When it comes to spending your hard-earned dollars on soft goods for your range trips, there’s no shortage of manufacturers out there to choose from. Unless you want to roll the dice on some sweatshop bags from Amazon, your options boil down to choosing a long-established brand or a somewhat newer competitor who has nonetheless garnered a solid reputation. That brings us to today’s competitors: the tried and true 5.11 brings its Range Ready Pro, and the up-and-coming Saviour Equipment presents its Specialist Pistol Range Bag.
5.11 vs Savior Range Bag: Quick Comparison
| Feature | 5.11 Range Ready Pro | Savior Specialist |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 19L | 32.7L |
| Handguns | 2 | 3+ |
| Structure | Soft | Rigid frame |
| Portability | Compact | Heavy-duty |
| Price | ~$120 | ~$130 |
Let’s cover the tale of the tape, then dive into range days.
Tech Specs
5.11 Range Ready Pro
- Measurements – 13.0″L X 9.0″D X 8.85″H
- Capacity – 1159 cubic inch / 19 liter
- Weight – 2.50lbs / 1.13kg
- Fully padded construction
- Front large slip pocket with hook/loop closure
- Full clamshell front zippered pocket with internal zippered pocket, elastic bands, and wipe clean disassembly panel
- Full clamshell main compartment with two padded zippered compartments for pistol storage
- Removable divider with elastic bands and web MOLLE panel
- Dual padded rear zippered pockets
- External MOLLE panels / Embroidery friendly
- Top grab handle and removable padded shoulder strap
- Lockable YKK zippers
- Textured P600D TPU coated base
- 600D polyester with PU coating and DWR finish
Savior Equipment Specialist Range Bag
- Measurements: 18.5” x 9” x 12”
- Capacity – 1998 cubic inch/32.74 liter
- Lockable Main Compartment
- 3 Cushioned Pistol Sleeves
- Writable ID Patches
- Individually Lockable
- Lockable Front Pocket
- Removable Mag Slot Panel
- Zippered Mesh Pocket
- Side Admin Pocket
- Side Dump Pocket
- Oversized Shoulder Strap
- Imported
- 600D Polyester Exterior Shell
- Light-Weight Polymer Frame
- Knitted Elastic Bands
- Lockable Zippers
- Double-Stitched Seams
- Hook & Loop Fasteners
- Morale Patch Panel
Tabletop Breakdown
Ok, there’s a ton of tech specs to parse, but here’s the TL;DR version for each. Points of interest are typed in the order I noticed them while sitting at the gear bench on the first day.
5.11 Range Ready Pro
A somewhat smaller bag, though by design. This is a double handgun case, so this isn’t points against the 5.11 bag, just a slightly different use case.
Non-skid tape on the handle and underside is amazing. Some of the zippers themselves feel a little thin, though the pull tab knot/rubber wrap are excellent. Main pocket zipper is beefy. Included shoulder strap is pretty thin, not as much of a problem with a smaller bag. The internal pockets are easily big enough for a couple handguns, mags, and a couple hundred rounds of ammo.
The interior also has some compartments with soft lining, making this an effective multi purpose bag in case you’re hauling electronics or such instead. The stitching and the velcro (or generic substitute) both appear to be very high quality.
Savior Equipment Specialist Range Bag
This is definitely a bigger bag, not only geared towards 3 handguns (instead of 2), but also much more geared towards a FULL range day instead of a casual couple hours. Besides the zippers being huge and beefcake strong, the first thing I noticed was that the Savior Equipment Specialist Range Bag is nearly as rigid as my drink cooler. You can stack some serious weight on this thing and it won’t collapse or deform, thanks to a very rigid polymer frame.
There’s 3 removable padded sleeves inside, like a protective filing cabinet for your handguns. These have morale patch/name labels to keep things visually organized, with additional spares included. Also included are a couple zippered ammo bags.
The shoulder strap is the equivalent of one rucksack strap, like the Cadillac upgrades from Tactical Tailor and not the OEM straps. All that is to say, this is a heavily padded beast.
Three large exterior pockets, the large front one and the slightly less large side pockets which have additional ancillary pockets and mesh pouches on them. The side pockets are big enough to fit an MRE in. The front pocket is twice as wide, though not as deep. The mesh on the outside of the bags is extremely heavy duty, not the usual string fabric. Build quality appears to be excellent.
Heavy. Duty.
Range Days
Hitting the range with a two (5.11) or three (Savior Equipment) handguns, hundreds of rounds, and some assorted accessories makes it easy to compare and contrast these two bags. Both are capable bags. Both appear to be built well, and nothing in my time with either has shown me otherwise. Both have some modularity and customization options. Both also have some (velcro) hook-loop fastener panels for name tape, unit or morale patches, flags etc.
Neither has had any kind of failure in construction or materials, so there’s no deciding factor there. Both the Range Ready Pro and the Specialist Range Bag looked well made from day one, and continue to do so.
The 5.11 Range Ready Pro is an efficient, moderate size range bag that’ll keep your equipment safe, organized, and ready for use.
Despite being the kind of guy who wants more room to haul more stuff, I found I really liked the svelte Range Ready Pro. What it lacks in overall size it makes up for in a strong design, executed with a heavy dose of refinement. The shoulder strap may not be huge, but the way it keeps the bag hugged to your body means the stress on your shoulder is reduced anyways.
The pocket layout is similarly well thought out. During the first of my range trips I crammed the pockets and ouches full of the necessities I had handy. Despite not being a generally well organized guy, I found the setup intuitive for what-goes-where. Finding my goods during the range trip was just as smooth.
The main zipper is huge. The secondary zippers being a bit smaller isn’t something I love, but the truth is there’s significantly less stress on those zippers due to the size and shape of the pockets. Until a zipper fails, I guess I have to give the 5.11 engineers the win on this one.
The Savior Equipment Specialist Range Bag is a dream for those who want to bring “more, More, MORE” to the range. Calling it a 3-handgun bag is true, if you only put handguns into the trio of protective handgun sleeves. Really, I think a guy could get 7 or 8 handguns in here, more if you don’t like them that much.
The Specialist Range Bag might not have the same refinement, but there’s still a lot of thought put in this design. The ammo bags, the multiple labels, the handgun sleeves, these all help keep things in place, and easily accessible. The main compartments follow a logical setup.
But if hidden doors and subterranean caverns are your thing, you may like the Specialist Range Bag’s plethora of extra pockets. Anytime you dig into a compartment, there’s another little zippered side pouch you can use to keep things neat and tidy.
One aspect of the specialist bag I’m really impressed with is the polymer frame. At first I thought there were some little rigid inserts in the bag, the kind that bend and buckle quickly, but nope! This is a lightweight, high-strength skeleton that can support significant weight. This bag feels like a drink cooler. Yeah, your stuff is safe.
Bottom Line
The 5.11 Range Ready Pro is absolutely an effective way to get a couple handguns, mags, and a good chunk of ammo to the range. Quality materials and excellent construction, combined with a reasonable $120 price tag, means this is a very competitive unit.
The Savior Equipment Specialist Range Bag is a heftier alternative, offering more space and weight capacity, while maintaining the standard for quality set by the more established company. At $129.97, you aren’t paying much more for all the extra space.
The only question is, do you need the added capacity, or a more efficient way to carry? The choice is yours.
Jens “Rex Nanorum” Hammer
@Rexnanorum
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