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Posted: 3/25/2009 9:52:11 AM EDT
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Bags. Man bags. Murses. Messenger bags. Packs. Shoulder bags. Attaches. Call them what you want, they are everywhere. Your attorney has one. The kids at your child’s school have them. The students at the university have them. Cops have them. Warfighters have them. Try to buy a notebook computer without walking out of the store with another one. It’s not a hard sell; there are things you may need close at hand on a day to day basis, you already have your EDC “kit” in its “place” and you need to keep your hands free.
The bags available are a wide and varied group. From canvas to Cordura. From “space age polymer” to leather. From $30 to over $400. There is no perfect size, as the mission drives the gear. The patrol officer will probably want something smaller as cruisers are getting more and more cramped. The new father requires something larger, as he has diapers, wipes, spit up rags, and the safety of his growing family to consider. I like something in the middle. And frankly, I have done O.K., making do with various laptop computer bags for light days, and my Eagle RAID for heavier days. The Targus bags I have owned, fit in everywhere, I mean EVERYWHERE and lasted at least a couple of years of light use. The issue is it says I have at least $1000 of equipment that you can steal and fence within 15 minutes. The RAID? Well, in my area, most folks don’t equate it with HSLD warfighter gear, but it looks interesting, and as such, stands out. Fortunately, there are other options. Options that don’t relegate us to a cheaply made canvas bag that we have to take the time to modify for our individual needs, and still have to worry about the basic construction; the material, the thread, the stitching. There are some very good bags from some truly high quality manufacturers that are built with “us” in mind. All will outlast any laptop bag you have, while allowing you to stay relatively “grey” as you carry out your ever-changing day to day missions. I have compiled most of my favorites for a general review, not to try to label one as “best”, but to help others figure out which one(s) may fit their needs best before they pull out the plastic. We all like finding deals on the “tradin’ post”, but nobody likes losing time or money. If one of your top prospects isn’t listed below, it may be because of lack of availability, time constraints, or just my lack of ample finances. If the Gods in charge of the hourglass and almighty dollar see fit, I will attempt to add to this text. The bags I chose are not cheap. However, when looking at professional grade gear, they are, in my opinion, priced fairly. Just to be certain I wasn’t being short sided and assuming, I compared the materials and costs of what I feel is probably the only everyday use, abusive, and truly dependent end user other than “us”…the professional messenger. What I found is that a typical pro grade messenger bag made of 1000 denier Cordura, with nary a bell, nor whistle runs about $125. Things like extra external pockets or pouches, internal dividers, padding, and waist belts are a la carte, and the price can jump very quickly to well over $200. So, without further ado, let’s get down and dirty… Eagle Industries E&E bag The Eagle E&E bag was sold to me by a private owner with the understanding that I was going to be reviewing bags that could fit the multiple roles of a full spectrum of users from civilian to military users, and all niches in between. The only specific requirement was that it be able to secure a notebook computer with 14” monitor. The Eagle E&E does not, as evidenced in at least one of the pictures attached. It is, however a quality product, that may fit some other needs, and thus deserves honorable mention. The bag is almost identical in size to the OEM bag supplied with my Canon Rebel DSLR camera. The bag is grey in color and attracts little attention. 1000d Cordura lines the exterior, while a lighter material lines the inside. There is a generously padded sleeve over the “sling” that makes the bag comfortable even when weighed down. The side of the bag designed to be away from the body has a strip of loop Velcro that attaches to hook material at the bottom of the bag, securing the ¾ zippered flap open, exposing the PALS lined interior. There are pouches at either end of the bag that easily hold most hydration containers, like 20 ounce pop bottles, Nalgene, and the like. These pouches secure with hook/loop as well as a buckle. The main area of the bag has a sturdy carry handle and large main compartment with ¼ zippered opening. Three sides feature PALS webbing, one side is a loop lined divider for attaching various accessories, and the bottom is plain Cordura and features a drainage grommet. Closest to the body is the “pistol pocket”. The opening is just below the top of the bag and a full length strip of hook Velcro secures the loop lined pocket. There is a small, simple sleeve style “holster” included with the bag. Overall, this is another good Eagle product, but because it didn’t fit the requirements that I was looking for, I didn’t spend much time using it, or photographing it. That said this is a damned good E&E bag. Specs: 17x10x7 ½ inches 2” strap 1” fastex closure 
Eagle Industries LE Courier bag This entry from Eagle fit my mission requirements much better. It easily accepts 15” notebook pc’s, their accessories, and still has room for life taking and saving tools, as well as other everyday civilian items. Again, finished in the low profile grey Ben Lennet uses in much of the LE line, the materials are identical to the Eagle E&E bag from above. Of all the bags reviewed, this one most looks like it is at home on the shoulder of a bicycle messenger, partly due to the colors (black webbing and grey Cordura) and the black elasticized mesh pockets at either end, that easily hold most hydration containers. One of my favorite design aspects of this product is the zipper along the top of the flap that is essentially just a pass through that allows access to the bag’s main compartment without using the fastex buckles and flipping the flap out of the way. Opening the flap via conventional methods exposes a small zippered web pocket similar to those commonly found on most laptop bags for securing things like air cards, business cards, cell phones, etc. There are also 5 elastic pen loops and two patches of loop material that secure the flap should the user choose not to employ the two fastex buckles. The inside of the flap has a pocket secured by a full length strip of velcro. The main compartment has a thin padded divider and is lined in a thin nylon material similar to what is found in most laptop pc bags. The lining closest to the body is actually a pull away façade, secured at the top with velcro, and loose on the sides, that reveals an area lined in PALS webbing. The bottom is more of the “techy” thin nylon and has a grommet for water drainage. This is the only of the tactical messenger style bags used in this comparison that is made with some closed cell foam to protect its contents. I personally would opt for a separate padded sleeve for my computer, but it certainly shows that Eagle put some thought into the needs of many different users. The back side of this bag, similar to the E&E bag, is the designated pistol pocket. Closure is the same, as are the linings of the pocket. There are two small loops at the sides, toward the rear of the bag, that will accept a 1” wide webbing waistbelt. The belt is not included, and to the best of my knowledge, not available for purchase through Eagle. But, the bag has provisions for a belt, which, in my opinion, is a good thing. The carry handle is sturdy, and wrapped in a sweaty hand friendly, rubber material. The “sling” has a very well padded sleeve, that makes carrying loads easy, but the way the strap attaches to the bag seems to be the weak point. There is a typical plastic ladder, which is good enough, but the end nearest the bag is short and just sewed to the bag at the very end. I don’t expect this to be an issue, and if I was proven wrong, as many of you know Eagle’s products are eclipsed by their customer service. So again, not a deal breaker, but worthy of note. ***EDIT***Though not pictured, the Eagle LE Courier bag DOES come with a waistbelt. Specs: 18x13x4 inches 21 ½ inches diagonal 2” Strap 1” fastex closure 
HSGI (High Speed Gear, Inc.) Armordilla V1 Gene Higdon’s Armordilla is clearly the largest entry in this group. However, in most of the pictures I have seen posted on the internet, it appears exaggerated somewhat, almost a caricature. The bag isn’t much bigger than my Targus laptop bag, in overall size, when loaded up identically, or empty. The difference becomes more apparent when one starts filling every pouch, pocket, or nook and cranny with gear. The outer flap, which has an exterior zippered pocket, and double fastex closure, hides two large GP pouches, lined against the main body in loop material, serving as bookends to HSGI’s popular UMMP M4 pouches that are integrated to the bag. A full width strip of loop velcro above the pouches allows for a place for nametapes and morale patches. The inside of the flap is a clear plastic map pouch which has full width Velcro closure. The main body of the bag has large GP pouches at either end that have two integral elastic loops that aid in securing pistol magazines, flashlights, multitools, and the like. There is a small hole for a radio antenna which is can be closed with the integral Velcro flap. The 1/3 top zipper (large toothed, as HSGI typically uses) opens to provide generous access to the internal main compartment which has a 5” wide removable closed cell strip that runs down one side, across the bottom, and back up the other side, to aid in offering some structure to the bag. The strip is held in place on all sides by Velcro. The outer side of the main body is loop lined, and serves as a full loop lined pocket. Two large strips of hook material are supplied to serve as closer for this area. The rearmost side of the bag is an admin area with 6 Cordura pen loops, and two horizontal strips of elastic that provide 16 loops of various widths to secure necessities, as well as a deep Cordura pocket that is about the same height and with of the external GP pouches, though not as rigid or as deep. This admin area has a 1/3 with section of Velcro which allows access to a simple Cordura lined divider. The back of the bag is again designed to house a pistol. The pocket is lined on both sides in loop material, and is sewn closed across the bottom, and at the two top corners. This allows the end user to determine how the pistol is accessed; from the top or either side. The included holster is a semi rigid design that is lined externally in hook material. Near the bottom of the pistol pocket area is a hidden waistbelt that secures with fastex. This bag has a very wide “sling” with a padded sleeve, which stays in place due to the rubberish side nearest the user, and the web that attaches to the bag goes around all three sides. Can you say, “secure”? It should be noted the side of the pouches facing the exterior of the bag are double lined in Cordura, and that all internal Cordura is edge taped. In addition, Gene designed the exterior flap pocket, and innermost pocket (behind the “admin panel”) to accept soft ballistic armor. 16x12 ½x5 ½ inches 20 ½ inches diagonal 22x15 1/2x 51/2 inches including filled exterior pouches 2” strap 1 ½” fastex closure 1” waistbelt 
OSOE (Original Special Operations Equipment) MWB (Mookie War Bag) John Willis’ entry is the most compact of the bunch. The bottom of the bag is finished in double layer 1000d Cordura, as are the mag pouches. The rest of the bag’s body is single layer Cordura, though it is covered in most internal areas with loop, and where the single layers meet, they’re sewn almost an inch from the edge, and edge taped. The outer flap has a sturdy handle made of nylon webbing and is folded over and reinforced with another folded section where the hand goes. The underside of the flap is plastic lined, and serves as a map pocket with side access, secured with velcro, of course. There is one fastex buckle centered to secure the flap which was designed to overlap the lower corners to aid in disguising the fact that this bag is made to help the good guys get the bad guys. Indeed the flap is totally removable to expose four adjustable lid M4/AK mag pouches along the front. Two thirds of the innermost wall of the magazine pouches are lined in loop material to mate with the removable/adjustable lids, as well as for those that glue a section of hook material to their mags to preclude any lid at all. Above these pouches is a full width 3” section of hook material for the lids, or patches to be secured. Opening the paracord pull zippers exposes a main compartment with two dividers, all totally lined in loop except for the sides and bottom of the bag. The rear of the bag has a zippered pistol pocket lined in loop along the insde of the side closest to the wearer. The zipper is in the top fourth of the bag, allowing for the velcro area that secures the removable flap, and the loop that covers the exposed hook material once the lid is removed. The pistol pocket does extend above the zipper as well, making it a full height and width pocket. In the lower third is a pass through for a waist belt should the user decide to purchase and employ one. Due to the compact size of this bag, it could easily be used as an active shooter bag for LE, and if a waist belt is used, I believe it could be pressed into use as an effective chest rig as well. The “sling” is sufficient, and like the HSGI product above attaches to the bag via webbing that runs down both sides and the bottom. In addition, both outer sides of this bag have three rows of two channel PALS webbing. On my coyote brown bag, the PALS does not stand out at all. You can still be the “grey man” with this bag, though it is clearly, at least in my mind, geared more toward those that carry guns for a living. 13x10x4 inches 16 inches diagonal 13x11 ½ x4 including full magazine pouches 1 7/8” strap 1 ½” fastex closure 3” opening for waistbelt 
Tactical Revolution Utilimag V1 (Utility Man Bag Version 1) This is a prototype built by Will Romes of Tactical Revolution LLC. As a prototype it was built with scrap 720d Cordura, and has a mix of black and tan hardware. Will’s business is a three-man custom shop, and specs can easily be hammered out via phone or e-mail. The Utilimag’s “rain flap” has a 4” diameter loop section near the bottom for ID or morale patches, and is secured via two fastex buckles. Other than that, the flap is clean on both sides. Once flipped out of the way, there is access to a large zippered pocket, designed to easily hold and fully conceal four M4 mags. The zipper is in the top ¼ of the pocket, allowing for less strain on the material when conceal large items with stout corners. The pocket is not lined at all, though there is no real reason for it to be. The main compartment is accessed via a full length zipper. The inner and outer sides of the main compartment are lined in loop material, while the ends and bottom are not. The loop material is a perfect mate for the included accessory pack. This is made up of a two cell M4 pouch, a three cell pistol mag pouch, a 7 ½” by 7” PALS panel, and an adjustable loop style holster, all backed with hook velcro, of course. The rear of the bag is an open pouch with loop lining on the side nearest the user. This bag has a 2” “sling”. There is no sleeve, at least on my prototype, but the width of the strap aids in comfort. The webbing attaching the bag to the sling is secured by 5 ¼” of stitching and seems very sturdy. All exposed seams are edge taped and stitched at a level far above any prototype I have ever seen. Overall, this is the most plain and simple design of the group. I have seen many people in the downtown area with bags that look identical from across the street. It fits in with cashmere coats, and leathers alike. Pretty darn grey if you ask me. 15x12 ½ x4 ½ inches 19 ½ “ diagonal 2” strap 1” fastex closure 
Down Range Gear PALS Insert Panel This is an interesting product that was brought to my attention as I began to tighten my focus on products that filled the niche of my search. I have three laptop bags; two nylon Targus bags, and a nice leather bag. All designed to carry, and to some degree protect, laptop computers, their accessories, a bunch of administrative items, and some other miscellaneous goodies. Some are sturdier than others. Few, are as purpose built as the tactical bags reviewed so far, but they are pretty generic. I mean, most civilians expect to see a laptop bag at least once a day in their travels, I would suspect. Most laptop bags have a rear pocket that is secured by a small strip of Velcro in the same place that the above bags have their designated pistol pocket. So, how about an insert made to secure a pistol and/or other accessories? This product is a sleeve that is completely covered in loop material, sewn in PALS pattern, and accepts a thin kydex stiffening sheet. It is a custom product built to fit. The end user would need to secure a few sections of hook material inside the desired bag to mate with the loop using industrial adhesive, hot glue, shoe goo, or something of that sort. In addition, some more velcro should be added to the the pocket to help secure and conceal whatever goodies are mounted to the panel. This certainly does not take the place of a dedicated, tactical, yet covert man bag, as laptop bags are generally nowhere near as tough as the bags above, and the loop isn’t attached to PALS webbing, it is just velcro strips sewn in PALS pattern, but it definitely has it’s place. It should be noted that they were working on a holster to go along with this panel but it was unavailable at the time this review was conducted. 16x9 3/16x1/2” 
The above was used in conjunction with a basic Targus laptop bag. 16x13x3 7/8inches 20 ½ “ diagonal 1 ½” strap 1 ½” fastex type closure So there you have it. These are, in my opinion, some of the best man bags in current production, and are offered by companies I trust to deliver quality and service to the end user. The bags are all very different, yet are made to tackle a similar role. It is my conclusion that there is a place for more than one of these products in the rotation of many people out there that need a bag to carry necessities in. |
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Crap––-dude, sorry. The Eagle LE Courier bag DOES come with the waist belt..I just forgot about it when I sent you the bag. I took it off because I was using it as a real briefcase, and it got buried in a box.
So, all, the LE Courier Bag does come with the waist strap and a holster. |
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