I’m not the doomsday prepper type. I don’t hoard hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition, I don’t have steel-reinforced doors on my home or a sweeping bunker complex in the basement. That said, I still think having a bug-out bag filled with a handy assortment of the essentials—medical supplies, a little water and food, a couple guns, ammunition, flashlights, etc.—is sound policy. Would a typical duffel bag work for this purpose? Probably. But when I go reaching for this bag, I have to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it’s going to perform flawlessly. No broken straps, no busted stitching or zippers. So when I saw the Maxpedition Aggressor™ Tactical Attache, I figured it would fit the bill well. I just had no idea how well.
Initial observations:
You take one look at this bag and you know that the folks at Maxpedition aren’t pandering to the masses, they’re making a specialized product that was born to absorb extreme abuse and keep your stuff intact. I like that. You’ll pay more for this bag because of it, but I’m of the “buy nice and only cry once” school of thought. Even though I may never use it to the extremes it was designed for, it’s nice to know it could handle it if I did.
Components:
I’ve made my own leather holsters for years, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that the quality of the stitching directly affects the holster’s longevity. So I was pleased to find that the Maxpedition Aggressor has not only very robust stitching along all seams, but as much as quadruple stitching in high-stress areas. The bag is constructed entirely of 1000-Denier light-weight ballistic nylon fabric, meaning the only remaining possibility for a weak point would be the zippers. But the ones on the Maxpedition Aggressor seem built to withstand putting your full body weight into closing them over even the most overstuffed compartments. (Not that I did. Okay, yeah I did.)
Outstanding features:
The Maxpedition Aggressor has more pockets than I’ve ever seen on a bag this size. I’m talking pockets hidden inside and behind other pockets. That’s perfect for storing lots of gear—there’s little to no wasted space. They’re easy to access and held shut firmly with short-weave hook-and-loop fasteners. The shoulder strap is padded and comfortable, which is an absolute necessity: Fully loaded with supplies, this bag can get really heavy. After loading up the bag, I found myself truly impressed with how much thought the designers put into its creation—several features I wouldn’t have considered a necessity proved to be surprisingly handy, such as the internal hook-and-loop padded divider (above), the exceedingly roomy cinch pockets on either end meant for water bottles or radios, and the zipper-capture system that adds an extra layer of security, keeping unscrupulous hands from easily getting at your things.
Verdict:
If you’re in the market for a top-of-the-line range bag or bug-out bag, this would be a great choice. If you find that the pockets don’t fit your gear just right, Maxpedition also offers inexpensive hook-and-loop mounted accessories—mag pouches, universal holsters, etc.— to further customize the Aggressor’s interior. This bag is hard to beat.
