Covert Loader RG Multi-Configuration Small Pack System

I FOUND EXACTLY WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR! This pack is very well made. It also conveniently fits over my tactical vest without any sacrifice to storage access. I wear it as a chest pack when I do my outdoor runs and it comfortably fits all my work-out note books, pens, my cellphone, etc. with out it ever feeling uncomfortable, weighed-down, or awkward. It has 4 compartments. One main one that's actually removable. Great for holding a camera, voice recorder, wallet, you name it. The other primary one hangs down when you unzip it. It's like a little table bib (doesn't that sound brutally manly?!). If you're looking for a durable, well-made TACTICAL and COVERT chest pack, look no further. I will not hesitate to buy another one if I find the need to. I do a lot of covert and low-profile work that sometimes requires precise stealth in many dynamic forms. Since this stays close to the chest it's close to the center of gravity, eliminating most movement sound. It also looks like something Tom Cruise would wear in mission impossible, which is a boost of moral if you ask me. This keeps things right in reach (the adjustable straps really allow you to customize your fit) I have a big chest, too, and the bag's not phased at all. This thing is amazing. I have to say the only negative thing about it, is that when it is not being applied to the small, practical, and covert purpose it stands for, it hangs on you like a man's chest-fanny-pack. Mine also had a defect. One of the adjustable buttons on it didn't snap so it was useless. Luckily it was the one (there's two black buttons on top) that I had no need for. I hope it was just a single defect and that all of them don't come out like that. I was upset at first but because I ended up liking the pack so much, I got over it. It's not a visually aggressive pack at all, like I said before. However, add it over the tactical vest and this thing turns you into a utility prepared ninja. Wear it as a costume or on the field. I could see this also being used in airsoft as you could fit a bunch of mags a tanks in it; among anything else creative you can think of. It's perfect for forest hikes/runs or just long runs in general. It takes the load off your back so you can run and forget you're carrying stuff. This material.... just buy it and see. I have no doubt, even though I use it alot, that it's going to last me a while. This thing is my favorite EDC I have and it's the best chest-pack/covert you can get. Hope this helps!

Previously I used a hip pouch for work tools and such but never had enough room and kept adding stuff to my belt. When the pouch died, I opted for one of these and I'm so happy that I did. First of all, it stores so much gear, and it's all neatly tucked in and organized. There's a removable waterproof pouch in the middle (the padded one everyone keeps showing a Glock in for some reason), plus the front pouch and the outside velcro holsters, and about six separate slots for pens, scissors, bore lights, etc. If that weren't enough, because of the removable straps you can use it as a leg bag (as I have done on hot days when I didn't want my chest to sweat) because theres a belt snap on the back, or if you have two you can sling one under each arm. And the pouch comes with detailed instructions on how to do each one of these set ups. Honestly, the more I use this pouch the more I love it. I keep adding crap to it and I still haven't run out of space! And last but not least, it's durable. I've been using this pouch for five months now in the outdoor heat and dirt and grime and it's holding up just fine. Ive washed it a few times as well with no issue. Overall, a really great bag. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

I use these pouches for several different applications. While it does all of them well, it does none of them perfectly. It's satisfactory. Initially, and even now, I am very impressed with the overall quality and finish of the pouches. They look better in person. Before I bought them, I found that it was difficult to find information on how much room this rig actually has. It has a lot more room than it appears to. You can cram tons of stuff in it if you don't mind being a little uncomfortable. You can get a medium size pocket knife or even a full size pocket knife in the middle of the pouch if it has a clip. Most of the emphasis I found on the internet was on all the different ways you can wear it, but not its size. As far as the appearance and outside dimensions, it's small enough that it doesn't really get in the way, but overt enough to "scare the natives" - you probably wont care to wear it on your chest in public. If you wear it on your belt, it doesn't look too bad. Starting from the side closest to your body, the rig has a (water resistant possibly, but not water proof) pouch that is removable with what looks like a water resistant zipper. Virtually any cell phone could fit in this pouch with lots of breathing room for other items. If you remove this pouch, you can take up the slack in the outer part of the rig with the top button in order to wear the rig without the inner pouch. The next part of the pouch, the middle part, has a nice design. This is where this pouch has really earned its keep. I guess you could call this a tool compartment. When you unzip it, the front part hangs down at about 45 degrees from little straps that keep it from dropping all the way down. On the inside of the door (I don't know what else to call it) it has a small open pocket, and a few smaller, pen sized pockets. The side closer to your body has a small net at the bottom for small items, and a few wide elastic bands for storing items that cross the pouch horizontally in the middle. I have found this part of the pouch to be the most useful. You're not going to get anything huge in here, but you would have very easy, quick, and secure access if it does fit. One part that I found slightly misleading was the front part of the pouch. A mini mag lite just *barely* fits in the flashlight pouch. it's almost too long. the velcro on the cover is barely hanging on. I have a swiss champ that can fit in the smaller pocket, but you would be hard pressed to get anything much larger in it. One of the biggest caveats of this pouch is one of the biggest features. The straps easily disconnect, which is nice, but while there are better straps available, the straps that come with the pouch can become uncomfortable pretty quick if you're wearing it over a t-shirt. It takes time to get the straps just right. Too tight and you can't breathe - too loose and the rig sags and swings around. It's difficult to find a happy medium. If the straps are uneven, the straps bunch up on the back. Another problem with this rig is that if you wear it on your belt, I have found that the strap doesn't stay buttoned. The belt strap itself is large enough that it would be difficult to lose the pouch even if it was unbuttoned, but under certain circumstances, such as if you were upside down, I could see the pouch falling off your belt. Although I have a lot of negative things to say about it, overall, it's not too bad. If it's appropriate for your application and its small size isn't a hindrance for your equipment, then you're not going to find anything much better. I wish that I could give more constructive criticism of the pouch, but I'm honestly not sure how hazard 4 could make this a better pouch and it still be the same pouch.

If you remove the rear pouch you will get a GPS and/or radio in the back. You will notice some Velcro that can attach to simple Velcro gun holsters. Many pistols can also fit in there without the need for a holster, it then closes with a D clip securing it in place. I took the pouch out since it is so padded for such a small package. The main compartment holds some small items. Bug spray, sun block etc. It can hold a cell phone and keys, not much more. The front two pouches can hold a Multi tool and a flashlight in comfort. I have removed the flashlight and now have a water filter in the front. It can also hold a pen. I keep changing it up for different situations since space is limited. I have preferred to carry it on my chest lately, it makes a good chest rig, it can be carried in different manners on ones side, more than one is needed for some methods of carry. I love the versatility. Size is a bit small but that may be a good thing. Price is high but so is quality. Let me know if this info was helpful to you.

This thing's great, with a lot of smaller pockets, dividers and organizers included to really let you set it up the way you want. I own several items from Civilian Labs and the one thing every one of them has in common is extreme flexibility in how it can be used. While they may be a bit pricey, you certainly get what you pay for from them and since these can be used in so many different ways, its like getting several products in one. Everything is made very well and my friends and I have examined how they are designed down to the types of stitching, etc, in the items and are always impressed by how they're built - which is the right way for long term demanding use. The innovation in their products and adapting military-style technology over to civilian applications while maintaining hard-use production standards has resulted in some really good gear that doesn't make it look like you're a surplus-shop junkie but lets you carry what you want how you want. I'm always excited to see what they come up with next.

A very interesting gear carry solution, however, it's too much a jack of all trades and master of none. This bag allows you to carry it in multiple ways, making it roughly equal to several other storage solutions all in one package. Options: *Belted (either clipped to your belt with a non removable snapping belt clip, or using it's own removable strap) *Shoulder bag (using it's own removable strap) - For this you'd want to buy the padded shoulder strap *Thigh rig (using it's own removable strap, and it's own removable thigh buckle straps with small sections of elastic) - With a 34 waist this fits fine. I'm guessing that if you're much larger than this (say 40+) the provided thigh straps may not work for you (they can be easily replaced). *Chest pack (using it's own two removable straps) *Shoulder holster (using it's own removable strap, and it's own removable suspenders like belt clip at the bottom) - For this you'd want to buy the padded shoulder strap In my opinion a person may use one or two of these, but isn't likely to rotate the bag constantly to actually use each. Yet, the bag has ALL kinds of straps and attachment points all over the place (there are 9 different attachment points with crap coming out of each. It's a little crazy. The storage for the bag is held in 3 places. Exterior: *Wide pocket. Hook and loop flap for closure. This item will fit most multi tools and many small walkie talkies (not wide enough for most smart phones - derp). The elastic allowing the pocket to expand has an extra layer that can be used for storage. It allows a AA battery to slip inside, however, when you remove the item stored in the pouch the battery is likely to fall out. I wouldn't recommend putting anything inside it that doesn't have a clip to hold it in place. *Narrow pocket. This is basically the size of most pistol magazine carriers (will hold a flash light or leatherman or other longer but fairly narrow items). There is room to fit items here of differing length due to a large patch of hook and loop. As with the previous pocket there are extra bands of elastic holding it in place that you can use to store an extra item (per side). *Between these two pockets there's room for a pen in a very narrow sleeve. Exterior Organizational pouch: This dual zippered pocket zips open fully but has bits of fabric keeping the pocket from opening to an angle greater than 90 degrees (so your things don't all dump out). Exterior Pouch Outer Side Sleeves: *This pocket has room for 2 thick pen sized items (in addition to the one on the exterior), between these 2 thick pen sized sleeves (~3/4in) there the below bullet point. *3 SUPER narrow spaces (1/4in) nothing in my EDC bag or my go bag fit into them making them an inch of wasted prime real estate (after some effort I found that the narrow spaces will house a pencil, a cheap narrow papermate pen, tweezers or a Q-tip but they're still not large enough to contain my hatred for them) *Wide space (~1.5in) enough for bits of cable/cord, wide enough for 2 AA batteries side by side, or a magnesium fire starter, or a compact blade sharpener. Exterior Pouch Inner Side Elastic Loops and Pocket: *The bottom of this has a mesh pocket with an elastic lip. *Wide space (~2.25in) in the elastic loop enough for a multi tool. *2 narrow spaces(~1.25in each) in the elastic. Inner Dual Zippered Storage: *This pocket has a small (~2.5in deep by ~3.5in wide) zippered mesh pocket. *At roughly 4.5in by 7in by 1.25in this last pocket has basically no organization offered, but allows for a fair amount of storage in cubic inches. The biggest issues I have with this item are the price and the crazy extras provided. The item is constructed well. That's not in doubt. And, for it to be usable in so many different configurations there are a lot of high quality (read: expensive) extra items that must be included. I don't think the item is over priced for what is provided. But, I don't need/want 60% of the extra configurations. They charge extra for the padded shoulder strap which is really needed if you plan on carrying anything in the item and plan on storing the item on your shoulder, they've already set the precedent. I think they should sell 2 versions: one with everything (including that shoulder strap), and one with JUST the bag and a belt /cheap shoulder strap (at a lower cost). Then, they should sell each of the extra items individually allowing a person to set the item up for their specific needs without having to buy all the extra ... stuff. All in all everything that I carry in my Maxpedition Fatty Pocket Organizer ($24 on amazon at the time of this post) will fit in here and there is room left over, though I personally feel there is a trade off for the increased organization from the Fatty and the easier carry options from this item. My Maxpedition Fatty pocket organizer can easily be attached via the molle webbing. For 1/3rd the cost I have a carry option with most of the same utility as the item in question. If I wanted a shoulder bag to help me organize there are plenty of other cheaper options of smaller, similar, or larger size. If I wanted a thigh rig one of he maxpedition or condor organization pouch options could be combined with a molle thigh rig and would be cheaper in total. I have no desire for a bulky holster style gear holder (~4 inches deep when loaded with 3 stacked storage compartments). I lived through the 80s and 90s and have no desire to wear a fanny pack again (I won't be attaching this to a belt). I can see a lot of applications where this would be PERFECT for someone (specifically as a chest rig or possibly as a thigh rig). Most of the other carry options have cheaper/better carry solutions readily available. I really wanted this to be great, or even good. But, as offered, it's just "OK." As a side note, and yes this is a cheap shot: the Civilian Labs website looks like it was made more than 10 years ago. Time to join this decade, guys.

I feel like I've given this item as thorough a field test as is humanly possibly. I just returned from Uganda where I spent 100 days doing development work. And I wore this on my hip for 100 days straight. I bought this only a few weeks before I left, and decided to pack everything that I could possibly need in it. This included a multi-tool, suture kit, full medical kit, camera, mini measuring tape, rubber gloves, passport and documents, money, rubbing alcohol, sharpie, and a few other small items. This may seem like a lot, but I thought of ways to pack things into a smaller space, such as gutting a floss container, and putting gauze and medical tape inside for my bandage kit. I found the configuration on my hip to be most comfortable. I ran one of the adjustable straps (there are two, and 4 connections on the pack)through my belt loop, and used the smaller strap attached to the back to attach it to my leg. There are dozens of ways you can configure this item, thanks to Civilian's clever innovation of swiveling buckles. There are two other pockets right on the outside. One was a perfect fit for my multitool, and the other housed my camera. Civilian seems to have thought of everthing; the camera pouch has a clip on an adjustable elastic band that I could clip over the opening to keep it shut. This only takes a second to unclip, but was a great theft-deterrent. If you wear this on your hip as I did, keeping all the zippers proximal to your body, you will never have to worry about being pick-pocketed. I could go on and on about this item, but I can sum it up by saying it is the single best purchase I have ever made. Even if you just plan to use it in your shop or for the occasional hiking trip (there is a clever configuration where it lies on your chest., I would recommend it. Amazon only lets us rate things five stars, but I am giving this a six-star review. Amazing product, perfect in every way. Well done, Civilian!

Well built, durable item. Flexible configuration. The only reason I can't give it 5 stars is probably my own fault. My intended use is for a hot climate or under my outer gear, which puts the non-padded straps digging into my shoulders. Other than that I'm really impressed with the quality of the pack. I needed something specifically to hold a small (5x7) tablet and this fits. For a larger phone it would be excellent as well.