Hey Guys, I'm at home today using my last vacation day for the fiscal year. I know you guys are too hardcore for office talk, so I'll move along! Anyway, I'm planning on loading up the little guy (8 months old next week), to go see Mommy for lunch. And as I'm getting his "kit" togther I thought about the similarity of his stuff vs. a BOB. While he's not packing extra AR15 and H&K USP mags, 15 custom tactical folders, a Battle axe, 12 fixed blades for specific tasks, 1,000 feet of extra paracord, 25 different types of Surefire flashlights, etc..., he does require a certain amount of gear and supplies to keep him running strong and happy. No time for pics but those of you with kids get the idea. Besides, I wouldn't want to suffer the ridicule of the masses by showing my "tacticool" Coach diaper bag! Hope everyone is having a great day!
Similar, yes, but it's harder than hell to get a paisley-print BoB. I mean, seriously, have you ever looked for one? It's like nobody makes them.
I consider the diaper bag as my youngest child's GHB. You can never have enough wipes or diapers, especially if there's a "blowout", requiring a minimum of 4 hands to do the diaper change. There was an earlier thread about diaper bags that you might find interesting here. -d
As a father of 3 with one set being twins, you never really stop needing a bag to carry stuff for the kids and yourself. I went with a backpack for a diaper bag until they grew out of diapers. But I still carry wipes in my MaxP Jumbo, unscented of course ; )
Ended up with a pretty stout, dark green Eddie Bauer diaper bag as my kids outgrew that stage. It makes a great range bag for a couple of pistols, eyes & ears, plus some ammo. It keeps my bottle of range milk cold, too.
That is quite honestly how I started to carry a bag of some sort. When my son was 3 I found myself a divorced dad with 50% custody. We have spent a lot of time over the years doing many different activities. At 3 it was the diaper bag, then as he grew the bag changed as did its contents but there was still a need to have some items along with us. As he reached school age it was snacks, wet wipes, socks for play land etc. As he grew a bit more independent there was the need for a book etc for me to occupy my time while he was involved in various activities. I still tote a bag quite often though it no longer contains kid stuff it is now my gadgets, books etc...
Good stuff Guys! Nice to hear about the options you guys have used in your families and also nice to know there are some active fathers here! I may try to snap a few pics of his current EDC, and I would like for you guys to do the same so we could compare our good ideas/tips! I don't want to delve too deep into this subject, but it could be some good info for future dads or current dads who don't want to carry Mommy's bag into the mall! Thanks for the replies!
Here too. My "tactical diaper bag" made it easy to carry "just a few extre things". I don't need the diapers any longer, but the extrea stuff has come in useful too often to leave behind.
I definately agree!! I am just starting to do an EDC bag, but I realize I have been using one for 8 years! (3 kids)
Somehow I convinced my wife that I needed a more "manly" diaper bag when my son was born. So we got a Bugout Gear 3-Day pack. It's great and holds all of his stuff and mine too, although with all of the room in it my wife likes to pack the thing full and it can get heavy. Since he's getting a little older now (2 yrs old), I'm going to downsize to a Maxped Malaga for my/his EDC bag. Now if I can just convince my wife that he needs a new pistol.... ;D
I chose my current bag (Eastsport cheapie messenger) precisely because it's compartments make for an ideal combination of EDC and diaper bag. now that my son's past diaper age, it's still useful for the daily commute.
I have an 8 year old boy and 6 year old girl and can totally relate to what you are saying. While I dont have a need for a diaper bag anymore, I still need to carry stuff for them everywhere we go. I always carry a backpack and there is quite a bit of stuff in there that I have specifically for them. We do quite a bit of hiking and I do make them pack what they need. I think that it teaches them to be resourceful and causes them to understand the pack it in/pack it out mentality as well as the "less is more" aspect of hiking. I do of course, have to carry the most of the water, extra clothing etc. It's my opinion that a diaper bag turns into a toddler bag and keeps changing as the kids get older. Whether its to the beach, the park, or a trip to the museum, we always need to carry EDC kids items.
