KIT & GEAR 5.11 RUSH MOAB
5.11 RUSH MOAB REVISITED FRENCHIE HADN’T INTENDED TO DO ANY MORE BAG REVIEWS, BUT THIS ONE HAS IT ALL; A BOY, A GIRL, A MOUNTAIN IN SOUTHERN SPAIN, FRUSTRATION, AN ANGRILY-WIELDED KNIFE, DISILLUSION AND FINALLY REDEMPTION. GIVEN ALL OF THAT, HOW COULD HE IGNORE THIS LOAD-CARRYING SAGA!
I
n the beginning was a bag, specifically a 5.11 Rush MOAB 6, which I bought to take on a three week holiday in the south of Spain. That, at least, was my excuse and in fairness, the MOAB ticked a lot of boxes for me: it was well organised, big enough to dump things like cameras and water bottles in, had secure pockets and importantly it was a sling pack, which I favour for daily carry. The MOAB is a well-specced bag with lots to like, especially when combined with 5.11’s build quality and design. It is, in short, a really good bag. I’m not sure I would run it in-game, it’s not a natural ammo carrier and while it has the inevitable concealed handgun pouch, that is no substitute for a decent holster. But as an EDC it was fantastic - or it should have been…
TO THE MOUNTAINS!
The elephant in the room, where the MOAB was concerned, came to a head at around 2,500 metres up the Sierra Nevadas on a day trip. The shoulder strap is ambidextrous, easily swapped at the bottom of the bag to suit the way you want to wear it. The
top of the strap, however, is fixed and moreover, 5.11 have made this part of it wide, heavily padded and added an additional pouch to boot. And that, in my experience, is a problem! It’s a problem because the top of the strap, where it runs over your shoulder, is very stiff and not very compliant - you have to accommodate the bag, because the bag will not accommodate you. Alternatively, you have to let the pack ride lower down your back than you might be comfortable with. As my wife and I stood overlooking the grandeur of the mountains in the late afternoon Spanish sunshine, watching the sun and clouds perform an awe-inspiring lightshow, I’d had enough. Out came the penknife and in about five minutes flat I had hacked off the shoulder strap, opened up the MOLLE loop on the side of the bag and fashioned a simpler, over-the-shoulder strap for it. It was, as you might expect, less than optimal - the strap was a bit shorter than I like - and when we got back from Spain, the bag was punted into a dark corner not to be touched for several years. It’s starring now because, firstly I found it while
“AS MY WIFE AND I STOOD OVERLOOKING THE GRANDEUR OF THE MOUNTAINS IN THE LATE AFTERNOON SPANISH SUNSHINE, WATCHING THE SUN AND CLOUDS PERFORM AN AWEINSPIRING LIGHTSHOW, I’D HAD ENOUGH. OUT CAME THE PENKNIFE…”
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NOVEMBER 2021
