I’ve recently started getting into precision rifle shooting. All of the sudden, my nice little range bag was stuffed full of tools I needed to keep organized and accessible. My old range bag just wasn’t up to the task. I had a chance to test out Red Rock Outdoor’s Transporter Pack and wanted to know if it would fit the bill. It needs to be spacious but not huge, organized but not cramped and comfortable yet durable. Would the Transporter work for me?
Before using the Transporter as a range bag, I took it up to Alaska and lived out of it for a month on a commercial fishing vessel. It held my clothes, camera, knives, thermal, notebooks and other tools. I took it on a number of 2-4 mile hikes and can say it does a great job of distributing weight. The straps are comfortably padded and the back panel has a nice mesh ventilation layer that keeps the pack from soaking your back in sweat when the miles add up.
Now I’m using the Transporter as a dedicated range bag for my long-range shooting setup. Ammo, grub, suppressor, water, notebook, snookie and more are all tucked in nice and cozy. The bag itself is my shooting rest and takes a little bit of a beating but still hasn’t shown signs of wear.
Many tactical gear manufacturers have moved away from 1000D fabrics, noting that quality 500d or 600d fabrics with reinforced stress points will do the job satisfactorily with less weight. The Transporter comes in at 2 lbs and has an interior space of 10″ x 17″ x 8″. I feel like the layout of the inside the pack has a great balance between segmented pockets and open space for MRE’s, hydration bladders and the like. This bag looks and carries small but feels very spacious once you open it up. The compression straps along the sides do an excellent job of keeping your gear secure inside the pack and help eliminate “battle rattle”.
There were two features that were new to me: the laser-cut molle webbing and the touch fastener lining (compatible with the mavrik accessory line). The laser-cut molle provides your usual allotment of molle attachment points but at a lighter weight. This manufacturing technique has really gained popularity in recent months, as the weight savings over traditional molle are significant. The touch fastener lining is Red Rock’s take on hook-pile loop fasteners, allowing the user to slap on one of the pouches from the mavrik line where they’d like it and have it stay. Although I don’t have any mavrik pouches available, I can easily see how this would be a great feature, especially when using a mavrik handgun holster. When going from a permissive open-carry environment to an environment where more discretion is necessary, the option to slap a holster inside the Transporter and secure your sidearm is a nice one.
Red Rock Outdoor group’s Transporter pack is a comfortable, durable bag with excellent modular options. Whether you’re looking for a dependable day pack or a dedicated kit bag, the Transporter deserves a long look. One thing I’ve neglected to mention thus far is the price. I feel like this pack has strong value in the $75-$99 range. Red Rock has it on their website for $51.99. Enjoy!
