5.11 Hazard prime bag

5.11 Tactical All Hazard Prime Bag

John Fenna tests a thoroughly modern military style rucksack

Designed with the instructors of MACTAC (Multi-Assault Counter Terrorism Action Capabilities), the 5.11 Tactical All Hazard Prime Bag is a pack of approx 32.3 litre capacity that is surprisingly versatile, comfortable, well constructed , and is designed for the 21st century.

Made from 1050D water-resistant, texturized nylon with concealed tooth YKK zips (with extended pullers) and top quality buckles, the All Hazard Prime Bag is well up to hard usage and yet it is designed with comfort and practicality in mind.

Carry Harness

The harness system incorporates a removable semi-rigid plastic plate to protect the back from the contents of the pack, while a padded aeromesh back and shoulder straps allow ventilation and comfort to body contact areas.  At the base of the back there are tacky rubber panels intended to increase stability and reduce wear on the pack, while buckles on the lower sides of the back allow a waist belt to be fitted if desired.

The shoulder straps have multiple Molle compatible webbing loops, a fully-adjustable elasticated sternum strap, shrouded adjustable quick-release buckles and captive ends.

Hydration

Behind the back panel is a large hydration compartment with Velcro closed webbing bladder hanger, twin toggle type hangers, left and right shrouded top hose ports and a twin-pull zip that allows you to mount the hydration hose in an underarm position should you desire.  At the base of the compartment there is a large drain hole to cope with any water spills etc.

Stowage

On the top of the pack there is a comfortable rigid grab handle and padded and fleece-lined top pocket ideal for goggles, sunglasses or other small, easily scratched items, while the sides of the main compartment have pass-through pockets for retaining batons or other long, slim items, and there is a removable adjustable Velcro-closed baton strap.  The faces of these pockets are covered in Molle compatible webbing.

The main compartment measures some 29.2cm x 19cm x 52cm and will hold approx. 29L of gear, and has pockets designed to hold your laptop, tablet or other sensitive equipment, protected by the semi-rigid back plate and padded front panel.  The twin-pullered zip around the main compartment extends from base to base, allowing full access to the contents.

The next compartment also has a full 3-sided double-pull zip for full access, and external Molle webbing platforms, while the inside of the compartment is lined with HiViz orange fabric.  The padded back of the compartment features Molle platforms and the front panel has twin ‘tear out’ Velcro-mounted, zip-closed mesh bags. This compartment is designed to be the ideal medical/1st Aid Kit carrier, but is excellent for storing a variety of gear securely.

Between this compartment and front ‘admin panel’ is a generously sized ‘shove-it’ area designed to hold a helmet or other bulky kit.  The ‘shove-it’ area is formed by the ‘admin panel’ only being fully attached at the base with mesh gussets joining the lower sides and adjustable compression straps (with quick release buckles and captive tails) holding the top.  The ‘shove-it’ area is incredibly useful, capable of taking all sorts of bulky kit or disappearing to nothing when not in use.

The front ‘admin panel’ again has a twin-pullered zip around 3 sides and contains a variety of different sized pockets to organise bits and pieces, from pens to folders and notebooks, as well as 2 key clips on lanyards.  The external front of the ‘admin panel’, like the top front of the other two compartments, has Velcro type patch areas and is covered in Molle type webbing loops.  There is also a horizontal zip giving access to a pocket that is the complete size of the front panel.

The base of the pack features not only webbing accessory strap attachment points, but at the sides there are twin ‘drop leg pouch attachments’ of webbing in a plastic tube for rigidity.

Both main compartments have base drain eyelets and the quality of construction is excellent.  For a pack of less than 35L capacity, you get an awesome amount of top-quality features, versatility and quality in the 5.11 Tactical All Hazards Prime Bag!

Conclusions

Surprisingly comfortable, even when heavily loaded, this pack is sure to appeal to more than its target market, thanks to its excellent design, features and quality.

Available in Black, Sandstone or TAC Od, the 5.11 Tactical All Hazards Prime Bag costs around £165.00. For more information visit www.511tacticaleu.com or call tel. 01782 515901