I’ve used a lot of 5.11 Tactical gear over the years as a police officer, and off duty for camping and EDC. Over the past 9 months or so, though, I’ve been giving a trio of 5.11 products a bit of a different workout: travel. You probably think of 5.11 as a tactical brand, and they are, but don’t rule them out for your everyday uses as well.
Travelling with 5.11 Tactical
I worked with a RUSH 24 pack, a MOLLE Packable Pack, and the Load Up Carry On during trips that took me from my home base in Western Pennsylvania all the way to Alaska and a bunch of places in between. It’s a lot to cover, so I’m going to start with the item I used the most, the RUSH 24 backpack.
The RUSH 24 2.0 Backpack 37L
I normally travel fairly low-key and pick styles and colors that don’t scream tactical. Despite that, I decided to pick up a Multicam pack late last year. I figured with events like SHOT Show, GunCon, Blade Show, and various camping trips, the Multicam would blend in with those crowds just fine. Even traveling through the airport, there seemed to be enough folks dragging around Multicam packs that it never seemed to raise an eyebrow.
I was looking for a pack that would fit under an airplane seat and count as a personal item, but still had good organization and storage capacity. While 5.11 makes a variety of sizes in the RUSH series, I went with a 37L pack. When it’s stuffed full, it just fits under an airplane seat, so I’m maximizing my space.
The 37L RUSH 24 is generally constructed from high-strength, water-repellent 1050D nylon. On the MultiCam version, it uses 1000D nylon. The pack includes a lightweight, removable high-density PE/stay frame sheet for stability. It has contoured yoke-style shoulder straps and a ventilated back panel to improve comfort and airflow.
There’s also a quick-detach sternum strap with multiple positioning points. Additional features include a flared and reinforced grab handle and side compression straps to secure and streamline the load. Last but not least is a concealed pistol compartment with break-away hook and loop for immediate access.
Packing the RUSH 24 for the Road
5.11’s 37L pack weighs 3.85 lbs. The main compartment measures 20 inches high by 12.5 inches long by 8 inches deep. A front pocket measures 12.5 by 11 by 2 inches. An internal padded laptop sleeve fits devices up to 15 inches. There’s also a rear hydration compartment that supports a 2-liter bladder within a 17 x 12.5-inch space. The design includes dual top zippered pockets with internal organization and 6×1 name tape areas. At the top of the bag is a fleece-lined eyewear/media pocket. The large front pocket features an interior admin panel, key hook, and stash pockets.
The full-access main compartment has dual cord-pull zippers allowing left or right side entry. It also contains multiple mesh pockets for organization. The pack incorporates a modular MOLLE web platform on the front and sides, shoulder straps, and a bottom panel. There’s also a 3×3 loop field and RUSH Tier System compatibility for integration with other RUSH bags (sold separately). The Rush 24 37L pack is available in Black, Double Tap, Kangaroo, MultiCam, Ranger Green, and Moonlight colors.
MSRP is $140.00.
From Daypack to Carry On
The RUSH 24 is the item I picked up first, and the one I’ve used the most so far. It went to the SHOT Show with me as both a carry-on and my day pack throughout the show. I had plenty of space for a change of clothes, my iPad and Kindle, a backup power supply, my mess of chargers, personal items like meds, a small first aid kit, as well as snacks.
I also carry basic tools like EMT shears, a CRKT tactical pen, a TSA-approved Leatherman, and a Griffin Pocket Tool. They’re my go-tos for air travel since I can’t carry a knife. I also kept a flashlight or two on hand. Typically, a Streamlight Wedge light and sometimes my ASP Penlight or a 5.11 USB Deploy light as well.
I like the multiple compartments and various zippered sections. They let me organize my gear so that I could find it easily. It also kept stuff from rattling around loose in the bottom of the bag. The fleece-lined sunglass pocket, located adjacent to the grab handle, was very convenient. It actually had room to keep a pair of reading glasses, in addition to my sunglasses, in a hard case.
Feature-Rich Carry
I didn’t use the concealed pistol compartment for its intended purpose. Partially because I was traveling by air, so I didn’t always have a pistol with me. I prefer to keep my gun on my person, too, not in my bag. With that said, it’s a handy pocket for other stuff. It is discrete, so it’s not a bad place to store spare cash or documents.
What I used it most for, though, was a place to keep all of my charging cables and plugs. Not that those need to be concealed. It was just a convenient spot to put them that was accessible, and kept them all in one place.
I really like the padded straps. They’re easily adjustable, so you can quickly adapt to whatever clothing or other gear you’re carrying. Even with the pack heavily loaded, they distributed the weight well. The rigid stay form sheet in the back of the pack helped as well.
I went from using it as my carry-on item headed to Las Vegas for SHOT to using it as a range bag on SHOT Range Day. It served as an EDC bag through the rest of the week. It hauled water, snacks, swag, and paperwork easily and comfortably.
After SHOT, it saw frequent use as a daypack. A lot of my basic gear remained the same as my travel gear. But I’d also generally add some spare ammo for my EDC gun, and a knife or multitool. Other items depended on what I was doing. Occasionally, I’d add my laptop, which did fit easily into the padded laptop sleeve in the back of the pack. Other times, it would be spare range gear. Or just whatever junk I happened to have to haul around that day.
The RUSH to the Woods
I had two multi-day camping trips in the Spring where I used the RUSH 24. The first was a five-day trip to Montana. I used the pack as my carry-on again, along with a 5.11 Load Up bag. Once I got to camp, I added some gear from my checked bag. That included a big Becker Knife and Tool BK9, a folding saw, some cold-weather gear, and rain gear.
I camped in a hooch that my buddies and I built with tarps and paracord. So the 5.11 spent most of its time on the ground, either in the lean-to or near the campfire.
The pack saw all of the weather on that trip: rain, snow, and sleet. It even caught a little bit of sunshine and warmer temps on one of the days. The material held up well to being tossed around camp and was water-resistant at least. It’s not designed to take a full dunk, but I had no issues with the gear inside getting wet.
A month later, I was in West Virginia for a 3-day trip. My loadout was similar to the Montana trip. There was no snow this trip, but plenty of rain and mud. Again, there were no issues with moisture getting into the bag, and it hauled all of my gear without issue.
Alaska to Ohio
The next trip I took with the RUSH was to Alaska. I used the pack as my personal item along with the 5.11 Load Out as my carry-on. This was a 9-day trip with a cruise plus a couple of days tacked on to either end. To cover all of that time, I had the pack, the carry-on, and a regular suitcase to fit all of my crap. Alaska’s weather is pretty variable in early June. I had to pack for both warm and cool weather, as well as rain. Especially for rain. You couldn’t rule out snow either.
Travel days were long, and I was separated from my main bag for most of the time. I made sure to keep all of my essentials in the RUSH. For day-to-day excursions during the trip, I used the MOLLE Packable Bag, which I’ll cover in a later post.
Right on the heels of my Alaska trip was another 3-day trip to Columbus, OH, for GunCon. I did this one with the RUSH 24 and Load Out Carry On, even though I was driving. By this point, I’d become quite accustomed to the RUSH 24. It was comfortable even with heavy loads and even when wearing it for long periods. I found the straps and rigid back support did a good job of making that happen.
I had my organization system down pat, and knew exactly where to look when I needed something. The main compartment provided enough space for all the extras that the day might require.
A PCC Pack?
Another thing I found the RUSH 24 was handy for was carrying the Foxtrot Mike VFM-9 PCC pistol I’ve been testing. Although I said I don’t like keeping a gun in a bag, the PCC is a different story. That isn’t something you can carry on you. So if you plan on taking one with you, you need somewhere to stash it. The VFM-9 is a good choice for a pack gun. Since it uses a folding buffer assembly, it folds to a very compact 13.5 inches.
It easily stuffed into the main compartment of the RUSH with room to spare. I could put spare mags in the laptop sleeve, too. That kept them from rattling around loose in the bag and banging into the gun and its Meprolight MCO Pro optic.
I’d still keep my sidearm on my person even if I had the PCC. But it’s nice knowing I could quickly deploy the Foxtrot Mike from the pack if needed. Being a conventional-sized pack, it wasn’t obvious that it was housing a PCC of any sort.
The Perfect Pack?
Is the RUSH 24 37L the perfect pack? No, it’s not, but it does come close for me. It’s a good size and ruggedly constructed. It’s held up extremely well to travel and all sorts of weather. The organization is excellent, and it’s comfortable to carry. It comes in a variety of colors, including some pretty neutral options if you want discretion. At $140, I won’t say it’s cheap, but it’s competitively priced and you get a lot of value for the money in design and materials.
One thing I’ve greatly missed, though, are bottle carriers on the side of the pack. I realized that this is something that I use a lot, that the RUSH 24 is lacking. I noticed this first at SHOT, and this was just reinforced over the months of using it. Yes, I can, and did, just stuff water bottles in the main part of the pack. But having the side-mounted pockets is a lot more convenient.
It also means that you aren’t taking up your primary cargo area with water. 5.11 does make some MOLLE bottle carriers, but for some inexplicable reason, they only come in black. That certainly still works from a functional standpoint, but the color mismatch bothers my OCD.
The other thing I’d like to see is a little more Velcro on the pack for patches. I added some additional Velcro with MOLLE adapters. That is an option since you do have MOLLE everywhere. I realize this is a personal preference thing and doesn’t affect actual function at all, so it’s a quibbling detail. Still, if I’m going to be honest, I missed the extra Velcro space.
Packing for the Long Haul
Despite my couple of minor quibbles, 5.11’s 37L RUSH 24 pack has been my go-to for a bit over 9 months now. It’s traveled from one end of the country to the other with me and back, by land, sea, and air. And from the urban streets of Seattle and Las Vegas to the backwoods of Montana and West Virginia.
I’ve owned a lot of packs over the years, but I don’t see replacing this one any time soon. With the build quality, I doubt I’ll need to either.
The only thing I might consider is adding a second RUSH 24 in one of the more neutral colors. Just for times when I might want to blend a little better and not have a camo pack. If you’re in the market for a well-designed hard-use day pack, I’d give a hard look at 5.11’s RUSH series.
