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Best Large
5.11 Tactical Range Ready Bag
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Summary
If you’re looking for the biggest and the best, the 5.11 Tactical Range Ready Bag provides a name and quality you can trust with a massive storage capacity.
Best Compact
Osage River Light Duty Tactical Range Bag
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Summary
The Osage River Light Duty Tactical Range Bag has plenty of storage space and more than 4,200 positive reviews on Amazon.
Best Made in USA
Vertx COF Heavy Range Bag
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Summary
The Vertx COF Heavy Range Bag is a quality product brimming with red, white, and blue pride.
Range bags simplify your shooting experience by transporting all your gear in a convenient carrier. Each trip to the range involves a pile of guns, ammo, spare mags, eye protection, shooting ear protection
, markers, targets, a stapler, first aid kit
, a knife, gloves, and more. Instead of cramming all this stuff into an old duffel, stashing it in a purpose-made bag can make transporting, and finding, your gear much easier.
A good range bag is the unsung hero of gun range equipment. If you’ve got a good one, you probably hardly think about it. If, however, your range bag leaves something to be desired, you spend more time than you’d prefer thinking about it and how it keeps letting you down. From large backpacks to compact duffels, here are the best range bags to keep your gear organized and ready to go.
Best Backpack: GPS Tactical Range Backpack
Best Large: 5.11 Tactical Range Ready Bag
Best Compact: Osage River Light Duty Tactical Range Bag
Best Made in USA: Vertx COF Heavy Range Bag
Best Budget: Gunmate Shooting Range Bag
How We Picked the Best Range Bags
I’ve had at least a dozen different range bags that I’ve used over the years. Some worked exactly as I expected; others fell short, either as a result of my poor planning or their poor construction. I’ve also got tons of shooting friends and I don’t think I’ve seen anyone who has the same bag. So, it’s always easy to see new product options and hear why this particular model was chosen over another. When it comes down to picking which one is right for me, I evaluate products using the following criteria:
Build Quality: Is this bag well-built enough that it’s going to provide me with years of use? Or is it poorly made and will need to be replaced in a year or two?
Storage Capacity: Am I looking to transport a minimal amount of stuff for a quick range trip, or am I looking to pack the range bag so that any and every item I could possibly need is in there?
Cost: Are the features and benefits of this range bag in line with the price?
Best Range Bags: Reviews and Recommendations
Best Backpack: GPS Tactical Range Backpack
Best Backpack
Specs
Freestanding design
Visual I.D. storage system
Entire front is MOLLE-compatible webbing
Pros
Chest strap and waist belt for extra load stability
Comes with 3 pistol cases that can hold 4 mags each
Has a waterproof cover for bad weather days at the outdoor range
Cons
So much storage space that you’ll probably end up putting things in it that you don’t really need to bring to the range
We’ve all had trips to the range where we’ve got more things to carry than we have arms, and there’s definitely no way we’re going to make more than one trip, so we struggle to juggle it all. With the GPS Tactical Range Backpack, you can shift most of your stuff to your back and keep your hands free for other important things, like rifle cases or door handles.
Since the backpack is freestanding, you can set it down, open it up, and keep everything you need within easy reach while remaining organized. Instead of putting things in pockets and forgetting what went where, you can store and then find things easily with the clearly marked pockets for ear plugs, shooting glasses
, targets, earmuffs, tools, and more.
Best Large: 5.11 Tactical Range Ready Bag
Best Large
Specs
43L of storage capacity
Removable ammo and gear totes
Constructed of 600D polyester
Pros
Flip down front holds 8 magazines and a pistol
Cavernous back and side pockets
Separate padded gun storage
Cons
It’s big. Like, really big. Perhaps bigger than you need
The 5.11 Tactical Range Ready Bag is big enough that you actually could probably fit the kitchen sink in it if you tried hard enough. Made of durable, all-weather 600D polyester, this range bag is designed to be multiple bags within a bag. An ammo and gear caddy fits into the main compartment so that you can stock it with essentials and pull it out at a moment’s notice.
An empty brass pouch is included for the reloaders out there, and there’s plenty of other large side and back zippered pockets for any and all manner of gear you need at the range. The front flip down section holds a handgun and 8 magazines, and there’s still more separate padded storage room for other guns.
Best Compact: Osage River Light Duty Tactical Range Bag
Best Compact
Specs
Comes with two removable pistol pouches
Built-in magazine storage
Constructed of 600D ballistic nylon
Pros
Available in multiple colors
Nine different storage compartments
Cons
Geared toward handgunners
Range bags from Osage River are some of the best-rated and reviewed bags found on the internet. Thousands of people can’t be wrong! This Light Duty size bag is the smaller version of their standard size bag, but at 13.5”x10.5”x7.5”, it still has a bunch of storage space. Geared toward handgunners, there’s two removable pistol pouches included as well as built-in handgun magazine storage for a dozen mags — more if you’re creative!
Speaking of creative: This bag is available in multiple colors so you don’t have to be like everyone else who brings a plain black bag to the range. Each one is built using 600D ballistic nylon, so they will hold up no matter which color you choose.
Best Made in USA: Vertx COF Heavy Range Bag
Best Made in USA
Specs
Has a built-in security cable for extra protection
Removable ammo caddies and mag holders included
Available in two sizes: Heavy and Light
Pros
15L of storage capacity
Tons of configurable storage space
Cons
It’s definitely not inexpensive
Weighs 6.25 pounds empty
When a day at the range literally means an entire day at the range, you need a bag that will go the distance. The COF (Course of Fire) Heavy Range Bag is up to the task of long, hard days at the range. It’s got lots of zippered pockets, internal hard dividers, and padded panels as well as removable ammo caddies and magazine carriers so that you can arrange the bag to fit your needs from one range trip to the next.
The front access panel even doubles as a cleaning/maintenance mat for any work you may need to do while away from your home workbench. To top it all off, there’s a ton of hook-and-loop panels inside and out for all kinds of other accessories, patches, etc.
Best Budget: Gunmate Shooting Range Bag
Best Budget
Specs
Large main storage compartment
Removable hoop-and-loop dividers
Includes padded pistol rug
Pros
Won’t break the bank
Side compartments are very roomy
Zippers can be locked to prevent access
Cons
No purpose-built storage features
When your goal is to spend less money on your range bag so that you can spend more money on guns and ammo, Gunmate has what you need. Sometimes you’re just taking one or two guns and some ammo to the range, and if that’s the case, you don’t need to lug around 10 pounds of extra gear. With the Gunmate Shooting Range Bag, you get just the right amount of storage for a couple handguns, some ammo, eye and ear protection, and a few small accessories.
This bag is cheap, but only in monetary terms. It’s still a well-built, sturdy bag that has good padding and a little bit of personalized storage configuration. The 16” x 8” x 7″ size easily stashes behind a seat or in the trunk. As a bonus, this bag includes a padded pistol rug.
What to Consider When Choosing a Range Bag
You might be thinking that a bag is a bag is a bag, right? Does it really matter what one I use? Well, the answer is yes. There’s a reason that purpose-built range bags exist! Obviously, the final decision is up to you, but here are some of the things you should think about before buying a range bag:
Storage Needs
What do you normally take to the range with you? Is it generally the same amount of stuff each time you go, or does it tend to vary widely? Do you pack and unpack most of the contents before and after each trip? These are all questions about your storage needs that should be considered before answering the next question.
Size and Weight
Are you a packing minimalist, or do you tend to pack everything but the kitchen sink? Do you need extra room for your friends’ gear from time to time? Are you going to have to carry the bag for a long distance to get from your vehicle to the range? Obviously, bigger bags hold more stuff, but they’ll also weigh a lot more, too. Being prepared is a good thing, but you might not need four pairs of shooting muffs and three staplers in that bag!
Price
Money is always on everyone’s mind. It’s important to remember, though, that a higher price doesn’t always equal higher quality—some of the best range bags wear low price tags. Obviously, the size of the range bag and its storage options can play a big role in its cost, so be sure you know what your storage needs are before committing to a purchase.
Don’t hit the range without the right safety gear. Check out our recommendations for the best shooting glasses
. Looking for a safe place to shoot? Use the National Shooting Sports Foundation range finder
to locate one near you. You can also review the basics of gun safety
before you head out.
FAQs
Q: Can I use a regular backpack as a range bag?
Sure, you can use a regular backpack as a range bag. But with all of the purpose-built bags on the market, I don’t see why you would want to use a regular backpack. It’s just so much easier and more convenient to use something that was designed for range use than to try and retrofit something that wasn’t designed to carry guns, ammo, and other shooting gear. It’s kind of like using a bunch of milsurp .50-caliber ammo cano instead of one of the MTM 4-Can Ammo Crates
. Work smarter, not harder.
Q: How much do range bags cost?
The cost of a range bag varies widely depending on who made it, how big it is, different design features, etc. In general, range bags can cost anywhere from less than $50 to more than $300.
Q: How big are range bags?
Range bags come in a wide variety of sizes. Some are small enough to be slung over your shoulder and can fit just enough stuff for a normal trip to the range. Others are large enough that you can pack anything and everything into it that you could ever dream of needing at the range.
Best Range Bags: Final Thoughts
Best Backpack: GPS Tactical Range Backpack
Best Large: 5.11 Tactical Range Ready Bag
Best Compact: Osage River Light Duty Tactical Range Bag
Best Made in USA: Vertx COF Heavy Range Bag
Best Budget: Gunmate Shooting Range Bag
A range bag can be a highly personal thing. We’ve all got different needs and wants when it comes to storage. Some people are highly organized and want a place for everything and everything in its place. Others would prefer to chuck it all into a portable cavern and sort it out later. One way isn’t really any better than the other (though the organized person would probably argue otherwise.) How ever you feel, you can’t go wrong with any of the ones mentioned here.
Why Trust Us
For more than 125 years, Field & Stream has been providing readers with honest and authentic coverage of outdoor gear. Our writers and editors eat, sleep, and breathe the outdoors, and that passion comes through in our product reviews. You can count on F&S to keep you up to date on the best new gear. And when we write about a product—whether it’s a bass lure or a backpack—we cover the good and the bad, so you know exactly what to expect before you decide to make a purchase.
