thecoalition
Call me Daddy
- Location
- Richmond, Va
Just posted a quick review in my build thread, but here it is:
Got a couple things ordered and few things in. Not going to list what is still waiting to go in due to weather and priorities but I got some really cool stuff from Blue Ridge Overland Gear. The reason I went with these guys is they are also from Virginia and hand cut and sew their products. They have some really neat items so I wanted to give them a try. I started out with the First Aid Kit Bag and realized after filling it, that I wanted to get some smaller pouches to go inside in order to really organize the kit. Wouldn't you know they have smaller ones for just that reason! So on my second order, I picked up a first aid kit label, the small velcro front zip clear pouch and the small velcro front zip pouch. The 2 pouches + IFAK are perfect for a fully stocked first aid kit. If you're not sure what I mean by fully stocked - REI has a fantastic checklist that you can alter to your needs. Check it out here.
Along with that IFAK bag, my first order also included the Overland Oil Bag. This bad boy is pretty cool, and was designed for holding leaky fluid bottles, however, I only keep 1qt of oil in my truck at the moment so I figured why not use it for recovery gear? Right now I have 1qt of oil, 1 pair of gloves, 1 ARB Tire Deflator, 1 Smittybuilt Tow Strap, 1 Tire Repair Kit and something else that I know I am forgetting. It all fits into the bag nicely with plent of room. I could probably fit in 3 straps stacked side by side. The reason I went with this over the actual recovery gear bag was because of the fact that the interior is water/oil proof lined. The recovery bag has a grommet in the bottom to let water drain out, but this doesn't. If I ever need to replace something on the trail, I can toss the oily/leaky/dirty parts into this bag and keep it from messing the interior of my truck. Those that know me understand how important a clean truck is.
The one question some people have asked is why not just go with a Hep Designs molle panel? Well 2 reasons actually. First, ability to relocate. Hep made his stuff to go in specific places in the Xterra. Windows/hatch/etc. I wanted something that I could put on the back seat and move elsewhere when needed. This molle panel does just that by mounting to any rear bench or split bench with 2 nylon buckle straps. The panel itself has some type of stiff material to keep it from bending under weight and tension too. The big pro here is that if I need to drop the seats and slide something into the back, I can just remove my pouches and go about it, I don't have to worry about bending a metal panel or scratching paint. The one issue I noticed is that because this panel was probably designed with a Jeep in mind (from my understand most of the BROG guys are Jeepers), the bottom row of velcro gets covered up by the truck flooring when the seat is upright. Not a huge deal, but I wouldn't mind being able to have both the top and bottom row accessible for velcro-goodness. The other thing I like about this is a 2 parter. First, it doesn't block any of my windows, and second it doesn't keep my gear up in eye view for potential thievery. We city boys need to worry about that sometimes. This panel lets me keep all my stuff low and out of sight, which makes me happy.
I will probably end up getting a few more things from Blue Ridge Overland Gear as I get some more cash to spend. They have really cool gear and the prices are very fair imo. I know I definitely want the true recovery bag as I expand my recovery gear selection and I will probably get a few more various sized molle bags or specialty bags (their goal zero specific bags/pouches as an example) to fill out the molle panel as the need arrives. If you haven't seen or hear of these guys, please check them out. I'm picky, and very pleased with my gear from them, so I think you all will be too.
Got a couple things ordered and few things in. Not going to list what is still waiting to go in due to weather and priorities but I got some really cool stuff from Blue Ridge Overland Gear. The reason I went with these guys is they are also from Virginia and hand cut and sew their products. They have some really neat items so I wanted to give them a try. I started out with the First Aid Kit Bag and realized after filling it, that I wanted to get some smaller pouches to go inside in order to really organize the kit. Wouldn't you know they have smaller ones for just that reason! So on my second order, I picked up a first aid kit label, the small velcro front zip clear pouch and the small velcro front zip pouch. The 2 pouches + IFAK are perfect for a fully stocked first aid kit. If you're not sure what I mean by fully stocked - REI has a fantastic checklist that you can alter to your needs. Check it out here.
Along with that IFAK bag, my first order also included the Overland Oil Bag. This bad boy is pretty cool, and was designed for holding leaky fluid bottles, however, I only keep 1qt of oil in my truck at the moment so I figured why not use it for recovery gear? Right now I have 1qt of oil, 1 pair of gloves, 1 ARB Tire Deflator, 1 Smittybuilt Tow Strap, 1 Tire Repair Kit and something else that I know I am forgetting. It all fits into the bag nicely with plent of room. I could probably fit in 3 straps stacked side by side. The reason I went with this over the actual recovery gear bag was because of the fact that the interior is water/oil proof lined. The recovery bag has a grommet in the bottom to let water drain out, but this doesn't. If I ever need to replace something on the trail, I can toss the oily/leaky/dirty parts into this bag and keep it from messing the interior of my truck. Those that know me understand how important a clean truck is.
The one question some people have asked is why not just go with a Hep Designs molle panel? Well 2 reasons actually. First, ability to relocate. Hep made his stuff to go in specific places in the Xterra. Windows/hatch/etc. I wanted something that I could put on the back seat and move elsewhere when needed. This molle panel does just that by mounting to any rear bench or split bench with 2 nylon buckle straps. The panel itself has some type of stiff material to keep it from bending under weight and tension too. The big pro here is that if I need to drop the seats and slide something into the back, I can just remove my pouches and go about it, I don't have to worry about bending a metal panel or scratching paint. The one issue I noticed is that because this panel was probably designed with a Jeep in mind (from my understand most of the BROG guys are Jeepers), the bottom row of velcro gets covered up by the truck flooring when the seat is upright. Not a huge deal, but I wouldn't mind being able to have both the top and bottom row accessible for velcro-goodness. The other thing I like about this is a 2 parter. First, it doesn't block any of my windows, and second it doesn't keep my gear up in eye view for potential thievery. We city boys need to worry about that sometimes. This panel lets me keep all my stuff low and out of sight, which makes me happy.
I will probably end up getting a few more things from Blue Ridge Overland Gear as I get some more cash to spend. They have really cool gear and the prices are very fair imo. I know I definitely want the true recovery bag as I expand my recovery gear selection and I will probably get a few more various sized molle bags or specialty bags (their goal zero specific bags/pouches as an example) to fill out the molle panel as the need arrives. If you haven't seen or hear of these guys, please check them out. I'm picky, and very pleased with my gear from them, so I think you all will be too.
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