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This is a discussion on Urban Camouflage - Blending In While Packing Around Your Carbine within the Personal Protection, Gear, Mods, Accessories forums, part of the Weapons, Protection, Self Defense, Hand to Hand Combat category; As part of my adjustments from being a country boy to a city boy, and living in an apartment while house hunting continues, one of ...
Urban Camouflage - Blending In While Packing Around Your Carbine
As part of my adjustments from being a country boy to a city boy, and living in an apartment while house hunting continues, one of the biggest problems an urban prepper faces is a lack of privacy. I live on the ground floor of a three story apartment complex, and the people on the upper floors have outdoor balconies. And prying eyes that follow you. Anytime you carry in goods or groceries, I can feel these beady eyes watching, and I look up and see a mother or grandma watching my every move - human nature to look for things and to covet, as we all know....
I have a soft case for my handgun which is a small rectangular pistol rug/case that most people think is just a business satchel of some kind and it goes largely unnoticed. My carbines are still back in my old home state, but I plan to bring one or two back over the coming holidays, but an obvious rifle case will be noticed by the nosy neighbors. Plus, moving a rifle case from vehicles draws unwanted attention from sheeple and thieves alike. Most of my gear is hunting or tactical gear, which is fine in some settings, but sticks out too much in the city.
So, in an effort to keep a low profile and yet be mobile while transferring a weapon from dwelling to car trunk legally, I wanted something that does not scream "GUN" when I carry it out into parking lots, etc.
So, I bought one of these this week:
5.11 Tactical Covert Gun Bag - M4 Collapsed Stock | Official 5.11 Site
It looks very much like a skateboard or snowboard pack. The colors are bright and friendly, cheerful even. 511 makes great gear (no affiliation with the company, just a happy consumer) and this thing matches their usual excellent quality bags.
The zippers function easily with easy to grasp pull tabs; the interior gun compartment is smooth fabric lined ballistic nylon, with a thick fabric muzzle cup to protect your crown or flash hider/muzzle brake; a velcro strap made into a loop secures the stock or buffer tube, and a collapsible stock M4 fits inside the padded case.
A single strap goes across your shoulder, and it can be switched right or left for people who like ambidextrous gear (or who are lefties). A securing strap passes under your support side arm to keep the pack secured onto your shoulder of choice, handy with a nine pound gun on your back.
The upper compartment has these somewhat weird straps sewn on in a pattern of loops, which I assume is for attaching carabiners or lashing gear. The inside of the upper compartment has a ~3" x 6" Velcro loop patch area, and MOLLE webbing, with a couple securing points to hang gear from.
The lower outer compartment is completely configurable open space, and if you own 511 Tactical's excellent Bail Out Bag, it is sized to fit right inside this compartment. Suitable for any kind of lightweight storage items.
The shoulder strap is padded (nicely), has a quick release cam buckle, and a lengthy Velcro strap to secure items. The support strap/pack stabilizer is fully adjustable, and the rear of the pack has a padded ventilated spine protector to reduce rubbing under load, and to ventilate perspiration on those hot days.
The material is aerospace breathable on the shoulder strap and spine/back pad.
There are two grab handles on the top and side, which are wide and nicely padded to spread the load on your fingers.
The bag is 34" high, 12" wide (past experience tells me tall optics like ACOGs may be too tall to fit), and 2.5" deep, in the interior gun compartment area.
The bag itself is 500D/420D (Dernier) water resistant nylon.
The lower front compartment measures 21-3/4" high, 10" wide, and 3.6" deep.
The bag itself is very well made, usual 511 high quality build and materials. Gun case padding is thick and dense, and would protect your carbine in a dropped case mistake, or if you had to hit the dirt for a reason.
Thee are also two fabric loops to lock the outer compartments with a luggage lock or zipties.
The YKK zippers are also lockable or can be ziptied shut for securement.
The untrained eyes will never know this is a gun case.
In the woods, we have a saying: "Blend in or go hungry."
In the city, blend in and go unnoticed.
Overall, very nice bag, excellent quality, hides in plain sight, appears to be comfortable, and although it is pricey ($129) I hit a 20% off sale, so I bought mine for $103 plus tax. Reasonable considering value and purposes.
Now, if I just had my carbine so I could field test this package....
Last edited by Verteidiger; 11-03-2013 at 07:35 AM. Reason: Typos...
If it is just a madder of getting it in and out of the apartment or house long guns are no big issue anymore just to many cases out there that do not look like a weapon case. Heck use your golf bag if you must. AR's some shot guns hand guns could fit in many cases the size of a lap top
AR's break down in seconds to a very small package.
Last edited by Smitty901; 11-03-2013 at 08:45 AM.
New life as a house husband, major shift in duties.
Karl Marx said, "Destroy their culture, rewrite their history. Ruin their art and literature, and defame their heroes, by offering fabrications to scandalize that which they considered good.
After reading this Obama said I am on it.
The laws in most states (all?) are SIGNIFICANTLY different for long arms as opposed to pistols. CCW's apply only to handguns as far as I know. At least in SC you can "open carry" a long gun, but "concealing" it will get you an extended stay in the Butt Banger Hotel. If you EVER pull it out of hiding, even to save lives, or if anybody even figures out your hiding it... Might as well take it out and start shooting so you can have a little fun before your banned from ever owning a gun again.
With as many public shootings as are on the news these days... People would be looking at and noticing that backpacks odd length imo... I certainly would. And not knowing who the person is you think is hiding a rifle in pubic... You'd be crazy NOT to call police!
Just my opinion.
Last edited by BigCheeseStick; 11-03-2013 at 08:57 AM.
Reality: Hidden Content
I'm really interested in the Ares RAD system
Just go to a pawn shop and drop $5 on a soft case for an electric guitar. It's padded, has external pockets, and a shoulder strap and a carry handle.
"You may all go to hell, and I will go to Texas". Davey Crockett
The case pictured in the link is somewhat similar to the case that comes with the Ruger 10/22 Takedown. The Ruger case is more squared up on the corners and is black with a Ruger red emblem. Other than that it looks like a piece of high tech luggage.
I understand the marketing, but nothing says stealth like putting a big red gun manufacture logo on something.Originally Posted by Seneca
Reality: Hidden Content
Mine says Fender. While in DeToilet for a funeral on Tuesday/Wednesday,I was unloading the van when a neighbor at the motel spotted the guitar case in my arms and asked me if he would have to listen to my guitar that night. I laughed.
I scrapped that idea. I mean how many people will be looking to play 18 holes when SHTF.
Sit around a campfire and play some tunes maybe.
I always just use a hanging bag like you would carry a suit in. No one questions a well dressed man.
KG7NDC
The only thing that separates man from animal is our affinity for toilet paper.
Once we as a society lose that affinity we begin to descend back into the animal kingdom, and after three or more days you will find the food chain beginning to invert on itself.
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