CCW Crossbody Bag Showdown: Eberlestock Fade Flex vs Incline Tactical vs 5.11 LVC8

You guys know me as the quote-unquote bag man, so we're doing crossbody/fanny bag showdown number two with three bags you haven't seen on the channel yet: the Eberlestock Fade Flex, the Incline Tactical crossbody, and the 5.11 LVC8.

The Fade Flex is the newest of the bunch. If you own the Bando bag, this is the version actually suited for crossbody carry — the strap is the number one reason. All the extra strap stows inside the back of the bag, so it's not flipping and flopping around, and you pull it out when you need it. Up front you get three little compartments plus a slide pocket that fits your phone. The back panel is loop-lined and they include an elastic hook-and-loop carrier sized for a CAT tourniquet, which is pretty cool. The big compartment is your CCW section with loop backing on both sides, and it even has connection points for a trigger-guard holster so the holster rips off and stays with the bag as you draw — a pretty neat way to carry, though I'm not a huge fan of the gun jostling loose in there. I prefer a Velcro-backed holster; my guy Eric at Alpha Omega Kydex does them, and so does CrossBreed. Branding is super subdued, and it comes in black if the OD green is too loud for you.

The Incline Tactical crossbody is the one we showed off in our Canik video. Very cool styling — I got the most subdued tan/gray/black one, but they make some far-out colorways, like Miami pastels, that nobody will ever suspect. Small front pocket for AirPods or keys, a deeper secondary pocket for your phone, and the CCW compartment has a smooth side and a loop side. The zippers on this thing are the story: rip down on the tab and it pops right open, pull tabs on either side so lefties and righties are both covered. There's padding against your chest, the strap runs long enough for crossbody or waist carry, and it comes off completely with the D-style clips. You're maxing out around a Glock 19-size gun, and honestly that's my only knock — I wish it were just a hair bigger.

The 5.11 LVC8 is the big boy of the group. I was just knocking the Incline for being too small, and this one is probably bigger than I'd want to carry every single day — but if you do wear it all day, it's really comfortable, easy to swing around for access, and it has rings on the bottom for a bottle or a tripod. The front zip is a shallow catch-all, there's a small soft-lined top pocket for sunglasses, and the main compartment is huge — mesh lid pocket, MOLLE, loop, room for a small tablet with a strap to hold it down. My gripe there: the main compartment doesn't fold all the way down, so it's really hard to get into. The CCW compartment on the back does open all the way down, with pull tabs like the Incline, and it'll swallow a full-size handgun — I dropped the Fusion XF Pro in its holster in there, no problem. The 5.11 logo even tucks away into its own little pocket.

So where do they land? The Fade Flex gets a 4.75 — the rough zipper is the only negative on the entire bag, and for a mid-range bag that carries a few things plus your CCW, it works really well. The Incline gets a 4.5 — fantastic when all you need is the gun, keys, maybe a wallet, small footprint, gym-bag perfect. The LVC8 gets a 4 — I really wanted to love it, and I did use it all weekend at the beach with the family, but for every day it's a little too bulky, with a few too many handles and straps doing too much. If you're fine carrying on your back without immediate front access, it might be a five for you. For me it's a four.

Any questions on these bags or off-body carry in general, drop them in the comments. I'm not an expert at much, but crossbody carry I'll claim — I've got my draw out of these just as fast as my draw from appendix.