My first impressions of the Rush MOAB 10
Over the years I have tried a number of different bags for my everyday carry and laptop.
Messenger style shoulder bags, backpacks, and laptop sleeves – I’ve tried a lot of different combinations. Things are more difficult because I have a 17″ MacBook Laptop – many packs and bags are meant more for 15″ units. For about the past five years, I have used a Targus backpack that would take my large laptop. It’s EDC capabilities were ok, but it was gear more just for the laptop, a book, and some documents.
I’ve also had a decent Oggi EDC backpack that my employer gave me. I was better for carrying items (first aid, food, small jacket, flash light, multitool, etc.) and was pretty heavy-duty. But the layout still wasn’t quite what I was looking for. Plus my laptop wouldn’t fit, so I had to use a sleeve with handles.
So I decided to take a close look at the Rush MOAB 10 by 5.11 Tactical
Click here for Pricing and Reviews from Amazon
Maxpedition And 5.11 Tactical
I’m a fan of gear. Functional gear that is. I don’t care much to spend hundreds of dollars on designer bags, etc. – but a good military-grade, MOLLE pack really grabs my interest. So I started watching gear reviews on YouTube (if you follow my history and likes there, you’ll think that I’m just into guns and gear, not personal sovereignty in its entirety).
There are cheaper items out there, and the Chinese knockoffs are everywhere – but it all came down to 5.11 Tactical and Maxpedition. These two brands make some of the most popular and durable tactical and hard-use gear on the planet. Military units and operators of all kinds rely on these manufacturers. Plus they tend to look really cool – Tacticool.
I’ve been watching a lot of gear reviews and have been looking at packs that will fit my needs for Everyday carry (EDC), 24 hour trunk Get Home Bags, and a 72 hour emergency Bug Out Bag (BOB). Maxpedition tends to have slightly more durable materials, but the 5.11 won in terms of economics and organization. Plus the 5.11 Rush system is of some interest; being able to join one bag to another.
Enter the 5.11 Rush MOAB 10
Now the question was, which size bag do I need. Yes the large Rush 72 is nice – so named because it was meant to hold 3 days worth of supplies. But that is not what you want to be lugging around as an EDC bag. Basically it came down to deciding between the Rush 12 and the MOAB 10 packs. Both are similar in size and compartments, but I wanted to give the one strap, over-the-shoulder sling bag try. This is because I don’t walk for extended distances with it on my shoulder, but rather just carry from house, to car, to office, and back. Perhaps the Rush 12 or 24 will be the right size for me when I choose my get-home overnight bag.
Also of note is the Rush Tactical Messenger Bag. This is the standard messenger bag style as the middle bag (Lima / Large) is reported to be exactly the right size for a 17″ Macbook Pro. This I may look into if I grow tired of the laptop sleeve I am currently using.
Unboxing the Rush MOAB 10
I work in an office and decided I don’t need anything camouflage or olive drab in colour for my EDC bag. So I decided on the black colour, which I really enjoy. Though it’s not suited to camouflage you in the woods, it looks great in an urban setting. It has a bit of a tactical SWAT look to it, but not overly so.
I ordered from Amazon.ca, and as usual with them, it arrived on-time, in good condition, and with free shipping. The bag isn’t fragile, so it arrived in a cardboard box, and stored in a plastic packaging bag (with some desiccant packets).
Though I like to support my locals vendors of products, I will go to Amazon when they are out of stock or the price difference is too high.
First Impressions
My first impressions are that this is a quality bag that I will likely never wear out.
I may do dumb things to it, cut it, burn it, or spill stuff in it, but I doubt I could actually wear it out totally. The 1050 Denier (1050D) ballistic nylon is very heavy duty. As I said above, it is second only to the Maxpedition in durability of materials. It just feels tough, like a quality EDC pack should.
Though I have yet to fully load it out with my everyday carry items – which will constantly be changing I’m sure, I am happy with the amount of stuff that I can fit in there. In the main compartment I put in a warm sweater, paracord, first aid kit, and some random items in the pockets. Not this doesn’t represent a proper EDC load out, but it is representative of the amount of space you do have.
In the admin pouch I immediately put a multitool, knife, flashlight, head lamp, pens, a sharpie, gum, chapstick, etc. And there’s definitely room for more.
Finally, I put a book and my Kindle in the hydration pouch.
So far I am definitely happy with the layout and size of this pack.
Don’t forget to checkout my video on Youtube: 5.11 Tactical Rush MOAB 10 Unboxing & First Impression
Your thoughts on the Rush MOAB 10
If you would like to see pricing and more reviews on the MOAB 10, visit the page on Amazon.ca
Do you have a 5.11 Rush MOAB 10 – or one of it’s competitors? (Maxpedition Sitka or Maxpedition Kodiak)? Or are you using one of the backpacks?
I would love your opinion as well as suggestions for other configurations or other bags in this market.