A few years ago, 5.11 came out with their first "active shooter" response bag, the Bail Out Bag. It was a very good bag indeed for emergency response situations, for responders that preferred, or for whom it made sense, to stow (and presumably haul) such emergency response kit in a shoulder bag (as opposed to a pack, vest, or sling-bag.) It assumed, as do most such bags and packs, that you also have an AR-style rifle handy somewhere too, since one of its main features was providing rapid access to AR magazines.
Well, the need for such preparedness hasn't gone away; indeed it is more critical today than ever. Recently 5.11 Tactical introduced two new shoulder bags in the same vein as the Bail Out Bag: the 4-Banger Bag, and the 2-Banger Bag. The 4-Banger has gotten much more attention, being similar in size to the Bail Out Bag and closer to carrying what you'd probably ideally want to have if the SHTF. It's little brother, the 2-Banger, has been less remarked on, and it holds a more minimal kit you'd want to have in such a situation. The 4-Banger is close in size to what you might see a professional camera-man toting around, while the 2-Banger looks more like a medium size camera bag that anyone might carry. Your mission and environment will determine which suits you better, and we'll look at the 2-Banger from the emergency response perspective, but its smaller size and lower profile also intrigued me as to its potential for an off-duty or civilian EDC CCW bag.
5.11 also recently introduced three new messenger-style bags: the RUSH Delivery Mike, Lima, and Xray, in ascending order of size. We'll look at the Mike - the smallest, and the most low-profile, again from an emergency response and an off-duty perspective. Let's start with it.
5.11 RUSH Delivery Mike
Approximately 14"w x 9.5"h x 3.5"d, the Mike is the size of a normal-looking small/medium messenger bag. It has a lot of features and pockets--all well thought out. Fortunately, I don't have to try and fully describe them all here (that'd be difficult to do in a print medium) because an excellent video description can be seen here (I have no connection to -- and don't even know -- the reviewer). That leaves me free to comment on the bag from an applications viewpoint. But briefly, from front to back: three rows of hook material sewn into PALS rows on the flap and side water bottle compartments, two zip pockets on the flap exterior, Velcro and buckle flap closures, admin panel with two additional pockets under the flap, a narrow zip compartment just before the main compartment, main compartment with loop lining and drain holes, several slit pockets and a length-wise pocket in the main compartment, laptop compartment, back loop-lined CCW compartment with both zip and Velcro closure, and suitcase handle slot. The side water bottle compartments are width adjustable, and there are two lashing straps on the bottom of the Mike. Construction is 1050 denier nylon that feels extremely sturdy. Heavy duty YKK self-healing zippers throughout, a buckle-removable shoulder strap with excellent padding, and perfect stitching round out this bag.
Lets address quickly the concept of carrying emergency response gear in a relatively low-profile messenger style bag. Is this a viable idea, or some mall-ninja fantasy? Well, please take a look at the attached picture of Marcus Wynne. Marcus is a supra-trainer and former FAM and FAM instructor. This picture of him was taken on September 11, 2014 while he was providing additional security to a religious school that was under threat. In his messenger bag were five full trauma kits, three flashlights (some for signaling), batteries, back-up power for cell phone, several loaded magazines, glow sticks, emergency blankets, and a few other goodies. You would not notice him (Marcus can blend), nor would his messenger bag draw attention. But he needed something to carry all the gear in. A messenger bag fits the tactical and urban camouflage bill quite well.
The Mike feels really substantial. It has structure, and all the materials -- the 1050 denier nylon, the self-healing YKK zippers, the loop (Velcro) material, the Duraflex hardware -- all feels (and in fact is) heavy-duty. The bag does not feel cheap or flimsy. The loop material, cut so as to accept MOLLE pouches, is thick and sturdy. The colors - black, gray, OD and tan - are plain enough that the bag can blend; without any attached pouches the contrasting PALS/loop material looks kinda like a design element. The bag is large enough to haul a substantial kit and small enough that you don't mind actually doing so.
One of the things that I really like about the Mike is that it's looks and set-up are flexible enough to fulfill three applications: dedicated lo-pro tactical kit carry à la Marcus above, EDC with concealed carry, and as a non-CCW/non-tactical computer/office messenger bag. Constantly swapping out gear from one bag to another is a real pain, and with the Mike you probably won't have to.
5.11 Two-Banger Bag
This top-access bag measures approximately 10L x 8H x 4d. The 3 x3 loop square sewn on the front looks like a design, not a tactical element. It's features, from front to back: a nearly full height/width narrow zip-opening front pocket with two interior pockets for small and admin items, a main top-zip-opening compartment with loop on the rear face and mag-size elastic loops on the front face, and a rear compartment set up for two AR-size and two pistol-size mags. It is unusual in that it does not zip-open/close, but rather has two tabbed flaps that come over the top of the (AR) magazines, much like a vest-worn mag pouch (tabbed bungees are another provided option). Finally, there is a mesh pocket on the very rear of the bag. The Two-Banger has structure and a substantial feel.
There are two vertical rows of PALS on each outer side of the bag, a waist strap is included, and the shoulder strap, which runs from the top of the rear carry side to the top/side of the front carry side, is reversible (via clever clips) so that the bag can be set up for left- or right-hand carry. One end of the well-padded strap has 6 x 3 panel with two rows of laser-cut PALS in case you want to mount a small pouch. With the reversible strap, this panel can be either on the rear or front carry side of the bag. Made of 1050 denier nylon and with self-healing YKK zippers, this bag will support the weight of a heavy load-out.
Carrying magazines in the mag compartment, the Two-Banger makes a great small response bag. AR mags are instantly accessible via the tabbed flaps (or bungees), while other gear is stowed securely. Additional pouches can be attached to the strap or sides, and the whole thing is reasonably small. If you're looking for a smaller response bag this is a superb, and one of the few, options, and probably the lowest-key.
From the point of view of CCW the loop lined rear face of the main compartment provides a hook-backed holster mating surface and the bag can easily accommodate a full-size handgun. However the magazine-configured rear compartment, which is not fully closed, means that you cannot carry gear there that you don't want possibly identified. That might seem to restrict your flexibility a bit, but in fact it's not really much of a drawback in that most of your likely carried gear looks innocuous anyway: FAKs, EDC items, lights, and generally things that people wouldn't recognize or care about even if they caught a small glimpse of them. This small disadvantage is outweighed greatly by the lo-pro look of the bag (as I mentioned, it looks like a medium camera bag) and it's convenient CCW capability. Many of the similar-size/volume CCM and/or tactical shoulder bags out there look tactical; this one is but doesn't particularly look it, especially in dark colors which allow the minimal PALS to disappear into the bag.
Conclusion
5.11 was there at the beginning of the industry that makes purpose-built tactical-capable low-profile gear and clothing. They certainly have many competitors, but I've consistently found their gear to be very well thought out, well-made, and eminently practical. 5.11 didn't get lucky once or twice -- they just keep delivering. Now that I'm not on the job any more, the ability to carry my gear in a completely lo-pro manner is even more important to me. The Two-Banger Bag and the RUSH Delivery Mike are two new good options.
Ralph Mroz
Ralph Mroz spent 20 years part-time as a police officer in Western Massachusetts, the last seven of which he was assigned to the county drug task force. He was a co-founder of the Police Officers Safety Association and was the developer and presenter of their training material. He was also the person in front of the camera for the Armed Response (www.armedresponsetraining.com) series of training DVDs.
