I've been looking for a good shoulder bag to use as a rapid deployment "Go Bag" and I happened to run across the Hawkepak MA54 or Rifle Bug Out Bag on
www.warriortalk.com.
One of the things that I really like about "Go Bag" type magazine carriers is how simple they are and how fast they can be deployed. BTW, I also have a Hellcat MKII chest carrier but the more I use it the more I realize that it's really optimized for training and planned fights.
Unless you are in the military or are in some type of SWAT unit you will very rarely if ever have the luxury to plan a fight and prepare yourself accordingly before it begins. In the civilian world we are generally in the reactive mode and need to be able to respond as quickly as possible during those SHTF moments.
With a "Go Bag" all it takes is a second or two to throw the bag over your shoulder and you're good to go! You can basically grab your carbine/rifle in one hand and the "Go Bag" in the other hand and put it on while you're running to respond to a threat. I don't know about anyone else but I can't get my chest carrier on with one hand while carrying my carbine in my other hand and moving quickly or running. The "Go Bag" is also lower profile than a vest and seems to adopt really well to the types of defensive situations a civilian will most likely find themselves in.
The main things I wanted to carry in my "Go Bag" are spare magazines for my primary and secondary weapons, a blowout kit and a few other pieces of gear like a water bottle, an extra flashlight and multitool. I also wanted to be able to use the bag as a dump pouch for magazines.
The Rifle B.O.B. meets all my requirements and more. I was extremely impressed with the quality of the this bag.
The bag is made in the USA using 1000 Denier Cordura Nylon. The stiching is #69 bonded nylon thread sewn at about 6 stitches per inch. The stitching is well done and reinforced at all the stress points.
The back of the main compartment is lined with velcro and the inside front has three rows of elastic stiched on PAL style.
There is an external flap that covers the rifle mag pouches secures down with a fastex buckle.
The padded shoulder strap comes with PAL style stiched loops and connects to the bag via fastex buckles.
The main compartment measures 10"x10"x5".
It has the following external pouches.
1. Three dual rifle magazine pouches with adjustable cover flap. Six USGI mags fit perfectly in them. The flaps are attached with velcro and are removable and adjustable for different length mags or mags with Ranger Plate Mag-Puls. Regular Mag-Puls can fit but it's a very tight fit and I don't recommend it.
2. Three pistol magazine pouches also with adjustable covers. The flaps are also attached with velcro and are removable and adjustable for differ length mags.
3. A water bottle pouch large enough to use with 32oz Nalgene bottle.
It also has the following internal pouches.
1. One Large pouch behind the rifle mag pouches with a velcro closure.
2. Two deep, open top, side pouches.
3. Two pouches on the internal divder, one on each side.
4. A removable velcro attached pistol holster
On the back of the bag there is a a carry handle, belt loops and a leg strap. After doing some shooting drills in differnt positions and on the move I highly recommend also using the belt loops if you want use the leg strap. If the leg strap is used by itself when you bend down or crouch the bag can slide down your leg and the leg strap can get hung up when you stand up. When both the belt loops and leg strap are used it makes the bag very stable and secure and it feels more like a hip pouch instead. The bag also works really well just slung over your shoulder and I didn't have any issues moving to different shooting positions or shooting on the move.
Reloads with retention from the Rifle B.O.B. were slower than from a vest or belt pouch but they were easy to do and more than adequate for the purpose this bag was made for.
Here's a link to a vid with Gabe Suarez showing a rifle reload from the bag.
http://www.suarezinternational.com/AKReload.AVI
I really like this bag and I think it's an excellent piece of gear. I would highly recommend it to anyone who might need a low profile "Go Bag" to use with their carbine or rifle.
Here's are some pics of my Coyote Brown Rifle B.O.B..
The front of the bag with the main flap closed.
The main flap opened revealing the rifle mag pouches.
The back of the bag showing the carry handle, belt loops and leg strap.
A pic of the internal of bag showing the different pockets and pouches.
The water bottle pouch.
The rifle mag pouches.
The pistol mag pouches.
The velcro attached pistol holster that I won't be using because I prefer to keep the pistol on my belt.
Loaded up with mags and a water bottle.
Loaded up with the main flap closed. The bottom veiw also shows the drain holes.
Good to go!
.gif){kind=logo}
Linear Mode
