Is A Small EDC Bag Right for You? Here are 4 Different Types.

Packing for a weekend trip or a camping excursion means you’ll need a backpack or duffel bag. 

But when you’re just cruising around the city or taking a short drive, all that extra material and weight can be a real drag. 

What you need is a small EDC bag — something just big enough to dump your essentials into, and maybe have a little extra room for testing out new gadgets or bringing a tablet or book with you.

In this quick guide, we’ll introduce you to four of our small EDC bags: The Admin Pouch, Man Bag, Double Admin, and Sling. They’re arranged from smallest to largest, so when you’ve looked them over we can have a discussion of how to find the perfect size for your everyday carry needs.

Admin Pouch

Our single-sized Admin Pouches were originally designed to be integrated into our TacSacs via their Molle webbing — but then we found that they’re pretty handy to carry just about anywhere.

On their own, the Admin Pouches are our smallest bag. They’re meant more for organizing your essentials (pens, knives, multi-tools, cables, headphones, etcetera). But if you’re looking to travel super light while staying organized, this is the right bag.

And because the Admin Pouch can be integrated into any of our Molle-equipped bags, it becomes a quick modular way to change your EDC carrying capacity at a moment’s notice.

Available in either leather or canvas, so you can choose to emphasize a tactical or professional look and feel.

Dimensions: 4.5" x 6.5" x 1.5"

Man-Bag, Dammit

Next up in size and utility is our ever-popular Man-Bag. Designed as a way to quickly store your phone, keys, wallet, and accessories, it’s the first bag we really think of when we imagine a small EDC bag.

With two zippered pockets — one inside and one outside — as well as a main pouch for storage, the Man-Bag can carry more than you might think. 

Its strap is long enough to conveniently wear as a cross-body bag, too. And weighing in at just 10 ounces, it’s quite lightweight for easy all-day carry.

Dimensions: 10″x6″x2.5″ 

Double Admin Pouch

Though it’s technically a little bit smaller than our Man-Bag, the Double Admin Pouch has significant storage and organization capacity. That’s because of both internal and external Molle webbing, as well as four small internal stash pockets.

So there are two main ways to use the Double Admin Pouch: As a modular organizer inside of a larger bag, or with a strap attached to its integrated D-rings. 

When equipped with a strap, the Double Admin becomes very similar to our Man-Bag — but with a more tactical look and feel. Alternatively, you can give up the external Molle webbing and go for the leather version for a more professional look and feel.

Dimensions: 9" x 6" x 1.5"

Sling Bag

So far, each bag we’ve looked at has been horizontally oriented. That’s pretty standard for small EDC bags, but there’s another option out there: Our Sling Bag.

The newest member of the NutSac family, the Sling took a lot of testing and redesigning to get it just right. But in its latest iteration, we think this bag is just right for quick day trips or anyone who really likes carrying plenty of EDC gadgets with them.

As with our TacSacs, the Sling’s internal Molle webbing makes it modular and easy to organize (the Admin Pouch listed above is a perfect fit here). That in addition to its multiple pockets, ambidextrous design, and two-way zipper system make it a more thoughtful choice than some other sling bags on the market, which pretty much just let you dump everything into one big pocket.

Dimensions: 3.5" x 11.5" x 8"

Choosing A Small Bag for Everyday Carry

With those four options in mind, which do you think is the right bag for your everyday carry? Let’s break it down.

If you’re riding with the bare minimum of gear — not much more than a phone, notebook, pen, and knife— an Admin Pouch may be all that you need. 

The Double Admin is a step up in size and organizing capacity, and can be converted into a shoulder bag quite easily. It fits somewhere in between the Admin and the Man-Bag.

Our Man-Bag is probably the first small bag you should think of for everyday carry, though. It’s sized just right for carrying tech up to the size of an iPad Mini, and its multiple pockets give you space to organize your daily essentials (phone, wallet, keys, etcetera).

But for day trips up to and including short hikes, the Sling is probably your best bet. It has greater carrying capacity than the other three bags listed, and the ability to turn modular thanks to its internal Molle webbing. If you could only buy one small bag for everyday carry, this one would give you the most options while not overdoing it on size and weight.

Still not sure which one is right for you? Just drop us a line with any questions you might have, and we’ll get back to you with a personalized answer.