5.11 Rush 72 Tactical Pack

If we do a 180 from the Alice pack, we arrive at the 5.11 Ruch 72 Tactical pack. This ultra modern design incorporates some of the more specific features we talked a lot about above.

The Rush 72 is covered in MOLLE webbing that allows you to attach whatever you want to the pack, which allows you to expand the bag or add the accessories you want quick access to.

The Rush 72 sports wide and heavily padded shoulder straps as well as a chest strap and hip strap.

The bag is well designed and sports external back padding for comfort and to create airways. The bag is massive, and 72 stands for 72 hours. It's designed to give users a modern, but very large pack for bugging out for at least 72 hours.

The Rush 72 sports a modern internal layout that's very easy to organize and makes getting gear in and out of the pack very easy. The pack is compatible with hydration packs and has hydration routing holes to make accessing a hydration source easy.

The Rush 72 even has a rear stretch pocket, well not exactly a stretch pocket but a shove it pocket. The entire layout of the pack is intuitive and brilliantly designed. You really can't beat it when it comes to a modern, tactical bug out bag.

The Different Sizes and Types of Bug Out Bags

There are two general sizes for a bug out bag. The backpack and the hiking pack. Depending on what you plan to pack and the terrain you are taking you may want to choose one or another. Let's take a look at both.

Backpack

Backpack size doesn’t mean your kid's school bag. A serious outdoors backpack is a tough and rugged piece of gear. A backpack typically lacks a wide variety of features you'd find on a hiking pack.

Backpacks are smaller than hiking packs, but when packed properly they can contain a ton of necessary gear. Backpacks are smaller and therefore lighter as well. They are more maneuverable for use inside vehicles and in urban terrain.

Since backpacks stick out less from the body they are easier to move in and out of doors, hallways, windows and more. Backpacks are certainly better suited for urban environments, or if you know, you will be moving in and out of cars.

Hiking Packs

Hiking Packs are the best go-to for rural environments. They are built for this kind of work. In most cases, they also offer significantly more room than most backpacks. 

Hiking packs can range from somewhat small and convenient, to absolutely massive packs that can hold a week's worth of goods. Hiking packs are often designed for long walks over rough terrain.

Hiking packs are outfitted with a wide variety of features that make it more comfortable to carry a heavy load for a long haul.

It’s substantially easier to carry three days worth of food, water, clothing, medical gear, and even shelter tools. This kind of pack is harder to use in and out of a vehicle and does take up a significant amount of room. From my experience hiking packs are difficult to use inside of buildings, especially if you are climbing through small hallways and doorways.

Sling Bags

Sling bags are a third option I am tossing up on this list, even though they often cannot carry three days of food, water, and other necessities. Sling bags often fit the category of “Get Home” bag. 

A Get Home bag is a subset of the bug out bag. Since you can’t haul a Bug Out bag with you everywhere, you go you have a Get Home Bag. A Get Home Bag is a mini bug out bag designed to get you to your main bug out bag, which is likely at home.

A Get Home bag has the necessary supplies to get you from work to home, or from out and about to home, in the event of an emergency. A Sling bag is a small, compact bag that fits anywhere and is easy to use in and out of vehicles.

1 Days worth of supplies is easy to carry in something as small as a sling bag. Technically it's a bug out bag because you are bugging out to your main bag, family, and departure point.

Comfort

As someone who has hiked a lot, and I mean a lot, I will say that comfort is incredibly important. You could be carrying this bag on your back for days on end and if it's not comfortable you’ll be in pain very quickly. There are a number of features you should look for when it comes to comfort.

Wide Shoulder Straps

The wider the shoulder straps, the more comfortable they’ll be. Wider straps help distribute the weight more evenly. This creates less shoulder pain and generally makes carrying a pack way more comfortable.

Wide padded straps are a must-have for long-term hiking, and of course, long-term bugging out. Wide shoulder straps will make life good.

Hip Strap

Three days worth of survival supplies can get heavy quickly, especially if you are also packing a tent, cooking gear, and extra tools and equipment. Placing all that weight on your shoulders will become uncomfortable very quickly.

A hip strap helps take the weight off your shoulders and back and places the weight on your hips and thighs. This distribution will make life so much easier for you. My life changed the day I learned how to use hip straps properly.

Hip straps are often padded to prevent chafing, or made from wide webbing. This combination of features is almost always found in hiking packs but is slightly rarer in backpacks. Some military issue backpacks will have these hip straps and can be had cheaply on the surplus market.

Chest Clip

A chest clip is a nice little feature to have. A chest clip and strap attaches to both shoulder straps and clips in the middle. This keeps the shoulder straps in proper position and keeps the pack straps from sliding and moving. It really helps to counterbalance a heavy load.

The majority of people will love it, but for wide shouldered guys like me, they rarely fit. If you are a big guy with broad shoulders, you may need to find a chest or sternum clip extensions, which are easy to find and quite common.

Padded Backing and Frame

A padded backing is a great feature to have for carrying a heavy load for a number of reasons. First off padding is just comfortable to feel on your back. Second, padding often creates channels that allow air to flow between your back and pack that allows for a cooler, chafe-free carry.

Padded backing is also great for keeping hard and pointy items in your pack from being driven into your back. This decreases discomfort from coming from the pack.

A frame is something you are more likely to find in a hiking packing. Frames can be external or internal. These frames help support the pack and make carrying heavy loads easier for longer periods of time.

External frames are often stronger and put airspace between your back and the pack. However, external frame packs are often heavier overall. Internal frames are lighter but don't provide the same degree of support that an external frame will.

Adjustment and Lots of It

The ability to adjust everything is a great feature to have. You want to be able to adjust the shoulder straps, the chest strap, the hip straps and more. This level of adjustment makes life much easier.

The more you can adjust your pack the better it will fit you and the better it will be for long-term use.

Additional Features

Modularity

Modularity is a great way to enhance the ability of your pack. The most common modular platform will be through MOLLE webbing. MOLLE webbing allows you to attach accessories, pouches, and more to your pack.

This modular interface makes it easy to add accessory pouches for greater accessibility. A wide variety of packs now incorporate MOLLE and its incredibly common in the tactical pack world.

Hydration Bladder Pocket

Camelbak changed the world with the advent of the backpack mounted hydration bladders.

These days this is a common feature in many backpacks and hiking packs. On modern packs, you’ll find specialize pockets for hydration bladders with drinking tubes coming out of the bag for easy access to fluid while hiking.

Internal Organizational Ability

The inside of the bag is just as important as the outside. Several bags may come with internal hook and loop attachments for the attachment of pouches for great organizational ability.

The ability to organize a bag is very important and makes it easy to get to those important goods faster and easier.

Rear Stretch Pocket

A Rear stretch pocket is a simple pocket that is separate from the internal bag. This pocket is commonly used to store things like wet clothing, ponchos, rain catches, and other items you wouldn't want to expose the inside of the bag too.

What Makes a Quality Sling

There are a number of factors to consider when choosing a sling, some focus on comfort and others on purpose and use. Finding a good sling isn't too hard these days, and the real key to success is finding a quality model that fits your purpose.

Here are a few factors to consider when choosing a sling.

Comfort

The general rule of thumb is the more substantial the weapon, the wider the sling you’ll need. The wider the sling, the more the weight will be evenly distributed. This reduces fatigue and helps cut the feeling of the sling really digging into you.

Slings designed for heavy guns will usually feature a large pad that can be placed over the shoulder and fitted for comfort. This is a must-have for those heavier AR 15s, AR 10s, and shotguns. This pad makes a lot more sense after carrying your gun more than six hours.

As a machine gunner, I toted a gun that weighed nearly 30 pounds, and the sling I used had a large pad. It made a significant difference to my back and shoulders, and my deployment to Afghanistan would have been a lot different without it.

Comfort matters. If you are focused on that pain in your shoulder, you aren’t paying attention to the world around you, and therefore you are putting yourself at risk.

Design

How does the design effect using the sling? Is it easy to make adjustments? Is it easy to attach sling mounting hardware?

These are questions you need to ask before purchasing and using a sling. The sling's design will allow you to incorporate the sling with your weapon successfully. If it has HK clips for example and you had QD slots you may want to consider different hardware.

If you need to adjust the sling for use with and without body armor, you’ll want something with plenty of adjustment range and preferably something quick and easy to adjust. The overall design should be simple. Anything too complicated and mechanical is likely to gum up the works and break a bit easier.

You’ll also need to consider sizing the sling for your body type and gear. As a big guy, some slings are too tight, especially when you are wearing body armor. Most slings will list their adjustment range in inches, and this will give you a solid idea of how long the sling is versus how big you are.

Purpose

What is the task of your weapon? This will help you choose the right sling. A defensive firearm for home protection is a lot different than a rifle designed for hunting. A duty AR 15 will have its own requirements for a sling.

I suggest really examining what the weapon is for and determining what the everyday use for that sling will be.

Home defense slings need to be rapid to put on and take off, and preferably very strong. These slings can prioritize comfort last since they won't be worn for hours at a time.

A hunting rifle sling should prioritize comfort first since the rifle is likely to be carried for extended periods over rough terrain.

A sling for a duty grade weapon needs to be comfortable, durable, and adjustable.

Leather vs. Synthetic

The two main material used in sling design is leather and a wide variety of different synthetic materials. Leather is still a classic choice due to its durability and strength. Leather slings are also very stylish and have a throwback appearance.

Leather slings are best reserved for hunting rifles and shotguns. While they are strong and durable, the material isn't as malleable as synthetic options and doesn't offer the same design influences a tactical sling requires.

Another stylish material is paracord. Weaving paracord is a unique and fun way to make a sling, or you can, of course, buy pre-made slings. Paracord is robust, durable and looks cool, but is limited in design and again a better option for a hunting rifle.

Materials like ballistic nylon, however, are excellent for tactical slings. This light, but durable material is malleable and works with a variety of designs. Ballistic nylon and similar materials are the way to go for long-term sling use.

The Three Types of Slings 

There are three types of slings out there, and each has its place in the hunting and tactical world. Each design has its good and bad points, and different shooters all have their preferences. I’ll try to do my best to avoid my own personal bias when talking slings.

Single Point Slings

Single point slings attach to a single point on the weapon. This allows for a robust and straightforward type of sling that’s idiot proof. The sling attaches to the rear of the firearm and typically features a loop that goes around the body over one arm and under the other.

Single point slings are also an excellent choice for tactical shooting and do have some limited hunting applications.

The Good 

Single point slings are very easy to use and allow you to don and remove your sling with minimal effort quickly. The sling always makes it very easy to maneuver the weapon, especially when it comes to indoor use. Since the sling only attaches to the rear of the gun, the muzzle is entirely free.

Single point slings also allow transitioning from shoulder to shoulder when necessary smoothly. This will enable you to shoot around barriers. The single point sling offers the enormous range of movement for shooters of all three sling types. They are very simple and will not likely get tangled up in your gear as move and groove.

The Bad

When you aren’t handling the weapon, a single point sling does kind of just flop around. For male shooters, this could end in some uncomfortable blows to the downstairs. Single point slings tend to allow your weapon sway and bounce when you don't have total control over the weapon.

These slings are the hardest to climb with and do make it difficult to get up and over an obstacle. They will allow your weapon to bounce on and off obstacles.

How To Choose The Best Hammock Tarp?

Choosing the best hammock tarp becomes much easier when you know what to look for. There are a few factors which will determine the quality of the tarp and whether it is the one for you or not.

I’ve learned the art of picking the best hammock tarp from an experienced hunter, and I am glad to share my knowledge with you.

Let’s dive in together:

Size

As you know, hammock tarps come in different shapes and styles. Whichever you decide to choose, you have to keep in mind that size matters.

The rule of the thumb is following - your tarp needs to extend between 5-12 inches over each end of your hammock or shelter area. This way your ends will stay dry if it rains. If you neglect this rule, the ends might get wet, and water can seep into your hammock during the night.

I prefer to sleep in a 10-foot-long hammock. However, when set it up correctly, your hammock will sag which figuratively “shrinks” it length to just over 8 feet. In this case, a 12-foot long tarp will provide you with enough coverage.

Pro tip: I learned over the years that big tarps are ideal for bad weather, while smaller ones are better for sunny days. Big tarps offer you protection, but they are usually heavier and have limited ventilation, which leads to condensation. So, for optimal airflow in sunny weather, choose smaller tarps.

Style

As you start your search for the best hammock tarp, you will come across different shapes. Most commonly, campers and outdoor enthusiasts use hexagonal, rectangular, catenary and diamond (square) shape. Each one of these provides different coverage. Also, various shapes have different amounts of anchor points.

This is important for you because it will affect the ease and the convenience of the setup.

Make sure to find the one that will suit your needs regarding coverage space and comfort.

Material

Let me tell you a secret.

If you want the cheapest option that comes with tons of advantages, you should go to the hardware store. A blue polyethylene tarp can serve as a versatile shelter. They are very durable, and you can pick one for less than $10. If you have mean staking skills, you can build hundreds of different shelters out of it.

Unfortunately, there is a good reason why we invest in more expensive tarps. Blue plastic tarps are bulky and take up a lot of space, which makes them impractical for most of the campers. If you are a backpacker, this is probably a deal breaker for you.

When I was a child, we used to go car camping, so the bulkiness of these tarps wasn’t such a problem. However, I still remember the annoying noise this material made as we set it up and packed it back to our car. It was rather loud. This can be a problem when you are trying to sleep on a stormy night.

So, if you want to purchase the best hammock tarp, check if it is lightweight.

Today, the silnylon (ridgeline) tarps are the most popular kind. They are a bit more expensive but surprisingly light, and they offer excellent durability. Additionally, ridgeline tarps are waterproof.

If you can get a tarp that cuts down on the weight and space significantly while providing the same protection, why wouldn’t you invest a few bucks more?

Durability

All of the other aspects of the hammock tarp could be ideal – size, shape, price - but if it is not durable, it is not worth a buy.

You are purchasing something that is supposed to protect you from rain, snow, sun, and wind. This means it has to be sturdy. Waterproof and tear resistant features of the fabric are absolutely necessary.

The finest quality hammock tarps will barely show any effects of wear, even after it has been used in harsh weather conditions. The fabric should also dry on the sunlight and clean easily because your water and soap resources will probably be limited once you set your campsite.