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Thread: Range Bag

  1. #1
    S.L.O.W. ASH556's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Braselton, GA

    Range Bag

    Not sure if this is the best place to post this. I asked a few years ago for a "the range" section to post about best practices for range gear from bags, to timers, to targets and the other support gear that helps us train better.

    Anyway,
    nearly 20 years ago I had a CED Deluxe range bag that was stolen out of my truck, including a Glock 19 and a Ruger Single Six. Of course they recovered the Single Six, but not the Glock. Anyway, I digress. I never did get another good range bag after that. I used a Camelbak backpack for awhile to a limited degree of success and then for the last several years have used the bag shown in the pic below. I thought it was made by London Bridge, but not sure. I have two of them, one as a range bag and the other as a "go" bag stuffed with mags on the outside and med and other short-term support gear on the indside. As a range bag, it's reasonably successful and has lots of internal organization, but its not quite large enough to hold a pistol, ammo, or targets, and so I end up with the bag over my shoulder and hands full.

    I think I want a larger, obese, American Sized range bag and I think I want that to be a CED XL bag with pistol sleeves, mag pockets, room for ammo, eyes, ears, targets, etc.

    Feedback?

    Current Range Bag:

    Food Court Apprentice
    Semper Paratus certified AR15 armorer

  2. #2
    I've tried several over the years. Some obscenely expensive from brands like VertX. For the last 6 or so years I've been extremely happy with the Midway USA bag. I am able to keep a bunch of mags, electronic ear pro, spare eye pro, a couple pistols, ammo, target tape, batteries, shot timer, various tools, etc. in the bag with no issue. I even use one of the end zippered pockets for med supplies.

    This is an updated version of mine. Mine doesn't lay flat on the side with mag pockets. This appears to be better. It comes with an ammo bag that has a mesh bottom, a couple zippered pistol pouches, and a center section that can pull out - I use this for ammo most of the time.
    https://www.midwayusa.com/product/939221689?pid=638531 $69

    A similar version has AR mag pockets in place of the pistol mag pockets. It also has MOLLE on one side, but in my experience range bags get heavy quickly so I don't see myself using those.
    https://www.midwayusa.com/product/939343130?pid=765267 $69 (the grey is on clearance for $43)

    If you want to flex on the poors, this is very similar but runs $154
    https://www.first-spear.com/sherpa-bundle

  3. #3
    Team Garrote '23 backtrail540's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Nowhere
    I've used this midway bag for close to a decade. It's held up great. I've got it stuffed with more stuff than i generally need but lug it around anyway. I also have their smaller rifle bag that I use for special use (rifle stuff, steel challenge, etc...where I want a specific set of items only). They're cheap enough that I wouldn't care if it needed replaced but mine has plenty of life left in it.

    https://www.midwayusa.com/product/939221689?pid=638531



    Current inventory as of grabbing it just now - magazines, random backstraps, screwdrivers, boresnake, mag pouches, timer, ears, backup ears, cones for yardage, ammo, b8's, paper plates, binder for range notes, binder for drills/odd targets, 1" circle stickers, 2" circle stickers, tourniquet, lube, spare batteries for ears/optics/timer, stapler, staples, 3x5 cards, 4x6 cards, grease, screwdrivers, neelde oiler, pens, allen keys, pasters x2, spare muffs, bag of plugs x2, spare eyepro. That's what i can see without digging much.

    Over the years I've lost a single zipper pull and scorched the top using it for a rest and not being as mindful as I should have. Solid for $70.
    "...we suffer more in imagination than in reality." Seneca, probably.

  4. #4
    I have this range bag and I like it a lot, but I didn't pay $250 for it. I think I got it when they were at the old location and I paid around $120.

    It is a great bag, but it is easy to over load it and it becomes too heavy to be easy to carry.

  5. #5
    Site Supporter
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Midwest
    If Made in the USA is driving the train:

    175ish to 275 ish
    https://lynxdefense.com/range-bags/

    160 ish
    https://elitesurvival.com/collection...dout-range-bag

    150ish
    https://www.larue.com/products/larue-range-bag/#panel1


    Having said that, the Midway USA stuff, though made in China, far exceeds the intersection of quality/performance/value. They are big enough and organized enough that you can get them loaded up to be quite heavy. The referenced CED XL bag and the Midway bag look a lot alike.

    I have had mine for going on 20 years, I have a loose seam or two but it remains my go to Glock 34/35 pistol bag. It stays loaded with the following:
    G34
    G35
    6 mags each
    cleaning kit
    boo boo kit
    FAK
    IWB
    OWB
    Range Holster
    Range Belt
    ball cap
    kerchief
    mag pouches
    eyepro x2
    earpro x2
    multitool
    sharpies
    8 inch circle
    3x 5 piece of wood
    shooting gloves
    extra batteries
    100 rd per gun
    flashlight
    headlamp
    I am not your attorney. I am not giving legal advice. Any and all opinions expressed are personal and my own and are not those of any employer-past, present or future.

  6. #6
    Site Supporter Casey's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    South Florida
    My first range bag was the LaRue Range Bag, which I still have and use on occasion, but my go-to since 2015 has been the Vertx A-Range Bag (now discontinued and replaced by the very similar COF Heavy Range Bag).

    I've gone through several different iterations of hauling gear to the range, but this bag has been a core part of it and I have no plans to change it. The garage feature with the two ammo caddies is my favorite part of the bag. I'll typically load up one caddy with loaded mags and the other with loose rounds. The main bag stays behind while I take the caddy with loaded mags downrange with me. The upper deck holds an IFAK, eyes and ears, a multitool with spare bits and sight adjustment tools, liquid chalk, de-lead wipes, and a few odds and ends like spare fiber optic rods. The slip pocket on the opposite side of the bag holds a bottle of oil and 1-2 pistols (themselves contained in some cheap US Peacekeeper sleeves I bought on Amazon). The zippered pockets inside the garage area hold a boo-boo kit, spare UpLULA, foam earplugs, and a couple single-use samples of oil.



    Supplementing that is a 5-gallon bucket that holds consumables like repair centers, spray glue, tape, staple gun, and markers, as well as disc cones and my shot timer. That goes downrange and usually sits at the base of the target stand for easy access when marking targets. Speaking of targets, I use a drafting tube to hold rolled-up targets.

    Those three things always go to the range with me when I'm practicing on my own. If I'm going to a class, I ditch the bucket and the target tube. If I'm shooting rifle, I add a rifle case and transport loaded mags in an MTM can. If shooting from a duty rig instead of concealment, that usually comes along in an ASO bag from RE Factor Tactical. I sometimes used that bag as a standalone range bag when shooting at work where everything was provided by the range at the plant, including the weapons and ammo—I would just crossload a few essentials like eye and ear protection from the Vertx bag.

    Over the years, I've tried a couple different things. At one point I thought it would be great to have a single huge bag for ease of loading up to go to the range, but that turned out not to be particularly efficient as I had three different shooting scenarios, each with their own unique requirements (self-supported solo practice, class, and work-supported quals). I tried the rolling Pelican case that some are fond of, but couldn't get it arranged quite to my liking. Before the bucket and drafting tube came along, I tried a Rubbermaid Action Packer to hold targets and consumables, but it was a pain to tote down to the target stands, where I actually needed it, and to be big enough to fit rolled targets, it had enough space that encouraged overpacking. At this point, I've figured out that a modular approach works best for me, as I can pick and choose which of my support gear I need based on what kind of shooting I'm doing. Ask me again in a year and I'll probably have something different going on, though...

  7. #7
    I always thought the midway usa bag was a copy of the shooters connection bag-

    https://www.shootersconnectionstore....-II-P4512.aspx

  8. #8
    I've been happy with my First Speak Skirmished for several years now. The AR compartment works well for large targets.

    https://www.first-spear.com/skirmish...-00027-5001-00

  9. #9
    Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2019
    Location
    out of here
    Backpacks for me, leaves hands free and shoulders undamaged.

  10. #10
    I’ve been running one of those MidwayUSA bags for over 15 years and never had an issue. I love that thing. If I ever do bust it, I’ll buy another.

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