4d ago

Call of Daddy

251 comments

Smells more like Call of Doody.
- It’s MY doody, and it’s a BIG one!
- What’d you get a medal for? Wiping?
- Lol I was going to say, you don't actually have to change the name, you just have to say it the right way for it still lto apply to parenting.
- What the hell kind of name is Soap? How'd a muppet like you get to be a daddy?

When my kids were babies a “man’s” diaper bag looked like a leather satchel.
Thing was awesome, too. The flap was attached with Velcro and was padded plastic on the inside so you could use it as a changing mat.
It held about a dozen diapers and a full pack of wipes and a change of clothes and snacks.
All the moms at the park were jealous.
- Mine was Hello Kitty. All the moms were jealous.
- Mine was from not REI but somebody like REI, basically industrial strength camping gear baby kit and was also awesome. Lasted through my kids, then my sister’s, and now a cousins. Like 10 kids and almost 20 years and still looks nearly new.
  
  Rei is for me a little girl controlling large robots, with a really concerning backstory
  What is this REI you speak of?
  Maybe I'm just out of the loop - and hope for not being alone in it
- I would love to have a bag kind of like those cloth knife sets: rolls out into a change pad with all the goodies

Well, other than it being all tacti-cool in aesthetics, standard baby gear is not as well arranged as what's in the picture.
That gear in the pic would let you carry the baby stuff with your hands free and able to actually take care of an infant out and about. Waaay better than the usual shoulder sling or backpack options, and absurdly better than the kinds meant to be carried by hand.
There's a reason surplus gear used to be wildly popular. It was mostly designed to work. It would be better than what you could get outside of a surplus store, even when what you were getting was years out of date and current issue was better. With companies making stuff that's built with stuff like molle in mind, following principles that make what's being carried leave hands free but be reasonably accessible, shit just works better, even though it looks ugly.
If I'm toting an infant around, I don't need pretty, I need comfortable and capable.
- Someone actually Down voted you for a really good response to the image that was posted. Honestly, there’s nothing wrong with what you said.
  
  It just looks dumb because some men like to cosplay being a soldier too much
  
  ATGE
- Right? This is a perfect application for tactical gear. Modular, expandable, easily accessible storage is ideal for baby gear. This just looks a little dumb because it doesn't show any attachments.
- It's just a standard baby holster and a shitty bag. You not got baby holsters where your from? Like what they don't allow open carry?
  
  Heh, good one.
  Legit though, I used to have to carry similar supplies (minus the actual diapers and infant) for my job, and it was really hard to find things that were durable, well compartmentalized, had good capacity and could be cleaned relatively easy.
  Towards the end of my working years, that kind of "military inspired" stuff started showing up, and it really did beat the pants off of other options I had been using.
  It was super nice to be able to really organize all the ppe, wipes, gloves, spare pads, etc I had to tote around to patients. Not that nothing else worked, it just didn't work as well.
  I felt like a moron with the whole tacticool vibe, but not enough to switch back lol
- All of the molle could actually be incredibly useful in this scenario. You could keep everything you'd conceivably need at hand.
  
  Yeah, molle rocks. The bag I had when I was working, I kept gloves and wipes in two front pouches I could swap out fast. I'd have multiples prepped so I could grab and go, stick them on and be out the door faster. Super nice when I would have multiple patients and something messy happened, or I'd need to resupply at home. Take care of the prep once a week or so assembly line style and spend less time not getting paid to do work stuff.
  Baby supplies are really similar, and a parent of an infant is going to have similar time issues (for different reasons).
  Modularity is awesome.
- Women's apparel notoriously often lacks any pockets. At least historically. Not sure if there is a connection with the standard baby gear but an odd coincidence regardless.
- Hate the aesthetic but I would have killed for a diaper bag like that.
- I'm sure there are advantages to the "baby on your chest" design vs. other designs. But, that's not what people are commenting on. They're commenting on the tacti-cool suburban ninja elements.
  Like, the loops on the front of the carrier. Real police and soldiers use those to carry items like flashlights, guns, knives, extra magazines, etc:
  
  First of all, hubby at the Wal*Mart doesn't need quick access to guns or flashlights. He might need quick access to a wet wipe, but I don't think they make tactical wet-wipe pouches.
  Second of all, The reason that attachment system is useful for body armour is that things are directly on the wearer's chest. They can look down, see the item they need, and grab it immediately. When the tactical attachment system is on the baby's back, you can't look down and see it anymore. You could reach around and fumble for something, but if you're doing that, why not just put down the tacti-cool shoulder bag and look in it instead?
  Finally, surplus gear is great. This isn't surplus. It's imitation military gear. Surplus gear is good because it's actual military gear designed to hold up in harsh environments. In military gear, form follows function. It's brown because it's designed to be decent camouflage in many different environments. Brown isn't going to help hubby hide in the cereal isle at Wal*Mart. It has PALS straps because they're the best way to attach gear and make it quickly accessible. As I pointed out above, fumbling around behind the baby's back for something doesn't serve that same function. The surplus gear is also reasonably durable because soldiers wear it while doing heavy physical activity in harsh environments.
  I would imagine that your bog-standard baby carrier is actually going to be reasonably durable for its normal intended use of lugging a baby around. That's what people buy it for, and if it doesn't hold up people will buy something else. The size of the straps, the padding, etc. for a standard baby carrier will be one where form follows function. But, this tacti-cool baby gear is probably not durable. The manufacturers know that people buying it will be buying form over function, so they won't be putting the emphasis on something durable, but on making it look visually similar to army gear. It's not military surplus, it's Hot Topic imitation army gear.
  
  I mean, I referenced the tacticool thing already, but you do you

Fellas is it gay to have a kid?
- only if you got a diaper bag without camo
  
  Diapers. Butt wipes. Saltines. M4A1 with grenade launcher attachment. Binky.
- If the gays don't have kids we will run out of gays /s
- Only if it's a boy
- Only if you teach them to be literate.
  
  What if I'm gay and I can't read?
- Imagine keeping cum as a pet
  And now that gets to live rent-free in your head just like mine lol

To all the people putting guys down for using it, screw you. If it gets dad's more involved in parenting, that's categorically a good thing!
Is it a cheap trick to boost some men's confidence? Yes. But so what? If your wife has an overly girly nappy bag, an "ironic" overly manly one has a lot more effect than you might think.
A lot of men are very insecure, when it comes to parenting. There is a massive amount of training and advice out there for mums, but VERY little for dads. We are left in a limbo of either being disconnected, and complained about, or bumbling and being complained about. It's improving, but slowly.
- I agree. To me, this is just an amusing fashion choice. If you're gonna need the gear, so you may as well have fun with it.
  Honestly, when it comes to any accessory or tool, it's going to have an aesthetic. Who cares what that is (as long as it's not offensive). There's also a tendency to consider terms like 'fashion' to be emasculating, but that's what this is: fashion. Plus, kiddo isn't going to care about logos and any gender representation; the only shit they're giving is in their pants.
  Other fashion choices for diaper bags that could be explored:
  Metal (leather/pleather, spikes, denim, band patches)
  Goth (like above, but with less denim and more ankhs and crosses)
  Gamer (cosplay appropriate bags, pokemon that's also a bag, D&D mimic on a shoulder strap)
  Sports (tons of practical and team-branded merch options here)
  Office (suit material, inoffensive beige, briefcase handles and leather)
  Handyman/tradesman (toolbag or toolbelt aesthetic, tool manufacturer branding)
  EMT/firefighter (first-aid compartment, red/white aesthetic, cheeky "diaper emergency kit" on outside)
  Outdoorsman (gore-tex, tent material, typical REI brands, lots of straps for different carry options)
  Edit: not a dad. Some of these may already exist. Point being: it's all a matter of taste.
  
  Also punk. You could cover pretty much any bag with patches
  
  I am a dad and a baby toolbag sounds awesome. I love the way a good toolbag makes your stuff accessible to you and would absolutely want a baby version (or perhaps an insert into an existing toolbag?)
- Not sure if I want more parental involvement from the kind of guy who wants military aesthetic everything, but I get what you mean. I guess everyone’s style will be cringe to somebody
  
  My kid has been wearing 2nd hand metal shirts for about 15 years. That was also the aesthetic when we made quilts for him as a baby.
  I gotta imagine there’s people out there laying heavy judgment on that decision. We think it’s hilarious. Poor dude was like 13 the first time I got a call about a Cattle Decap shirt he was wearing. I guess, technically it was sacrilegious but I appreciated him self advocating and pointing out a “guns, god, country” shirt another kid had on.
  Thanks for attending my ramble about judging people’s parenting fashion.
  
  If it gets dad interacting, and bonding with the baby, it's good for both of them.
  For most buyers, it will be a minor statement "I chose to be a hands on dad". For certain demographics, that's a big deal.
  I put it in the same category as bright pink tool kits. They look slightly silly, but get people involved.
  
  I don't think the military style is the issue per se, rather than a society that is heavily gender coded, to the point that men who want to get involved with their kids find themselves constantly using female coded gear, which is a constant reminder that "you're doing a female task!" and only pushes them away / attracts ridicule.
  Let them fucking have this. It's baby steps, you know?
  I'm lucky France isn't in the hands of Y'allqaeda just yet, and that I ain't worried I'll catch the gay if I wear the wrong colour, but I can't imagine what it's like in the US, honestly.
  
  What about a diaper bag with the UNSC logo on it and a baby bjorn that says "player 3 🎮"?
  
  Pretty much.
  Rainbow shirt - ugly looks by conservatives.
  Camouflage pattern shirt - ugly looks by the hippies.
  Cthulhu shirt - ugly looks by the Christians.
  SUPREME shirt - ugly looks by society.
- Man if this is what gets a dad involved in raising the kids I feel bad for the kids. Is it looking at the child when they are first born? Is it the smile on the child's face as he sees thier dad walk through the door after a long day? Nope it's the camo gear that does it. They didn't want to be involved when is some girly baby, but now that there's men's gear specifically marketed toward manly man now he's interested. That kid is screwed.
  
  Dad's get frozen out of a lot of early parenting things. Anything that gives men the confidence to get more involved is good.
  E.g. my wife took our daughter to "sing and sign". I decided to go along when I could. Out of 20 parents, I was the only non-mum. The next meetup, there were over 1/2 dozen dad's, and a grandad. The instructor was surprised and pleased with this. All it took was them knowing they wouldn't be the only dad there.
  If a "manly" bag gives them the confidence to break the norms, then good on them!
- Word!
- True. Still funny.
- If it gets dad's
  1 for 2.
  
  There's the door, see yourself out.
- If it gets dad's more involved in parenting, that's categorically a good thing!
  It's literally making their parenting hands-free.
  
  The carriers were one of the best buys we made for my daughter. She hated the pram, but loved being carried. With a carrier, she was close, and warm, while being involved in what we were doing. We could also get on with the basic tasks of life.
  FYI, the wraps, for smaller babies are also great. The baby cuddles you get are amazing. Also the smell of your own baby is like crack cocaine. It's one of the best bonding tools out there.

If this motivates them into being good dads then great
- Pretty much.
  The tactical dads I know are a bit cringy with their military swag, but they're around for their kids.
  
  Yeah, around enough to indoctrinate them too I'm sure.

What the fuck did you just fucking say about me, you little removed? I'll have you know I graduated top of my class in my local birthing center's new parent training, and I've been involved in numerous home diaper changes, and I have over 300 confirmed formula bottles. I am trained in gorilla binkies and I'm the top "got your nose" player in the entire US playground system. You are nothing to me but just another babysitter. I will put your baby the fuck to naptime with precision the likes of which has never been seen before on this Earth, mark my fucking words. You think you can get away with saying that shit to me over the Internet? Think again, fucker. As we speak I am contacting my secret network of nannies across the USA and your IP is being traced right now so you better prepare for the storm, maggot. The storm that wipes out the pathetic little thing you call your diaper genie. You're fucking dead, kid. I can be anywhere, anytime, and I can change your diaper in over seven hundred ways, and that's just with my bare hands. Not only am I extensively trained in one-armed baby wipe retrieval, but I have access to the entire arsenal of the American Association of Pediatrics and I will use it to its full extent to wipe the miserable shit off your baby's butthole, you little shit. If only you could have known what unholy retribution your little "clever" comment was about to bring down upon you, maybe you would have held your fucking tongue. But you couldn't, you didn't, and now you're paying the price, you goddamn idiot. I will shit fury all over you and you will drown in it. You're fucking dead, kiddo.
- Props.

Actually, Call of Daddy is the name of the queer dating sim I made.
- If this is a mashup of Dream Daddy and Red Dawn, I’m in.
- Tagline: Love is a battlefield!

Such a waste. Men get so few opportunities to wear peppa pig branded gear and still get respect and recognition from passers by.
- Don't worry, I'm sure they make peppa pig tactical patches
  
  I kind of want to see black and white Peppa Pig skull patches that poke fun at Punisher patches, but I think the irony would be beyond the thin blue line crowd.
  
  I'm not surprised, but I am disappointed.
- Peppa Pig is a shit head. Her dad is one of the worst personification of a father that I have ever seen in a children's show.
  Why would I want to represent that?
  Now a Bluey Diaper Bag ...
  
  I want the crowds to part for me like Moses. That's why mine is Caillou themed
  
  Bluey gang rise up
- The biggest perk of obvious-looking diaper bags is that you can sneak weed brownies into pretty much any event or theme park.
  
  Just say you get hypoglycemic and they let snacks through.

When I first saw this when my wife was pregnant I was really annoyed & upset & scoffing at the thing. But then I looked at it & it has all the functional shit I should expect out of parenting gear & pockets/ loops galore.
then I got mad all over again because it shouldn't just be MEN'S baby gear that has all the utilities.
the patriarchy done got me again
- My wife got me a Diaper Dude bag. It was just a navy messenger bag but it had all the pockets for everything you needed and it wasnt huge.
  Inoffensive and functional diaper bags do exist.
- Wait. You’re telling me the pocket cartel even has a stranglehold on diaper bags?!

I do like the idea the baby gear can be designed aesthetically for the parents using it. Not just soft pinks and blues, and preschool prints.
- Ya, I'm not into the aesthetic but it does represent the societal progress in parental roles.
  
  The molle panel could hold so many binky leashes too.
- designed aesthetically
  "Military" as an aesthetic is very 90s-minded. Like, 30 years ago, when I was a dumb teenager who was excited to see the live-action GI Joe movie, cosplaying as an Elite Operator Guy felt no different than playing around as a cowboy or a knight or a jedi.
  Now? Idk. I can only expose myself to so many "Gaza Humanitarian Foundation" gore videos, with guys dressed like that opening fire on a crowd of starving Arab children, before I've lost my taste for this kind of aesthetic choice. Its beginning to feel like I'm seeing a guy who wraps his kid in a swastika themed blanky.
  
  I meant I could get behind them using other aesthetics, not military, but were chosen with adults/parents in mind.
- I don't have an issue with the product. It could be funny in the right context.
  I have a problem with the manner it's marketed. The ad doesn't say good things about its own product, but instead tries to attack competing products as girly.
  
  I think we have the same problem with whats being shown.

Yo, guys. Is it gay to take care of your kids?
Better butch this up.

NGL as a dad myself, I would be far more likely to make fun of this guy and his tacticool diaper bag than any dad carrying around the girliest bag their wife obviously picked out. It's way cooler to not give a shit what other people think of your child raising accessories.
Also, it looks like he is wearing his child as a tiny human shield. Squishy plate carrier.
- Shocked we didn't see Elon wearing one of these with his ~~human shield~~ child
- The baby carrier and bag my wife got do not fit on me. The "mens" ones all look like this, so I had no choice.
  On a related note, I find most of the bags marketed towards women focus more on aesthetics than usefulness and have poor functional design all over the place. These "tactical" bags tend to focus on functionality, which is a big plus IMO.
  
  Diaper bag on Amazon literally listed as "for women" has more functionality that that side bag. They don't make Molle pouches for wipe dispensers like that side pouch this one has. Most of the 1st 20 results are the same level of 'functionality' - I don't doubt that some women's bags are more about aesthetics but this is literally advertising the aesthetic of the bag to men over function. Is there a diaper changing mat included with that tactical bag?
- It looks cool, I'd use it! When you start making fun of me I'd just shrug and carry on, because I don't care what judgements some weirdo makes about my accessories.
  
  Right? If you like it, you do you. It's shitty to criticize someone for liking a certain style.
- NGL as a dad myself, I would be far more likely to make fun of this guy and his tacticool diaper bag than any dad carrying around the girliest bag their wife obviously picked out.
  And people are calling the guy in the OP image fragile...
- My wife is also not completely selfish and realises I'm also gonna be using these items so we pick something neutral.

Who gave this baby an infant to carry?
- You mean an actual dad being an actual dad and buying things that make him happy and encourage him to use them more?
  Remind me how you aren't the baby here?

Hot take: This is just an aesthetic, like baby aesthetic. Nothing wrong with it. Bro lines CoD

Not sure how this is any different than buying any of the branded fashion bags. Those offer no special or unique functionality, just a name and maybe a specific material design.
- I was so confused when my coworkers were talking about some hard to get tote bag and when they finally brought one in it just looked like a regular cheap tote bag but apparently it was expensive for unknown reasons
  
  FOMO
- It's not.
  When something is marked up and marketed specifically to men, it's proof how insecure men are.
  When something is marked up and marketed specifically to women, then women are victims and we call it the pink tax.
- Guaranteed anyone who uses this makes fun of people for "spending too much on designer crap"

I actually own this. It’s fantastic!!!!! The baby diaper bag is a must have. It’s been to hell and back with two kids on many of family trips across the country and outings. the material it’s made out of are kid proof which is saying a lot
- If you just had the bag or the carrier it would probably fly under the radar. But if you're going full tactical I'm gonna assume you're not ok.
- If this is the same quality as my Maxpedition backpack, I can imagine it's some durable stuff!
  
  Very similar quality. I was very surprised putting it next to my 511 bags.
- Ah the truth any dad knows:
  "This is military-grade material!" - yawn
  "This has survived two kids without a single tear or stain." - how soon will it be delivered?
- I just wanna say, you are a cool person and don't let the chuds here saying mean things about people who like this stuff get to you. They're the insecure and fragile ones who can't tolerate a tactical style bag making someone happy. Let the men have their fun, assholes!

Call of doody

Honestly is one of those cases of "if tbis stupid thing gets you to do it, go ahead".

So much marketing is directed towards men set on convincing others they're not gay
- Which in itself is kinda gay lol
  
  Not that there's anything wrong with that

My daughters diaper bag was vintage Gucci , get with it tacticool dad
- I'm not a regular dad. I'm a cool dad

This has the opposite effect to me. If I see a man taking care of their kid, taking them to the park, carrying them, generally being a parent, that to me is more manly than whatever this is.
- If they're buying this, they're taking care of their kid. Why else would they be buying a diaper bag?
- What if he has these accessories because they make him happy? Would you be a judgemental shit-bag to him about it or just think cool dad for actively caring about his kid?

It's good advertising is what it is.
They know there are millions of underdeveloped, insecure men out there that need to feel like they aren't the little removed they actually are.
- Here's the sad thing dawg. I love the tacticool aesthetic. I love the feel of the material and I love patches. But the entire industry is propped up and advertised for these "I am a manly man man who man's harder than women and other men" and that's so sad. It's an aesthetic ruined by the culture it belongs to.

Weak. Just buy a desert tan Pelican Case and cut a baby shaped hole in the foam. Put the baby in the case and throw the case in the back of your Humvee. That’s what a real man would do.

I mean, with how America is going, a kevlar baby carrier might be a reasonable purchase. Sigh.
- That’s more things you’d want to start putting on a 4th birthday registry.
  Just in time for the school year… if we still have education as an option by then.

Elon Musks bullet proof vest.
- True, but this post is about the carrier, not the baby itself.

All the people on here calling guys who like military/tacticool aesthetic insecure are no different than people calling guys fags for wearing skinny jeans.
- No. Thinking that girly bags make you girly is the same as saying skinny jeans makes you gay.
- no different
  Being insecure when you see a guy in tight pants and feeling things your pastor told you that you shouldn't
  Noticing insecurity in others, as they scramble to camouflage something they've internalized as an "other gender" coded activity.
  Turning your diaper bag into a tacti-cool military gear is more akin to the sorority sports team that needs to color everything pink and add a tutu as an accessory, so nobody will mistake them as being too butch. It's the fashion equivalent of shouting "No Homo!"
- It's the association with what they believe, not what they wear and not their insecurity.
  
  You are making an assumption about ~~someone's~~ everyone's character, worldview, lifestyle and political association based on a single piece of information - how they like to dress. You're one step away from crossing the street when you see a black guy or asking an asian for help with a math problem.
- Found the guy who is afraid to wear skinny jeans or use a normal diaper bag.

*American men
EDIT: a few disagreed, at least with their votes, but you don't see this military obsession anywhere else, except perhaps North Korea.
EDIT2: I find it funny that I've gone from -2 to -5 and still nobody has written a reply explaining exactly what I've said is "wrong". The thing is that I think I'm right, and unless someone else explains why I'm wrong, that's not going to change anything! USA is a joke! Just like North Korea! Just like any authoritarian country! And in case you were on the fence: FUCK THE POLICE!
- What happened to men in the US that they can't carry their children's stuff, or can't even hold on to their girlfriend's handbag without having to hide in public? It's so weird.
  
  You might look GAY for even holding a purse.
  
  Unfortunately for me, I look like the average maga chud...
  When I hold my wife's purse, I become instantly flamboyant. "Do you like my purse? It goes with everything! It makes me feel like a removed!" It makes the "dudes" cringe, and I fuckin LOVE it. I also don't mind being the one to pick up the industrial sized package of pads or tampons if I'm close to the store. (My daughter is at the point where she's pretty shy about it.
  I am all in to take one for the team.
- There are many places of the world you can't even wear camo because you literally have to be active military to do so.

Tactical papoose.

Masculinity, so fragile...

Men need to feel like they're in the army to take on operation traditionaly woman's work
- I don't know if this applies everywhere, but masculinity in the USA is real tenuous, and may be revoked in an instant.
  
  They are revoking themselves because they are fragile. I have no issues doing, carrying, or drinking "girly" things and still feel like a man. It's pathetic how fragile masculinity is for most American men.
- Well tbf fella in the pic is carrying Toddler-4 (enhanced with triple attack mode).

So, I don't hate tacti-cool baby gear, but it does make me angry.
It should have been high quality baby gear targeted at guys being silly. The glaring contrast between its function and its theme should be intentionally funny.
Instead you've got sexist shit trying to convince guys that it's okay, you can still be hyper masculine even if you care for your children, and selling profoundly inferior crap that's not even leveraging the ridiculous marketing options.
All the actual baby supply companies have instead started using the stuff you would want out of "tactical baby gear", and coloring it in cheerful colors that aren't traditionally gendered.
It's just a wasted opportunity for a good laugh that instead brings more shit into the world.
- This is why I got one in 2019 but never got to use it because of Covid. Probably shouldn’t use it now with the new one on the way.
  
  Use it anyway. The real wuss move is to shelf something you like or find useful because a dumb ad ran on facebook.
  
  Sadly, yeah. Like, a Hawaiian shirt and stupid tactical gear should be silly guy outfit, not "bring the race war".
  
  Probably shouldn’t use it now with the new one on the way.
  You know what's better than recycling? Reusing what you got. Personalize it and rock it like a mofo
- It kind of started as a joke. I remember "serious" brands like maxpedition having baby bags with tounge in cheek names, as well as places online like think geek selling "tactical baby bags" and the like.
  
  Yeah, I do sort of remember some of that. It's one of those things where I think people realized that the people laughing hardest weren't laughing at the same joke, and that kinda takes something away.

I'm so confused, what is even satire anymore?
- Well Idiocracy definitely isn't satire anymore.
  
  Make Idiocracy Satire Again!

Laugh it up, funny boy. I know that even my six month old gets called up and sent to Afghanistan I'll be ready and you won't.

the kid doesn't even get their own holster? WTF is the kid supposed to do with it's gun?
- Kid is riding shotgun he better have that pistol at the low ready, watching my six. Holster? You trying to get me shot?

Don't forget to complete your style with your tactical baby.

Tactical dads are OP

When we had our first, there was a military spouse who would take old uniforms and turn them into really cool diaper bags (the side was the front of the shirt with name and service tapes). It wasn't camo, because my service just wears blue, but they ended up being effective and unique.

Actually kind of looks cool if you are into military gear… what’s the big deal.
Dad’s are awesome
- Yeah, it looks like it's got a lot od straps to make it easy to adjust and ir looks better then the stupid fucking colors of other baby carriers. The wide shoulder straps look comfortable too
  
  When baby starts crying you say, “toughen up soldier!” In a soft military drill sergeant voice.
  “No free rides!” You whisper as you wipe the drool from baby’s lips, “you got to earn your keep around here,” you whisper.

This sort of thing is really only exclusive to the US markets. Elsewhere in the world, it is rare to see components of tactical gear outside of the specific situations they are for. However, military gear is the nastiest for the job, so you tend to only get it if strapped for cash. Obviously this means there is no military themed stuff like in the US, beer coolers, baby carriers, slippers, etc. For the insecure man.
- I live in Germany and there are three "survivalist" stores with mostly surplus and replica military equipment for sale in my city alone. Also genuine military gear can be absolute dogshit. It depends on the country of origin and era but stuff is not automatically durable just because it was designed for war.
  Here you can see an image of a surplus backpack that looks just like the one I used to carry as my schoolbag:
  
  We have those stores in my country too. But we only use them for quick, cheap, "it'll get the job done" stuff. Everything else we take outdoors is lighter, tougher, higher performing, has more practical use.
  Only the general infantry gets general basics, else we'd see it sort after by the civilian sector a lot more.
  Honestly, it's training that gets the job done. The gear is always complained about. Army surplus is like access to a government's Wish.com. Plenty of people think they've found the best for a bargain.
  
  This is what they call the exception proving the rule; you think you've countered them, but by explaining that it's literally one of three army surplus shops you have to go to and not just the local Wal-Mart equivalent (EDIT: or whatever clothing store, the size of the chain isn't relevant), you've proven their point quite well.

It’s pretty gross to pin this on an entire gender.

What a ridiculous thing to own (and I actually served!). 😅
- Ridiculous, funny, and practical. My favorite combo.

Someone will think that's your armor plate carrier
- I mean in a way...
  
  Ohh that's dark. I like it.

No, men are not ok.
- Sometimes I’ll get an ad for something like a “tactical windbreaker” or “tactical cargo pants” and I panic and think “what have I done that the surveillance state thinks I want this?!”
  Until I saw some of these ads I never considered a windbreaker could even be tactical or whatever the alternative is, strategic? Am I wearing strategic pants because they aren’t tactical?
  
  I say this literally wearing a pair of Underarmor Cargo pants - things marketed as tactical are cringe. I keep an Arktis pack jacket in my car in case of rain alongside an e-tool.
  Anyone who can't stand to carry the Minnie Mouse shoulder bag full of diapers is a total loser. If you buy anything 'tactical' to assert your 'manhood' you only further prove it only took you 20 seconds to do your part of the work for making the baby.
  
  If they’re camo they’re tactical, if they’re black they’re strategic, and if it doesn’t have a place to holster a gun then it’s just women’s clothing. If you don’t have a quick pull holster in your baby carrier with five extra magazines and a flash bang then the terrorists have already won. Freedom isn’t free, or something like that.
  
  The widespread presence of your very cool tactical pants among the broader population is a strategic advantage. Or something.
- I'm a woman, but I feel like if I were a man I'd be offended by the fact that large swathes of America seem to think that manhood and the military and its aesthetics are the same thing.
  Like, men can have other jobs. I've known men who are accountants and scientists and even healthcare workers and educators. I've known men who are pacifists and anti war activists. Hell men can even have other interests that are culturally associated with their gender. You could do sports themed baby bags, or "fun things culturally associated with kids doing with dad" ones, or even barely change the aesthetic but make it astronaut themed.
  Like, I worry that this increasing association between masculinity and the military is being done on purpose in an attempt to prime young men to go lose parts of their bodies and minds in foreign countries, and I'm reminded of the cultural buildup to the first world war

Military people be laughing at the term "military grade"
- Russian Military bought out the entire stock.

The baby must be at least Level IIIA / III right? Better than no plate at all.

Good idea let's push men out of the parental roles we said they had to take up while simultaneously still expecting them to pull the trad bread winner roles.

Kevlar for your baby seems like a good idea in the US

Help, I can't see my baby. I put them down on the grass and now they're gone!

It's a ridiculous ad so people would talk about it and it seems it's working...

I have a carrier that is "tacticool" it's comfortable but I mock myself for having it. My original one was a hand-me-down and I really liked it so I was trying to get a link to it and found out it was discontinued or recalled for a design flaw that could cause hip problems for the baby. I really liked the feel of it so I bought another one that had a similar design but without the flaw.
It's nice having my own carrier and it looking different from my wife's. It also has some nice features like a sun shade I can cover the kids head with.
I also have no problem rocking the pink diaper/snack bag.

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