Tuff Possum Gear: Shackleton EDC Satchel Review

By Nick Italiano

• Instagram

Tuff Possum Gear is known for making high-quality nylon goods, specifically bags and pouches, geared towards outdoors people who need highly functional and reliable ways to store and organize their tools and equipment. Each piece is designed in-house by Jayberry, owner of Tuff Possum, and built in the USA. Jayberry has a wealth of experience as a lifelong outdoorsman and uses that experience to build products that are rugged, reliable, and simply work very well for their intended purpose.  I’ve spent the last year or so relying on Tuff Possum’s now-discontinued Simple Sack Haversack to carry my minimalist kit and finally upgraded to their premier bag, the Shackleton EDC Satchel. This small shoulder satchel packs an array of organizational features to ensure easy access to the gear you need when you need it! In addition to a number of quality-of-life upgrades from the Simple Sack.

Specs and Features

The Shackleton is 12 inches wide 9 inches tall, and 4 inches deep, making it large enough to house a respectable outdoor tool kit or everyday carry load out, without being too big or cumbersome. The Shackleton weighs just over a pound unloaded. For me, the ability to move lightly and quickly is valuable, especially when covering long distances and having a small kit that won’t weigh you down is definitely vital to ensure I can do that.

On the outside of the bag, there are two pockets, one on either side. These are large enough to hold a folding saw, fixed-blade knife, tourniquet, or anything else in that general size range. The back of the bag has a padded wall for comfort and 4 loops which can be used to attach it to a larger hiking pack or add some optional accessories. The front of the bag has a robust, yet lightweight buckle that secures the flap.

On the inside, there are two pockets on the front wall that are ideal for storing small pouches, but they are versatile enough to allow the end user to have some options. The interior back wall is covered entirely by laser cut loop that you can attach velcro pouches or molle-equipped pouches.

The shoulder strap is made from 2-inch wide webbing that is comfortable and equipped with easily adjustable slide buckles, allowing for a comfortable carry in multiple positions, as well as accommodating people in just about any height range. The bag itself is constructed from a combination of 500d and 1000d Cordura nylon, which is among the best in the business.

In Use

Let’s address the elephant in the room first, is this bag big enough to fit your kit? From an EDC (everyday carry) perspective this bag is the perfect size to store and transport most people’s EDC load out, even if you EDC on the heavier side. From an outdoors adventure perspective, the Shackleton is large enough to pack an essential minimalist kit. For me, that is a personal survival kit pouch, first aid kit, folding saw, canteen, small ground cloth, gloves, flat pack stove, and a small odds and ends pouch, with some room to spare. The Shackleton will not replace a 20+ liter backpack, but it was also not designed to do so, this design was made for a minimalist kit. What Is beneficial is the ability to attach the Shackleton to a large hiking or camping pack, so if you are out for a long haul, you can keep your large heavy pack back at basecamp and take your minimalist kit when moving about.

I found the Shackleton to be very comfortable to carry, the 2-inch wide shoulder strap is not stiff and carries comfortably even when I felt the bag was slightly overloaded. The padded back wall also helps the satchel maintain its shape. The ability to quickly and easily access your gear on the move is where the Shackleton truly shines, everything you need is easily accessible without having to remove the bag from your body.

Modularity 

The Shackleton is surprisingly customizable for its size. The external loops allow for the addition of an optional stabilizing strap to keep it secure while moving, as well as any number of improvised attachments you can think of. The internal loop/laser-cut wall allows for any number of pouches and organizational attachments. Tuff Possum offers a wide variety of options on their website or you can mix and match with pouches you may already have in your collection. This modularity allows for peak user customization, as well as the ability to set up different load-outs for different scenarios. I plan on setting up a few different options for EDC/urban carry, as well as outdoor uses. Having one bag to fill multiple roles really increases the overall value in my opinion.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I would say the Shackleton is a very well-designed and built bag that has a place with the most seasoned or novice outdoors person. As an experienced outdoors person, I live by the adage of more skill, less gear. This essentially means as your skill set grows you find yourself needing less equipment. The Shackleton is the perfect size to carry my essentials and then some. For someone with less experience, this is a bag that allows you to start experimenting with minimalist kit options, while still providing enough room to pack some extras or comfort items. The modularity of this package allows for some pretty wild customization and organization so the end user can really dial it in or set it up for multiple scenarios and environments.