The new Kit Bag from Hill People Gear is something a little different that what you might expect. Rather than a big, lumbering holdall, it is a compact Admin-style pouch that fits right up front where you can access it. Designed primarily for civilian applications, it interfaces well with a pack and surprise!, includes a pistol pouch. The 7.5†x 2†x 11†sized pouch is designed to carry a pistol with a weapon light mounted and a few other essentials without interfering with a hip belt. It can be worn attached to a pack’s shoulders traps or with its included H harness making it very stable, even when running. This can be a great piece of kit for someone who doesn’t want to carry in a holster or fanny pack and can also use the convenience of a fold open admin pouch to access items such as maps as well as other gear.
You will notice that they are partial to Kifaru (as are we). In fact, you may also notice some similarities with the Koala and that is because it was initially designed by the folks at Hill People Gear.
The Kit Bag is manufactured for Hill People Gear by First Spear meaning it is made from mil-spec materials and is Berry compliant. Available in Ranger Green, Foliage, and Coyote, to order yours, visit www.hillpeoplegear.com.
Tags: First Spear, Hill People Gear, Kifaru, Kifaru Tactical
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It’s cool, but why is every thing that’s “tactical” so expensive. $105 for a glorified fanny pack seems excessive.
real world: worthless
Mike, it’s because most of the “tactical” stuff is berry amendment compliant, which means that someone in the USA did the sewing and got paid a living wage to do so. I’m sure the folks at First Spear are quicker than I am, but it took me around 6 hours to sew each of the 10 or so prototype Koalas / Kit Bags I made. Add in materials and the overhead of running a business, and you can easily see where the cost comes from. We’re actually trying to come in less expensive than comparable US made items and so far have been able to do so.
Evan is right. You want Made in USA? It costs. What’s more, you want it to last? It costs more.
Read the post on SSD about the bogus Eotechs and then ask yourself again
Why we pay more for things that are made correctly with good quality materials and we buy from dealers who are reputable. Life has taught me that you truly do get what you pay for and there are very few exceptions to that rule. Quality costs. Period. But poor quality can cost you a whole lot more when it fails to perform the task it was meant to.
Guys – I am no stranger to US made goods. I run a business, and do most of my manufacturing in the States as well. For me, I prefer US made goods, and many things deserve the prices they ask for. But my analysis is that most good gear made for civilians holds up pretty well regardless of where it’s made. As a backpacker I have used a variety of packs made domestically and overseas. I have seen little difference, under extreme conditions between the two – (when both are reputable brands, and materials were the same). Now I am not advocating cheap goods in any way. But there are prices that don’t match up to the products and the quality. Also, made in the USA doesn’t really guarantee any better quality than anywhere else in the world. I find, for example, Maxpedition has an excellent reputation in quality, and their products are made in Taiwan, our ally against China. I just find that many things are priced a bit high when there is the Tactical element, and the chance to sell to local and federal .govs
It all comes down to where you sew and what you sew it out of. Mil-spec materials cost more naturally are Made in the USA so you are paying for American labor for the raw materials and then once again to assemble them into finished goods. Sure, I too believe that you can get a quality product made overseas but there isn’t one of my fellow countrymen being employed to manufacture it. We’ve got to get Americans back to work. Outsourcing everything is part of what got us into this mess.
I’ll pass along another one of my axioms, “Buy quality, cry once.”. This means, you may do some hand wringing over the price but the product will last and won’t let you down in a pinch. Sure, you’ll have to compromise sometimes due to cost or availability. After all, a cheap knife that you have in your pocket is infinitely more valuable than the super high speed one on back order. And sometimes you have to buy a lower quality product simply because you can’t afford the brand X version you saw on SSD.
So use this rule. Assess the relative value between that widget and keeping your ass alive and purchase the best you can afford. Over time upgrade, trade up, or modify what you have to enhance its effectiveness. Train with your tools and learn how to use them as well as their strengths and weaknesses.
This bag fills the void for when I can’t/don’t want to wear an exposed or concealed belt holster but want a handgun accessable. Specifically, when hunting, backpacking, bicycling, CCW related work where a holster is not an option…fanny packs don’t work for me.