bolt bag

The T3 Bolt Bag: From the Minds of SEALs

Trident Tactical/Technical, aka T3, is a Navy SEAL owned and operated company that is located just about as close as you can get to the front lines of Special Warfare. Their headquarters is on Trident Way, on the Naval Amphibious Base Coronado. This makes them neighbors with the West Coast SEAL teams and the famous BUD/S training that breaks men and makes SEALs. A lot of the influence and inspiration they get is from the SEALs currently serving. That’s apparent in just how modern the T3 Bolt Bag is.

The T3 Bolt Bag – Escaping Danger

The idea behind the bolt bag is simple. If things go bad and you need to get out right quick you have all the essentials packed and ready to move. If you have 30 seconds to escape you grab this bag and your rifle and get moving. This is the one piece of gear you don’t leave behind. It’s may not hold 3 Days worth of survival supplies, but it will get you through the night.

The T3 Bolt Bag is designed to be modular and meet the demands of both civilians and special operators. In the next few weeks, I plan to give it the old rigmarole and see what it really offers you and I. From having the bag for a bit I can tell you it has potential. Here are the official specs.

Dimensions – 10” x 13” x 6”
Weight – 1 lb 10.97 ounces
3 Internal Compartments
3 AR 15 style Mag Pouches
Sling Bag Design
Available in 6 different colors

The bag is outfitted with a variety of organizational tools, and everything is designed to be easily accessible. The bag can be outfitted with necessary mission gear, survival gear, and of course as a mixture with your normal EDC. Stay tuned and look for our full review of the T3 Bolt Bag coming soon. In the meantime check out our reviews of T3 gear.

Watch: The vehicle bolt bag, Survive anywhere you get stranded

Watch: The vehicle Go! Bag, Survive anywhere you get stranded

Watch as Clint Emerson walks you through the acronym POWER. This is something he learned going through a British Surveillance course and something you should implement before going mobile for the day.

P – Petrol, or in the United States, gas for your vehicle
O – Oil
W – Water
E – Electronics
R – Rubber

Nomads,

What you need, when you need it. We spend more time in our vehicles than we probably should. There is no reason why you shouldn’t have minimum life support tools to increase survivability until help arrives. Having a Go! Bag will provide what you need, increase survivability and provide you peace of mind when traveling from point A to point B. But first, you need to ensure your vehicle is good to go. More to follow.

-Clint Emerson

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The RE Factor Tactical Drive-By Kit: For those conducting mobile operations

Driving a truck has a unique set of challenges, one of which is where to stash your gear while you are out and about. I was recently blessed with a new Ram 2500 and the storage bins under the floor mats aren’t very big and the rear seats flip-up to reveal an area where I can store items but it is still very minimal. What’s even worse is that if you are like me and usually have three car seats for your fire team in the back then everything under your seat cannot be quickly accessed. That’s ok for things like my tool kit, rope/harness, tie downs, and breach kit, but what about the more urgently needed items like the medical kit? The Drive-By Kit solves this issue in a very convenient manner.

Designed for those who conduct business out of their vehicles, the Drive-By Kit is a pouch that has a three-sided zipper that allows it to open fully. On the inside one portion is lined with elastic keepers in staggered sizes so that it will accommodate everything you could wish to place there, the opposite part has a range of pockets that are perfect for needle decomps, Kill cards, or chest seals.

Now the way that RE Factor Tactical solved the problem of quick access is by developing a mounting piece for the bag that secures both vertically and horizontally to the front or the back of a headrest. The Velcro straps are very strong and make for a very easy mounting and adjusting process. On the opposite side, where the pouch mounts to the base, there are several rows of molle that allow for attachment of the pouch by way of a red quick detach pull strap that runs through the molle sections. One quick pull and the pouch comes off and is ready for use.

On the outer portion of the Drive-By Kit are two pouches designed to fit an M4 magazine and even has a bungee retention strap on each. I don’t personally carry an AR in my truck so I utilized that space for a TQ and a pressure dressing. The kit has molle on both sides and allows for mounting with the mag pouches towards the front or the back as well as a small clip on one side you could attach keys or anything with a lanyard too.

When you have kids they tend to need to bring more things along in the truck than you do, but that doesn’t mean that you can negate your necessities simply because there isn’t any room for them, especially important ones like medical kits. All you need to do is find a better way. The drive-by kit answers the call whether you are a parent with little space or someone who runs PSD out of a vehicle. My one complaint with this product is the molle mounting system, I would have preferred it to be a field of Velcro vs molle so that you could quickly rip it off and stick it to an area on your plate carrier that has Velcro as well. Also for ease of remounting quickly.

Author – Wes Nanny

ReadyMan Gray Man Bag | Initial impressions

The ReadyMan Gray Man bag is a simple, well-designed bag that was built to be your everyday carry bag that does not draw attention. The design was based on ReadyMan’s quick opening Patent Pending Scorpion Rapid Access Bag minus the mass amounts of Velcro and adding a laptop, bladder, plate carrier slot. There is a pocket for all the essentials and has an elastic cord on the exterior to cinch down an outside layer (rain/wind jacket, etc.) or put a carabiner on. The grey man bag is a perfect “Get Home Bag” as it is non-conspicuous and provides adequate room for essential solo-survival gear.

The straps and rear padding are enough to go long distances with some weight about 10 – 20 lbs of gear; plenty to get home with. Access to gear is quick, and the zippers are built strong to withstand multiple entries. I have removed the provided zipper attachments with Firestarter zipper-pulls (e.g., Exotac TinderZip). The front pocket also has Velcro to secure the flap and is seriously hearty to keep gear in place. Inside the flap has sewn straps to attach a variety of gear, from knives, holsters for firearms or whatever your imagination can come up with. Just note that they are not MOLLE or PALS webbing. There is a pocket that can hold a 13” laptop pretty easily. However, the bottom is not padded to support a drop at height.

A couple of areas that I find the bag is lacking and in need of some upgrades. First that the bag is not made in the U.S.A., this is too bad as there are some boutique Veterans owned shops that could enhance this bag ten-fold. Add some stiffness to the back, at it is the bag has no support structure for maintaining shape or providing some back support. A full complement of MOLLE/PALS webbing can be added to the flap in lieu of the straps. I additionally would place MOLLE/PAS webbing on the interior for better configurations (i.e., Conceal Carry, etc.) and leverage the quick pocket access. The next-to-last upgrade is to the shoulder straps, I would enhance the current straps with 1919 modular webbing on each side to allow for additional attachment points (e.g., Sternum strap, hydration bladder hose clip, etc.). The final touch would be a ventilation hole for the water bladder at the top of the pack.

Features:

Rapid Access Design (Patent Pending)
Hidden Side Access Pocket perfect for CCW
Elastic Cordage with Drawstring for quick external cargo storage
Laptop / Hydration Bladder / Plate Carrier Sleeve
Tough Poly-Cordura Construction
Limited Lifetime Warranty

Specifications:

20″ x 14″ x 6″
18 Liter Volume
Designed by Readyman, made in Vietnam

Gear shown in Feature Image:

Ontario Knife Company Para-Pry
BattleBox Single Man Tent
Light My Fire Camp Spork
USMC Sewing Kit
Extra pair of Sun Glasses (MILSPEC)
4-way Silcock Wrench Key
Folding Shovel Entrenching Tool (E-Tool) w/pouch
Zippo Cedar Fire Starter
Sawyer Insect Repellent
CAT Eyes and Magnesium Firestarter
Dave Canterbury’s Self-Reliance Outfitters Mini Inferno
Hazzard 4 Poncho Villa
Suunto Compass
Maps for Region
Rite-in-Rain notebook
Petzel Carabiner with rescue ascender and cordage

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Violent Nomad Go! Bag | Blend seamlessly into any environment

What is the importance of a go-bag and why should you have one?

“I kinda have a unique job, so my loadout is tailored to the main purpose of the pack. For this loadout in particular, I always carry a Maratac AA flashlight, spare magazines for my AR and Glock, Passport, Bogota lock picks, Arabic translator book, SOF-T tourniquet, a burner cell phone with local SIM chip, Leatherman multi-tool, trauma kit, Princeton-Tec headlamp, and some form of negotiating material in order to bribe someone. Most times, money is always the best bribery material to get somewhere or get past a security checkpoint. In my case, I’m trying not to stand out as an American, so I have a cleared iPhone 5s since people in the Middle East LOVE their electronics.

I also put a 7.62 rated armor plate in the laptop pocket of the pack in the event I’m being pursued by someone that intends to cause harm. AK-47’s are the most prevalent where I’m at so it only made sense to get rid of the usual soft armor I have in there and replace it with the plate.

I carry my iPhone 6s with the LifeProof back up battery case on it because I have a GPS app that I utilize without the need for cell service that will help me navigate without the need for a map.” – Loadout Room writer Nick Betts

Let’s take a closer look at the new Violent Nomad Go! Bag

We’ve done several articles covering go bags and although the concept is simple, sometimes people don’t know where to start when building one from scratch. You have to determine what kind of bag to use and then determine what the contents will be based on your skill level, the region you live/operate in, as well as potential threats native to your area. Clint Emerson, the author of 100 Deadly Skills and creator of the Violent Nomad, has taken the guesswork out of it for you by providing a Go! Bag already stocked with two different survival kits, 1 urban and 1 rural, and a medical kit. This kit is a great baseline to start with and as your skill level evolves, you can add to or modify the contents.

Keep in mind that this bag is a smaller sling bag and is not meant to carry a laptop or tablet. This Go! Bag is meant for one thing; keeping you alive when shit hits the fan.

Courtesy of the Violent Nomad website:

In day-to-day life, bolt bags can be used as precautionary measures—not only by civilians living in regions at high risk for natural disasters, but by anyone alert to the threat of urban disasters or terrorism.

This bag is designed for and can be worn by anyone, whether you are civilian or military; a mom or a dad. Non-tactical by design, this bag is meant to blend seamlessly into any environment.

Package Contents:

1 GO! BAG, including 1 USB adapter

1 Rural EDC Survival Kit

1 Urban EDC Survival Kit

1 M.A.R.C.H. EDC Kit

Approx. Size: 9.8” x 14.9” x 4.7”

Specifications:

Color: Black

Fabric: Oxford cloth fabric

Lining: Polyester

photo courtesy of Clint Emerson

Up your preparedness game with the Violent Nomad Go! Bag

*Featured image courtesy of the author

Recycled Firefighter 12 Hour Backpack | The Battalion 12

My first thought when I saw the new Battalion 12 backpack by Recycled Firefighter was a bolt bag. The narrow streamlined design is perfect for the application of a bolt bag or minimalist backpack. Check out the following video as they walk you through the materials and design of the new Battalion 12.

Specifications (courtesy of Recycled Firefighter):

12 Liters of volume
High Visibility Interior Pack Cloth
1 Exterior front zippered pocket and 2 Interior mesh zippered pockets
1000D Mil Spec Cordura
Huge #10 Mil-Spec YKK Reverse Zippers
1″ Mil-Spec binding on interior (no raw edges)
1″ Mil-Spec webbing on shoulder straps
Easy Grab 2″ Mil-Spec webbing Carry Handle (Box Tacked)
1/2″ padded Shoulder straps for all day comfort
All USA made plastic hardware
550 Cord Zipper Pulls
Bar tacks on shoulder attachment points
17″ tall, 9″ wide, 4.5″ deep (12 Liters)
Lay flat design for easy access
3″ x 3.5″ USA made Velcro loop field
Patches sold separately
.35″ thick foam bottom and back for rigidness
All stress points are Double or Triple sewn
Proudly Sewn in the U.S.A. in small batches
Will fit a 13″ Macbook Pro (Won’t fit a 15″ Macbook)

*Featured photo courtesy of Recycled Firefighter