Backpack, Backpack

I have little kids, so if someone says backpack, my mind automatically goes to the song from the cartoon, Dora. 

Anyway, as I mentioned before I was contacted a few weeks ago by a gentleman who asked me if I would be willing to review a shoulder holster.  I said sure.  That never arrived, but he also asked me to review a product of my choice under $25 from PXSupply.com.  They are an Army/Navy supply store. Finding something I wanted to review was a feat because they offer so many items and I had no idea what to choose. 

Since I have been shooting, I have had an issue with my purse.  Mostly, I just don’t like carrying it anymore.  I have always carried it on my left side, but my gun is there and it’s just a pain.  I tried moving it to my right side, but for the life of my I can’t get used to it and it is so uncomfortable.  Before it would be no big deal because I would just have to carry it into the store and then toss it in the cart, but I no longer to that.  It stays on my body the whole time.  Hate it. In addition I don’t want to carry my lovely Coach purse into the range when I go shooting, which is a lot.  Just feels wrong, but there are things I need in my purse, so I usually end up taking my CCP, DL, money, ect from my purse and tossing it into my range bag, but I sometimes forget to put it back and I have, more than once, been walking around town carrying concealed with my permit back at home.  I thought about a backpack, but they are either too big or too small or too girly.  I like girly.  I like feminine, but I have never liked to draw attention to myself and nothing says, I want attention like a bright pink backpack bedazzled in crystals.

When I was perusing the website I saw a smallish backpack that had a retro look. It caught my eye and I thought it looked like something I could carry to the range and also something I would feel comfortable carrying around town, so that is what I picked.

The black bag on the left is my husband’s and the nice brown one with the red star is mine.  As you can see it is quiet a bit smaller, but still a good size. 

It is extremely well made.  The stitching is solid and I have purposely been rough with it to see how it would hold up.  I took it to the range the weekend I worked and it got tossed all around between my car and John’s truck.  I was in and out of it all day in the rain and mud and not a fray to be found.

The backpack has a lot of pockets which I like.  I can carry all the things I would normally carrying in it plus a bigger first aid kit.  For me my normal daily carry would be chap stick, gum, 2 pens,  my wallet, checkbook, small first aid kid(I have always carried one by the way), a small knife(it sucks), some kind of healthy cereal bar, mace, paper, small cosmetic bag that has needle/thread, kleenex, other girly essentials and sunscreen. I do also carry a flashlight, but that is on my body along with my gun.

Everything fits nicely in all the different compartments and I still have room to toss in a bottle of water if I want. My only tiny annoyance is that it does not have a specific place to put a pen or pencil.  I am always taking notes and writing my my name for someone, so it’s nice to have quick access to a pen.  There isn’t a place for one in this back pack, so even if I put it in the small pocket up front I am forever digging around to find it.

That aside, I have carried this backpack every single day for 2 weeks and I love it!! 

20 thoughts on “Backpack, Backpack

  1. A small to medium sized back pack is an excellent addition to your daily carry gear because it is so innocuous in appearance. Another option to consider is one of the messenger bags cross the bod set ups. They are also very low profile and very comfortable to carry. Thanks to your very good review I’ll be ordering a duplicate of your “test bag” good job and thanks.

  2. Sounds like an excellent decision for you! My only reservation is a fgashion/political one.
    A Red Star? Do they have any with other decorations?
    (I’m old fashioned that way) 🙂

    • Communist Russia used a Red Star on all of their ColdWar military equipment, sorta like the US uses a star, and Nazi Germany used a swastika. Not sure if Russia still uses the red star.

      My first thought was “oh, look, a Communist backpack!” My second thought was (hey, its canvas…I could order a MHI patch from Larry Correia and cover that bad boy up….

    • Depends on whether or not you had the bayonet attached. Folks tend to not argue with your clothing/carrying style when you’re toting a 4-foot rifle with a 2-foot bayonet.

  3. I was gonna ask you about that when I saw it Saturday. Why the red star? Is that meaningful? Is it about Soviet communism or just a red star? The backpack looks like a very nifty EDC bit of gear. Not too bulky but big enough to carry what is needed.

    • It isn’t meaning full to me. I just saw it, thought it was cute and bought it, well I didn’t buy it. Told the guy, I would like to review it.

      Are you people against communism or something…lol

      I do know the significance of the red star in those terms, but I also see them a lot in relation to “country” type decor, so I didn’t make the connection.

  4. Yep, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. However, when I see the word “vintage” on a military surplus website I think it is what everyone thinks. On the other hand, the star, like the swastika meant something different before it was hi-jacked for political purposes. Just be prepared for these conversations when you take it to the range, lol. Also, it’s interesting that it is upside-down on the website (more of a pentagram) and not on your pack. Huh.

  5. Great. . . now I have Dora in my head. On the bright side, at least it’s not Yo Gabba Gabba!

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