Re: Shooting mat advice
I think I can offer some insight since I only just took my first LR class last year.
Think small and easy.
The class I took had different locations to shoot from so packing up quick, and making sure it was light to carry was important. I didn't know any of this before I took the class. I started with a solid rifle case for my gun. A back pack with ammo, eyes/ears protection, notebook, binos, and the list goes on and on to about 45 lb. And I brought a separate shooting mat. I also brought a spotting scope too in its case too.
So this was too much gear for an intro class.
Long story short.
I ended up using a voodoo drab bag/ mat for all my needs.
These bag/mats have there plus and minuses.
Pros: Easy and quick to pack up your rifle.
No need to have a rifle bag AND mat.
You can also store other essential in bag.
Very thickly padded.
Cons: When rapping up your rifle in the bag/mat, the bottom of the mat is wrapped up inside the case. This is an issue if the ground is wet or muddy. Do you want to store your rifle in a wet case? I have an issue with this even if the storage is only temporary from range to my house, and it's why I don't use this mat on rainy days or in wet conditions.
These mats are heavy too.
So I stopped carrying most of the stuff I brought to my first class by the last day and all I needed was my voodoo bag/mat packed with my rifle, 200+ rounds, eye/ear pro.
Now this was a hot summer's weekend with no rain.
If it was wet out, I would have gone a different route.
I would have gone with my TAB Gear mat. Smallest and lightest. Shakes off the rain easy. But no padding. My rifle would have been stored in my eberlestock with the ammo.
And think about color, I went black. Not good for a summer day, but you can see all mud and dirt easily to clean off. Seeing the dirt is important I believe for the Voodoo bag/mat so it doesn't get mixed in with your gear. I would not go black on any other shooting mat however. It's a trade off there.
Here's what I would do:
Voodoo Drag/Mat (if convenience is priority and weather will be clear)Supplement this with a small bag for other necessities like mags, bug spray, sun lotion etc..
TAB Gear Mat/Eberlestock bag (if size and rain gear will be needed) You are sacrificing a padded mat here for size and weight.
Triad Mat/Eberlestock bag (if you're not sure of conditions)This is a middle-of-the-road mat that will be a little larger than the TAB gear mat.
