I like to be prepared…

In the past I’ve found it useful to have a few items on or near my person, nothing too special… I mean this is the UK, not Afghanistan.

There’s nothing unique or special about these items, Although some of these items are fantastic in their own right. A first aid kit (and the correct training) can save someones life, Gloves come in useful if lifting an awkward object and a multi-tool along with some zip ties, paracord and duct tape can fix almost anything if done right.

 

During a search for a suitable bag I’d been impressed by the likes of Maxpedition, Tactical Tailor, Northface and Berghaus but in the end I settled on the 5.11 Rush 24.

I happened to win an auction on eBay for this very same bag filled with an assortment of items such as 4 US MREs, 2 Leathermans, 4 Petzl headlamps, Several military style blowout trauma packs and a lot of other crap that mostly went on eBay to recoup the cost of the bag. 7 days on and in profit by £100 or so I felt pretty pleased with my find and learned a valuable lesson at someone else’s expense… Know what you are selling and advertise accordingly.

The main thing that sold me on the Rush 24 was the sheer amount of pockets and storage solutions, I’m a sucker for pockets and I tend to fill them with crap. The idea with this bag however was to use it solely for my car and as a “get home bag” should the car break down or some other frustrating thing happen.

The Rush 24 has a total capacity of 37 litres but is low profile enough when not full to allow it to be worn as a daysack. The bag consists of one main compartment with several mesh pockets on the inside (Front and back) a long but low profile “bottle” pouch on each side, a dual small pouch on the rear top and a larger “admin” pouch below. There is also a full length hydration partition in the rear and a small soft lined glasses pouch on the top near the carry handle.

The construction is 1050D cordura throughout (The Multicam version is 1000D) with MOLLE compatible webbing on the sides and rear. there are 4 strap loops on the bottom for securing additional stowage and a single compression strap on each side which can also serve to secure items on the side such as a Roll-mat, Machete or Rifle.

The straps themselves are cushioned and are pretty comfortable even when the bag is  fully loaded, This is due to the straps being designed as a single contoured piece, I’m sure for some this might not work but for me its a good fit.

The hydration compartment is lined with a waxed finish and has a drainage hole in the bottom, at the top is a hole for routing the tube to the outside via the main compartment… there being two covered ports to allow either left or right hand routing. There is a Velcro strap and a pair of toggles to assist in securing your hydration pouch, so whatever your hydration pouch it should allow for a secure fit.

The back panel has a removable stiffener accessed via the hydration carrier and is designed to keep the weight on 4 padded sections which should marry up with your shoulder blades and just above your kidneys. This seems to keep the weight directly off your spine and certainly helps with airflow which I’d take an educated guess is the whole idea.

The shoulder straps are also lined with 2 rows of MOLLE and a coupe of  double width webbing straps which as you can see can be used to hold a fixed blade knife or bandage etc.

The sternum strap isn’t something I use a great deal, but helps keep the straps in place if used. There is also a loop for a 1.5″ waist strap each side although not supplied which is a shame as the bag certainly can justify the strap.

The main compartment is massive, there are 2 mesh pockets on the front flap and a large pocket at the bottom, all secured with YKK  zippers and the uppermost mesh pocket being accessed  top and/or bottom according to your needs.

As you can see, plenty of storage space in just this side alone and very useful should you want to know what is in each compartment. The bottom holding a fully loaded Jetboil Flash very securely.

The rear inner side also has a single mesh pocket and a “stuff sack” at the bottom which can be useful for holding spare clothes or underwear.

The overall storage capacity is phenomenal, just to prove a point i can fill the main compartment alone with a low profile plate carrier such as a Ferro Slickster, Tokyo Marui MP7 (Review in progress!) and still have room after for enough crap to see me through a 24 hour game.

So far, pretty straight forward… now let’s look at the bottle pockets, they are pretty well hidden away and just the right size for a bottle of green gas. I like to carry a couple of bottles to a game as I go gas only where possible, if the Recoil comes out now it’s either because I’m fed up of the High cap brigade or I’ve run out of gas.

The top dual zipper pouch is surprisingly roomy. Usually I’ll store spare batteries and a small power bank in one side and a Petzl headlamp in the other (marked with orange cord on the zipper and a firefly marker)

The pockets have an angled divider that can help secure items even while the pocket is unzipped and a mesh pocket in the flap which again can help keep small items safe. Both left and right are a mirror of each other and despite my initial worry it would be a touch small I’ve found it to be more useful than a single large pouch.

Now onto the admin pocket…

This is the most used pocket for me, there are pockets of every shape and size, from a full width zipped document wallet to a pen organiser, two strap retained pouches and a pair of big pouches in the flap. There are also 2 key keepers in this pocket and another divider and a small pouch suitable for a bandage or tissues.

The outside of the bag as mentioned does also sport a 4″ square Velcro panel on the admin pocket and a name tape Velcro panel along an upper row of the MOLLE on the top pocket. The carry handle is very sturdy and could easily be used to pull you along… the glasses pouch doesn’t get a massive amount of use if I’m honest but outside of Airsoft I have been known to stick a pair of sunnies in there should I need them.

I have made a couple of small changes, some shock cord on the outside along with my LED Lenser torch in its pouch on the side along with a Petzl E-Lite on one of the shoulder straps. Nothing irreparable but it allows me to get to a light nice and quickly. (I’m somewhat obsessed with torches/flashlights)

Final summary… A great bag, possibly a little bigger than I need for day to day use but not big enough for a full weekender. For a day out on the hills its a perfect size allowing storage of a few layers should you wish to prepare for cool or inclement weather.

There is the Rush 12 which I’m strongly considering for use as a patrol pack/lunch bag for work and also the 72 should you need something with even more storage. The only slight criticism I’d have is that it’s rather heavy compared to bags of a similar size, but 5.11 don’t profess to being high speed… they build tough gear and I’ve certainly got no complaints with either this or the 4 Banger Bag I reviewed last month.

Yours for a solid £100 it’s a good all round choice, Miles ahead in quality from the cheaper knock offs you can find all over Ebay and Asian Airsoft stores. I’d strongly suggest looking at the 12/72 at the same time to ensure you get the one that meets your needs and if your still in doubt buy the 24 as its a good size and should meet your needs. It certainly has enough features to keep most people entertained, and I’ll be keeping mine until I stump up the cash and buy both the 12 and 72… and even then it could still have a place in my gear pile. Full specs are available on The 5.11 Tactical Website and its  worth looking on Youtube at the other reviews as with many things a single opinion can be misleading.

My apologies for the crap photos, Black isn’t a colour that’s easy to photo and the majority of my shots are via iPhone. I’m hoping to get another replica review completed over the next couple of days… To keep yourself in the loop with what we’re up to, follow us on Instagram or Facebook.