Midwater rifle slip and cylinder bag

› Midwater is a British brand, and its range of shooting gear is actually made in England. Under the spotlight here is its Rifle Slip and Cylinder Bag.

The rifle slip
At approximately 52” long and 11” at the widest point, it’s a useful size to take a rifle fitted with a large scope (specified as up to 56mm objective). The case is available in black, camo, or green, and is designed to be lightweight but rugged. The exterior shell is constructed from high-quality, waterproof-coated polyester, while the inside is padded and fully lined with robust nylon, so a good level of protection is afforded. High-grade industrial-strength zips and fittings are used throughout, and the full wrap-around canvas reinforcement straps and carry handles ensure total strength where it matters. The addition of an adjustable 50mm shoulder strap caters to those who need to sling the gun over their backs across rugged terrain, so all bases are covered. In short, it offers excellent quality for the asking price.

The cylinder bag
Opt for a pre-charged pneumatic airgun, and there’s the small matter of charging gear to consider. You can take the totally independent route and use a dedicated hand pump, but by far the easiest option is to purchase a diver’s bottle, which makes filling the gun almost effortless thereafter. There’s now a good selection of differently sized bottles available too, to suit the individual, and that makes PCP ownership just that bit easier to manage. Many shooters keep a large bottle at home and use a smaller one to ferry to and from shoots, but the choice of kit available has never been greater.
Whichever route one adopts, the transportation of high-pressure air vessels needs to be taken seriously, and on test here is a very neat cylinder bag made by Midwater. It is available in different sizes - the 56cm size fits a 4 litre bottle, the 62cm size is suitable for 3 and 5 litre bottles, the 70cm option fits a 7 litre bottle, and the 76cm version is ideal for 12 litre bottles. The bag is available in black, green, or camo.
The bag is designed to be robust and keep cylinders clean, and it is padded, lined, and waterproof. Shown here in the pictures is one holding a brand-new 5 litre bottle with no hose. However, the bags are actually designed to hold bottles with the valve, gauge, and hose still in situ. The top section opens right up for full, easy access via the strong, chunky zip, and with canvas-style carry handles and full wrap-around straps, the strength and durability of the design are beyond question. Well thought out and nicely made, the Midwater Cylinder Bag is a great addition to any airgun enthusiast’s kit bag, and all for a very reasonable price.