartment. This is made from a custom water-resistant nylon ripstop fabric that’s bluesign® approved. 

Inverted Camo

Playing with the yin/yang concept like we did with the sling, the front lower accessory pocket and the admin accessory compartment are the panels that we flipped vice versa, lined with MultiCam Alpine (X50) or MCB (X50). A playful nod, hidden away, but enjoyable for the user when accessing your gear on the go.

Containing the pattern, we selected waterproof Dimension Polyant X-Pac, in two fabrics, White in X42, and Black in X50.

A fan favorite, X50 and X42 is brutal stuff. The front faces are made from Cordura’s 500D and 420D nylon, commonly used on military packs and gear. On that face, there’s a DWR (durable water repellent) coating, to create those sexy water beads. Then, it’s sandwiched via Dimension Polyant’s proprietary lamination process with a mid-layer of black post-consumer recycled polyester, an X-PLY® at 22° for strength and anti-stretch, and finally a 0.5 mil shiny polyester film on the back face. 

Weatherproof 

To keep all these waterproof X-Pac panels closed up tight and keep out the weather, we opted for YKK’s AquaGuard zippers. The three main compartments all use a chunky matte-finish #8 zipper coil for durability. The top accessory pocket uses a svelte #6 zipper to keep things tidy.

Allen and Andy also told us about their new zipper pullers, which we were totally on board with incorporating into the collab. An Aer-debossed cylindrical plastic puller at the end for grip, all woven through mini YKK metal zipper pullers via orange nylon cording, a pleasure to use. Most importantly, they’re much quieter than the previous designs.

Magnets Are Key

We decided to pimp out the key lanyard, with a Korean-made magnetic “Magic Short” key lanyard with a metal keyring. Stronger, more functional, and a little more badass. 

The sternum strap also utilizes magnetic hardware, making it easy to pop open and shut with one hand. We kept branding minimal, so the Aer and Carryology logos are debossed into the hardware itself, black on black. Gloss into matte. 

Hypalon Hits

If you’ve been following what we do, you know we love the technical goodness and weatherability of Hypalon (the stuff used in Navy SEAL inflatable boats). Its matte black looks would work in tandem with the black X50 for a super-clean face, and give some variation to the handfeel. And while we were at it, we added a zipper garage in Hypalon too, for that extra notch of weatherproofness.

Bag It Up

And the last finishing touch – each Tokai Pack comes with a black ripstop nylon dust drawstring bag with orange cord for shipping and/or storage. We’ve added gloss black Aer and Carryology logos to the exterior of the bag, keeping it subtle and classy. Use it for a laundry travel bag, for dirty boot storage inside your pack, as an emergency bag in the car door pocket, or whatever you can dream up.

The post <strong>Aer x Carryology | Tokai Resurgence </strong> appeared first on Carryology - Exploring better ways to carry.

Introducing the Prometheus Design Werx x Carryology:

SPX Pouch (SPX-C / CE07)

Accessory Pod (AP-C / CE08)

Stash Pouch Size 1 (SP1-C / CE09)

Admin Organizer Size 2 (AO2-C / CE10)

HAL1 Straps Sold Separately

Iconic, functional, and hard-wearing EDC pouches from the masters at PDW, then elevated with materials and trims to protect your gear against the elements. A modular pouch system to incorporate into your existing carry quiver, no matter what you carry or whatever your mission.

Each CE release is carefully chosen because it’s “best in class”. The leading pieces of gear in essential categories, hand-picked and taken to the design table and reimagined. 

In this case, we have the modular pouch/organizer collection. Four industry-leading pieces with years of insights built in, paired with sleek and minimal lines and our signature touch of expression and performance. 

And if you didn’t already know, these CE collections are designed to be restocked and evergreen, so more folks can access them and carry them proudly. So if this sells out make sure to hit that ‘NOTIFY ME’ button.

The Pouch Series

SPX-C

The SPX Pouch is designed to hold most of today’s smartphones and features an extra internal divider to stash a power bank so you can charge on the fly. 

It’s the perfect pouch to access your smartphone while on the go without the annoyance of it being a weight banging around in your pant or short pocket when hiking, climbing, or during any active pursuit. 

AP-C

The AP-C is the classic pen and pencil case. A version longer than most linear-style zippered pouches and ideally suited for full-sized combo wrenches, art supplies, and any manner of writing and drawing implements. And it will even fit most popular brands of modern electric toothbrushes.

SP1-C 

The SP1-C is designed to store a wide variety of items from the trail to EDC. Not too big and not too small, this handy zippered pouch is ideal for anything from binoculars to personal effects, trail snacks, and survival items.

AO2-C

The AO2-C is a true box construction, “drawbridge” type, clamshell opening organizer designed primarily to house writing to admin implements and compact tools.

The Upgrades

Rugged Exterior Fabric

You know us, we’re huge fans of the Connecticut-based brand Dimension Polyant’s X-Pac fabric. Being completely honest, we explored some additional fabrics during the development phases, but then we circled back to X-Pac. And why’s that? Firstly, it’s awesome stuff. Extremely durable, 100% waterproof, made in the USA, and it looks awesome. Secondly… being that these are pouches to be added to your existing packs, we thought it would be a great way to “match” them with previous collaborations and/or your other favorite non-collaboration carry. It just seemed to fit all around, like two perfectly cut puzzle pieces. For this collection, we opted for X-Pac VX42, a three-layer sandwich with a great balance of toughness, flexibility, and low weight for small items (like pouches).

Interior Pop

While we had our friends Dimension Polyant on the horn, we explored some exciting new liner fabrics for the pouches. Sure, an orange liner is usually our thing, but our jaws dropped once we started playing with DP’s PX05 fabric. It’s totally clear, allowing the white/gray backing of the VX42 to “shine through” for visual contrast and serious X-factor. For strength and durability, they added black polyester X grid (for strength and a nice visual pop) as well as a square grid of white polyester for ripstop properties (and additional strength).

Rainproof

Both the exterior fabric (VX42) and the interior fabric (PX05) are waterproof, so we needed to round out the protective shell with some YKK AquaGuard zippers. These are the semi-matte finish, no full matte, not glossy, just right. All exterior zippers utilize this zipper, with YKK reverse coils on the interior. But in the rare circumstance that you submerge your pouches, there’s also one water drain grommet at the bottom of the two admin-style pouches (CE09 and CE10).

Customize Your Pullers

Of course we went with a black exterior fabric on this collection, including black paracord with 3M flecks for visibility at night… but there’s an extra bonus included with CE08, CE09, and CE10 (CE07 doesn’t have zippers). Included in each pouch, there’s a little envelope with a full set of pre-cut zipper puller cords in orange w/3M flecks and olive green w/3M flecks. Now you can personalize your entire kit or individual pouches as you see fit.

Hardware Upgrade

Sure, the standard closure method on the SPX is secure and works well, but we had to add a little extra fun to the mix. We’re big fans of the brand, you’re big fans of the brand, everyone loves Fidlock. Magnets, one-handed operation, they look fantastic, and they give that satisfying *clack* when you close them. Specifically, we chose the Magnetic V-Buckle with a solid metal face for durability.

Organizer Upgrade

We really love PDW’s admin pouches, but to save a little weight (and cost to you), rather than purchasing a Velcro-backed organizer panel, we included it sewn into the pouch itself. Everything you need, without adding, removing, and/or paying for inserts.

Add links to products and a link to the https://prometheusdesignwerx.com/products/hal1-straps

The post PDW x Carryology | Modular EDC Pouch Essentials appeared first on Carryology - Exploring better ways to carry.

We’ve arrived at the oldest and leading traditional tartan mill in the world. Lochcarron of Scotland is nestled in a small village called Selkirk, just 33 miles from John Muir’s birthplace in Dunbar, Scotland. Cracking open the heavy door on the Land Rover, it’s a rush transitioning from the toasty warm interior into the ice-cold wind and sideways rain. I’m sidled next to Alec Farmer, the founder of Trakke, one of the UK’s greatest brands, and we’re in the elements, in that famous Scottish summer weather he keeps telling me about… ready to make some special together, once more. 

A coming together of handmade craftsmanship, Scottish history, cutting-edge performance fabric science and technology, everyday carry, traveling, and inspiration taken from John Muir, the “father of the national parks”… we are proud to announce the second collaboration between Trakke x Carryology: The Muir Project.

If you’re not familiar with the powerhouse brand punching well above their weight class called Trakke, I recommend checking out this article celebrating 10 years of Trakke in business, where I interviewed Alec Farmer. Not only is Alec a passionately skilled designer, but I genuinely consider him a close friend. I also feel the same exact way about the entire Trakke team. All of them. This is not some cliché, this is real life. On the two occasions I’ve had the honor and pleasure to visit with them, it feels like walking into a room full of family and friends. Laughs, beers, meals, whiskies, and more. So after our first Trakke x Carryology collaboration project back in 2018, we’ve stayed in regular contact, bouncing ideas off one another, DMing jokes, and hopping on phone calls simply to catch up on projects and life. 

We’ve always kicked around the idea of doing another project together. But we both wanted the next one to be properly amazing. Going in too soon without a solid groundbreaking plan wouldn’t do. We were waiting for some kind of spark, some stroke of inspiration that would magically come to one of us, to then run with it. So we’d put it off until the next chat. And then onto the next one. Mulling over small ideas in the meantime. It wasn’t until sometime in 2021, Alec said, “Okay, we’re ready to focus the attention that this thing deserves. Let’s do this thing.” And like that, serious, focused discussions began.

Finding Inspiration in an Icon

Now for many of these projects, inspiration comes from a variety of different places. Oftentimes, we’ll design a project and assign it a codename or character name somewhere throughout the process, when it feels right. For this one, we wanted a clear driving motivation behind our decision-making processes from the very beginning.

Being that adventure is at the heart of both our brands, we focused on great explorers and adventurers. British, Scottish, American, and more. 

After some deep research, Alec proposed the idea of Mr. John Muir, an adventurer whose story would connect Scotland (Trakke’s home) to the United States (Carryology’s design home base) in one clean, straight line. 

John Muir, Father of the National Parks

Why John Muir? He was born in the small village of Dunbar, Scotland in 1838. Then, in 1842, he emigrated to the United States. 

While there, Muir made legendary accomplishments as a naturalist, author, environmental philosopher, botanist, zoologist, and glaciologist, and he was an early advocate for the preservation of wilderness in the United States of America. His most famous undertaking, which is how he earned the nickname “Father of the National Parks”, is by far his most important. 

In 1903, Muir, who was a somewhat known author at the time, reached out to the President of the United States, Teddy Roosevelt and he pitched… get this… a 3-day camping trip together in the Yosemite Valley. Imagine doing this today. You’d have the Secret Service at your door in minutes. Despite this incredibly bold Hail Mary invitation, Roosevelt accepted. 

That camping trip would change the fate of the outdoors as we know it forever. Muir’s entire goal: to show the President how beautiful and how special the outdoors were. And most importantly, that these areas needed to be protected. 

It worked. And today, people are still reading Muir’s works, and are inspired by his message and actions, and dozens and dozens of locations are named in his honor. Muir was the perfect embodiment to inspire the direction of this project: the Scottish-US connection and culture, the love of the outdoors, epic travel, rugged exploration, and an environmentally-conscious approach.

From Inspiration to Execution

With the spark found, what would the product be? This took a lot of back and forth. The easy answer was to trick out a Bannoch Backpack or maybe even a Largo Sling. It just seemed too easy. And we wanted to really go big and bold with this. Challenge ourselves to push into new ground, create something new and special. 

As Alec mentioned in our group: “I think a good collab should take both parties somewhere they couldn’t go alone”. We wanted our own John Muir-style Hail Mary. So referencing our driving inspiration, Muir, we began looking at hiking packs and gear silhouettes from the late 1800s and early 1900s, via The Scottish Mountain Heritage Collection. There were dozens of timeless examples that we found, all sharing a similar design language of that time period. Two vertical straps, a floating brain… and cord-cinch closures… 

An Adventure Pack from the Ground Up

We agreed to create a brand new backpack from the ground up, inspired by these packs of the past. Heavy on the outdoor aesthetic, with all the features of a great everyday carry and light travel backpack. We started sketching and patterning. Rather than use a cord cinch closure at the top, we opted for a “horseshoe” style zippered access. This is a favorite access method of ours, which can be seen on products from several different brands over the past decade or so. However, we loved the top-loading lid/pocket… and the two together just wouldn’t play well together. Sketching, miniature paper pattern mock-ups, sub-assembly prototyping, we just couldn’t get it right. The top pocket just wasn’t working. And then… it happened so quickly… someone pulled the lid off of the backpack. And the lightbulb went off.

Backpack + Sling = Magic

As part of our 1.5-bag travel system philosophy here at Carryology, the traveler uses one primary backpack to get from point A to B. And once they’re at point B, they can leave their larger pack behind, utilizing a small agile carry solution to carry their essentials to points X, Y, and Z. So wouldn’t it be epic to combine the two?

Once we agreed on this path, we firmly agreed on the following three ideas: 

1. The backpack should be an amazing backpack on its own, not missing anything if it wasn’t paired together with the sling. 

2. The sling should be an amazing sling on its own, not missing anything if it wasn’t paired together with the backpack. 

3. Together, they should work flawlessly, connecting and disconnecting with ease, not affecting the functionality of either product. 

Hardware Without Compromise 

We played with Velcro and plastic military-grade buckles, but neither of those are at the level of a Trakke x Carryology collab. German-based Fidlock and Austrian-based AustriAlpin to the rescue. Having the entire catalog of both brands at our fingertips, we played with dozens of different combinations of magnets, buckles, snaps, clips, webbings, and more, until we finally found the correct German/Austrian combo of magical magnets and brute strength. The result? An easy-to-attach, easy-to-remove sling. A sling that stayed strong and secure, even when getting active. And a sling that didn’t hinder access.

We’ve got it. Two 25mm AustriAlpin COBRA Pro Style buckles (2,000+ lbs break strength), four Fidlock magnetic SNAPs, two Fidlock magnetic HOOKs, and more. And a G-hook on the backside, keeping the sling securely locked on, with no chance of it being stolen away while walking through busy city streets. 

While it’s much easier to experience this incredible quick deploy feature in the flesh, it’s quite difficult to write about. So the next best thing until you can try it yourself… this video shows how effortless and awesome this system is. Plus, if I may say so myself, it’s a lot of fun to use.

Detailed info on AustriAlpin’s hardware and Fidlock’s magnetic hardware can be found here on Trakke’s mini The Muir Project website.

The World’s Best Performing UHMWPE, Fully Custom

In the initial stages, we were completely focused on making sure our concept would work, using off-the-shelf fabrics for the prototypes. But it was time to select fabrics. The easy answer? Waxed cotton canvas or X-Pac. Collectively, we’ve used both of those fabrics over and over again. Something new, something bold, something awesome was in order. We had the heritage aesthetic inspiration on the pack design… so we needed a modern element. We’d been talking with the folks at Challenge Sailcloth for quite some time and at a meeting we had together at Outdoor Retailer in Denver, Colorado in 2021, Hale and Josh pulled out some swatches of something absolutely revolutionary. Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), the strongest strength-to-weight material on earth, often referred to as “Dyneema” (like how tissues are referred to by the brand “Kleenex”). We’ve used UHMWPE and brand name Dyneema in the past, like on the GORUCK x Carryology GRXC1 collab, and we love the stuff. But the difference between Challenge Sailcloth’s ULTRA collection and Dyneema fabrics we’re all familiar with? The Dyneema example uses UHMWPE fibers which are laminated to a polyester face or backing. 

Challenge’s ULTRA collection takes the UHMWPE fibers, combines them into strands of fibers, and then weaves them together. Basically think about a 1000-denier nylon fabric, except all of those fibers are the strongest fibers ever made. Insanely strong, lightweight, and ultra durable. Win, win, win. 

Challenge offers 3 different versions of the ULTRA: 800, 400, and 200. 800 is truly wild stuff, but a bit too aggressive and heavy for this particular project. We loved the look and feel of the 200, but the 400 had the perfect weight and drape we were looking for… perfect until we asked the question: can we make something completely custom? 

ULTRA fabric, laminated to a blaze orange backer, eliminating the need for a floating liner inside the bag, saving weight and complexity of construction. They agreed to run a full custom run just for this Trakke and Carryology project. After some fabric swatch prototypes, we ended up concocting an ULTRA + ECOPAK custom hybrid, selecting ULTRA 200 as the face fabric (a woven blend of 200d Ultra yarn and high-tenacity polyester), laminated with 0.5 mil RUV film (recycled PET film with UV conditioning), a Blue 45^o CrossPly (recycled 500d polyester yarn), and a Blaze Orange RBC200 Backing (recycled 200d polyester oxford). The combined weight of the sandwich put us right back to the same properties as the off-the-shelf ULTRA 400. 

Introducing the ULTRA 200XBlaze (Challenge Product code: UPE200TXBO), an ultralight, waterproof, durable fabric, custom-made for The Muir Project.

High Vis Liner Fabric

We weren’t done with fabrics just yet, as we needed some additional paneling inside for this design’s construction. Loving the bold blaze orange polyester backing of our ULTRA 200XBlaze, we opted for this same ECOPAK half of the sandwich (EPX200), minus the ULTRA. Fully recycled, 20 plastic bottles for every yard produced. Lightweight, strong, waterproof, and bright orange for visual contrast to help locate items inside your pack in low lighting. Plus, it is both Trakke’s brand color and Carryology’s brand color, after all. 

The Timelessness of Tartan

We were wildly excited about both of these fabrics from Challenge Sailcloth, representing the United States side of the collaboration equation. But we realized we needed a Scottish punch to balance the scales. Again, back to the Scottish-American John Muir as inspiration. Alec swiftly pulled out a sample book from Lochcarron of Scotland (founded in 1892), the world’s leading manufacturer of tartan. We flicked through different weights and patterns of tartans, legitimately laughing with excitement about the concept. 

The variety is astounding; greens, reds, blacks, even purples. We began our search for a swatch of orange-colored tartan in their vast library… and came up empty-handed. Sure, a classic red/black or red/green tartan would look cool, but it felt forced. Along our search for the “right” tartan, we discovered the Scottish Register of Tartan, the official library of tartans throughout Scottish history. Each specific tartan has its own unique history, with tartan dating back to 3000BCE. Most are tied to a specific family, each uniquely woven so one could visually identify one clan from another. At one point, the British government even criminalized the wearing of tartan in the Highlands… but for those who know Scottish history and their rebellious nature, you can imagine why that never stuck. 

Finally, we discovered Dunbar tartan. This design is from the same area where John Muir and his family were from. It was perfect… except it was green and red. What if…?

Custom Tartan

Alec called up the fine folks from Lochcarron of Scotland, located in Selkirk, located less than two hours from Trakke HQ in Glasgow. We were curious… could we custom weave our own bright orange and black tartan, based on the tartan Dunbar from Muir’s roots in Scotland? Shockingly, not only did they agree, but they invited Alec and myself to their mill, to sit with their lead designer and select the different fibers, fabric weight, and scale, so it would be perfect for our application. Pulling from hundreds of fiber color options, we huddled together over the specific tartan software, going back and forth for hours, dialing in the balance of visual pop and traditional. And then we had it… the fully custom Trakke x Carryology custom tartan inspired by John Muir. 

They began weaving the unique tartan immediately. We’d use this 100% British wool fabric throughout the internals of the bag for a unique visual pop and visual contrast. USA-based Challenge Sailcloth + Scottish-made custom tartan, just like Muir’s Scottish/American heritage. Our fabric selection was complete.

The Sizing Sweet Spot

As we wanted this backpack + sling combo system to work for the outdoors, everyday carry, and for travel, the sizing was critical. Using several other favorite packs and slings as a reference point, we selected the perfect sweet spot of 21L backpack + 2L sling, for a grand total of 23 liters. Now, Alec and his team measure volume in a simple but wild method… they actually use water. Yes, water. They find this is the most accurate method of volumetric measurement for literage for all their products. That being said, this pack carries a whole lot more like a 24L pack from other makers. Every brand has their own method of measuring and that’s totally cool, but I wanted to make sure the sizing is understood in relative terms. A large backpack to carry all your larger items. A sling to deploy off and carry all your essentials.

Weatherproofing for All-Round Adventure

We wanted to create a pack that could go anywhere, in any country and climate, any scenario. As the exterior fabric is a 100% waterproof laminate of ULTRA and ECOPAK, the number one way for water to ingress was via the zipper openings on the main compartment, the admin pocket, a large horseshoe compartment, and a rear side access laptop compartment. All three of these areas are sealed from the elements using YKK AquaGuard zippers; zippers kitted out with Trakke’s brand new design Trakke-branded metal-ring pullers, for tough no-nonsense durability. 

The combination of the above makes for serious weatherproofness. Check out Laurence’s ‘Waterfall Test’ here.

Universal Access

The horseshoe-style main compartment opening is a favorite of ours, as mentioned above. But sometimes you don’t always need to fully splay open your pack to access something inside the cavernous main storage. So we added four zipper sliders to this compartment. Leave two sliders in the top center so you can fully open your pack like a clamshell, and then, at the bottom of each zipper, there’s another slider on each side. This allows you to quickly reach inside the main compartment by zipping up one of these sliders. Three different ways to access this compartment. 

And at the top of this orange and orange tartan-lined compartment, there’s a small zippered accessory pocket for important accessories you want to keep tidy. 

Super Sling Experience

The sling can be worn in a variety of ways, thanks to the adjustable COBRA Pro Style buckles on each side, without any bulky hardware in the middle of your chest or riding on your shoulder. It contains one main zippered compartment, lined with custom tartan and ECOPAK. Within this main area, there’s a center divider to keep larger items separated as well as two small covered drop pockets to store smaller items like pocket knives, multitools, or flashlights. At the top, the branded Trakke key split ring, so you can swap your keys from pack to sling with ease. And hidden on the back of the sling, against the wearer’s side, there is a deep zippered compartment, perfect for storing secure medium-sized items like a passport or cell phone while in an airport or a busy train station. The sling’s front main compartment can be used while in the Backpack+Sling combo mode, not just when it’s in Sling-only mode, adding extra organization for your system. 

Carrying the Smaller Essentials

We love one large main compartment, it’s great for large bits of gear like jackets, packing cubes, and other bulky items. But it’s not great for all the small important EDC items we all carry. Taking inspiration from Trakke’s newly released Hoy backpack, we transported its admin front accessory pocket design to this design. This ECOPAK and tartan-lined compartment has a padded divider, separating the deep pocket into two areas. The 7″ x 10″ tablet sleeve can easily swallow up an iPad (up to an 11″ iPad Pro) for accessing rapidly while on the go. There’s also a branded Trakke metal split ring to hang your keys and an additional small zippered pocket for your small bits.

Tech Suspended, Safe and Secure

The laptop compartment is conveniently located on the back panel. It can be accessed via a YKK AquaGuard zipper, with the pocket lined with the blaze orange ECOPAK and plenty of padding to keep your important tech dry, safe, and secure. The 15″ long vertical zipper access easily swallows up a 16″ MacBook Pro, with room to spare. So many of you with 17″ laptops will likely have success with fitting yours in here when you insert at a slight comfortable angle. 

Comfort and Airflow

The back panel uses soft but sturdy airmesh with a center air vent to keep things cool and quick drying. As a fun visual pop, we tossed some of our custom Trakke x Carryology tartan in this channel, a hidden feature when you’re wearing the pack, breaking up the all-black exterior colorway. The shoulder straps are a sandwich of closed cell foam with airmesh on the interior and the custom ULTRA 200XBlaze on the topside for strength. High-strength polyester webbing controls all the areas of comfort, with load lifters at the top, COBRA Frame hardware at the bottom of each strap to adjust the length, and an included sternum strap with G-hook for secure adjustment and fit.

Hidden Storage (AKA Whiskey Bottle Pockets)

Scotland is the land of the delicious nectar known as Scotch, so we had to include a smart but aesthetically pleasing way to carry a full-sized bottle or two of the amber-colored juice. Of course, I guess you could carry a large water bottle too, but I personally don’t touch the stuff. This took quite a lot of patterning and patience, but we designed these to “pull in flat” while wearing the pack, maintaining its sleek exterior, but they also have plenty of their own volume to hold whatever sized bottle you’d like. While we can’t test every bottle that exists, we had room to spare when using a full 1-liter sized whiskey bottle. One on each side, of course.

Muir and Morale

This feature took quite some time to get just right. We had a design that we all loved, minimal yet tough at the same time. And we couldn’t just slap a 2″x3″ Velcro panel across the front, feeling like an afterthought. “John Muir” wasn’t necessarily an easy character to turn into a patch either. We drew out some silhouettes, but it just didn’t click. In the Trakke HQ, we were surrounding the final prototype, cutting out paper and fabric and sketching designs, trying to find something perfect. 

We wanted to keep this simple, so we went with a circular 50mm Velcro patch, following the same curvaceous lines as the pack itself, with a black-on-black patch containing the Trakke logo with “Carryology” and “The Muir Project” at the top and bottom. Simple, clean. 

We decided the sling needed its own Velcro loop field… the challenge here is when it’s on the pack, the patch would be upright, and then when you wear the sling, the patch would be upside down. The morale patch could not have a top or bottom side at all. So we took our custom Trakke x Carryology x Lochcarron of Scotland tartan, and turned it into a patch. Bold and classic. Two patches. One patch for the backpack, one patch for the sling, two patches for the complete two-bag system.

Handmade in Glasgow, Scotland

Trakke is extremely unique in that they manufacture their own products in-house at their Glasgow-based headquarters, via a team of expert craftspeople. Each one is painstakingly handmade here, paying an honest working living wage for UK employees. No outsourcing here. The result is a brilliant example of a small batch production, proudly and expertly made in the UK. 

Totals

1 Backpack

1 Sling

1 System for everyday carry, outdoor, and travel

30+ prototypes and subassemblies in total

12+ months of design, development, and testing

7 humans involved with design and development

322 minutes of sewing (per bag)

50 pattern pieces (per bag)

28 pieces of hardware (per bag)

21 meters of binding (per bag)

12 zipper pullers (per bag)

8 pieces of foam (per bag)

3.13 meters of zipper (per bag)

2 custom Velcro patches (per bag)

1 secret feature (per bag)

1 Challenge Sailcloth custom-made ULTRA+ECOPAK fabric

1 Challenge Sailcloth ECOPAK fabric

1 Lochcarron of Scotland custom-made Muir-inspired tartan

13 humans involved with hand-making each unit in Glasgow, Scotland

We are proud to announce the second collaboration between Trakke x Carryology: The Muir Project.

For more information, visit Trakke’s mini The Muir Project website.

Launching

November 10th, 5pm GMT

November 10th, 12 Noon, New York

Shipping Worldwide 

Make sure to visit Carryology.com at this exact time for the ‘Exclusive Article’ which will have the shop link. 

——

One Last Thing… 

Oh.

And there’s one more thing…

While we were over at Trakke HQ in Scotland, playing with all the fabrics… I’m not sure who it was, but someone held up a swatch of the custom Lochcarron blaze orange tartan to the exterior of the bag. We laughed. And then stood silent for a few moments. What if, just for fun, we made a small handful of these… with the exterior fabric being all tartan? Well, we like having fun. So for those of you who don’t mind making an extremely bold statement, there will be an extremely small number of these units available. Definitely one for the collectors among us! 

Cheers to the brave folks who can pull off this wild look and cheers to being quick enough to score one! Go to our Facebook Group, Carryology Classified for a first look coming next week!

The post Exclusive Release | Trakke X Carryology, The Muir Project appeared first on Carryology - Exploring better ways to carry.

We’ve arrived at the oldest and leading traditional tartan mill in the world. Lochcarron of Scotland is nestled in a small village called Selkirk, just 33 miles from John Muir’s birthplace in Dunbar, Scotland. Cracking open the heavy door on the Land Rover, it’s a rush transitioning from the toasty warm interior into the ice-cold wind and sideways rain. I’m sidled next to Alec Farmer, the founder of Trakke, one of the UK’s greatest brands, and we’re in the elements, in that famous Scottish summer weather he keeps telling me about… ready to make some special together, once more. 

A coming together of handmade craftsmanship, Scottish history, cutting-edge performance fabric science and technology, everyday carry, traveling, and inspiration taken from John Muir, the “father of the national parks”… we are proud to announce the second collaboration between Trakke x Carryology: The Muir Project.

If you’re not familiar with the powerhouse brand punching well above their weight class called Trakke, I recommend checking out this article celebrating 10 years of Trakke in business, where I interviewed Alec Farmer. Not only is Alec a passionately skilled designer, but I genuinely consider him a close friend. I also feel the same exact way about the entire Trakke team. All of them. This is not some cliché, this is real life. On the two occasions I’ve had the honor and pleasure to visit with them, it feels like walking into a room full of family and friends. Laughs, beers, meals, whiskies, and more. So after our first Trakke x Carryology collaboration project back in 2018, we’ve stayed in regular contact, bouncing ideas off one another, DMing jokes, and hopping on phone calls simply to catch up on projects and life. 

We’ve always kicked around the idea of doing another project together. But we both wanted the next one to be properly amazing. Going in too soon without a solid groundbreaking plan wouldn’t do. We were waiting for some kind of spark, some stroke of inspiration that would magically come to one of us, to then run with it. So we’d put it off until the next chat. And then onto the next one. Mulling over small ideas in the meantime. It wasn’t until sometime in 2021, Alec said, “Okay, we’re ready to focus the attention that this thing deserves. Let’s do this thing.” And like that, serious, focused discussions began.

Finding Inspiration in an Icon

Now for many of these projects, inspiration comes from a variety of different places. Oftentimes, we’ll design a project and assign it a codename or character name somewhere throughout the process, when it feels right. For this one, we wanted a clear driving motivation behind our decision-making processes from the very beginning.

Being that adventure is at the heart of both our brands, we focused on great explorers and adventurers. British, Scottish, American, and more. 

After some deep research, Alec proposed the idea of Mr. John Muir, an adventurer whose story would connect Scotland (Trakke’s home) to the United States (Carryology’s design home base) in one clean, straight line. 

John Muir, Father of the National Parks

Why John Muir? He was born in the small village of Dunbar, Scotland in 1838. Then, in 1842, he emigrated to the United States. 

While there, Muir made legendary accomplishments as a naturalist, author, environmental philosopher, botanist, zoologist, and glaciologist, and he was an early advocate for the preservation of wilderness in the United States of America. His most famous undertaking, which is how he earned the nickname “Father of the National Parks”, is by far his most important. 

In 1903, Muir, who was a somewhat known author at the time, reached out to the President of the United States, Teddy Roosevelt and he pitched… get this… a 3-day camping trip together in the Yosemite Valley. Imagine doing this today. You’d have the Secret Service at your door in minutes. Despite this incredibly bold Hail Mary invitation, Roosevelt accepted. 

That camping trip would change the fate of the outdoors as we know it forever. Muir’s entire goal: to show the President how beautiful and how special the outdoors were. And most importantly, that these areas needed to be protected. 

It worked. And today, people are still reading Muir’s works, and are inspired by his message and actions, and dozens and dozens of locations are named in his honor. Muir was the perfect embodiment to inspire the direction of this project: the Scottish-US connection and culture, the love of the outdoors, epic travel, rugged exploration, and an environmentally-conscious approach.

From Inspiration to Execution

With the spark found, what would the product be? This took a lot of back and forth. The easy answer was to trick out a Bannoch Backpack or maybe even a Largo Sling. It just seemed too easy. And we wanted to really go big and bold with this. Challenge ourselves to push into new ground, create something new and special. 

As Alec mentioned in our group: “I think a good collab should take both parties somewhere they couldn’t go alone”. We wanted our own John Muir-style Hail Mary. So referencing our driving inspiration, Muir, we began looking at hiking packs and gear silhouettes from the late 1800s and early 1900s, via The Scottish Mountain Heritage Collection. There were dozens of timeless examples that we found, all sharing a similar design language of that time period. Two vertical straps, a floating brain… and cord-cinch closures… 

An Adventure Pack from the Ground Up

We agreed to create a brand new backpack from the ground up, inspired by these packs of the past. Heavy on the outdoor aesthetic, with all the features of a great everyday carry and light travel backpack. We started sketching and patterning. Rather than use a cord cinch closure at the top, we opted for a “horseshoe” style zippered access. This is a favorite access method of ours, which can be seen on products from several different brands over the past decade or so. However, we loved the top-loading lid/pocket… and the two together just wouldn’t play well together. Sketching, miniature paper pattern mock-ups, sub-assembly prototyping, we just couldn’t get it right. The top pocket just wasn’t working. And then… it happened so quickly… someone pulled the lid off of the backpack. And the lightbulb went off.

Backpack + Sling = Magic

As part of our 1.5-bag travel system philosophy here at Carryology, the traveler uses one primary backpack to get from point A to B. And once they’re at point B, they can leave their larger pack behind, utilizing a small agile carry solution to carry their essentials to points X, Y, and Z. So wouldn’t it be epic to combine the two?

Once we agreed on this path, we firmly agreed on the following three ideas: 

1. The backpack should be an amazing backpack on its own, not missing anything if it wasn’t paired together with the sling. 

2. The sling should be an amazing sling on its own, not missing anything if it wasn’t paired together with the backpack. 

3. Together, they should work flawlessly, connecting and disconnecting with ease, not affecting the functionality of either product. 

Hardware Without Compromise 

We played with Velcro and plastic military-grade buckles, but neither of those are at the level of a Trakke x Carryology collab. German-based Fidlock and Austrian-based AustriAlpin to the rescue. Having the entire catalog of both brands at our fingertips, we played with dozens of different combinations of magnets, buckles, snaps, clips, webbings, and more, until we finally found the correct German/Austrian combo of magical magnets and brute strength. The result? An easy-to-attach, easy-to-remove sling. A sling that stayed strong and secure, even when getting active. And a sling that didn’t hinder access.

We’ve got it. Two 25mm AustriAlpin COBRA Pro Style buckles (2,000+ lbs break strength), four Fidlock magnetic SNAPs, two Fidlock magnetic HOOKs, and more. And a G-hook on the backside, keeping the sling securely locked on, with no chance of it being stolen away while walking through busy city streets. 

While it’s much easier to experience this incredible quick deploy feature in the flesh, it’s quite difficult to write about. So the next best thing until you can try it yourself… this video shows how effortless and awesome this system is. Plus, if I may say so myself, it’s a lot of fun to use.

Detailed info on AustriAlpin’s hardware and Fidlock’s magnetic hardware can be found here on Trakke’s mini The Muir Project website.

The World’s Best Performing UHMWPE, Fully Custom

In the initial stages, we were completely focused on making sure our concept would work, using off-the-shelf fabrics for the prototypes. But it was time to select fabrics. The easy answer? Waxed cotton canvas or X-Pac. Collectively, we’ve used both of those fabrics over and over again. Something new, something bold, something awesome was in order. We had the heritage aesthetic inspiration on the pack design… so we needed a modern element. We’d been talking with the folks at Challenge Sailcloth for quite some time and at a meeting we had together at Outdoor Retailer in Denver, Colorado in 2021, Hale and Josh pulled out some swatches of something absolutely revolutionary. Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), the strongest strength-to-weight material on earth, often referred to as “Dyneema” (like how tissues are referred to by the brand “Kleenex”). We’ve used UHMWPE and brand name Dyneema in the past, like on the GORUCK x Carryology GRXC1 collab, and we love the stuff. But the difference between Challenge Sailcloth’s ULTRA collection and Dyneema fabrics we’re all familiar with? The Dyneema example uses UHMWPE fibers which are laminated to a polyester face or backing. 

Challenge’s ULTRA collection takes the UHMWPE fibers, combines them into strands of fibers, and then weaves them together. Basically think about a 1000-denier nylon fabric, except all of those fibers are the strongest fibers ever made. Insanely strong, lightweight, and ultra durable. Win, win, win. 

Challenge offers 3 different versions of the ULTRA: 800, 400, and 200. 800 is truly wild stuff, but a bit too aggressive and heavy for this particular project. We loved the look and feel of the 200, but the 400 had the perfect weight and drape we were looking for… perfect until we asked the question: can we make something completely custom? 

ULTRA fabric, laminated to a blaze orange backer, eliminating the need for a floating liner inside the bag, saving weight and complexity of construction. They agreed to run a full custom run just for this Trakke and Carryology project. After some fabric swatch prototypes, we ended up concocting an ULTRA + ECOPAK custom hybrid, selecting ULTRA 200 as the face fabric (a woven blend of 200d Ultra yarn and high-tenacity polyester), laminated with 0.5 mil RUV film (recycled PET film with UV conditioning), a Blue 45^o CrossPly (recycled 500d polyester yarn), and a Blaze Orange RBC200 Backing (recycled 200d polyester oxford). The combined weight of the sandwich put us right back to the same properties as the off-the-shelf ULTRA 400. 

Introducing the ULTRA 200XBlaze (Challenge Product code: UPE200TXBO), an ultralight, waterproof, durable fabric, custom-made for The Muir Project.

High Vis Liner Fabric

We weren’t done with fabrics just yet, as we needed some additional paneling inside for this design’s construction. Loving the bold blaze orange polyester backing of our ULTRA 200XBlaze, we opted for this same ECOPAK half of the sandwich (EPX200), minus the ULTRA. Fully recycled, 20 plastic bottles for every yard produced. Lightweight, strong, waterproof, and bright orange for visual contrast to help locate items inside your pack in low lighting. Plus, it is both Trakke’s brand color and Carryology’s brand color, after all. 

The Timelessness of Tartan

We were wildly excited about both of these fabrics from Challenge Sailcloth, representing the United States side of the collaboration equation. But we realized we needed a Scottish punch to balance the scales. Again, back to the Scottish-American John Muir as inspiration. Alec swiftly pulled out a sample book from Lochcarron of Scotland (founded in 1892), the world’s leading manufacturer of tartan. We flicked through different weights and patterns of tartans, legitimately laughing with excitement about the concept. 

The variety is astounding; greens, reds, blacks, even purples. We began our search for a swatch of orange-colored tartan in their vast library… and came up empty-handed. Sure, a classic red/black or red/green tartan would look cool, but it felt forced. Along our search for the “right” tartan, we discovered the Scottish Register of Tartan, the official library of tartans throughout Scottish history. Each specific tartan has its own unique history, with tartan dating back to 3000BCE. Most are tied to a specific family, each uniquely woven so one could visually identify one clan from another. At one point, the British government even criminalized the wearing of tartan in the Highlands… but for those who know Scottish history and their rebellious nature, you can imagine why that never stuck. 

Finally, we discovered Dunbar tartan. This design is from the same area where John Muir and his family were from. It was perfect… except it was green and red. What if…?

Custom Tartan

Alec called up the fine folks from Lochcarron of Scotland, located in Selkirk, located less than two hours from Trakke HQ in Glasgow. We were curious… could we custom weave our own bright orange and black tartan, based on the tartan Dunbar from Muir’s roots in Scotland? Shockingly, not only did they agree, but they invited Alec and myself to their mill, to sit with their lead designer and select the different fibers, fabric weight, and scale, so it would be perfect for our application. Pulling from hundreds of fiber color options, we huddled together over the specific tartan software, going back and forth for hours, dialing in the balance of visual pop and traditional. And then we had it… the fully custom Trakke x Carryology custom tartan inspired by John Muir. 

They began weaving the unique tartan immediately. We’d use this 100% British wool fabric throughout the internals of the bag for a unique visual pop and visual contrast. USA-based Challenge Sailcloth + Scottish-made custom tartan, just like Muir’s Scottish/American heritage. Our fabric selection was complete.

The Sizing Sweet Spot

As we wanted this backpack + sling combo system to work for the outdoors, everyday carry, and for travel, the sizing was critical. Using several other favorite packs and slings as a reference point, we selected the perfect sweet spot of 21L backpack + 2L sling, for a grand total of 23 liters. Now, Alec and his team measure volume in a simple but wild method… they actually use water. Yes, water. They find this is the most accurate method of volumetric measurement for literage for all their products. That being said, this pack carries a whole lot more like a 24L pack from other makers. Every brand has their own method of measuring and that’s totally cool, but I wanted to make sure the sizing is understood in relative terms. A large backpack to carry all your larger items. A sling to deploy off and carry all your essentials.

Weatherproofing for All-Round Adventure

We wanted to create a pack that could go anywhere, in any country and climate, any scenario. As the exterior fabric is a 100% waterproof laminate of ULTRA and ECOPAK, the number one way for water to ingress was via the zipper openings on the main compartment, the admin pocket, a large horseshoe compartment, and a rear side access laptop compartment. All three of these areas are sealed from the elements using YKK AquaGuard zippers; zippers kitted out with Trakke’s brand new design Trakke-branded metal-ring pullers, for tough no-nonsense durability. 

The combination of the above makes for serious weatherproofness. Check out Laurence’s ‘Waterfall Test’ here.

Universal Access

The horseshoe-style main compartment opening is a favorite of ours, as mentioned above. But sometimes you don’t always need to fully splay open your pack to access something inside the cavernous main storage. So we added four zipper sliders to this compartment. Leave two sliders in the top center so you can fully open your pack like a clamshell, and then, at the bottom of each zipper, there’s another slider on each side. This allows you to quickly reach inside the main compartment by zipping up one of these sliders. Three different ways to access this compartment. 

And at the top of this orange and orange tartan-lined compartment, there’s a small zippered accessory pocket for important accessories you want to keep tidy. 

Super Sling Experience

The sling can be worn in a variety of ways, thanks to the adjustable COBRA Pro Style buckles on each side, without any bulky hardware in the middle of your chest or riding on your shoulder. It contains one main zippered compartment, lined with custom tartan and ECOPAK. Within this main area, there’s a center divider to keep larger items separated as well as two small covered drop pockets to store smaller items like pocket knives, multitools, or flashlights. At the top, the branded Trakke key split ring, so you can swap your keys from pack to sling with ease. And hidden on the back of the sling, against the wearer’s side, there is a deep zippered compartment, perfect for storing secure medium-sized items like a passport or cell phone while in an airport or a busy train station. The sling’s front main compartment can be used while in the Backpack+Sling combo mode, not just when it’s in Sling-only mode, adding extra organization for your system. 

Carrying the Smaller Essentials

We love one large main compartment, it’s great for large bits of gear like jackets, packing cubes, and other bulky items. But it’s not great for all the small important EDC items we all carry. Taking inspiration from Trakke’s newly released Hoy backpack, we transported its admin front accessory pocket design to this design. This ECOPAK and tartan-lined compartment has a padded divider, separating the deep pocket into two areas. The 7″ x 10″ tablet sleeve can easily swallow up an iPad (up to an 11″ iPad Pro) for accessing rapidly while on the go. There’s also a branded Trakke metal split ring to hang your keys and an additional small zippered pocket for your small bits.

Tech Suspended, Safe and Secure

The laptop compartment is conveniently located on the back panel. It can be accessed via a YKK AquaGuard zipper, with the pocket lined with the blaze orange ECOPAK and plenty of padding to keep your important tech dry, safe, and secure. The 15″ long vertical zipper access easily swallows up a 16″ MacBook Pro, with room to spare. So many of you with 17″ laptops will likely have success with fitting yours in here when you insert at a slight comfortable angle. 

Comfort and Airflow

The back panel uses soft but sturdy airmesh with a center air vent to keep things cool and quick drying. As a fun visual pop, we tossed some of our custom Trakke x Carryology tartan in this channel, a hidden feature when you’re wearing the pack, breaking up the all-black exterior colorway. The shoulder straps are a sandwich of closed cell foam with airmesh on the interior and the custom ULTRA 200XBlaze on the topside for strength. High-strength polyester webbing controls all the areas of comfort, with load lifters at the top, COBRA Frame hardware at the bottom of each strap to adjust the length, and an included sternum strap with G-hook for secure adjustment and fit.

Hidden Storage (AKA Whiskey Bottle Pockets)

Scotland is the land of the delicious nectar known as Scotch, so we had to include a smart but aesthetically pleasing way to carry a full-sized bottle or two of the amber-colored juice. Of course, I guess you could carry a large water bottle too, but I personally don’t touch the stuff. This took quite a lot of patterning and patience, but we designed these to “pull in flat” while wearing the pack, maintaining its sleek exterior, but they also have plenty of their own volume to hold whatever sized bottle you’d like. While we can’t test every bottle that exists, we had room to spare when using a full 1-liter sized whiskey bottle. One on each side, of course.

Muir and Morale

This feature took quite some time to get just right. We had a design that we all loved, minimal yet tough at the same time. And we couldn’t just slap a 2″x3″ Velcro panel across the front, feeling like an afterthought. “John Muir” wasn’t necessarily an easy character to turn into a patch either. We drew out some silhouettes, but it just didn’t click. In the Trakke HQ, we were surrounding the final prototype, cutting out paper and fabric and sketching designs, trying to find something perfect. 

We wanted to keep this simple, so we went with a circular 50mm Velcro patch, following the same curvaceous lines as the pack itself, with a black-on-black patch containing the Trakke logo with “Carryology” and “The Muir Project” at the top and bottom. Simple, clean. 

We decided the sling needed its own Velcro loop field… the challenge here is when it’s on the pack, the patch would be upright, and then when you wear the sling, the patch would be upside down. The morale patch could not have a top or bottom side at all. So we took our custom Trakke x Carryology x Lochcarron of Scotland tartan, and turned it into a patch. Bold and classic. Two patches. One patch for the backpack, one patch for the sling, two patches for the complete two-bag system.

Handmade in Glasgow, Scotland

Trakke is extremely unique in that they manufacture their own products in-house at their Glasgow-based headquarters, via a team of expert craftspeople. Each one is painstakingly handmade here, paying an honest working living wage for UK employees. No outsourcing here. The result is a brilliant example of a small batch production, proudly and expertly made in the UK. 

Totals

1 Backpack

1 Sling

1 System for everyday carry, outdoor, and travel

30+ prototypes and subassemblies in total

12+ months of design, development, and testing

7 humans involved with design and development

322 minutes of sewing (per bag)

50 pattern pieces (per bag)

28 pieces of hardware (per bag)

21 meters of binding (per bag)

12 zipper pullers (per bag)

8 pieces of foam (per bag)

3.13 meters of zipper (per bag)

2 custom Velcro patches (per bag)

1 secret feature (per bag)

1 Challenge Sailcloth custom-made ULTRA+ECOPAK fabric

1 Challenge Sailcloth ECOPAK fabric

1 Lochcarron of Scotland custom-made Muir-inspired tartan

13 humans involved with hand-making each unit in Glasgow, Scotland

We are proud to announce the second collaboration between Trakke x Carryology: The Muir Project.

For more information, visit Trakke’s mini The Muir Project website.

Launching

November 10th, 5pm GMT

November 10th, 12 Noon, New York

Shipping Worldwide 

Make sure to visit Carryology.com at this exact time for the ‘Exclusive Article’ which will have the shop link. 

——

One Last Thing… 

Oh.

And there’s one more thing…

While we were over at Trakke HQ in Scotland, playing with all the fabrics… I’m not sure who it was, but someone held up a swatch of the custom Lochcarron blaze orange tartan to the exterior of the bag. We laughed. And then stood silent for a few moments. What if, just for fun, we made a small handful of these… with the exterior fabric being all tartan? Well, we like having fun. So for those of you who don’t mind making an extremely bold statement, there will be an extremely small number of these units available. Definitely one for the collectors among us! 

Cheers to the brave folks who can pull off this wild look and cheers to being quick enough to score one! Go to our Facebook Group, Carryology Classified for a first look coming next week!

The post Trakke X Carryology | The Muir Project appeared first on Carryology - Exploring better ways to carry.

Spartanology. The second-coming of one of Paul’s greatest designs and one The Ranch’s most sought after packs, ever. Made between the years of 2012 and 2014, it was famously the smallest military pack ever produced at the time. Designed to be compact and agile for fast-moving soldiers through war zones. 

Designed in a time when the 3-Zip dominated The Ranch’s focus. But Paul wanted to make something unique and took inspiration from a frontline medic bag, the RATS pack, and created something new, something special, something that would take a decade to resurface.  

Just over a thousand packs were made. And in the last ten years, a cult following has surrounded it. But I was at the Ranch, working with some of the best damn pack designers in the world, to bring it back, and make it better.

Introducing, likely the most anticipated collaboration in the history of our collaboration program, the Mystery Ranch x Carryology: Spartanology (codename: Cerberus).

Dimensions/Specifications

Features

THE THIRD IN THE TRIPTYCH 

First in the series was the MR x Carryology Assault (codename: Unicorn). Then the MR x Carryology NoEscape (codename: Dragon) followed. Both releases were cult packs resurrected from the archives. Both sold out in minutes. Now, the Spartanology (codename: Cerberus) will be the final piece to complete the triptych.

REIMAGINED FOR EVERYDAY 

The magic of the original Spartan was its size and versatility. Its 16L (1000cu/in) volume attached to the comfortable and adjustable Futura yoke harness system, complete access to the main compartment, and exterior customization options made it a crossover for civilian use, specifically for everyday carry. But it wasn’t perfect for everyday, trade-offs still had to be made… until now. 

Working on the prototypes we circled ‘clean’ and ‘minimal’ in our brainstorm. We reduced the exterior MOLLE, refining the exterior look, making the pack less military and more urban, more street. 

To counter, we added two new quick-access pockets to the exterior. A front zippered accessory pocket on the bottom side of the front panel. Perfectly sized for whatever item you don’t want in your hand.

The second, a ‘deep dish’ quick-access pocket lives on the top brain, just behind the loop Velcro morale panel. Within this pocket, we designed in two stretch mesh pockets for organization of your EDC items.

Both of these exterior pockets utilize YKK’s water-resistant AquaGuard zippers in size #5, to keep your small essentials dry and safe. 

On the sternum strap, and main compartment closure we added strap keepers to keep the back clean and dangle-free. Taylor, any other strap management anywhere? 

Diving inside, we built-in a suspended 16” laptop sleeve, and admin panel for small notepads and tablets, so your tech stays safe, snug and organized. 

HIDDEN STICK-IT FOR EXTERIOR CARRY

Like the Dragon, the hidden Stick-It beavertail (via zippered pocket at the bottom), had to be included to bump carrying and customization options to the next level. 

The Stick-It deploys up and attaches via the Hypalon loops and metal Trimmer aerospace aluminum G-hooks, blacked out, of course. This provides additional storage, for one. But on the exterior of the Stick-It, there’s two columns of ‘daisy chain’ webbing, so the end user can lash accessories (like additional Velcro field) at their content. 

MAGNETS, EVERYWHERE

The original Spartan uses a plastic ITW side lock buckle, so you know we had to upgrade. We opted for a 25mm Fidlock V-Buckle with pull tab on both the main closure and sternum strap. Designed by engineers in Germany for one-hand operation, it makes it a breeze for cinching down, expanding, opening, and closing. 

Not stopping there, we moved to ‘the mouth’ of the main compartment. The original Spartan uses Velcro to keep the mouth shut, which allows long items (the barrel of a soldier’s rifle, for example), to poke up through, while remaining closed. 

Velcro is awesome, don’t get me wrong, but can be noisy and distracting when closing and opening a main closure, so we switched in magnets for a quieter, more technical result. 

BOMBER AND WEATHERPROOF

To make this project special, we looked to the sailcloth master at Dimension Polyant and pulled their X-Pac X50 sailcloth fabric. 

It features a DWR-coated Cordura 500D nylon, laminated with a polyester X-PLY at 22° and 0.5 mil shiny polyester film backing. This makes the fabric waterproof, strong, durable, allows the pack to maintain its structure, and makes for an aesthetic plus with a killer X-ply grid showcased on the internal panels. X-ply for X-Factor. Win! 

COMPACT AND EXPANDABLE

The Spartan expands via its unique quick access main compartment. Two features in one. The front flap cinches down with a buckle on the vertical webbing to tighten things up and if you want to add a few more liters, just loosen the webbing and the “mouth” will stick upright and expand for you. 

EASY-TO-GRAB, NO CLICK PULLERS

Like the previous two collaborations, all the exterior zipper pullers are made from paracord with heat shrink wrapped ends. Easy to grab when wet or with gloves or whatever other situations life throws at you. Plus, they’re silent (no jingle jangle) and have a clean, classic look. 

FUTURA HARNESS

What really makes the OG Spartan unique is the fact that it is Mystery Ranch’s smallest assault pack ever made using the legendarily comfortable and adjustable Futura harness. Some speculated that we’d opt for the fixed harness suspension on this, which is still a great system. But nope. We went with the real deal Futura Yoke. Comfortable all day and everyday, and customisable in height to suit many different users, no matter where or what you get up to. 

FOUR COLORWAYS

While the Unicorn and the Dragon were available in just one colorway, we wanted to give everyone variety this time. Drawing inspiration from the Spartan’s military roots, we selected Crye Precision’s MultiCam in MultiCam Black for a subdued look and MultiCam Alpine for a bit of contrast and visual pop. Both patterns are used by US military forces for specific applications in specific environments. And then, a third camouflage was added. Nicknamed “God’s plaid”, the M81 Woodland camo is what most of us think of when we hear the word “camo”. First used in 1989 and remaining in use until the 2000s, it would be our third colorway. And finally, if you know us, we had to go for a stealth option, all black everything. Four colors in total, each with their own unique character and vibe. 

GET ACTIVE, HYDRATE

When using this small and nimble daypack, hydration is key for quick missions or day trips. Side water bottle pockets make sense on packs like this, so you don’t steal volume from the interior. So we included two on each Spartanology, both made from a durable and secure stretch nylon. They disappear flat when not in use, but eat up large size bottles (tested with 24oz and 32oz, no problem).

Inside, there’s also two toggles to hang a water bladder with a hydration hose pass through on each side. Laptop-ready everyday pack? Check. Hydration-compatible hiking pack? Check.

ALL-ACCESS, ALL OF TIME

Keeping the classic silhouette, the Spartanology nails the same awesome access as it predecessor with complete access to the main compartment via two #8 reverse coil YKK zippers, chosen for smooth gripping and ripping. 

Add in the two external quick-access pockets and the Stick-It and your access to your gear is plentiful and awesome. 

MINIMAL BRANDING TO REPRESENT

Label wise, the orange and black woven label has proven to be a favorite, so we went with that option and centered it. Black background and orange text for Black, MCB and Woodland. For difference, Alpine is a monochrome black and white combination. 

This label is actually a few millimeters smaller than the original, keeping it tidy and minimal.

HIGH-VIS EVERYWHERE (WELL, ALMOST)

Of course, we used hi-vis orange nylon fabric for the liner. For those wondering why? Orange is Mystery Ranch’s and Carryology’s brand color. Additionally, it’s a feature benefit, creating visual contrast to easily locate items in low level lighting scenarios. 

But… to keep you guys guessing, just a little. When wanted to Alpine to run black and white only to keep things fresh (and maybe because we were suffering Storm Trooper syndrome, ha)

THE ORIGINS OF THE SPARTAN

Let’s get wordy. Fun fact: the name “Spartan” has two meanings. First, the more obvious reference, the noun form, the iconic and fierce Spartan warrior from Sparta. Second, the adjective form, meaning “minimal, often not capitalized : marked by simplicity”. Funny, the adjective form actually comes from the noun form, as the Spartan warriors were notorious for living minimally, even speaking minimally in their Laconic phrase (more on that later). 

Funner fact: Our friend Eric Graves over at Soldier Systems actually ran a contest on his website, so the name was selected by votes. A name by the people! 

NAMING THE SPARTAN II

Regarding the new name? Let’s break it down.

Original name: Spartan. New name: Spartanology. 

Ready for the story on how this was dreamt up? When we first went down this rabbit hole, our third project together, Dana added a folder on his computer titled “Spartanology” in order to keep track of all the updates, tech packages, photos, notes, etc. Welp, that name stuck. Everyone involved was a fan. A little serious, a little humorous, and just a little crazy. Dig it.

PLANNING FOR A POLYPTYCH

The Carryology Assault and the No Escape both acquired their nicknames from the illustration elements on their respective morale patches. If you really want a deep dive into the symbolism, here’s a link. Both patches before were designed by Hadrien Monloup, the co-founder of Carryology. 

Now, when we worked on the very first pack together, I had envisioned a series of three products for this particular “collection”. There was no guarantee, but I had to plan ahead… just in case. Planning for a polyptych which may or may never happen. The first patch had to look awesome alone, but visually link up with the second patch, as a diptych, if it were to ever become reality. 

The Dragon patch was designed so it looked like the samurai rider was going to battle against the knight atop his Unicorn steed. And then, onto patch number three, which had to work with the existing two, finalizing the triptych, fitting directly in the center of the Unicorn and the Dragon.

Onto the patch itself. The Unicorn contains elements from medieval Europe, The Dragon contains elements from feudal Japan. Of course, our man Hadrien was the designer. The Cereberus had to draw inspiration from Sparta and ancient Greek mythology, for obvious reasons. Atop would be King Leonidas, arguably the most famous Spartan to ever live. 

As the other two patches had historically correct characters atop fictional mythological creatures. This would follow the same. Leonidas would be riding Cerberus, a fearsome mythological three-headed attack dog who guarded the gates of the Underworld. Our rider would be carrying the powerful Aegis shield, carried by Zues and occasionally Athena, adorned with the head of Medusa on its face. 

EASTER EGG TIME

Lastly, a bit of an Easter egg here, Leonidas is holding a spear, the preferred weapon of the Spartan warrior. Near the tip, a red scroll used to represent a Scytale, a cryptography tool said to have used this cipher to communicate during military campaigns. On this ribbon, the word “if”. 

This single word “if” might be the most famous Spartan quote of all time, echoing through the halls of history. Back to that minimalist lifestyle of the Spartans… they were taught to live simply, even in education and language, expressing thoughts without many words. Known as the Laconic phrase, a form of verbal art. Think Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool, but better. 

Now, the specific story of the quote. King Philip II of Macedon, was launching a major military campaign that would eventually lead to him controlling most of Ancient Greece. As part of the campaign, he sent a messenger to Sparta carrying this: “When I come to Sparta, should I be accepted as friend or foe?”.

The Spartans sent the messenger back with a one word reply,

“Neither”.

Furious, King Philip II followed up with this carried by another messenger: “You are advised to submit without further delay, for if I bring my army into your land, I will destroy your farms, slay your people, and raze your city.”

The Spartans replied with one word… 

“If”.

King Philip II never attempted to invade Sparta.

Neither did Alexander the Great.

Baddassery in the third degree. 

DROP TIMES

????

DISTRIBUTOR INFO

???

Carry Classifieds

The post Exclusive Release | Mystery Ranch x Carryology Spartanology appeared first on Carryology - Exploring better ways to carry.

Spartanology. The second-coming of one of Paul’s greatest designs and one The Ranch’s most sought after packs, ever. Made between the years of 2012 and 2014, it was famously the smallest military pack ever produced at the time. Designed to be compact and agile for fast-moving soldiers through war zones. 

Designed in a time when the 3-Zip dominated The Ranch’s focus. But Paul wanted to make something unique and took inspiration from a frontline medic bag, the RATS pack, and created something new, something special, something that would take a decade to resurface.  

Just over a thousand packs were made. And in the last ten years, a cult following has surrounded it. But I was at the Ranch, working with some of the best damn pack designers in the world, to bring it back, and make it better.

Introducing, likely the most anticipated collaboration in the history of our collaboration program, the Mystery Ranch x Carryology: Spartanology (codename: Cerberus).

THE THIRD IN THE TRIPTYCH 

First in the series was the MR x Carryology Assault (codename: Unicorn). Then the MR x Carryology NoEscape (codename: Dragon) followed. Both releases were cult packs resurrected from the archives. Both sold out in minutes. Now, the Spartanology (codename: Cerberus) will be the final piece to complete the triptych.

REIMAGINED FOR EVERYDAY 

The magic of the original Spartan was its size and versatility. Its 16L (1000cu/in) volume attached to the comfortable and adjustable Futura yoke harness system, complete access to the main compartment, and exterior customization options made it a crossover for civilian use, specifically for everyday carry. But it wasn’t perfect for everyday, trade-offs still had to be made… until now. 

Working on the prototypes we circled ‘clean’ and ‘minimal’ in our brainstorm. We reduced the exterior MOLLE, refining the exterior look, making the pack less military and more urban, more street. 

To counter, we added two new quick-access pockets to the exterior. A front zippered accessory pocket on the bottom side of the front panel. Perfectly sized for whatever item you don’t want in your hand.

The second, a ‘deep dish’ quick-access pocket lives on the top brain, just behind the loop Velcro morale panel. Within this pocket, we designed in two stretch mesh pockets for organization of your EDC items.

Both of these exterior pockets utilize YKK’s water-resistant AquaGuard zippers in size #5, to keep your small essentials dry and safe. 

On the sternum strap, and main compartment closure we added strap keepers to keep the back clean and dangle-free. Taylor, any other strap management anywhere? 

Diving inside, we built-in a suspended 16” laptop sleeve, and admin panel for small notepads and tablets, so your tech stays safe, snug and organized. 

HIDDEN STICK-IT FOR EXTERIOR CARRY

Like the Dragon, the hidden Stick-It beavertail (via zippered pocket at the bottom), had to be included to bump carrying and customization options to the next level. 

The Stick-It deploys up and attaches via the Hypalon loops and metal Trimmer aerospace aluminum G-hooks, blacked out, of course. This provides additional storage, for one. But on the exterior of the Stick-It, there’s two columns of ‘daisy chain’ webbing, so the end user can lash accessories (like additional Velcro field) at their content. 

MAGNETS, EVERYWHERE

The original Spartan uses a plastic ITW side lock buckle, so you know we had to upgrade. We opted for a 25mm Fidlock V-Buckle with pull tab on both the main closure and sternum strap. Designed by engineers in Germany for one-hand operation, it makes it a breeze for cinching down, expanding, opening, and closing. 

Not stopping there, we moved to ‘the mouth’ of the main compartment. The original Spartan uses Velcro to keep the mouth shut, which allows long items (the barrel of a soldier’s rifle, for example), to poke up through, while remaining closed. 

Velcro is awesome, don’t get me wrong, but can be noisy and distracting when closing and opening a main closure, so we switched in magnets for a quieter, more technical result. 

BOMBER AND WEATHERPROOF

To make this project special, we looked to the sailcloth master at Dimension Polyant and pulled their X-Pac X50 sailcloth fabric. 

It features a DWR-coated Cordura 500D nylon, laminated with a polyester X-PLY at 22° and 0.5 mil shiny polyester film backing. This makes the fabric waterproof, strong, durable, allows the pack to maintain its structure, and makes for an aesthetic plus with a killer X-ply grid showcased on the internal panels. X-ply for X-Factor. Win! 

COMPACT AND EXPANDABLE

The Spartan expands via its unique quick access main compartment. Two features in one. The front flap cinches down with a buckle on the vertical webbing to tighten things up and if you want to add a few more liters, just loosen the webbing and the “mouth” will stick upright and expand for you. 

EASY-TO-GRAB, NO CLICK PULLERS

Like the previous two collaborations, all the exterior zipper pullers are made from paracord with heat shrink wrapped ends. Easy to grab when wet or with gloves or whatever other situations life throws at you. Plus, they’re silent (no jingle jangle) and have a clean, classic look. 

FUTURA HARNESS

What really makes the OG Spartan unique is the fact that it is Mystery Ranch’s smallest assault pack ever made using the legendarily comfortable and adjustable Futura harness. Some speculated that we’d opt for the fixed harness suspension on this, which is still a great system. But nope. We went with the real deal Futura Yoke. Comfortable all day and everyday, and customisable in height to suit many different users, no matter where or what you get up to. 

FOUR COLORWAYS

While the Unicorn and the Dragon were available in just one colorway, we wanted to give everyone variety this time. Drawing inspiration from the Spartan’s military roots, we selected Crye Precision’s MultiCam in MultiCam Black for a subdued look and MultiCam Alpine for a bit of contrast and visual pop. Both patterns are used by US military forces for specific applications in specific environments. And then, a third camouflage was added. Nicknamed “God’s plaid”, the M81 Woodland camo is what most of us think of when we hear the word “camo”. First used in 1989 and remaining in use until the 2000s, it would be our third colorway. And finally, if you know us, we had to go for a stealth option, all black everything. Four colors in total, each with their own unique character and vibe. 

GET ACTIVE, HYDRATE

When using this small and nimble daypack, hydration is key for quick missions or day trips. Side water bottle pockets make sense on packs like this, so you don’t steal volume from the interior. So we included two on each Spartanology, both made from a durable and secure stretch nylon. They disappear flat when not in use, but eat up large size bottles (tested with 24oz and 32oz, no problem).

Inside, there’s also two toggles to hang a water bladder with a hydration hose pass through on each side. Laptop-ready everyday pack? Check. Hydration-compatible hiking pack? Check.

ALL-ACCESS, ALL OF TIME

Keeping the classic silhouette, the Spartanology nails the same awesome access as it predecessor with complete access to the main compartment via two #8 reverse coil YKK zippers, chosen for smooth gripping and ripping. 

Add in the two external quick-access pockets and the Stick-It and your access to your gear is plentiful and awesome. 

MINIMAL BRANDING TO REPRESENT

Label wise, the orange and black woven label has proven to be a favorite, so we went with that option and centered it. Black background and orange text for Black, MCB and Woodland. For difference, Alpine is a monochrome black and white combination. 

This label is actually a few millimeters smaller than the original, keeping it tidy and minimal.

HIGH-VIS EVERYWHERE (WELL, ALMOST)

Of course, we used hi-vis orange nylon fabric for the liner. For those wondering why? Orange is Mystery Ranch’s and Carryology’s brand color. Additionally, it’s a feature benefit, creating visual contrast to easily locate items in low level lighting scenarios. 

But… to keep you guys guessing, just a little. When wanted to Alpine to run black and white only to keep things fresh (and maybe because we were suffering Storm Trooper syndrome, ha)

THE ORIGINS OF THE SPARTAN

Let’s get wordy. Fun fact: the name “Spartan” has two meanings. First, the more obvious reference, the noun form, the iconic and fierce Spartan warrior from Sparta. Second, the adjective form, meaning “minimal, often not capitalized : marked by simplicity”. Funny, the adjective form actually comes from the noun form, as the Spartan warriors were notorious for living minimally, even speaking minimally in their Laconic phrase (more on that later). 

Funner fact: Our friend Eric Graves over at Soldier Systems actually ran a contest on his website, so the name was selected by votes. A name by the people! 

NAMING THE SPARTAN II

Regarding the new name? Let’s break it down.

Original name: Spartan. New name: Spartanology. 

Ready for the story on how this was dreamt up? When we first went down this rabbit hole, our third project together, Dana added a folder on his computer titled “Spartanology” in order to keep track of all the updates, tech packages, photos, notes, etc. Welp, that name stuck. Everyone involved was a fan. A little serious, a little humorous, and just a little crazy. Dig it.

PLANNING FOR A POLYPTYCH

The Carryology Assault and the No Escape both acquired their nicknames from the illustration elements on their respective morale patches. If you really want a deep dive into the symbolism, here’s a link. Both patches before were designed by Hadrien Monloup, the co-founder of Carryology. 

Now, when we worked on the very first pack together, I had envisioned a series of three products for this particular “collection”. There was no guarantee, but I had to plan ahead… just in case. Planning for a polyptych which may or may never happen. The first patch had to look awesome alone, but visually link up with the second patch, as a diptych, if it were to ever become reality. 

The Dragon patch was designed so it looked like the samurai rider was going to battle against the knight atop his Unicorn steed. And then, onto patch number three, which had to work with the existing two, finalizing the triptych, fitting directly in the center of the Unicorn and the Dragon.

Onto the patch itself. The Unicorn contains elements from medieval Europe, The Dragon contains elements from feudal Japan. Of course, our man Hadrien was the designer. The Cereberus had to draw inspiration from Sparta and ancient Greek mythology, for obvious reasons. Atop would be King Leonidas, arguably the most famous Spartan to ever live. 

As the other two patches had historically correct characters atop fictional mythological creatures. This would follow the same. Leonidas would be riding Cerberus, a fearsome mythological three-headed attack dog who guarded the gates of the Underworld. Our rider would be carrying the powerful Aegis shield, carried by Zues and occasionally Athena, adorned with the head of Medusa on its face. 

EASTER EGG TIME

Lastly, a bit of an Easter egg here, Leonidas is holding a spear, the preferred weapon of the Spartan warrior. Near the tip, a red scroll used to represent a Scytale, a cryptography tool said to have used this cipher to communicate during military campaigns. On this ribbon, the word “if”. 

This single word “if” might be the most famous Spartan quote of all time, echoing through the halls of history. Back to that minimalist lifestyle of the Spartans… they were taught to live simply, even in education and language, expressing thoughts without many words. Known as the Laconic phrase, a form of verbal art. Think Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool, but better. 

Now, the specific story of the quote. King Philip II of Macedon, was launching a major military campaign that would eventually lead to him controlling most of Ancient Greece. As part of the campaign, he sent a messenger to Sparta carrying this: “When I come to Sparta, should I be accepted as friend or foe?”.

The Spartans sent the messenger back with a one word reply,

“Neither”.

Furious, King Philip II followed up with this carried by another messenger: “You are advised to submit without further delay, for if I bring my army into your land, I will destroy your farms, slay your people, and raze your city.”

The Spartans replied with one word… 

“If”.

King Philip II never attempted to invade Sparta.

Neither did Alexander the Great.

Baddassery in the third degree. 

DROP TIMES

????

DISTRIBUTOR INFO

???

Carry Classifieds

The post Mystery Ranch x Carryology | Spartanology appeared first on Carryology - Exploring better ways to carry.

We’d both just witnessed something special. The Phoenix collection had captivated the community. And that love and admiration continued as the packs were delivered, the CPL24 and CAP2 combination becoming the daily go-to for hundreds and hundreds of carry fans. 

So collectively we decided to rebirth the Phoenix, to let it rise from the ashes again and soar. But it couldn’t be the CPL + CAP2 combo. No, that was its own moment in time… we had to find another two-hit combination that would shake up the carry world. 

Introducing… the EVERGOODS x Carryology Phoenix Collection, Chapter 2.

Same DNA. New Pack.

In the beginning, the question was what we work on. The EVERGOODS geniuses had a bounty in the design pipeline and set to release: the CHZ22, CHZ26, CAP1, PLC20, CTB35, MHP3.5, and more. 

After a long and passionate internal debate, one bag kept coming back up in the discussion, the CIVIC Travel Bag 35L (CTB35). Several of us had used this awesome piece along our adventures and it checked so many boxes of perfection. It was EVERGOODS’ most feature-rich pack. A design triumph in utility and comfort and versatility. 

Why so much love for the CTB35? First off, we had all been eagerly waiting for EVERGOODS to update their legendary discontinued CTB40 backpack. While that pack was great, we knew the evolution of the EVERGOODS design process, materials, and details had progressed leaps and bounds. We were hungry for its replacement. And when it finally was revealed to the world… it seemed to be every single thing we had wished for in not just a travel-specific pack… but any pack. It’s basically a CPL24 on steroids, featuring water bottle pockets on both sides, a crazy breathable mono mesh back panel construction, an additional zippered organization pocket on the front panel, and more. Out in the field, it just kept delivering. Long story short, we fell in love. 

But… 35 Liters?

The thing is… it was a 35-liter travel pack. Sure, some folks can rock a 30-35 liter bag for their everyday carry. But for most, it’s too much bag for EDC… but what if? Great ideas are simple ideas. And when they hit, it feels so plainly obvious…

I called up Jack and Kevin. “We love the CTB35. It’s essentially the most feature-rich product in the EVERGOODS lineup. But what if… hear me out… we distilled it down to a size that is EDC-friendly and light-travel-friendly? A brand new product, based on an iconic and already likely Carry Awards contender. Let’s shave off 5-10 liters and create the absolute ultimate Goldilocks pack… the CTB26”. Inaudible muffled discussion from Jack and Kevin through my phone’s speaker. A short pause. The silence was broken with a “Hell yeah!”

CTB, Perfect for EDC

CTB26. The perfect size for EDC and travel. Wildly feature-rich. Access and space. Organization at a premium. Water bottle pockets on both sides. EVERGOODS’ brand new highly breathable monofilament back panel. Integrated harness and comfortable contoured shoulder straps. All the access and pocketing we’re familiar with on the CPL24, with even more added in. It would make for one hell of an EDC pack, that would double as a light travel pack.

The Phoenix or the Egg? 

The CPL24 Phoenix had its own ultimate accessory – the CAP2 Phoenix (nicknamed from our community “Phoenix Egg”). So it would be unjust not to do the same. The CTB26 needed its own egg!

I feel completely confident in saying that the CAP2 is one of the best tech pouches in the world. But since the release of our last collaboration, EVERGOODS released the CAP1. A more compact tech kit, clipping shut with magnets. The CAP1 made a massive splash and is still making tsunami-level waves among our team and readers. The CTB26 Phoenix had to be combined with the CAP1. Done. 

Hip Replaced With Slip

Now, since we landed on the sweet spot 26-liter sizing, we realized it made the hip belt obsolete. A hip belt was just not necessary on a bag under 30 liters in size. But this deduction also made way for an opportunity, because sometimes when you’re traveling for business or with the family you’re rocking with a piece of rolling luggage (4 wheels preferred, please), making for a smart two-bag system. 

And because we removed the hip belt, Kevin discovered that we could repurpose the unused space behind the back panel into a trolley pass-through for that rolling luggage. No moving parts, dead simple, wildly functional. Win, win, win. 

Laser PALS and Pocket Magic

Another fun tweak. Inside the main compartment, the EVERGOODS CTB35 has two strips of webbing for a pouch or quick stowage of pens and such. But, being this is a collaboration, we saw an opportunity for an extra pocket. So the gents pulled off something awesome here… with lasers. To replace the two straps of webbing, we added a laser-cut Hypalon panel to attach MOLLE/PALS accessories, or even to just clip a pen, flashlight, or pocket knife onto. Bonus? It acts as a pocket, wrapping down and back up to the top. And it acts as an absolutely awesome quick-access spot, sized perfectly for a CAP1 pouch.

DNA Check, Keep It Phoenix 

Phoenix DNA means the Color, Materials, Finish (CMF). So Chapter 2 would follow the same formula. And if you’re not familiar, here’s the skinny:

Murdered Out VX42

The most important choice of every collab is the face fabric. EVERGOODS are very proud of their fabrics. And they should be. They developed them custom to look great, feel great, drape perfectly, and above all, be extremely durable. Just like the previous Phoenix, we opted for Dimension-Polyant X-Pac fabric, in the darkest murdered-out black that we could get. Of course, it would be the VX42 variant. It has a 420d nylon front face which is laminated to a polyester X-ply and a 50d polyester backer. Durable, strong, lightweight, waterproof.

Extreme Color-Matched High-Vis Interior

These two gents don’t like to cut corners. The signature hi-vis orange interior wouldn’t be enough. You see, fabrics aren’t just on the shelf in every color you could imagine. Usually, there is a bright orange option. But no, not here. Kevin requested a specific Pantone PMS color code so they could have their crazy tough 420d HT nylon 6,6 with PU coating liner fabric custom-made. 

But they didn’t stop there. Trims (AKA all the little extra parts that make up a pack) also aren’t just sitting on the shelf in a kaleidoscope of colors. Black is always available. But Kevin went ahead and had all the interior trims and fabrics custom-made and color-matched to the orange Pantone PMS. Yes, all of them. Zipper coils, zipper tape, zipper pullers, edge binding, webbing, mesh, and the Velcro. 

Even the hardware is custom-made to the correct color (but more on that specific part later). Having worked as a developer, I know this is a serious feat. Some brands don’t even go through all this trouble for their big normal production product runs. 

And the end result of all this extra work? An absolute assault on your senses. You can almost taste how shockingly bold it is, excessively matched and complete, because the details matter.

YKK and Weatherproof

Waterproof exterior X-Pac fabric means some additional upgrades are necessary. YKK’s reverse coil #10 come standard on the standard-issue CTB pack and thanks to their water-resistant DWR finish, they do great at keeping the rain out. But… well… collab, right? We hit up our friends at YKK and selected their beefiest water-resistant zipper, the #10 AquaGuard reverse coil. The PU tape on these zippers shakes off a heavy downpour without flinching. Plus, they’re buttery smooth and a pleasure to use. 

Hypalon for Handfeel

Speaking of zippers… EVERGOODS use really nice fabric knotted zipper pullers on all their carry products. They work well and they have a unique look. 

So how do we upgrade? Well, we selected Hypalon, a classic favorite material. And then we cut them to shape… with lasers. The same design, but laser-cut Hypalon. That thick durable coating gives a great tactical experience, easy to grab with or without gloves, and it’s extra durable for thousands and thousands of accesses to your gear.

Inverted Phoenix

A professional illustrator and a co-founder of Carryology itself, the legendary Hadrien Monloup was commissioned to create the EVERGOODS x Carryology Phoenix artwork (now his fourth collaboration project artwork). And of course, he delivered the heat.

One patch will be included with each CTB26 backpack sold, which is the only way to get your hands on this killer collectible patch. It will never be sold individually. But we wanted to have a little fun to differentiate between the original Phoenix and the Phoenix, Chapter 2. So we inverted the 3D silicone patch’s colors. Orange background, black Phoenix and logos.

Ultra Bright, Ultra Limited RVX25

And… just like the last Phoenix … we wanted to create an even rarer bird of fire. Something ridiculous and entirely out of the ordinary. Something for the collectors. It was expensive and hard to negotiate with EG’s factory, but we got it done again. Win!

For those insane folks who want to burn the retinas out of everyone in their general vicinity, you can try to capture one of these fiery blaze orange on orange EVERGOODS x Carryology Phoenix CTB26s and CAP1s. 

Like hunting mythical beasts, it certainly will require great timing, skill, and probably a lot of luck. 

Though note, there is a cost increase for these limited quantities in the orange. It reflects the additional hefty markup the factory charged EVERGOODS to make it happen, but we just had to do it again!

Introducing… the EVERGOODS x Carryology Phoenix Collection, Chapter 2; CTB26 and CAP1.

DROP DATES AND TIMES

The post Exclusive Release | EVERGOODS x Carryology Phoenix Chapter 2 appeared first on Carryology - Exploring better ways to carry.

We’d both just witnessed something special. The Phoenix collection had captivated the community. And that love and admiration continued as the packs were delivered, the CPL24 and CAP2 combination becoming the daily go-to for hundreds and hundreds of carry fans. 

So collectively we decided to rebirth the Phoenix, to let it rise from the ashes again and soar. But it couldn’t be the CPL + CAP2 combo. No, that was its own moment in time… we had to find another two-hit combination that would shake up the carry world. 

Introducing… the EVERGOODS x Carryology Phoenix Collection, Chapter 2.

Same DNA. New Pack.

In the beginning, the question was what we work on. The EVERGOODS geniuses had a bounty in the design pipeline and set to release: the CHZ22, CHZ26, CAP1, PLC20, CTB35, MHP3.5, and more. 

After a long and passionate internal debate, one bag kept coming back up in the discussion, the CIVIC Travel Bag 35L (CTB35). Several of us had used this awesome piece along our adventures and it checked so many boxes of perfection. It was EVERGOODS’ most feature-rich pack. A design triumph in utility and comfort and versatility. 

Why so much love for the CTB35? First off, we had all been eagerly waiting for EVERGOODS to update their legendary discontinued CTB40 backpack. While that pack was great, we knew the evolution of the EVERGOODS design process, materials, and details had progressed leaps and bounds. We were hungry for its replacement. And when it finally was revealed to the world… it seemed to be every single thing we had wished for in not just a travel-specific pack… but any pack. It’s basically a CPL24 on steroids, featuring water bottle pockets on both sides, a crazy breathable mono mesh back panel construction, an additional zippered organization pocket on the front panel, and more. Out in the field, it just kept delivering. Long story short, we fell in love. 

But… 35 Liters?

The thing is… it was a 35-liter travel pack. Sure, some folks can rock a 30-35 liter bag for their everyday carry. But for most, it’s too much bag for EDC… but what if? Great ideas are simple ideas. And when they hit, it feels so plainly obvious…

I called up Jack and Kevin. “We love the CTB35. It’s essentially the most feature-rich product in the EVERGOODS lineup. But what if… hear me out… we distilled it down to a size that is EDC-friendly and light-travel-friendly? A brand new product, based on an iconic and already likely Carry Awards contender. Let’s shave off 5-10 liters and create the absolute ultimate Goldilocks pack… the CTB26”. Inaudible muffled discussion from Jack and Kevin through my phone’s speaker. A short pause. The silence was broken with a “Hell yeah!”

CTB, Perfect for EDC

CTB26. The perfect size for EDC and travel. Wildly feature-rich. Access and space. Organization at a premium. Water bottle pockets on both sides. EVERGOODS’ brand new highly breathable monofilament back panel. Integrated harness and comfortable contoured shoulder straps. All the access and pocketing we’re familiar with on the CPL24, with even more added in. It would make for one hell of an EDC pack, that would double as a light travel pack.

The Phoenix or the Egg? 

The CPL24 Phoenix had its own ultimate accessory – the CAP2 Phoenix (nicknamed from our community “Phoenix Egg”). So it would be unjust not to do the same. The CTB26 needed its own egg!

I feel completely confident in saying that the CAP2 is one of the best tech pouches in the world. But since the release of our last collaboration, EVERGOODS released the CAP1. A more compact tech kit, clipping shut with magnets. The CAP1 made a massive splash and is still making tsunami-level waves among our team and readers. The CTB26 Phoenix had to be combined with the CAP1. Done. 

Hip Replaced With Slip

Now, since we landed on the sweet spot 26-liter sizing, we realized it made the hip belt obsolete. A hip belt was just not necessary on a bag under 30 liters in size. But this deduction also made way for an opportunity, because sometimes when you’re traveling for business or with the family you’re rocking with a piece of rolling luggage (4 wheels preferred, please), making for a smart two-bag system. 

And because we removed the hip belt, Kevin discovered that we could repurpose the unused space behind the back panel into a trolley pass-through for that rolling luggage. No moving parts, dead simple, wildly functional. Win, win, win. 

Laser PALS and Pocket Magic

Another fun tweak. Inside the main compartment, the EVERGOODS CTB35 has two strips of webbing for a pouch or quick stowage of pens and such. But, being this is a collaboration, we saw an opportunity for an extra pocket. So the gents pulled off something awesome here… with lasers. To replace the two straps of webbing, we added a laser-cut Hypalon panel to attach MOLLE/PALS accessories, or even to just clip a pen, flashlight, or pocket knife onto. Bonus? It acts as a pocket, wrapping down and back up to the top. And it acts as an absolutely awesome quick-access spot, sized perfectly for a CAP1 pouch.

DNA Check, Keep It Phoenix 

Phoenix DNA means the Color, Materials, Finish (CMF). So Chapter 2 would follow the same formula. And if you’re not familiar, here’s the skinny:

Murdered Out VX42

The most important choice of every collab is the face fabric. EVERGOODS are very proud of their fabrics. And they should be. They developed them custom to look great, feel great, drape perfectly, and above all, be extremely durable. Just like the previous Phoenix, we opted for Dimension-Polyant X-Pac fabric, in the darkest murdered-out black that we could get. Of course, it would be the VX42 variant. It has a 420d nylon front face which is laminated to a polyester X-ply and a 50d polyester backer. Durable, strong, lightweight, waterproof.

Extreme Color-Matched High-Vis Interior

These two gents don’t like to cut corners. The signature hi-vis orange interior wouldn’t be enough. You see, fabrics aren’t just on the shelf in every color you could imagine. Usually, there is a bright orange option. But no, not here. Kevin requested a specific Pantone PMS color code so they could have their crazy tough 420d HT nylon 6,6 with PU coating liner fabric custom-made. 

But they didn’t stop there. Trims (AKA all the little extra parts that make up a pack) also aren’t just sitting on the shelf in a kaleidoscope of colors. Black is always available. But Kevin went ahead and had all the interior trims and fabrics custom-made and color-matched to the orange Pantone PMS. Yes, all of them. Zipper coils, zipper tape, zipper pullers, edge binding, webbing, mesh, and the Velcro. 

Even the hardware is custom-made to the correct color (but more on that specific part later). Having worked as a developer, I know this is a serious feat. Some brands don’t even go through all this trouble for their big normal production product runs. 

And the end result of all this extra work? An absolute assault on your senses. You can almost taste how shockingly bold it is, excessively matched and complete, because the details matter.

YKK and Weatherproof

Waterproof exterior X-Pac fabric means some additional upgrades are necessary. YKK’s reverse coil #10 come standard on the standard-issue CTB pack and thanks to their water-resistant DWR finish, they do great at keeping the rain out. But… well… collab, right? We hit up our friends at YKK and selected their beefiest water-resistant zipper, the #10 AquaGuard reverse coil. The PU tape on these zippers shakes off a heavy downpour without flinching. Plus, they’re buttery smooth and a pleasure to use. 

Hypalon for Handfeel

Speaking of zippers… EVERGOODS use really nice fabric knotted zipper pullers on all their carry products. They work well and they have a unique look. 

So how do we upgrade? Well, we selected Hypalon, a classic favorite material. And then we cut them to shape… with lasers. The same design, but laser-cut Hypalon. That thick durable coating gives a great tactical experience, easy to grab with or without gloves, and it’s extra durable for thousands and thousands of accesses to your gear.

Inverted Phoenix

A professional illustrator and a co-founder of Carryology itself, the legendary Hadrien Monloup was commissioned to create the EVERGOODS x Carryology Phoenix artwork (now his fourth collaboration project artwork). And of course, he delivered the heat.

One patch will be included with each CTB26 backpack sold, which is the only way to get your hands on this killer collectible patch. It will never be sold individually. But we wanted to have a little fun to differentiate between the original Phoenix and the Phoenix, Chapter 2. So we inverted the 3D silicone patch’s colors. Orange background, black Phoenix and logos.

Ultra Bright, Ultra Limited RVX25

And… just like the last Phoenix … we wanted to create an even rarer bird of fire. Something ridiculous and entirely out of the ordinary. Something for the collectors. It was expensive and hard to negotiate with EG’s factory, but we got it done again. Win!

For those insane folks who want to burn the retinas out of everyone in their general vicinity, you can try to capture one of these fiery blaze orange on orange EVERGOODS x Carryology Phoenix CTB26s and CAP1s. 

Like hunting mythical beasts, it certainly will require great timing, skill, and probably a lot of luck. 

Though note, there is a cost increase for these limited quantities in the orange. It reflects the additional hefty markup the factory charged EVERGOODS to make it happen, but we just had to do it again!

Introducing… the EVERGOODS x Carryology Phoenix Collection, Chapter 2; CTB26 and CAP1.

DROP DATES AND TIMES

The post EVERGOODS x Carryology Phoenix Collection | Chapter 2 appeared first on Carryology - Exploring better ways to carry.