When it comes to soft goods that are used in both military and law enforcement there is one name that quickly rises to the top and that is Propper International. Over the past few years we have been fortunate enough to review more than a dozen pieces of gear from the company.
The products we’ve seen from the company covers range bags, duffle bags, soft shell jackets and even boots. Each time the gear Propper International has sent us has stood up to the abuse we inflicted on it, so when they reached out to us again and asked if we wanted another round of soft goods we jumped at the chance.
This time they sent us their Range Bag which is item number F5638 in their catalog. Lets dig into the specifications and some of the features of this bag that we really liked and why we think its such a bargain at under $60.00 retail.
Specifications
Manufacturer: Propper International
Country of Manufacture: China
DimensionsÂ
- Height: 10″
- Width: 15″
- Depth: 9″
- Weight Empty: 3lb 6.5 ounces
Colors Available:Â
- Olive
- Black
Material: 100 % Polyester
MSRP: $59.99
Other Features:
- Front and Rear Pockets
- Six Magazine Pouch in Front Pocket
- Rear Pocket Contains Roll Out Cleaning Mat
- Removable Dividers
Photo:Rick Dembroski
Our Thoughts and FindingsÂ
Over the past few years we have reviewed quite a few range bags and have developed our thoughts on what a good entry level priced range bag should be. We have seen a wide spectrum of bags come through our writers and its always refreshing to get one in that well built and budget friendly.
This range bag falls into an interesting niche when it comes to market share and target audience. Propper International built this bag not to compete with higher end bags like the Vertx A& B Range Bags, but to go after the sub $100.00 price point and honestly it fills that role very well.
To start any review on a bag or soft goods we have to talk about the material and the stitching. The bag is made out of 100% polyester and sports a rigid panel in the bottom of the bag for structural integrity. The compartments, shoulder strap and and all seam stitching that I looked at were well done and free of any defect or mistakes. This along with the double clipped shoulder strap mounting feature have become hallmarks of Propper Interional’s designs. All of the pouches and storage compartments are secured using zippers that the company has put a small twist on. The zippers feature long rubber coated ends and small eyelets that allow the user to secure with zip ties or a padlock for a more tamper resistant posture.
Photo:Rick Dembroski
Packed with FeaturesÂ
Comfy zippers aren’t the only feature on our range bag that we liked, once we used those fancy zippers to open the range bag we were greeted with more features. The front external pocket of the bag unzips to a blaze orange contrasting floor with a zippered pouch and a permanently attached size magazine pouch. In the above picture you can see we used a selection of several magazines to check how much clearance we were working with. I’m glad to announce that double stack magazines like the Glock 17/19 and Browning Hi Power magazines fit easily into the openings. I also was pretty happy when my Kel-Tec PMR-30 magazines fit with a little room to spare. If you shoot single stacks magazines like the 1911 or in my case the Zastava M70 have no fear you can also easily fit those in the pouches with plenty of room left over.
The second external compartment is located on the back of the bag and also features the same style blaze orange contrasting floor and zippered pouch. There are a few differences between the back and front compartments that we noticed. The obvious one is the back compartment does not have a built in magazine pouch, but it compensates for that with another set of features. The rear compartment comes with a roll out rubber sided mat that attaches via velcro, and comes with an organizer panel of loop material that is perfect for storing small tools like the Multitakser Twist tool.
Photo: Rick Dembroski
Main CompartmentÂ
The main compartment is the heart of any range bag and Propper did this one up right. Often times with range bags the main compartment is just a wide open space that you cram gear into and then at the range you have to separate it all out. Well that’s where the company and their Research & Development Teams really  did a few things that were very interesting.
The floor of the bag is blaze orange to be in direct contrast of the sides of the bag to allow the user to easily identify items in the bottom. How many times have we been digging in the bottom of a dark bag trying to find a magazine or a loading tool ? With the orange bottom its much easier to find small items that may have become loose in transit.
A major feature of the main compartment is the soft looped lining on the walls of the bag. This allows the company to supply users with two dividers that are removable and the same contrasting blaze orange as the floor of the bag.
What this means in a nutshell is that you have semi rigid dividers that you the user can choose to install to make smaller compartments in the bag or leave out to make the range bag one large area. This is a great idea that will allow users to customize their range bag for whatever storage configuration they need. The images below show the configuration as it arrived.
Photo:Rick Dembroski
The Verdict: Yes or No ?
At the end of the day our readers want to know if a product is worth what the company is asking. Does the manufacturer do a good enough job of building a product that makes you want to part with your hard earned cash and actually use. In this case I would say a resounding YES, Propper International has built a bag that is worth the price of admission. The company built a bag that addresses the needs of many shooters and does it at a very reasonable price. They did this and even allowed some room for the user to customize the configuration on a case by case basis.
https://youtu.be/0sjyHk_r-IY
If you are in the market for a well built bag or if you have a favorite bag and just want a second bag and save some cash the Propper International Range Bag is right up your alley. Good looking, well built and affordable its really a hard combination to beat. That leads us to this weeks question, What range bag are you currently using ? and why ?
Many of our readers are taking a hard look at their gear and wondering what bag or pouch might work for them. Do you use Vertx, Blackhawk, or some other brand of bag ? Drop us a line or post a picture in the comment section below, we want to know what works and doesn’t work for our readers.
