How many Dads are out there? My guess is at least some but probably a lot of you. So you’ve felt the pain of trying to get out of the house with enough gear for a multitude of scenarios. Plus who wants to load out using the “Mommy diaper bag”. I remember being a new Dad which is where my love for cargo pants as a civilian fashion was a formed and eternally cemented. I had a system of wipes, spit rags, diapers, binkies, toys and whatever else was mission essential. Just as my time in the service proved some items were needed much more frequently than others and some items were needed with immediate necessity. You know I am talking about the spit rag. I always kept one stuffed in each of my cargo pockets with one pocket having a dog ear poking out for that moment when disaster strikes and a fast draw could make all the difference. I laugh about it now but I remember thinking my spit rag draw was similar to running dry on a primary weapon and transitioning to a sidearm. Was it really similar or was it just the way an old warrior was able to relate to the new challenges I will never know. I know that even today when my kids are nearing elementary school I still plan my days out with plenty of checks on my equipment and gear. While I no longer need binkies, diapers and spit rags I still need way more than I can fit in my pockets.
When my oldest son was born I went out knowing only one thing about what gear I was going to need and that was the infamous diaper bag. What I knew of diaper bags was not good and to be completely honest I was not looking forward to adding this gear to my wardrobe. Especially because being a Disabled Veteran made me a stay at home Dad and I knew that every day I would dawn this gear and head out. But luckily for me, the big box store I went to had one woodland green nylon diaper bag. My kids were born at such a perfect interval that I carried that flimsy camo diaper bag for 5 years straight. While I was able to hold on to a bit of my masculinity I cant say that my bag was really anything special. It was a small, cheap, flimsy nylon bag with plastic zippers and a few extra pockets on the inside. If I had a long day out or was going somewhere special that required even more mission specific gear than I would have to pack additional bags. A big day out with all 3 kids could easily resemble a deployment bag but instead of 1 large duffle bag I was overwhelmed with a large array of smaller bags. On those days my only viable choice was the addition of my ACU assault pack.
Luckily the days of small cheap diaper/day bags are over. In fact, the thought that keeps popping in and out of my mind is how much I wish I had this bag from day one of Fatherhood. Let me introduce you to the Tier 1-D Deployment Tote. Now you can deploy with your kids for a day of fun with a bag that can keep up. Its tough, water-resistant, has plenty of pockets and with its large 18” X 14” X 5.75” internal dimensions you can be sure it can hold what you need it to hold. Plus an added bonus is its fashioned with 1000D Cordura and 420D Cordura lining in a very manly Black or Coyote Brown. The front side of the bag also has 1.75” riggers webbing for external storage or addition pockets, clips and or carabiner. On top of the vast open space inside the bag, there are also additional pockets inside the bag which holsters an impressive 2 mesh zipped pockets, 1 large zipped pocket, and 1 smaller cell phone sized pocket. If you plan on getting this bag I suggest you pay the extra for the heavy duty nylon drawstring 3 pockets backed with hook and pile tape that attaches very snugly inside the bag.
Also on the front of the bag is a 4” X 4” pile backing for the man that wants to either find a cool patch or dig out their old combat patches to personalize your bag to yourself.
The price on the Tier 1-D may cost more than a run of the mill flimsy nylon bag from any of the big box retail stores but this is a one-time buy bag. Plus to say this is a diaper bag is cutting its potential very short. What you have here is really a bag with unlimited potential. It could be a diaper bag, day bag, beach bag, overnight bag, work bag, gym bag and honestly whatever else you can dream up. Its tough, versatile, and best of all customizable to your specific mission necessities. If you are interested in this bag or curious about whatever else is available at the Tier 1-D than head over to www.tier1dad.com and check out all of the American made bags.
Author – Joe Gross is a US Army Veteran with 2 Iraq deployments. First deployment was with the 4th Infantry Division in 2003 and the 2nd with 10th Mountain Division in 2005. Joe is a recipient of the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. He was medically discharged as a SSG (E6) in 2006 due to combat injuries.
