I’ve done a number of sling bags in the last year I’ve been at the Loadout Room and have grown to appreciate a good sling bag more and more. I used to be team backpack, but I do find myself carrying a sling bag more and more these days. There is something sleeker and even more fashionable about a sling bag. Not to mention the design is much faster to access. When it comes to tactical sling bags this is a major plus. However, there is a loss of storage and organizational capacity. The Vertx Commuter walks the line between backpack and sling bag well.
The Vertx Commuter – Size Matters
This is not a small sling bag by any means, it’s 18 inches long, 13 inches wide, and 6 inches deep according to Vertx. It has a capacity of 23 liters and you can squeeze just about anything you could need for a day at the range or the office.
Modularity
The Vertx Commuter has four total pockets. The three larger pockets are lined with Loop from hook and loop material. This allows you to heavily customize these pockets with a variety of organizational pouches. Vertx even offers Hook MOLLE panels to adapt your standard gear to the Vertx Commuter. Outside of the internal loop material the front most pocket has a combination of MOLLE and hook and loop panel.
There is also a healthy amount of sealed pockets, elastic material. The two rear most pouches have thin zippered pouches for hiding documents… and other more interesting goods. (I’ll save that for the review.)
Design
The overall design of the bag is solid and outfitted to be intuitive with everything just a bit oversized. This includes the zippers and attachments, the buckles and carrying straps. I imagine the design was chosen to be easily used with an adrenaline pump, a racing heart and shaking hands.
The back of the bag is padded, so if you fill all 23 liters up you’ll still be comfortable. The Vertx Commuter is well designed and well thought out EDC bag. I’ve been having fun running a variety of different kit customizations through the bag. I’ve been transferring my EDC goods to the bag and plan to test in both the office and the range.
