The Gear Bunker
Firearms, Gear, Training & Industry Analysis
The 5.11 PT-R Daily Grind Pack is a great casual everyday carry backpack. I like to call this a “Knock Around Pack (KAP)”. This is a low-profile, casual-looking pack that fits the role of a gym pack, a day trip to the city, the beach, or the woods, for a hike. Its slim profile with […]
MVR 3-in-1 – 3L P I’ve been a fanny pack user for decades. Way back, I used them for hiking and outdoor excursions for carrying essential items. In the mid-nineties when I was a cop, I bought one of the first concealed carry fanny packs affectionately known as a “shoot me first bag” for off-duty […]
For years, my go-to packs for EDC and travel have been the RUSH 12 and RUSH 24 from 5.11 Tactical. As much as I enjoy the features on the RUSH 12 and 24, I have always looked for something in the same size range but a little less tactical looking. Enter the MVR series of […]
For years, I’ve used different backpacks and sling bags as concealed carry, travel, and professional use backpacks, but there’s always been something about them that kept me looking. A few years ago, the 5.11 Covert 18 backpacks came out to fill a niche in the low-profile backpack market. I took a look at them, but […]
It’s been a frigid winter so far here in New Jersey, with temperatures hovering in the twenties and thirties for what seems like forever. With the temperatures down and my age being up, I feel the wintry weather more. It just creeps in and lingers there, letting its presence be felt. When the weather is […]
Over the past five years, I’ve made a concerted effort to avoid overpacking and, with rare exception, have been a one-bag carry-on traveler. My bag of choice has been one backpack or the other. I love the freedom that a backpack allows, keeping my belongings close to me, my hands free, and enabling me to […]
Everyday Carry (EDC) has become an industry unto itself. I’m old enough to remember when EDC was your wallet and car keys. Significant additions might have been a pack of cigarettes, a lighter if you were a smoker (As many people were back in the day). Nowadays, EDC covers more personal carry items from medical, […]
I’ve always liked military-style jackets and have worn them whenever appropriate, for both personal and professional use. One of my favorite jackets that I wore for years was an old sage-colored M1A flight jacket festooned with patches from my military service in the Navy and the Army National Guard. I wore that jacket for years […]
The 5.11 Skyweight 36L is an outdoor hiking style backpack designed to carry all your necessities on the trail for a day hike or weekend. Made from 330D Nylon Ripstop in a clamshell design that allows easy access to your gear without having to take everything out. The back panel is contoured and padded for comfort, […]
It’s been five years since I had a RUSH 24 (24), and the last one was a black Gen 1. I had always liked the 24, but as my lifestyle and needs changed, I moved more towards the RUSH 12 for my personal and professional needs. Professionally, my backpacks have been used for working security […]
The Allhaula is a new line of backpacks and bags from 5.11. They are a departure from 5.11’s traditional line of tactical style backpacks and bags. I started seeing advertisements for the Allhaula line a couple of months ago. And when the opportunity arose to receive one for evaluation, I was extremely pleased. I’ve been […]
The 5.11 RUSH series of packs has been around for years, having gone through a reworking a couple of years ago, leading to the enhanced features now found on the Gen 2 RUSH packs. I’ve always liked the RUSH series of packs and have had all the models except for the 100 60-liter size. My […]
For the past few weeks, I’ve been using the 5.11 Deploy Tl-USB Flashlight on a fore watch job on a construction site. My shift was the 1800 – 0600 shift. Our responsibility is to ensure that no fires start and that various equipment on the site continues running all night. The location is in an […]
I’ve been using 5.11 Knee pads for about five years now. Recently, I received a set of the new Endo. K Insert Kneepads. The old style was a paw print design which fit into the knee pockets of 5.11 tactical pants. I had never really given much thought to the use of them as my […]