CCW Bag Showdown — 2APR Top 3 Bags

Over the past few weeks we've looked at a bunch of crossbody bags and fanny packs, so we figured: why not take our three favorites and do a little showdown? The contenders are the ACETAC fanny pack/crossbody, the Grab Bag, and the 945 Industries quick-access bag — rated one to five on material and appearance, ease of draw, and comfort, all in the crossbody format, because let's be honest, all fanny packs are uncomfortable.

The ACETAC is the odd man out on looks — the other two are incognito, grayman, black; this one's in our favorite color, multicam, and I like it just because of that. Up front there's an admin pouch that keeps your stuff separate from the firearm, and the main compartment has loop backing for a hook-and-loop holster — the X-Macro rides in there. It's got mag slots inside, though I don't want much in there interrupting my grab. The back has two mag pouches that look sized for 5.56 or 300 Blackout mags plus MOLLE, so you can strip the straps and throw the whole thing on your chest rig or plate carrier for range work. And it's the only one of the three with a tourniquet holder on the bottom. That sets it apart.

The Grab Bag was one of the first we ever featured, and its magnetic closure is still unique in this realm of bags — I have not seen another one like it. Pull the tab and it comes apart so easy. Inside is simple: hook-and-loop plus MOLLE, and I run the Vertx BAP system in there with an inside-the-waistband holster stuck to it and a spare mag. The strap material is super soft, almost like seat belt material, so it doesn't scrape your neck, and nothing on it screams tactical. The knock: because of how the strap comes off the shoulder, the bag tends to droop forward, and I feel like I keep readjusting it.

The 945 Industries bag is the most simplistic of all of them — loop backing, pull tabs, and no other interior compartments, which is honestly well-designed: it stops you from stuffing things in there that shouldn't be near your gun. Front pouch for wallet, keys, phone; padded rear phone pocket; and a chest strap that cinches it really firm to your body so you get zero shifting on the draw. The extra dangling side pouch is the differentiator — out and away from the draw, and I keep our pocket EDC kit from Live The Creed in there: stop-the-bleed kit, tourniquet, gloves, bacitracin — things you might need in the event you have to use your firearm.

Category winners: appearance and material goes to the Grab Bag at 4 out of 5 — the only thing missing is double stitching around that magnetic pull point, since it's a hefty pull point. Ease of draw goes to the 945 Industries at 4 out of 5 — worn tilted over the shoulder so the pull-down tab drops your hand in right at level. Comfort goes to the ACETAC — the low-profile strap doesn't cut into you, it's extremely lightweight, and it sits tight without restricting you the way the 945's chest strap can. The Grab Bag took a 3 there for the droop.

Real talk on the ACETAC though: it's probably not my everyday-out-in-public bag. It screams tactical, people are going to assume there's a gun in there, and since its compartment is the smallest of the three, my firearm bulges and prints a bit. But for working around the ranch when I don't want to wear the battle belt, or living in the truck? Really, really cool bag. Questions on any of these — or the Vertx, Adidas, and Nike experiments we've tried sewing hook-and-loop into — drop them below.