KIT & GEAR SITE TO STREET
VIPER COVERT SHOULDER BAG
IN HIS CONTINUING SERIES ABOUT ITEMS THAT HAVE MOVED FROM THE SITE TO THE STREET, FRENCHIE TAKES A CLOSER LOOK AT VIPER’S COVERT SHOULDER BAG.
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’m not entirely sure what is particularly “covert” about this - but it is definitely a shoulder bag! It’s possibly a marketing term for something that frankly isn’t actually “tactical”; that would be appropriate in this case. It’s hard to see this on the skirmish field; I’ll come back to that later. In the US of A, this would undoubtedly have a pocket specifically for concealed carry, because they do things like that over there. In the somewhat more staid UK though, such additions would be mere affectation or at best, just another pocket. With exquisite timing I also requested a sample from Viper of a product which is now discontinued. That said, it is still widely available at the time of writing and will probably remain so for a while. So, what do we actually have here?
FEATURES • Main compartment with 2 x internal nylon sleeves • Front admin compartment comes with admin pockets for pens, documents and accessories • Adjustable shoulder strap • Front zipped pocket • Covert zipped pocket on rear • 2 x side sleeve pockets • Viper ring pull zippers throughout • Rubber logo patch • Dimensions: 38 X 28 X 20cm Construction is basic throughout - single stitching
and what appear to be waterproof zips, however, the material looks like cotton, so I’m unsure just how waterproof they are. So far I have had no issues with rain ingress but I have avoided the worst of the downpours. May have to chuck it in the shower in order to properly test that… Hmmm… Since that was too attractive a proposition to pass up, I emptied the bag, stuffed a towel in the main compartment and ran it under the shower for one minute. That’s quite a lot of water and, as expected, I think we have to file this as “showerproof”. It didn’t flood - quite - but it did get pretty moist. Those zips look likely to be the culprits, so bear this in mind if you pick one up. It’s now in the airing cupboard drying out again! The shoulder strap is 2” black nylon and is stitched into the bag at either end. Adjustment is via a single black nylon buckle. There is no shoulder pad, so no need for me to chop it off and throw it away. That also means there is no quick release but I don’t think this bag justifies the addition of one. As ever with Viper, it’s available in several colours; coyote, titanium (grey) and olive green. All have contrasting straps and zips - the coyotes and titanium are black, the olive has coyote-coloured accessories. Those are the raw specs but this is a bag of many facets and over the past month I have been pushing it as far as I was comfortable as an everyday carry (EDC) bag. It’s a simple bag, despite its appearance. It’s not a
“IT’S ONE OF THOSE BAGS THAT MAKES IT DIFFICULT FOR ME TO CONTEMPLATE THE FURTHER TESTS AND REVIEWS I HAVE LINED UP, WHICH WILL REQUIRE USING A DIFFERENT BAG. NO MATTER HOW GOOD THEY ARE IN THEIR OWN WAY, THEY ARE UNLIKELY TO BE AS COMPETENT AN ALL-ROUNDER AS THIS ONE.” 84
MAY 2021
