Uncle Mike'sLaw Enforcement Side-Armor Deluxe Range Bag, Black

[UPDATE 7-18-2016: Two and a half years later and this bag is going strong. Based on my experience, I have raised the rating to 4 stars. Although I stand by my original observation that the interior is surprisingly flimsy compared to the awesome durability of the exterior fabric, I have not experienced any issues with additional tearing. I've been careful with it, and it has held up fine. In fact, the entire bag still looks like it did when I first received it, and has shown no adverse effects from normal wear and tear, nor from gun oil and lubricants. This is a great bag, even if I wish the interior were more robust. I have since purchased a smaller bag that I use when only toting one or two firearms to the range, as this large Uncle Mike's bag does get quite heavy if you fill it to capacity. Nevertheless, I'm glad I bought it and appreciate it whenever I need a large bag to carry additional ammo, firearms, or ear/eye protection for friends, etc.]FIRST IMPRESSIONS/OVERVIEWWhen I first opened the shipping box and saw the Uncle Mike's LE Side-Armor Deluxe Range Bag, I was very impressed. The exterior is unusually rugged, made of a high-quality nylon cordura with nice even stitching, ultra-hefty lockable zippers, substantial zipper pulls, robust metal attachments for the (padded) shoulder strap, and a large velcro handle. On the outside, this bag ticks ALL of the essential boxes for a high quality, ultra durable range bag. The size is also nearly perfect: large, but not obnoxiously large like most of the other "deluxe" range bags I've seen on the market. And there are some nice additional touches, like extra velcro sewn on the dual-zippered panel (the lid to the main compartment) so it can be rolled up and secured out of the way when you want open access to the contents.After barely a minute of looking inside the bag, however, my impressions took a sharp turn for the negative. Whereas the exterior is made from unusually heavy duty fabric (1680D x 1680D, with a water-resistant coating), the interior lining and pockets are as cheap and flimsy as the inside of a $15 nylon backpack. Even worse, despite appearing to be brand new, there was a 1/2" puncture hole in the lining of the main compartment (I suspect someone else bought, then returned, the bag I received), and the top stitching on one of the interior side pockets was beginning to separate and fray.For awhile, I sat in disbelief and debated whether to try filling it with my gear or just send it back. Never in my life have I seen such a stark contrast in quality between the interior and the exterior of the same item. If Uncle Mike's had simply made the interior of comparable quality to the exterior, this would be a truly outstanding product. Instead, they've produced... well... a very mixed bag.Ironically, I chose this bag because most other range bags seem to suffer from notable shortcomings in their construction (poor stitching, poor fabrics, weak nylon/non-metal hardware, no padding, saggy bottoms, etc.). The shell of this bag is head and shoulders above most others I've seen, including bags like the very popular Midway and Academy Sports signature range bags. I also love the size because it's neither absurdly large nor weighted with unnecessary features (such as a removable bag-within-a-bag liner, a thousand pockets, etc.). In those regards, this bag delivers, so I decided to give it a try despite my considerable disappointment with the shoddy interior.CAPACITY/ORGANIZATION OPTIONSAs I loaded in my gear, I quickly confirmed my suspicion that the size of this bag is perfect. Loaded comfortably full (neither sagging nor bulging at the seams), it measures 9.5"H x 12.5"W x 16"L overall. Most other bags I've looked at are several inches larger in at least two of those dimensions, so I really like this bag's relatively compact size. It also holds a TON of gear. To test it out, I loaded it as follows:* MAIN COMPARTMENT (~ 9"H x 6"W x 15"L) - unzips with two zippers on either side of a 4" wide flap- 2 ear protection headsets- 1 set of earplugs- 2 sets of safety glasses- medium towel- 3 boxes of .22lr ammo (300 rounds)- 2 large boxes of 12-gauge birdshot (50 shells)- 1 small box of 12-gauge buckshot (5 shells)- 5 boxes of 9mm ammo (250 rounds)- 3 double-stack magazines for a full-sized pistol- 1 single-stack magazine for a pocket pistol- 1 large (half empty) bulk bag of Hoppes gun cleaning patches* SIDE A TOP ZIP COMPARTMENT (~ 9"H x 2"W x 12"L) - unzips at top only- padded pistol case (comes included with the bag)- full-sized combat pistol- small pocket pistol- 1 pack of Birchwood Casey Shoot-N-C (8" dia.) self-adhesive targets* SIDE A FRONT ZIP SLIM COMPARTMENT (~ 7"H x 0.5"W x 12"L) - unzips at top only- operation manuals for all firearms- small 4 x 6 moleskin notebook- 2 pens- 1 permanent marker* SIDE B THREE-QUARTERS-ZIP COMPARTMENT (~ 9"H x 2"W x 12"L) - unzips on 3 sides to fold down flat- 1 long gun cleaning kit (rod handle with four threaded extension rods)- 1 regular (short) gun cleaning rod- 2 small plastic tackle boxes (1"H x 3"W x 4.6"L each) for patches, brushes, and jags- 2 bottles of M-Pro 7 products (1 Gun Cleaner and 1 Gun Oil LPX -- 4 fl. oz. each)- 1 bore snake for 12-gauge shotgun- 1 bore snake for .22lr pistol/rifle- 1 full-size multi-toolWith all of this gear loaded, there is still PLENTY of room in the main compartment for more stuff (probably enough to cram in a pair of shoes or twice as much ammo!). There is also a fair bit of room left in the side compartments, especially Side B (the side not visible in the product picture).There are only five relatively-usable internal organizer pockets in this bag. Three in the main compartment, and two in the Side B compartment. All are identical in style and relatively similar in size: about 6"W x 6"L x 1"D with a simple fold over velcro-closable top flap. Unfortunately, since they're made of the same flimsy nylon as the interior lining, they lack structural firmness and don't feel up to the task of holding tightly packed or heavy gear securely. (The already-separating stitches at the top edge of one of the pockets on my bag would seem to confirm this.) But they should be fine for holding lightweight, soft, and rarely used gear, such as extra safety glasses, boresnakes, towels, and/or cleaning patches. Technically, there are also two more (very small) pockets in the Side A front face compartment: one small loop just large enough to hold a sharpie permanent marker and one shallow slot to hold an I.D. or credit card.Three of the four zippered compartments on this bag are lockable. The two Side A compartments and one Side B compartment all have dual zippers with small loops that, when zipped tightly together, overlap to allow a small luggage-sized padlock to be passed through. Although not a reliable deterrent to a motivated thief or very curious teenager, this would certainly be adequate to keep out small, curious children. Although the main compartment lacks the zipper-lock feature (necessarily so, since its dual zippers run parallel on either side of a 4" wide flap), it can be locked somewhat less securely by running a padlock through the pull handle (which links the two zippers) and down through the metal attachment for the shoulder strap. Obviously, a determined person could cut the pull handle to gain access, but again, this would suffice to deter the casual curiosity of small children if you wanted to keep ammo in the bag. I would NOT trust any of the zipper locks to secure a loaded firearm unattended for any significant amount of time in a house with children. If they're not on their way to the range or carried on your body, unattended, loaded firearms belong in a securely locked hard case/safe.As others have rightly noted, the pistol case that comes with this bag is mildly frustrating. It is rectangular in shape (like a pencil case) and reasonably well padded, but nearly identical in size to the Side A compartment where it is stored. Thus, the top edge of the case tends to get in the way of the zipper when closing the compartment. If Uncle Mike's reduced the height of the case by half an inch, it wouldn't be an issue.CONVENIENCE/CARRY PERFORMANCENext, I tried carrying the bag with everything inside. The arm strap attachments felt nice and solid, as if they could easily carry a lot more weight. The shoulder strap has a lot of adjustment. Adjusted for my 6'0" height, the strap still had plenty of slack to accommodate a slightly taller person, as well as plenty of room to be cinched up for a much shorter person. The pad on the shoulder strap slides around a bit loosely, but it works well and feels comfortable even with 10 - 15 pounds of weight in the bag. The bottom of the main compartment is also nicely reinforced with a semi-rigid plastic floorplate to help distribute the load evenly and prevent sagging. No complaints here.The more I play with this bag, the more I like it. I've decided to keep it because I am certain the heavy duty exterior will last a LONG time. As for the interior, it really disappoints, but I can live with it. I put a patch of electrician's tape over the puncture and sewed a few reinforcement stitches into the pocket that had begun to separate. That should do fine, since I don't plan to abuse the interior. Even if the lining eventually shreds to pieces, the shell will undoubtedly hold together and protect my gear for many years of diligent service.RATING/SUMMARYAfter a lot of thought, I rated this bag at 3 stars. The exterior design and materials (including the fabric, velcro, zippers, zipper pulls, handles, and strap) are definitely 5 stars--exactly the high quality I hoped they would be. But the interior lining, the blemishes (one puncture, one separating seam), and the flimsy internal pockets are closer to 2 stars. It's really too bad Uncle Mike's didn't go the extra mile by (1) beefing up the lining and pockets, (2) including a moveable padded internal divider in the main compartment, and (3) sewing in elastic loops for magazines/small items in the side compartments. If they did, this bag would be one of the finest range bags on the market by far.As it stands, Uncle Mike's still got the most important features right: a very durable and water-resistant exterior, heavy duty zippers, a comfortable strap, and a great overall size. That's why I decided to keep mine and use it in spite of my disappointments. If you want a range bag that is durable where it counts, and you can forgive the flimsy lining/pockets, this bag is a great choice. If you'd rather sacrifice some of the exterior durability in favor of a better-executed interior (and you don't mind a much larger bag), there are several other good choices on the market that may be more to your liking.[UPDATE 6/5/2013: Five months later and this bag is going strong. It holds plenty, shows no signs of wear, and is easy to tote around and use at the range. I still wish the interior lining were more robust and better stitched, but the repaired pocket and taped tear in the lining have held up fine without worsening. It really is a great bag, but I still say 3 stars because every time you open it and use any of the internal pockets, you'll wonder why they didn't put just a little more quality into the interior to make stiffer, more durable organizer options that you don't have to "baby" for fear of punctures or tears.]

Great product design and very user friendly for the range or as a carry all tool bag.The material used is very high quality and thick so there are no concerns of it ripping from being over loaded.Been using it for years not with the plano ammo boxes and been very happy. The double zipper top makes it easy to look inside and find what you are looking for.It will surprise you in how much weight it can carry if you max it out with ammo, must be +/- 50lbs that you will be carrying.Definite buy.

I was looking for a replacement of my 9 year old model of this bag as it finally ripped the stitching off the handle strap webbing. I really like the design and most days put to much in it but it has held up to many many range seasons and training courses. However the new bag has several key differences.1st the carry strap attachment points are not nearly as reinforced as the old model but the strap itself has metal hardware rather than plastic.2nd the materiel (1680D)is much different. It is thinner and not nearly as supportive as the old material. I'm not sure I'll get ht same longevity from this bag as my old model.3rd the interior pockets on the old model were made of the same material as the exterior (thick and strong). The new bag have very thing flimsy material. This is a negative in my opinion.Hope they can go back to the old material in the future it was better. But good design and layout!

* If you're familiar with Uncle Mike's, you already know that you're buying a quality piece of gear.* The material used to construct the exterior of the bag is phenomenal - A very durable and thick material.* Although other reviewers have been critical of the interior construction/material of the bag, it really isn't that bad. The material used is certainly substandard when compared to the exterior of the bag, but it has proven to be equally as durable. Of course, the material used on the exterior of the bag is so good, that any other material would be substandard by default. That said, buy the bag and be your own critic.* Over 1200 cubic inches of usable storage space. This bag is the perfect size for 2 pistols, ammunition, "eyes and ears", a cleaning kit, and more.* Large, double-zippered and padded main compartment.* Lockable, zippered compartments on each side.* Nice wide shoulder strap with metal clips that connect to metal D-rings.*The padded pistol rug is nice. It will comfortably hold both full-sized and compact pistols.***UPDATE*** ***DEDUCTING 2-STARS***While I still stand by Uncle Mike's products, there are some issues with this bag. Overall it is still a good bag made with great materials. However, the craftsmanship needs to be improved. After only a few months of light use, the zipper recently broke on the included pistol rug. In fact, one end of it became completely unstitched after zipping/unzipping it 12-15 times. Also, stitching that fastens the Velcro tape to the carry handle connecting the two straps fell apart. I used fabric glue to put it back together, but still an unnecessary disappointment.

Great bag. Fast delivery