go bag

SOG Ranger 12 Minimalist Backpack

It seems every day I post on every social media site out there about people’s EDC but what they never talk about is their bags. Personally, I take a bag with me everywhere I go so its important for me to have a wide array of packs in my gear room. Everything from large rucks to small messenger bags like the one I keep in my truck with my medical kit. Sometimes however, I don’t need to carry around a full size ruck, or even a normal sized day pack so I turn to my SOG Ranger 12.

The SOG Ranger 12 is a 12L pack that is the perfect size for quick away from your home, day hikes, or those times where you don’t want to put only a handful of items in a fullsize day pack that leaves the rest of the pack loose and flaccid. The overall outer dimensions are 19.3’ x 9” x 6.3” and it weighs only 28.3 oz. The main area is full-sized and has a built-in padded tablet pocket against the back. On the portion that opens up with the zipper on the inside has a zip pocket with a lanyard inside that is perfect for your keys or thumb drives.

The most noticeable part about this bag is top pocket that is a rigid shell that offers protection for your small electronics and sun glasses. It has an adjustable soft pocket that secures with Velcro that I use to keep my eyepro from getting crushed. The inside of this compartment has 3 1 inch elastic pockets for accessories and 1 larger 2 inch pockets. It’s a good idea but the smaller pockets aren’t as usable as I would like. I’d prefer only one small pocket and maybe two larger pockets to allow for more big items to be stored in them. The outside of the shell has a nicely integrated 2″ x 4″ field of Velcro for your patches.

The very bottom pocket measures approximately 10″ x 7″ and has a panel of laser cut Hypalon molle attached. On either side of the molle panel are two sewn loops perfect for carabiners or S-biners. The inside of the flap has a zippered net to store whatever you want. Opposite of the flap, the inside of the compartment, has two large organizational pockets that run the width of the pocket and a third at the bottom that is divided into 3 smaller pockets.

The shoulder straps are fully adjustable, padded, and have built-in Velcro strap keepers. It also has a D-ring on each shoulder, an adjustable (vertically and horizontally) chest strap, and a clip to hold your hydration bladder hose. There is a thin waist strap at the bottom that can be tucked away into its pocket when not in use and it also has elastic keepers on it. The final pocket, which rests against your back, is made for your hydration bladder. The SOG Ranger has a Velcro tab at the top to hang the bladder on as well as an elastic hole to run the hose through.

The SOG Ranger pack really takes design to another level, especially with the rigid pocket for your delicate items. It’s very comfortable and perfect for everyday use if you don’t need to carry an abnormal amount of daily items. The pack is available in grey and black with an MSRP of 139.99 directly from SOG. If you need a reduced capacity day pack, I highly recommend this one.

Author – Wes Nanny is currently a sgt in the Marine Corps until January at which point I will be ending my career with the Marine Corps to join the Harris County Sheriff’s Office in Texas. I did 8 years as a grunt being a team leader and squad leader. I deployed to sangin, Afghanistan in 2010-2011 with 3rd battalion 5th Marine Regiment. After that I stayed with that unit and went on the 15th and 31st MEU’s. Iv attended numerous schools like CLS, TCCC, Assault climbers course, combat hunter trainer course, HRST masters course, infantry squad leaders course, raid leaders course and some others I cant think of. In my spare time when im not with my family I like to climb, shoot, and hike. I stay very current on firearms and fear of all sorts. I also did some side work with custom kydex for the last two years.

WHAT DO I WEAR? CHOOSING AN EDC BAG

This article will address why I choose the bags / tools to carry at any given time. This is not an article about what I look for in a bag (see this article or a more recent one about sling / cross body bags).

This is my current practice, and is subject to change.

In general, I want the biggest bag that holds the most stuff that will blend into my environment as effectively as possible.

95%+ of the time I carry my Adidas Rydell sling bag (the Capital is the current model). I can carry my second largest trauma kit inside, as well as my AR15 pistol in 300 Blackout or my Mini Draco vSBR. It blends in well in many environments, including downtown sidewalks, casual restaurants, big box retailers, movie theaters, and corporate headquarters.

The other 4.5% of the time I choose the Solo Active Universal Table Sling. I carry my MasterPiece Arms MPA 930SST vSBR inside, along with a smaller trauma kit.

The remaining time (very, very small minority, probably 5 times in the last 3+ years), I carry a laptop bag with my vSBR inside, usually my Mini Draco vSBR.

Continue reading on Short Barrel Shepherd

Images courtesy of shortbarrelshepherd.com

Recon Kit Bag: Hill People Gear’s Front Pack

(Originally published on Tactical Life)

Hill People Gear stays concentrates on making gear that has a purpose in the field.

The Recon Kit Bag takes the company’s thin Runner’s profile and adds a PALS grid on the front. This gives users the option of running low profile (size wise if not social wise) or adding their own PALS compatible pouches on the front.

RELATED STORY: 6 New Pieces of Tactical Gear For Spring 2016

It is really nice with a Blue Force Gear triple 5.56 ten speed pouch on the front. It makes for a good weapon support platform for training classes (mags on front, BUG in the pistol compartment) or a mini-chest rig over a slick plate carrier for patrol.

With its 500D construction, the Recon Kit Bag features a total of eight channels and a three-row PALS grid.

The main feature on Hill People Gear’s bag is the quick access concealed pistol compartment.

The bag is straps on the user with a comfortable mesh backed H-harness, which allows the user to wear the Recon Kit Bag by itself or underneath of a pack. There are elastic keepers for the H-harness straps.

Continue reading on Tactical Life

Featured image courtesy of Tactical Life

Vertx EDC Commuter Sling Bag

Imagine yourself in gridlocked traffic when an earthquake rocks your city. With nowhere to go and nowhere to hide, you only have what’s in your pockets and inside your go-bag (if you have one). You need to escape the anarchy that is about to ensue and get to your family. So, what do you do? Where do you start?

My everyday bag doubles as my go-bag for the very fact that it’s with me every day. If I need to ditch my vehicle and proceed on foot to my destination (home) I need to make sure I have the means and gear to do so. We’re not talking about an 80 pound survival bug out bag. You want your go-bag to be streamlined, comfortable and contain only the items you will need. The items you choose will be dependent on your skill level, area of operation and distance that you need to travel.

The bag we are taking a look at today is the EDC Commuter Sling by Vertx. This bag has several levels/tiers to it, making it ideal for the applications we mentioned above. In the following video we take a closer look at the Vertx EDC Commuter Sling Pack.

I contacted Vertx to find out a little more about the bag. Here is what they told me:

Vertx has current contracts with a few Elite Federal Agencies in which they supply them with this bag for use with executive protection details.
Vertx also claims that with training and practice, it is possible to draw your pistol from the bag and put rounds on target in under 1.4 seconds.

Specifications (courtesy of vertx.com)

Bag Size – 18”H x 13”W x 6”D
Maximum capacity 23 liters
Sized to fit a 15″ laptop in addition to a full-sized hand-gun
Forward opening for quick access to contents
Hide-out convertible front flap acts as an additional load sling or stows away to reveal MOLLE field
Insert compatible reinforced internal pocket
Orbital strap deign for fastest back to front transition
Interior organization pockets provide optimal storage for gear and accessories
MSRP is $184.95 direct from Vertx

MNKF: SOG Trident Elite Tanto

Article originally published on Breach Bang Clear by Craig Metzger

SOG has somewhat of a cult following. When I mentioned I had a SOG Trident for review, a few folks piped up and claimed how much they like SOG’s stabby devices. I was surprised because SOG is a huge player in the game and typically this type of fanfare is reserved for smaller or obscure knife makers. Tonight, we’ll look at the SOG Trident Elite Tanto. Sit back, put on your leather gauntlets, get that hair into a proper pony tail, and let’s go.

3-in-1

The Trident Tanto Elite seeks to solve the problem of carrying multiple tools. The knife has three main functions. The first and most obvious is the Tanto blade. If you get caught in the knife point debate some will wave the Tanto flag for its increased strength towards the tip, while others will say the Tanto has no real advantages and is a pain in the ass to sharpen. There’s no denying, however, that it looks cool as fuck and will get the cutting job done.

The second function is a small-glass breaker tip found toward the front. Normally a glass breaker is on the rear of the knife. It’s fairly small but gets the job done (unless you have Mad Duo Merrill around, ’cause he’ll just throw his elbow through the car window. True story.). The last feature is an integrated slot cutter/seat belt cutter that actually uses the knife blade instead of a dedicated blade. SOG doesn’t call it a seatbelt cutter and maybe that’s not it’s intention, but we see it as a seatbelt cutter. When you sum up all these functions, the Trident Elite has the makings of being a great emergency folder for a vehicle go-bag.

That said, I set out to use the knife as part of a vehicle kit for my truck. The knife saw various action including breaking down cardboard, trimming twine and rope for various chores, and varied routine cutting duties. The one or two things it didn’t do was cut through my seat belts or smash my truck window, but I set out to try out these functions too. We’ll get to that later.

Continue reading on Breach Bang Clear

(images courtesy of breachbangclear.com)

BLACKHAWK BLOCK GO BAG | First Impressions

BLACK HAWK has been around for many years supplying gear for operators, hunters, and outdoorsman. It would seem that variations of travel bags are exhausted, but these guys have made it a habit of making the right bag for your needs. Lets take a look at the BLOCK GO BAG, and my first impressions.

It is a small but functional bag that has many uses. I myself found it being a great and cool looking diaper bag, it comes with an assortment of small molle type pouches that can be attached inside or out using the S.T.R.I.K.E webbing. It does not have the capacity to serve as a multi-use tactical bag, but it does have versatility as a small GO-BAG. It’s features include:

• Seven removable heavy-duty mesh interior pouches with clear windows to label contents
• Multiple carry handles
• Padded, removable shoulder straps for backpack or sling pack configuration
• Shoulder straps can be stowed inside padded back panel
• Internal and external S.T.R.I.K.E.® webbing for attaching pouches or accessories
• External zipper pocket and various lash-down points
• Three-sided zipper allows the main compartment to be fully opened for bag to lay flat or be hung vertically using the integral strap

As you can see, there are many variations to this pack. The pouches provide convenient storage for small items you may have.

For a day at the park with the kids or for your essential carries this bag is for you. Not too many plastic pieces that will break and the stitching is superb, exceeding 10 stitches-per-inch. All in all, this is great gift idea for the person that has “stuff” to carry.