So, you’ve decided to carry. Great! Now, you just have to figure out how to make that happen. Using a CCW holster is generally your best bet, but there are situations where that just isn’t practical.
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One option is to carry your firearm in a bag rather than on your body. This is known as off-body carry, and it comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. We’re here to help you make sense of them.
5.11 Tactical LV8 Nylon Sling
Eberlestock Bando Bag
Nutsac Sling
Vertx SOCP Tactical Fanny Pack
Viktos Upscale 3
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To determine which off-body concealed carry bags are the best, I made a short list of parameters:
After scouring the internet and checking out more than a dozen options, I chose a few to test hands-on. The result is a list of five solid recommendations. Keep in mind that these are intended for use with a CCW pistol – bags for larger firearms are an article for another day.
The bags you see here are all good at different things, so think of these as situational recommendations rather than a ranked-order list.
I expected the 5.11 Tactical LV8 to be good but still exceeded my expectations. There simply aren’t many situations where this wouldn’t be a fantastic off-body carry bag.
There are four compartments in the LV8. There’s one for your wallet and on the front, a fleece-lined sunglasses sleeve on top, a roomy main compartment, and a CCW compartment with a hook-and-loop retention strap. Fitting a full-size pistol is no problem, and there’s enough cushioning that you’ll never feel it.
The main area has a zippered mesh pouch big enough for a Goal Zero Flip 36 and a set of Walker’s Silencer BT earbuds, a large laser-cut MOLLE panel made from hook-and-loop material, a row of small open pouches, and a padded pocket that’s perfect for a tablet or anything else that requires extra protection. It’s ripe for customization.
The LV8 might be a little larger than some people want to carry all the time, but it’s built to handle extra weight without becoming cumbersome. You can position the sling a few different ways, and there’s a secondary strap to cinch the bag to your body nice and tight.
You’ll be surprised how much gear you can fit in this bag. Its ability to keep everything organized is impressive; 5.11 really thought this one through. I’d be perfectly comfortable running, hiking, or cycling with this bag – it’s that comfortable.
Verdict: Looking for a one-and-done CCW sling for an active lifestyle? This is your bag.
I held out on the fanny pack trend as long as I could, but this thing is too useful to deny. The Eberlestock Bando Bag is my pick for anyone who wants to keep their EDC loadout light.
Even though it’s very small, this fanny pack still separates the CCW compartment from the main area, so you can use it for everyday items without flashing your pistol every time you need to grab something.
There’s a small front pocket for a set of keys, and the main compartment has a zippered mesh pouch and two open pockets. That’s enough for basics like a small EDC flashlight, folding knife, , and first-aid items.
One small detail I love is the placement of the buckle. It’s located alongside the bag rather than in the back, so you don’t have to worry about someone unclipping it.
This is a fairly minimalist setup, but it’s well-designed and far better than cramming everything into your pockets. Keep in mind that Eberlestock builds the Bando Bag for pistols like the Glock 19 or smaller. During testing, a Springfield Hellcat Pro with a flush magazine and a Vortex Defender-CCW maxed it out.
Verdict: The Bando Bag is tiny but mighty. It completely disappears under a jacket or hoodie.
The NutSac Sling is the most discreet CCW bag I’ve seen. Waxed canvas, a clean exterior design, and minimal branding (an acorn logo but no text) make this bag look like it came straight out of a hipster boutique. The only way to keep a lower profile than this would be to carry inside the waistband.
This bag has one small exterior compartment for your wallet and and one main compartment for everything else. Inside the main compartment, there’s an open-top pocket and some MOLLE to keep your gear organized.
NutSac sells holsters for a nice selection of pistols, but I tested mine with a Safariland holster and MOLLE adapter I had lying around. With a full-size pistol in the bag, there’s still room for a multitool, a midsize flashlight, and other odds and ends.
This is the only bag of the group that puts the firearm in the main compartment. It’s easily accessible, thanks to four zipper pulls that let you open the bag several ways, but you can’t grab something out of the main compartment without showing your cards. That may or may not be a problem depending on where you carry; just be aware of it.
While testing this sling, I got caught in a very unpleasant February rainstorm. The precipitation was heavy enough to wet out my Stone Glacier jacket, but the bag stayed bone dry. This sling is not a fashion statement – it’s proof that some old ways still work.
Verdict: the NutSac Sling is a rugged CCW bag that goes unnoticed in the best way possible.
The more I used the Vertx SOCP, the more features I uncovered. This fanny pack will delight the “bring everything but the kitchen sink” crowd.
It has compartments within compartments and secret hidey-holes where you least expect them. In addition to the main area, an external case flips down so you can see your screen without taking it out. The accent panels on the front of the pack fold inward so you can record video with your hands-free.
The CCW compartment is large enough for a full-size pistol, and the bag comes with an adjustable retention strap. There’s a clever slotted panel on the rear of the bag where you can clip things like a flashlight, folding knife, or tourniquet to keep them accessible without touching a zipper.
Speaking of zippers, Vertx sent me a set of Rapid Access Tabs to try with the SOCP. These can be clipped to any exterior zipper (they work on other Vertx bags, too). I wasn’t sure about the concept at first, but having the large one tucked out of sight between my abdomen and the bag was comfortable, and it made ripping the CCW compartment open much faster. They certainly prevent grabbing the wrong zipper in the heat of the moment.
The belt has tons of room for adjustment, and I was able to position the buckle on my side, but if you have a slim waist, it will sit further back. If I could ask Vertx to move it to one side, that’s the only suggestion I’d make.
The SOCP is fairly large on the waist, so it might be excessive for EDC duty. I wouldn’t hesitate to spin it around and wear it backward on a trail run or hike, though. It’s more discreet than a war belt and more capable than most fanny packs. There’s room for everything you’d realistically want to carry without wearing an actual backpack, and the designers found creative ways to store everything logically and orderly.
Verdict: Want features? The Vertx SOCP has them!
What do you think about the Vertx SOCP? Rate it below!
The Viktos Upscale 3 is one of the smaller CCW slings out there. It makes the most of its space, so you’ll be pleasantly surprised by its capability.
The CCW compartment of the bag spans its entire footprint. There’s also an EDC compartment about the size of a fanny pack, a slim exterior pocket for your and wallet, and a padded sunglasses compartment. Elastic and mesh retention in the main compartment is great for small EDC items like a flashlight, tourniquet, multitool, and extra magazines.
Depending on whether you’re right- or left-handed, some sling bags work better over one shoulder than the other. This makes life easy because the sling can be mounted on either side, and the CCW sleeve has full-length double zippers. You can mount the hook-and-loop holster however you want, and it works with small or large pistols with or without an optic.
You can also get armor inserts specifically shaped for the Upscale 3 from Premier Body Armor and Spartan Armor Systems.
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The bag’s design isn’t overtly tactical, but a small amount of branding (Viktos Black Arms Company is printed on the side) could tip your hand. If you’re concerned about that, the black Upscale 3 hides its branding the best.
Sometimes, it’s tempting to fill whatever space we have, leading us to pack a bunch of gear we never use. Carrying the Upscale 3 helps me focus on what I need rather than trying to fill space. It’s light, compact, and water-resistant, and I appreciate the large CCW compartment.
Verdict: The Upscale 3 bridges the gap between fanny packs and slings. It has room for the essentials and a full-size pistol with several magazines.
Carrying off-body is an increasingly popular choice. Whether you have an extensive EDC loadout or don’t like how holsters fit your body, moving your gear to a small bag can be a good alternative to keeping everything directly on you.
I’ve heard special forces veterans and defense contractors repeatedly advocate for keeping a war belt handy. Throwing on a lightweight fighting load in seconds is a lot better than grabbing a pistol and hoping for the best. An off-body setup can accomplish the same thing; it just trades a little bit of speed for the ability to fly under the radar.
A small fanny pack or sling bag can carry your CCW pistol, a light, a knife or multitool, and a small first aid kit. On top of all that, you can carry things like your keys, , earbuds, and a small power bank without stuffing your pockets. When you’re at home, set it aside and know that you can get out the door in a hurry — all you have to do is grab one thing.
Meanwhile, you just look like another person embracing the fanny-pack revolution.
The downsides of off-body carry are obvious: you’re attaching a firearm to something that’s not yourself. Want to set the bag down to rest your shoulder? Not an option. There’s no handing it over to your kids so they can grab a snack out of the bag, either. You’ll have to be a lot more careful about your off-body carry bag than you would be about a normal fanny pack, sling, or purse.
It’s also a lot easier for someone to snatch your bag (even if they don’t know what’s inside) than it would be for them to detect an IWB holster, lift your shirt, and grab the pistol.
Finally, you’ll never draw from a bag as quickly as you can draw from a holster. That’s not an excuse not to train, though. If off-body carry is going to be your primary method of carrying, it should be your primary method of training, too.
Since you’re adding an element of visibility that isn’t associated with an IWB holster, there are some extra factors to consider before putting a pistol in your EDC bag.
This is one situation where tactical gear (or gear that looks tactical) works against you. I found a lot of CCW bags that scream tactical so loudly that you might as well be open-carrying. That’s a non-starter for me.
Likewise, I’ve heard about people who got publicly confronted for carrying because a stranger liked their bag, looked up the name on the logo, and got met with a website full of guns. It’s nice to support the brands we like, but there’s nothing wrong with removing branding from your CCW bag to prevent this from happening.
Finally, since your friends and coworkers might not know you’re carrying, think about how you’ll respond if someone wants to add something to or remove something from your bag. It’s hard to talk to your friends about carrying responsibly after they’ve inadvertently discovered your gun while searching for a breath mint.
Carrying off-body responsibly is simple: we’re not talking about a bag that has things including a gun in it; we’re talking about a gun – period.
Don’t set it down, don’t leave it on the seat of your car while you run errands, and don’t hand it off to someone when you’re sick of carrying it. The firearm safety rules always apply.
Off-body carry can be a responsible, effective way to store your CCW pistol and EDC gear. You just have to use a little extra caution and forethought. If you carry off-body, you can’t go wrong with any of these bags.
What’s your favorite carry method? Share with us below! Need some discreet options to transport your guns to and from the range? We’ve got you covered with the Best Discreet Rifle & Pistol Bags!
*in brackets: additional price for optional hydration bladder or surcharge for integrated bladder
Incidentally, the country of manufacture is a major cost factor. If the packs are produced in large quantities in Asia, production costs account for a much lower proportion of the retail price than those handmade in small batches in the USA. In addition to pure functionality, our price-performance assessment takes into account this factor. The two US brands in this test, Bedrock Bags and High Above, also offer extensive customization options for their products – something you won’t get with any other manufacturer.
Without a doubt, the fit, level of comfort and stability of a pack were the most important criteria in this test. In other words, the less you can feel the bag and its contents, the better. Once we assess these criteria, we evaluate the compartment layout and determine how well the contents are distributed inside the pack and how quickly and easily you can access each item. The processing and material quality, water resistance, ventilation and sweat absorption as well as special features such as hydration bladders and/or bottle holders also affect the overall rating. The criteria are as follows:
To allow for as many impressions as possible, each hip bag was tested over a period of half a year by a number of testers with different needs, body proportions and layout preferences. This enabled us to cover the complete range of applications over an extended period of time and to test each pack in a variety of scenarios, from relaxed day rides to fast paced and stressful racing scenarios. In addition, all bags were tested back to back by several riders on a fixed trail section, both up and downhill. This approach allows us to counteract the habituation effect and determine all major differences and conspicuous features as neutrally as possible.
The correct position of a hip bag is crucial to its fit, comfort and stability. As the name suggests, hip packs are intended to be worn as low on your hips as possible for optimal stability. During our tests we found that each pack had its own sweet-spot too, so it just takes some experimenting to get the position right. Unfortunately, our test field also includes some models that are missing a sweet spot altogether and didn’t really agree with any of our testers body shape (e.g. Race Face Rip Strip or the Deuter models in this test).
In this test we also found out that some of the models only work with certain body shapes and heights. While the Deuter Pulse 3, for example, sits noticeably better on wider hips, with less athletic bodies the ION Traze 3 tends to lose its stability and the Dakine Hot Laps Stealth starts feeling uncomfortable.
Clearly more compact and less spread across your back than a full sized backpack, we can say that hip packs are already on a winning tangent in terms of airflow. In order to prevent the bag from wobbling around on the trail, a close-fit is essential though. Therefore, the ventilation of a waist pack is only of secondary importance compared with the fit. Sweat absorption, on the other hand, is a more exciting factor. While some bags feel like wet rags when you put them back on after a short break, others barely soak up the sweat and are as good as dry after five minutes in the sun – the clever design and choice of material are mainly responsible for this.
Throughout our test it became increasingly evident that overfilling (or in some cases even just filling it to the maximum capacity) a hip pack is pretty detrimental to its performance. So even if the hydration bladder can hold lots of fluid, we wouldn’t risk filling it to the brim – usually a litre will suffice on short rides and it’ll pay off with increased comfort. Another easy way to save space and weight? Use a strap to attach your spare inner tube and mini tool directly to the bike frame – where possible and if necessary. You can use the extra room in the pack for a few extra energy bars … your riding buddy who always seems to forget to bring his own will be grateful;)
Instead of freeing up your upper back, you could go the other way and wear a minimalist Hydration Pack to free your hips. The CamelBak Chase Bike Vest, SOURCE Rapid Hydration Pack or USWE VERTICAL 4 PLUS or AIRBORNE 3 models offer a similar amount of storage room at the same weight of a hip pack. For water bladder users, these might even be the better choice, because the load is more evenly distributed, fixed more efficiently and usually also turns out larger in terms of water volume. Bib shorts or base layers with integrated pockets (e.g. from Specialized, Scott, Race Face and Patagonia) work similarly to a hip bag. The trousers especially are getting increasingly popular and hold the content firmly in place. However, the capacity is limited and as soon as you start sweating all of the contents get wet too.
After five months of relentless testing, our favourite ‘best all-round hip bag’ emerged. No waist pack managed to combine carrying comfort, stability, compartment layout and universal usability as well as the EVOC HIP PACK PRO 3l did. In addition, the climate is outstanding, even without activating the VENTIFLAP system to increase ventilation on long hot climbs. With two bottle holders and an optional hydration bladder, you’re spoilt for choice when it comes to deciding how to carry your water supply. And while this is the heaviest model in test, we never noticed it because the excellent compression system allows for an optimal seat and very comfortable fit. Overall, there is practically nothing the EVOC HIP PACK PRO 3l can’t do. Thus, it secured our Best in Test badge as the best all-rounder in our big hip pack test.
Here you’ll find our in depth test of the EVOC HIP PACK PRO.
However, the superb performance of the EVOC comes at a price and not everyone is prepared to pay € 90 (or even € 120 with the bladder) for a fanny pack. That’s where the Dakine Hot Laps 2L comes in – and we were totally impressed with it. For just € 40, you’ll get an outstanding, well thought out compartment layout with a well padded mobile compartment, good wearing comfort and a stable, unobtrusive fit. And despite its compact dimensions, the Dakine Hot Laps 2 L even lets you carry water on your ride. The fold-out bottle holder holds a water bottle securely in place and can be easily stowed away when not in use. Despite its compact size, the Dakine Hot Laps 2L is an excellent all-rounder at a slim price – and thus deserves our coveted Best Buy badge.
Here you’ll find our in-depth test of the Dakine Hot Laps 2L.
Since the main focus of this test is on all-round performance, more specific hip bags are at a slight disadvantage when it comes to winning this test. Nevertheless, there are other excellent hip packs in this test which might not be as polivalent, but could even be a better option for certain applications.
With its huge storage capacity and flexible layout, the Bedrock Bags Greysill Hip Bag (to the test) is the true packing wonder in this test. Despite its lightweight, the four compression straps and perfect fit make it one of the most stable hip packs in this test – no matter how much or little you fill it. Unfortunately, the inside only has a few compartments and it can take some time to access them due to the multi-layer closing system.
If your current bike doesn’t have a bottle cage, like the YT CAPRA or Nukeproof Mega, or if you just want to carry an extra water bottle, the Bontrager Rapid Pack (to the review) and Mavic Crossride (to the review) are two great options with an integrated bottle holder as a key feature. The Bontrager is incredibly comfortable, has a stable fit and is also unobtrusive. On top of this, it offers one of the best compartment layouts in the entire test field – provided you don’t have to carry a pump. If you prefer bringing a pump with you, the Mavic pouch is the better option. Like the Mavic, it has an excellent (albeit completely different) compartment layout and extra space for a pump – and also has the best bottle access. However, you’ll have to compromise with some minor drawbacks, like the smaller compartment (compared to the Bontrager), the proprietary triangular bottle and the higher price.
If you want a compact bum bag and don’t need to carry around water but still want to have all of the trail essentials on them, you should take a closer look at the slim EVOC HIP POUCH 1l (to the review) and stylish High Above Lookout (to the review). Both models are compact and very robust no-nonsense waist packs with a very good compartment layout – fully recommended.
This test also includes two excellent options for minimalists. The EVOC RACE BELT (to the test) lives up to its name and gives you fast and easy access to all your trail essentials while providing outstanding comfort and top stability. Our top tip for racers. If you’re after something a little less specialized but still want to enjoy the advantages of a slim pack, the Dakine Hot Laps Stealth (to the test) is your best choice. Just as the Evoc, Dakine’s super slim fanny pack disappears under the jersey and has a very good and versatile compartment layout – and a compact compartment. Fit and comfort are not quite as flawless as with the EVOC, but still excellent. And for € 35 you can’t really go wrong.
Whilst most of the packs in this test made a consistently positive impression, others left a bitter taste in our mouths. These models have either disappointed us strongly in one regard or weren’t able to convince us at all. As a consequence, we won’t recommend any of them.
The brand-new ION Hipbag Traze 3 (to the test) bears an exciting new concept that allows for easy loading and strikes with an excellent climate and – at least for slim people – good stability. The fit and comfort, however, are only average. On top of this, the hip fins are too short and bulky, with the stiff padding causing unpleasant pressure points. Here we urge ION to start working on the next generation Traze 3.
Whilst both Deuter packs managed to impress our testers with quality materials, good workmanship and a very decent price, their fit is either peculiar (Pulse 3) or not suitable for cycling (Pulse 2) at all. Depending on how tightly you pull the hip belt, when you get into a more aggressive riding position with the upper body bent over the handlebars, the pack doesn’t sit properly and slides up the back or affects the abdominal breathing. On top of that, the Pulse 2 has a very poor compartment layout and doesn’t protect the contents from the elements. Talking about bad performance, the compression straps of the Pulse 3 don’t do anything. Deuter is known for making good bike-specific backpacks. Their fanny packs however are designed following a multisport orientation and to fit an upright body position, which makes them unsuitable for cycling.
All in all, the Leatt Hydration Core 2.0 (to the test) isn’t actually that bad. It’s spacious, very lightweight and offers a well-organised compartment layout and good basic level of comfort. However, the pack doesn’t compress against the body as it’s meant to and the thin outer material makes the pack itself feel extremely unstable, even with the lightest load. On top of this, the quality of the finish and materials is rather poor considering the price.
Also poorly made in places and relatively expensive is the Mavic Deemax Belt (to the test). Our main criticism, however, goes to the promised payload, which doesn’t make sense in the real world. If you fill the pack following the description printed on the inside, the Deemax will quickly overflow even with half of the items listed on the description, feeling plump and uncomfortable.
The Race Face Rip Strip (to the test) is the tail light of our test field. Except for the flat design and stability, there’s nothing nice we can say about it. None of our test riders walked away from this test with a positive impression regarding fit, comfort or the compartment layout. Added to this is the questionable placement of the CO2 cartridge/pump directly on the spine – let alone the steep price. After five years on the market, it’s time to work on a new version.
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