I’m no prepper, but my experience in emergency response has only reinforced that tried and true motto I learned long ago: be prepared. And that preparedness starts with having the training and the gear to deal with any situation you might encounter. That’s the whole idea behind a “bail out bag” – something you can throw in the trunk and forget about. But when you need it, the bag will be ready to go with all the supplies you need. Hazard 4 is a relatively new company in the field of tactical gear, but they think they’ve hit the nail on the head with their Plan B bail out bag design . . .
The observant reader may remember a while back that I had a little Top Gear-esque challenge where Tyler and I made our own bail out bags. And while Tyler may have “won” with his load-out, I still maintain that I chose properly on the design. And the reason is the compact and concealable nature of the bag I chose.
Specifically, this bag: County Comm’s Sat Comm bag with some extra goodies taped to the sides. And the reason I liked this bag so much was that it had enough room inside to stow an entire AR-15. In fact, I still leave this bag in my trunk (AR-15 included). The other reason I liked it so much was that it was a single strap design instead of a two-strap backpack. That makes it slimmer and easier to get in and out of tight spaces.
Hazard 4’s bag grows from the same concept. This isn’t a bag designed to be carted over many hundred miles and support a family of four. All it needs to be able to do is hold enough supplies to get you out of trouble and back home.
Starting from the outside, there are more MOLLE straps than you can shake a stick at. Which is great — everyone is going to want their bag setup a little differently, and as long as the core is solid (and has room for expansion on the outside) the end user can customize their bag to meet their needs.
The strap setup is more or less as you’d expect (with the strap attaching to the center of the top of the bag), but the bottom of the strap is attached to one of the sides. The end user can choose to which side the bottom attaches to accommodate the shoulder you’ll use to carry it and make the bag carry more comfortably.
Another benefit of the strap is you can rotate it quickly around your body to access your gear without having to take it off. If you had a backpack you’d need to take off at least one strap to get to any of your stuff, but thanks to the single strap all you need to do is grab hold and yank it around to reach a handgun or bottle of water. That not only keeps you comfortable, but keeps your gear handy in a possible emergency situation.
Speaking of comfort, the bag has some soft spongy panels on the back that not only keep your gear from digging into you, but also keep the air flowing across your back. And that’s important if you’re fat like me and sweat a lot when doing physical activities, as the sweat will dry off pretty quickly thanks to that air flow.
Moving to the front, the main front pouch is a monster that has more than enough room to comfortably fit my P226 Mk25 plus ammo (although a Glock 19 might be more comfy in that space). There’s also room for pens and such, but I’m still naming this the “firearms storage compartment.” Up top is a smaller pouch for, I dunno, business cards and stuff. Lip balm, perhaps. Anyway, a small pocket of some description, which we’ll now slide over and proceed to the main event.
The large compartment in this bag is one continuous space. So if you wanted to stash a long gun in there (like a Sub 2000, an AR-15 won’t fit unless you get a tax stamp to go with it) you can do it. It also has a compartment for a water bladder for hydration and more mesh pockets for various and sundry items.
But if large continuous spaces aren’t your thing, you can install dividers that come with the bag. These foam dividers grab onto the felt sides with velcro and keep everything more or less separated. They can be infinitely adjusted to suit the end user’s needs.
So what we have here is a definite step up from County Comm’s offering. Looking at the bag with the idea that it’s a shell — a base upon which to build your bag — it’s pretty good. There’s lots of space for additions, and the built-in pockets are pretty well thought out. The addition of the hydration bladder pocket is a nice touch, too. But personally, I would have liked to see the bag be a little bit longer. I like to have the option of hiding an AR-15 in my bag should the need arise, even if I don’t exercise that option. On the other hand, it gives me a great excuse to buy a Sub 2000.
Hazard 4 Evac Plan B
MSRP : $126
Ratings (out of five stars):
Design: * * * * *
I really like it. Its not exactly a “complete” solution, but its a solid base on which to build your ultimate bag.
Functionality: * * * *
It works just fine. All the zippers zip and all the buckles buckle. But…something about it feels a tad cheap. It’s the difference between slamming the door on a H3 Hummer and a Pinto. I’m not saying it IS cheap, just that it FEELS cheap.
Overall Rating: * * * *
The design is great (I’ll keep my 16″ AR desires out of the summation). The execution is good enough, but the price might be a little on the expensive side. County Comm’s similar bag goes for $60, and while it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles, it’s good enough for a base. I could see $80 to $100 for this, but nearasdamnit $130 seems just a touch high.
Would a 10/22 takedown fit in the main compartment?
It has a zippered hole on the top, so you can put a barrel through it. So it might possibly fit.
126 bucks for an emergency bag that rattles around in your trunk and you hope you’ll never have to use. With the exception of whatever gun you place in there the bag’s probably worth more than the combined contents.
How much bag do you need to carry a little food, water, flashlight, tp, etc. I got a book bag from walmart for my trunk. Not sexy tactical, but it works and doesn’t flag me as a wannbe Rambo.
And the money I save goes to more range time or my next gun purchase.
+1
Looks & sounds like a great bag. I’ve seen knock-offs at gun shows for ~$20. Quality is likely lower, granted, but for +85% lower price? I’ll take it.
A potential problem with bug out bags is they look like bug out bags. In a SHTF situation, wearing cammies and your MOLLE festooned bag could make you look like someone with shit worth stealing.
I know different forks have different definitions for “SHTF”, but in my mind, when ‘TS’ – hits the ‘F’, it’s not going to be a secret anymore & appearing a little dangerous might be a good thing.
I think Henry’s .22 survival rifle would fit in there perfect.
The last picture of the bag looks just like a rifle stock.
It would help a lot with depth perception if you could stack some gear inside the thing as well as the water bladder you’re talking about to show what it can do rather than just talk about it and leave everything up to the imagination.
Also, how much weight is it rated to carry?
Are the clips, zippers, and closures made from that cheap crappy plastic that you can break with your bare hands, or metal?
Are the straps made from cheap, threadbare-nylon or heavy-duty canvas?
Waterproof or moldproof fabrics?
Over the years I have been stuck with cheaply made crap from china and other points far-east that breaks the first time it is used or subjected to the slightest abuses, so some in-depth descriptions about bag construction & materials is NEEDED for this review!
I have the County Comm bag and use it as my hunting/day hike bag. Its been great. It isnt quite as sexy as the Plan B, but it functions in its role very well, and leaves you with a savings I think is better spent helping to fill it with gear.
I’m a fan of the Camelbak Urban Assault XL:
http://www.camelbak.com/Military-Tactical/Packs/Urban-Assault-XL.aspx
I currently use it for carrying laptop etc. back and forth, but it has a 3l water bladder and you can put extra water, food or mags in the ‘saddlebags’. For a real hike/bugout that takes multiple days, I’d likely loop another bag’s straps thru the waist strap D-rings..
I’m not a hiker but wouldn’t a traditional back pack work better as a bug out bag? Or is the idea that you won’t be walking very far with this bag?
Nice photos and a nice review, but it sure would have been nice to have put a yard stick or extended tape measure or something of a known size in the photos to give us some sort of scale of size. I offer this as a suggestion for future phjotos of stuff in general.
$126? I’m pretty sure I can roll to the Army-Navy and get about 10 surplus Swiss rucks or 3 Alice packs for that. Or go to Play It Again and grab a backcountry pack. All of which, you know, are designed for carrying a load securely for miles. I think I have about $350 total in my bob, including an old Mini-14 folder.
To be honest, in a bug/bail out bag I’d prefer the styling to look a bit less “military”. In the kind of emergency where you’d actually need it there is a strong likelyhood that others will need emergency gear as well, and a “military style” bag will draw more attention. That being said, it’s a bag. If it boats your float then by all means go for it.
Personally, I use my old trusty beatup Kelty day backpack as my work bugout bag. It hauls all of my necessities that I would need to get home in a shtf scenario. I don’t want to stand out, just blend in and be forgettable.
Nice bag, a bit pricey for limited storage. I can get a nice day backpack from REI for around the same price or less (or more). Whatever works for you.
Good video. Tyler had the better kit for 24 hours.
The only 5-11 gear I own is their small backpack. I can carry a couple of days worth of spam and water. It has a compartment to carry my XDm 9mm and 50 rounds of ammo. I have a first aid kit, flashlight and a Swiss Army Rescue tool and two leatherman. And let’s not forget the cool sunglass in the sunglass compartment. I will go with a backpack over a sling bag because if the STrulyHTF you may have to do some things that reguires two hands and no bag flapping around.
Youre out of your mind if youre honestly thinking that carrying a bag like that around is a good idea in a really bad situation. It SCREAMS that you have valuables, guns, etc. Bugging out is about escape and evasion. Youre not going to be able to fight your way out of a city in a panic. The order of the day is blending in and not drawing attention. If I were a bad guy in a dying city, and I saw some one with a pack like that that ANNOUNCES that you have everything needed for survival, id try damn hard to take it. A beat up Jansport? Not so much.
Nice bag… but hrmmm, $130? Little pricey… I guess it all depends on your needs.
Given the distance of my commute to work, if there was ever an emergency where I had to bail-out, a backpack would probably be easier for me to carry + fit more stuff. I’m at the stage of life where my bail-out plans have to include things like baby formula and diapers, knawmean?
1) You can buy MRE like products although they are expesive however they can last a long time in the car.
2) Those water bottle are fine for your bug out contast but they will go stale in a month or 2. You best choice is getting the filter but also look at long term water storage options that can be left in you vechile for years but they aren’t going to be in either of the bottle you used. There are options that allow you to keep water stored long term.
3) You need to plan time every few months to update the bag. Checking dates on food and water. Check the clothes and make sure they still fit and they have breaked down over time due to the heat.
4) Make sure you keep at least copies of important docuements you might need. Sometimes you can’t get home and having a copy of your important documents can really help when the “SHTF”.
Thanks
Robert
Only recently have I started to look at a replacement for the current messenger bag I use daily, and I saw these offered on thinkgeek.com recently. But I wanted more of an indepth review than “can carry your ipad, psp, and zombie treats”. This was a good overview of the bag and I can see what many of you are saying when it comes to being incognito, and then others who want a bag that is versatile and sturdy. I’ve used backpacks since I was in boyscouts, and carry an 1853 Federal Knapsack in civil war reenactments, but daily carry a messenger. I always try to carry what I need in the event of an emergency, and through all the bags I mess with, I’ve learned what will and will not work in most situations for the most part, but I had not given thought to how one would stand out in a true emergency situation if one had a bag like this. But I also know that in a panic situation (never mind a daily situation) most people don’t drink in the details of surroundings, items, escape routes, or what kind of people are around them. I have done security for years, and I am amazed that 99% of people do not know I carry a taser, tac light, phone, id, multi tool, while wearing a ballistic vest. People nowadays are SO focused on themselves, they would probably never realize if I had a pack that looked like the plan b (or the rocket, which I am looking into getting), and would flee from a true emergency in any way they could without a second look at me or my pack. BUT, I do see that if it were a situation where there were armed people that were the danger, and they had half a brain, they might very well try to neutralize the bastard wearing the brown tac looking bag (which in this case might champion the choice of basic black for these bags as it doesn’t scream out tac/bob to anyone). Either way, this review and all of the comments made me rethink from different angles what will and could work. It makes me happy to know I’m not the only one that believes in being prepared like this. I sincerely mean that.
Good luck finding that County Comm bag. It has been discontinued/out of stock for quite some time now.
Great bag that can be had for 80 bucks now. My AR pistol fits fine when broken down with lots of room to spare. The padding is better than other bags I own, and the strap is wider. Everyone has a different situation, so if you need to “get home“ and your home is 38 miles away on average, then you might want to rethink comfort and size. If the SHTF and I need to get out of the city back to the country, I really dont think looking like rambo will mattter much over a 12 hour hike.
I have done a 10 mile with 15lbs of weight. Bag carrys it well and you can switch the strap (ambi) when one shoulder gets tierd of the load.
Hazard 4 just replaced Maxpedition in my vehical.
I just picked one of these up at gander mountain for $12 because it didn’t have a tag and the store is going out of business.