Precision Rifle Gear PRS Pack Project - Thunderbird Long Range

[hereinaz]

Nows your chance to see if a PRS Pack is feasible and worth production.

Thunderbird Long Range is a new sponsor to Sniper's Hide, and I am growing the company in 2020. A PRS pack is a niche project that is a good fit.

Ideas and feedback welcome as I put it together. I will provide more details as it develops and I prove out a couple concepts to myself.

My own complaint about packs for matches and a couple threads started me on a project. I always end up with gear in all sorts of pockets and zippers, hate moving between stages and feeling like I pack and unpack, lol.

I have been working on a pack design for a while. I drew up a quick sketch of my intial idea after discussion with a couple PRS shooters. All my working drawings and cut sheets are a mess, lol.

Already have a prototype started. Figured this is the time and place to start it and let the Hide see it and give feedback in real time.

Some points it must have:

Tripod easy in and out. Allow you to keep bino or spotter on the tripod on pack.

Pack will freestand upright with frame in typical match conditions.

Easy zippers and buckles kept at a minimum.

Only one main zipper to close and open frequently used top section that holds everything you need for a stage.

Quick and easy organized top section for bags, mags, and other frequent gear. Easy to open and close.

Dedicated Kestrel, ammo binders, mags, match book holder, etc available for inside or outside pack.

Top padded easy access section. Movable divider and PALS/Molle compatible on all interior sides for custom pouches for your gear.

Big open bottom section to swallow jackets, puffies, etc.

Side pockets and external PALS/MOLLE for custom organizing.

 

[Raufoss]

I'd like a fully padded intergral surface ammo pouch in front of the bag. Can be integrated or and add-on molle type pouch.

I am not a fan of horseshoe compartment. A central Zipper like the tri-zip design is more efficient.

 

[1moaoff]

I applaud your desire to make this. Remember that you won't please everyone. I have a few questions.
You mention a fame? Explain please
Can you square the body up?
Side pouches removable or interchangeable with tripod side? And pouches that are changeable.
Overall dimensions?
Shoulder straps should be comfortable and have heavy molle attachments. One nice thing then is qd attached to chest carry with pack.
Binocular compartment should be big enough for a mount plate.
I like the main horse shoe

 

[hereinaz]

I'd like a fully padded intergral surface ammo pouch in front of the bag. Can be integrated or and add-on molle type pouch.

I am not a fan of horseshoe compartment. A central Zipper like the tri-zip design is more efficient.

Thanks for the feedback!

Yes, ammo pouch accessibility was a top request. I think it will be an add on molle type. There are lots of good ammobinders out there, I will find a way to make it work with them. If you were meaning dump pouch, that will be the type of add on pouch I will make available.

The zipper design is like ice cream. Hopefully I can get vanilla that not everyone loves but they will still eat it, lol. The thing about the horseshoe is that I could put a larger external pouch there.

 

[samb300]

Looks like a great start to a concept. I haven't yet found the perfect pack (or even close to it) so I'm interested in what you come up with.

The things on my wish list:
- Water storage. Too many packs have zero water bottle pouches on the outside, and no one really uses bladders for typical PRS matches. If one side had a water bottle pouch big enough for at least a 32-36oz bottle, and the other side could store the tripod, that would be great.
- Standing upright would be awesome. I currently use a GPS pack, which sucks in a lot of ways, but the fact that it stands upright is one of the things I like about it.
- Molle on the outside where ever there is room. I like to clip on my lightweight bags to the outside, especially a "fat bag" which is too big to fit in the pack. If the pack is small I will clip my heavy fill game changer to the outside as well using 2 carabiners, one on each side of the bag to help balance the weight.
- I prefer a bigger pack than smaller. Yes, I may carry more stuff than I need, but I like having the room for FOOD, which not many people seem to care about carrying haha. I like to snack, and you can't always rely on the match lunch to sustain you all day. The extra room is also nice for me and my fellow midwest shooters, where it can be sub-freezing and snowing in the morning, and 50 degrees and sunny in the afternoon. Having extra room for a jacket would be nice. I don't like a pack that is so small and efficient that you only have room for the essentials, so if you need to take off cold weather clothes, or you want to carry an extra new bag to test out, you aren't stuck carrying it by hand.
- I used to carry ammo in a binder, but to me wasn't worth the extra time and hassle to load individual rounds into it just to take them out to load a mag. So I use the 50-rd plastic cases for my match ammo, and typically carry 3 of them to each day of a match. So having space for 3 of them to fit side-by-side would be cool.

 

[hereinaz]

I applaud your desire to make this. Remember that you won't please everyone. I have a few questions.
You mention a fame? Explain please
Can you square the body up?
Side pouches removable or interchangeable with tripod side? And pouches that are changeable.
Overall dimensions?
Shoulder straps should be comfortable and have heavy molle attachments. One nice thing then is qd attached to chest carry with pack.
Binocular compartment should be big enough for a mount plate.
I like the main horse shoe

The pack will be on a full size frame. I am 6'2" and I am not going to make a pack that doesn't fit us longer guys. It should be able to accomodate the range of typical human sizes. If a guy goes light, then he won't need pouches on the exterior. If he goes heavy, then the exterior will accomodate more load. The pack itself will be on the narrow side so the tripod and other side accessories don't make a wide load. As for over all size, I am somewhere between 3000-3500ish for the main pack. I know my Kuiu 3300 has enough room for match stuff. I plan on making the padded case big enough and then have the lower compartment big enough for a puffy jacky, water, food, rain gear, and all the supporting gear, so to speak. All the main comp gear will be in the top or pouches. It will be hard to really get a feel for size right now. It will have square or barely rounded corners.

I am going to use a framesheet for the body, so that it maintains a stiff shape, and optional stays if a guy wants to carry a load with it. I am working on a couple of ideas to make sure the pack will stand upright by incorporating into the frame legs/feet with a three point tripod type foot design so that it will stand up in rocky or uneven ground, as long as it is somewhat level.

Shoulder straps will be beefy so that if you loaded it up for Mammoth, it will ride like a Cadillac. Yes! Molle on the straps and waist belt. I love chest carry and will make that easy with qd or other. I hadn't made plans for the belt yet, except to make it modular so you could run it with or without the belt. I could make double padded belts.

Additionally, I may just make it as just the bag, so that it can be run on the myriad of existing pack frames out there. It is what I am initially doing to speed development on my Kuiu frame.

The padded compartment will have two padded panels/walls that you can move to fit a bino, spotter, or whatever else you want to divide up. It will have molle all around so that any custom pouches for gear will fit. I plan on padded add on pouches for spotters.

I do think I will make the sides flat/slick with molle so you can run it slick, pouches, or tripod kit. And, for Mammoth or other matches a strap system to attach a rifle would make sense.

 

[665.0coupe]

I would second the idea about water storage. I use a camel back bladder in my pack.

I think a good way to carry the rifle is more important than the tripod. A tripod with bino's attached only weighs a few pounds. I can fold the legs up and carry it on my shoulder with out a problem. A rifle is 20-25 pounds. I don't want to carry it anywhere.

I like the overall design, but it looks like the top compartment will work well while the bag is upright while the horseshoe compartment would work best while it's laying down.

 

[hereinaz]

I would second the idea about water storage. I use a camel back bladder in my pack.

I think a good way to carry the rifle is more important than the tripod. A tripod with bino's attached only weighs a few pounds. I can fold the legs up and carry it on my shoulder with out a problem. A rifle is 20-25 pounds. I don't want to carry it anywhere.

I like the overall design, but it looks like the top compartment will work well while the bag is upright while the horseshoe compartment would work best while it's laying down.

Hmmm, I will noodle around more specific rifle carrying designs. It might just be easiest to use something like the gun bearer on hunting packs. I have been trying to think of a good way to attach the rifle so that it is easy to manage without lots of straps. I don't want to just copy Eberlestock, besides there might be a patent there with the scabbard.

I will figure out how to incorporate a hydration kit, and definitely have a place for pouches. I was honestly picturing a padded/insulated cubby for water bottles to keep them cold in the top compartment.

On the horseshoe, yeah, laying down is gonna be the easiest. But, the plan is to make it so you don't need to get into it every stage. I do have a plan to include gussets into the horseshoe so that if you unzip it while it is standing up, everything won't just spill out. The good thing is that I laid out a pair of binos and spotter with a GC sized support bag, ammo containers, mags, Kestrel, and Gatorade. They will all fit in the padded top. I don't think that there is anything you couldn't fit in the padded top for typical stage requirements except a big ultralight pillow.

 

[samb300]

For "most" PRS type matches, I see essentially zero people putting their rifles in their pack or scabbard. It's just not worth the effort when you're only carrying your stuff between 20' and 1/4 mile. Maybe guys out west or adventure-type racers will disagree, but I think a PRS-oriented pack absolutely should not focus on carrying the rifle.

 

[hereinaz]

For "most" PRS type matches, I see essentially zero people putting their rifles in their pack or scabbard. It's just not worth the effort when you're only carrying your stuff between 20' and 1/4 mile. Maybe guys out west or adventure-type racers will disagree, but I think a PRS-oriented pack absolutely should not focus on carrying the rifle.

100% agree. Unfortunately for some guys, rifle carry is low on my priority. I am out west, and futzing around with putting my rifle on my pack and keeping it from swaying like a semitrailer on a Wyoming highway is the last thing I want to do between stages. Having an option is about all I am going to work on, but it is a low priority add on. Anything I have thought of compromises the basic function of the pack, to make it simple to manage the stupid gear we carry around at matches.

What I do like is some QD method to carry the rifle on the front straps so you can go hands free with no sling. I would rather maintain more control over the rifle for muzzle discipline by having it in front of me.

 

[zach1020]

I have always thought if one of the upper compartments had it’s own integral ammo binder would be pretty cool maybe I’m the only crazy one but I like the fact not have to purchase a bag to put in a bag would be cool. And I definitely like the standing upright idea too!

 

[atomic41]

What I do like is some QD method to carry the rifle on the front straps so you can go hands free with no sling. I would rather maintain more control over the rifle for muzzle discipline by having it in front of me

I like this idea.

 

[665.0coupe]

For "most" PRS type matches, I see essentially zero people putting their rifles in their pack or scabbard. It's just not worth the effort when you're only carrying your stuff between 20' and 1/4 mile. Maybe guys out west or adventure-type racers will disagree, but I think a PRS-oriented pack absolutely should not focus on carrying the rifle.

100% agree. Unfortunately for some guys, rifle carry is low on my priority. I am out west, and futzing around with putting my rifle on my pack and keeping it from swaying like a semitrailer on a Wyoming highway is the last thing I want to do between stages. Having an option is about all I am going to work on, but it is a low priority add on. Anything I have thought of compromises the basic function of the pack, to make it simple to manage the stupid gear we carry around at matches.

What I do like is some QD method to carry the rifle on the front straps so you can go hands free with no sling. I would rather maintain more control over the rifle for muzzle discipline by having it in front of me.

I'm not saying it needs to be a scabbard or inside the pack. I made this little strap that clips to a D ring on my shoulder strap. The only problem is that it doesn't control the butt of the gun so you have to keep a hand on it so it doesn't swing around.

 

[HellcatActual]

Pad that Kestrel pouch so when the pack tips over it doesn't get damaged.

as far as the ammo binder pouch. two of me E-Stock packs have Scabards on the back, and I used the scabbards as ammo binder storage. slides in nice and easy and is always accessible. just a thought.

 

[J-Ham]

I would second the idea about water storage. I use a camel back bladder in my pack.

Ewww

 

[The Pizza Guy]

Yes please make a PRS pack!!! I’ll buy two!! I have no input on what it should have but everything you make is awesome so I know it’ll be good!! Cheers

 

[Huckmeat]

For "most" PRS type matches, I see essentially zero people putting their rifles in their pack or scabbard. It's just not worth the effort when you're only carrying your stuff between 20' and 1/4 mile. Maybe guys out west or adventure-type racers will disagree, but I think a PRS-oriented pack absolutely should not focus on carrying the rifle.

100% agree, and this pack will probably be way too heavy for most who would place a premium on rifle carry. For actual hunting or the long ruck matches, there are already lots of options from kifaru, attackpack, MR, fehu, etc.