The TNT (Tactical/Non-Tactical) GYM (GreY Man) Bag is my latest collaboration with EMDOM USA. It was designed as a truly covert means of transporting an AR-15/M4 carbine and equipment, or up to two carbines. The GYM Bag continues the concept behind the EMDOM/MM TNT Bag by having a product that looks ‘non-tactical’ from the outside and conceals its ‘tactical’ features inside.
The Kifaru Koala is a modular, multi-functional pouch/bag that can be worn in multiple configurations to suit a variety of needs. It also incorporates a hidden handgun panel that keeps your handgun safe and protected until needed; where it can be accessed in an instant.
The new F.A.S.T. Pack Litespeed from Triple Aught Design (TAD Gear) is the smallest and lightest pack in their F.A.S.T. Alpha pack series. Designed with similar styling and features as its bigger brothers, the PS and EDC, the Litespeed isn’t just a scaled-down version of its predecessors, but incorporates new improvements in the details that add to its usability as an alternative to the average daily-use pack. Its narrow profile allows for free range of movement for arm swing and maximum agility.
The Blade 21 pack from the Arc’teryx LEAF (Law Enforcement and Armed Forces) line is designed as a ’staff bag for meat eaters’. Adapted from the civvie side for the LEAF line, it’s essentially a backpack style messenger bag. Named for its volume (21L), it’s a sleeker and more comfortable alternative to a laptop briefcase for people on the go. It also makes a great little daypack with good organization. It’s available in Crye MultiCam, UCP and Ranger Green.
I recently got together with Chris Kopp, CEO and Director or Research & Development for CTOMS. Chris’s experiences and lessons learned in the Canadian Forces led him to start CTOMS in an effort to develop better combat casualty training and equipment for his fellow soldiers, and others who may benefit from it. Since I have no tactical medicine knowledge or insight, I wrote the above review of the CTOMS 2ndline Pack System from a very general point of view (please refer to it for details on the components of the CTOMS 2ndline pack system). However, I felt that it would be beneficial to ask Chris to share some of the design philosophy behind the pack system, what he carries in his, and how he sets it up. He offered to send his pack down so I could take a look at it and snap some photos, but we decided to wait until we could get together in person and go through it.
CTOMS (Canadian Tactical & Operational Medical Solutions, Inc) is a company dedicated to providing training and equipment for the medic and soldier, LE officer and paramedic, SAR technician, first responder and health care professionals that go into harms way, and those that provide medical care in remote and dangerous places. The CTOMS 2ndLine Pack System is a modular pack system that is a bit of a departure from most other packs that most people are used to. Instead of being a single, large pack, the 2ndLine Pack System consists of two equally sized packs; a main pack and an external module that can be used separately or together, depending on the needs of the user. ‘Versatility’, ‘customization’, and ‘modularity’ were the key focal points in the design of this pack.
Mystery Ranch makes a lot of products that don’t make it onto their website – sometimes because they’re of a proprietary nature, and other times because the guys are just too busy to take photos and stick it up on the site. The One Man Duffel is one of those to which the latter reason applies.
The Spandura Duffels are Mystery Ranch’s take on the simple duffel, with a few of their own unique features thrown in for good measure. The Spandura Duffels come in three sizes: Small (2000 cu.in.), Medium (3000 cu.in.) and Large (7000 cu.in.). They’re lightweight, yet semi-structured for ease of use.
The problem with wearing packs over body armour is that the pack is placed further away from your back due to the thickness of the armour (soft panels and plate), and that body armour usually doesn’t provide a very good or stable platform for the shoulder strap route. As a result, the pack pulls the straps to the outside, they cut into the armpits or shoulders and generally suck to wear. The Mystery Cinch from Mystery Ranch is a simple yet effective solution to this problem.
