Written by 5:25 pmTactical Gear

Best Tactical Duffle Bags Buyer’s Guide & Reviews

Image of a bag with multiple pockets on one side, shoulder strap seen, pockets have buckles as closure.

The 15 Best Tactical Duffle Bags

So if you’re anything like me, you have a tonne of gear to lug around. A good tactical duffle bag makes transporting this kit so much easier. Although finding the best Tactical Duffle Bag can be a bit of a challenge. There is a tonne of options to filter and the reviews can often be a mix of good and bad.

We know what it’s like too, if something is a nuisance to carry around all the time you will likely get fed up with carrying it. And maybe one day, you decide to leave it behind. It’s just this one time, right? Only to find out this is the day when you need it the most.

We’ve been there and we totally understand it’s hard to find a balance sometimes. Keep on reading to see our best 3 picks, directly below. After that you’ll find an in depth list of reviews. If you’re curious about the different points to look at when buying a tactical duffle bag, just head directly to the bottom of this post and read our buy guide.

Oh and we’ve even included a small section at the very bottom of the page that will help you Run With a Tactical Duffle Bag. These bags can weigh a lot and if you’re going to be hiking over a large distance you’ll need to be physically able to do it or you’ll end up injuring yourself.

15+ Tactical Duffle Bag Reviews

Below you will find our opinions on a number of different tactical duffle bags. I hope that the information provided helps you make a data driven decision and that you purchase a duffle bag that works for you.

If you’re buying one of these bags for your first tour of duty, we salute you! If you’re looking for a bag for the shooting range – skip this blog post and check out our shooting range bag review.

If you’re looking for a survival bug out bag, we would recommend you check out our survival bags first instead.

 

1 – 5.11 Tactical Dart Duffel

Image of a black tactical duffle bag with shoulder strap on a white background.

If you judged a book by its cover, you would probably skip over this gem. I’m a huge 5.11 fanboy but no wonder, they produce awesome bags like this. Sure, the bag doesn’t look tactical but the low-visibility exterior is designed to ensure you don’t stand out when traveling.

The bag is meant to look basic but it’s far from it. Let’s start with size, the 5.11 Tactical Dart Duffel bag

2 – Filson Ballistic Nylon Hybrid Duffel Bag

A duffle bag for men in military-green color with zippers on a white background.

Sure, Ballistic Nylon won’t stop a bullet but it’s definitely going to perform well against the common tears and abrasions that you see in day to day life.

This Filson Hybrid Duffel Bag has a few features that makes it a great overnight bag to carry your gear in. While it’s not the most tactical, it does serve a good purpose for law enforcement and survivalists. How well does it blend in?

Very well. Right? I mean look at it, it’s as far away from “tactical” as possible. Well, in terms of looks. Yet you can use it as a day bag and fit some important gear in there.

The abrasion-resistant 600-denier ballistic nylon means the bag can get roughed up a little and come out absolutely fine. Inside the bag, you’ll find many different tactical compartments which are ideal for hiding equipment.

I thought this bag makes a great addition to the list because some viewers won’t just be looking for a range bag or an obvious tactical bag.

There are shoulder, hand, and back straps, so you are getting a few different carrying options. The straps are built with nylon webbing so you can put faith in them (in terms of quality).

3 – Mystery Ranch Mission Duffel – Backpack Hybrid

An image of a gray duffle bag with front horizontal pocket with string on its zipper

Mystery Ranch have been producing bags for over 20 years now. This bag is a big winner for me because it offers the comfort, quality, and durability required when carrying a lot of gear.

Its a 554-liter duffel bag that is similar to the Filson Nylon Hybrid bag in terms of looks. This one blends in and works well for those travelling a lot in urban environments.

You have a few different carrying options as there are shoulder, hand, and back straps.

The construction of the bag is really good too. They use 1000D nylon fabric that is coated so that it is water-resistant. They also use YKK zippers which I’m sure you know how good they are.

Overall it’s a good duffle bag that you can use to carry your gear in urban environments without standing out too much.

4 – Maxpedition Operator Tactical Attache Duffle

An image of a black duffle bag with multi-pockets on front and its shoulder strap across

Now we’re talking. This Tactical Duffle bag has been built with operators in mind. It’s far from pretty but it gives you a tonne of storage space that makes it very useful.

Inside the bag, you’ll find a removable divider. This rigid divider comes with slip pockets on one side and loops on the other. So you could attach a gun or some mag holders in the main compartment.

This makes it good for undercover police officers. The bag actually works great for those who want to conceal carry too. There are multiple storage compartments that are ideal for various concealed carry configurations.

To give you an example of space, you can fit a 15.4-inch laptop inside the bag no problem.

The strength of the bag goes down well, it’s clear the build quality was very important to Maxpedition.

Once you’ve got a bit of weight in it, it starts digging into my shoulders. Which isn’t the best but hey ho! I’d say the other perks make up for this significantly.

5 – 5.11 Rush LBD Lima Duffle Bag

A photo of a black bag with buckle-type front closures on a white background.

Now this one is one of my personal favorites. It’s not too big or too small, it fits just right. I’m 90kg, 5 foot 9 with broad shoulders and this is a very comfortable fit. It fits on my back very well.

So how much can you store inside the 5.11 Rush LBD Lima Duffle Bag? Well, the Lima is a 56 liter bag, so it can fit quite a bit in it. It is the perfect range bag.

What would I change? I would add more webbing or pockets, the lack of pockets can be quite annoying. It’s the biggest downfall of this bag, I’d say.

I have seen some complaints online about the straps of the bag, I haven’t had any bother with them though. The build materials are very good, I’m impressed with the construction too

Plus the aesthetics of the bag is very pleasing. The sandstone color works in a wide range of environments, so it’s a winner for me.

6 – Condor Colossus Duffle Bag

Photo of a long duffle bag laid flat on a white background.

This Condor Colossus Duffle bag was designed for members of SWAT. Yup, if a bag is built for SWAT you can be sure it’s going to be tactical! This sleek, rugged-looking duffle bag isn’t just aesthetically pleasing but it is also highly functional.

The bag has two main compartments, one for wet gear and one for dry gear. There is also a number of pockets to help with the organisation too.

The expandable side compartment on the bag works great. There is also a zippered end sleeve on that side too. The bottom of the bag is reinforced with textured PVC.

You can carry the bag however you like, there is a hide-away padded backstrap, detachable shoulder straps, two side drag handles, or a top grab handle.

The versatile and well-constructed gear bag is perfect for most tactical situations. If you’re in law enforcement and need a bag to carry your gear, you need to consider this one.

The bag is made with 1000 denier nylon, so you can be sure it will withstand some abuse.

7 – SOG Prophet 33 Pack

An image of a black duffle bag-backpack style with buckles seen on front as closures.

This compact duffel bag by SOG is ideal for airline travellers. It has a 33-liter storage capacity which is enough for essential items. Its an okay bag but there are a few problems. The MOLLE System is 90 degrees the wrong way if you are using this as a backpack. We feel like SOG have tried to make this both a duffle bag and a backpack. In doing so they have messed up both.

Personally I’d recommend skipping this one, we only reviewed it because we thought it would be good for this list. Turns out it is not. There are some pros though, the 4 zippers on the main compartment are nice. Zippers are also smooth too and of high quality.

8 – Voodoo Tactical Mojo Load-Out Bag

Image of a bag with multiple pockets on one side, shoulder strap seen, pockets have buckles as closure.

If you’re a big lover of compartments, you’ll feel like a kid at Christmas with this bag. Seriously, there are loads of compartments in this bag.

The quality is exceptional, the highly durable material matched with the heavy-duty stitching makes this bag a tank!

There’s also a lifetime warranty that covers the bag if there is ever any rips or tears.

The 11 exterior pouches goes down well if you have a tonne of different items to store. Plus there is plenty of PALS webbing so you can adjust this to your needs.

There is an adjustable removable shoulder strap with a moveable pad too.

9 – Amabilis Dave Jr Tactical Duffel Bag

An image of a duffle bag in brown and matte green color with hand strap on top of it.

This is another duffel bag that looks like something a civilian would wear on a normal day to day basis. This 25-liter bag can be used as a tote bag, a duffel bag, or even a backpack.

It’s pretty small but it will be a good bag for day use. It is built with heavy-duty premium waterproof tarpaulin and uses military-grade metal hardware.

10 – Tactical Tailor Enhanced Duffle Bag

 

22" Tactical Duffel Bag, Military Duffle Bag, Molle Duffle Bag, Army Duffle Bags, Duty Bags

If you want a simple bag capable of holding a lot of fo stuff, check out the Tactical Tailor Enhanced Duffle Bag. It’s a rock-solid bag with plenty of room for boots. In fact, the boot compartment can expand so that it takes up half of the bag if you wanted.

Built with high durable 1000D Cordura nylon, it’s capable of being roughed up. The padded shoulder straps are comfortable and can be stowed out the road when you’re not using it.

11 – Gregory Covert Overnight Mission Bag

Image of a rectangle-shaped black stiff duffle bag with front zippered pocket, hand strap and shoulder strap.

 

Sure, the Gregory Covert Overnight Mission Bag isn’t your average Duffle bag. In fact, it looks more like a fat messenger bag. Built for the tactical office goer, this overnight bag is designed to blend in while offering you adequate room to store your gear.

It has a 22 litre carrying capacity. It’s pretty big on the inside too. You can easily store shoes, clothes, electronics, or whatever you need in this bag.

The Overnight bag offers three different carrying options, these are briefcase, over-the-shoulder, or as a backpack.

12 – Eberlestock J2SD Spike Camp Duffel

Photo of a green duffle bag vertically-laid, front pocket seen with two zipper.

Okay so the Eberlestock J2sd Spike Camp Duffel bag, does exactly what it says it can do. They keep things simple with this bag but it’s better to do one thing right than 10 things bad, right?

One big issue with this bag is the lack of hook that holds the zipper pulls. Other than that the bag is well thought out, I’m quite keen on this simple approach. It works and has been built perfectly.

The bag weighs a whopping 12 ounces which is fantastic for a 39-liter bag.

13 – Rothco Mossad Tactical Duffle Bag

 

A big black duffle bag laid horizontally with hand strap seen.

Okay, so the Rothco Mossad Tactical Duffle Bag is another bag that seems to have very mixed reviews. Does this mean its bad? Let’s see. So personally I think it is a great bag, it works way better if you’ve actually got it filled with a bit of weight though.

I think that’s the problem with a lot of people’s reviews, they aren’t carrying a bag that has items in it, or enough anyway. So what’s happening is the bag kind of flops around.

I get it though, you want a bag that sticks to you. The bottom of the bag is created with rubber which gives it water resistance from the bottom.

If you look inside the bag, you’ll find a concealed zipper pocket. The outside has some more pouches that are ideal for things like AR magazines.

The reinforced top-carry handles are nice and comfortable. You could also utilize the dual shoulder straps and wear the bag as a backpack too.

When you weigh all this up with the price tag, it’s actually a fair priced bag that does the job!

14 – Nixon Pipes Duffle Bag

Photo of a white and gray color duffle bag with hand strap and shoulder strap hanging across it.

I’m a fan of the sleek design that this Nixon Pipes Duffle Bag offers. In fact, it looks a bit too pretty to be tactical right? Don’t let that fool you, it’s actually a really well-designed bag capable of holding 35 liters worth of gear.

The top and side handle make the bag easy to carry. This bag would function as a decent weekend bag. If you’re wanting something that looks like something a civvy would wear, this could be it.

Tactical Duffle Bag Buy Guide

Size & Weight

So when choosing the best bags for the list we filtered them down by Size first. Now bigger isn’t necessarily better but we were ideally looking for a 40-60 liter bag.

More weight means you’ll move slower. Sometimes a 40-liter bag would work much better for a tactical situation than a 60 liter. It’s a tough decision to make when you need to decide if speed and lightweight is more important than extra rounds of ammunition and supplies.

Storage

If you’ve got a bag capable of holding a lot of volumes, you want to make sure it can be categorized and assorted properly. If you need to find an item fast, the last thing you want to do is have to spend ages digging around looking for it.

More things to consider:

  • Internal Frames – These will help keep the weight aligned with your center of gravity and will allow you to keep your balance more easily.
  • External Frames – External Frames allow you to carry more gear and typically allow for more compartments inside the bag.
  • Top Loading Bags – These bags distribute the weight in your pack but you’re going to have a harder time with finding things inside.

Materials

When it comes to materials, polyester and nylon types are the most reliable for tactical duffle bags. These materials are strong and can cope with a lot of wear and tear.

Water Resistance

Now we’ve all been caught in the rain and we know how much it sucks. When you’re in a tactical or survival situation, you probably don’t care too much about getting wet.

You’ve got more important things on your mind but if you knew that the equipment in your bag was going to get damaged by the rain, you would likely change your focus. At the very least you would be distracted. It’s so important to store things like dry changes of clothes, match sticks, blankets, etc . You do not want them to get damp and wet.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Does Denier Mean?

Denier is the unit we give to fiber to measure how durable it is. A higher denier count means the more durable the material is. However, the material is a big deciding factor too. Nylon is more durable than polyester fabric.

What does rip-stop mean?

Rip stop describes the way special woven fabrics are woven together. It sounds pretty cool but all it really means is the fabric is made of thick, interwoven threads to reinforce the material. This provides greater resistance against tearing etc.

Are shooting bags the same as tactical bags?

No shooting bags are completely different. Some tactical bags are built to carry your rifle, ammunition, etc but these are more multi-purpose bags. Sure you can use a lot of these bags for going to the range but shooting bags are a lot more simple in terms of design.

Shooting bags aren’t built to be used in the rain or harsh weather. They aren’t built to be comfortable, in fact, they aren’t built to be carried for long periods of time either.

Are larger bags better?

There’s no doubt about it that large bags have a bunch of advantages. Imagine you’re in a life or death situation and you need one piece of equipment only to remember that was the piece you decided not to pack because there wasn’t much room.

On the flipside, you also do not want to be luggin everything around on the off chance that you’ll need it. So the answer is yes and no. It is purely dependent on the situation you are faced with. I personally prefer 40-liter bags as they sit much better and I have more mobility.

Running With a Tactical Duffle Bag

Our bodies will tire faster with a lot of weight on our back. However, sometimes speed is of the essence and you’re going to have to run with a lot of weight. Preparing for disasters doesn’t just stop with collecting the necessary materials and equipment. It involves preparing physically.

You should try and master the art of running with your bag on your back. If it’s bouncing up and down it can be incredibly frustrating.

You’ll find a lot of conflicting advice online about running with heavy loads on your back. The reality is you have to figure out what works for you – sure take the advice of other pros but practice practice practice.

Learn how to pack your duffle bag for the best weight distribution. Learn how much weight you can physically carry and if you need to carry more weight then, well, you just need to get stronger.

As you start adding more weight you will notice the importance of having good footwork. You don’t want to stumble and fall. This could lead to twisted ankles or even broken ankles.

Check out our blog here on how to run with heavy weights on your back.

 

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