by John Markwell
Contributing Editor
Here’s a novel urban carry option.
We don’t go to the big city very often, but when we do, it’s often for a major “shop” to stock up on essential food and household stuff or to visit a big city gun show. Especially during the warmer months, we have always preferred to carry “off body” for easy concealment and have used an assortment of fanny packs for that purpose. We have long felt that the current crop of “man purses” screamed “gun” to those who know and have avoided them, but we have often wished we had more carrying capacity than that offered by fanny packs. We found a discreet solution to this dilemma with the Satchel Bag from Kakadu Traders Australia, 8100 NE St. Johns Rd., Suite E108, Dept. TGM, Vancouver, WA 98665; phone: 800-852-5288; online: uskakaduaustralia.com.
Made from Rhino canvas in several colors (our sample was khaki), the Satchel bag has a distinctly vintage look that is reminiscent of the old musette bags carried by military officers in times past. The Satchel Bag definitely does not scream “gun.” This unobtrusive shoulder bag has a large main compartment that is divided in two by a baffle that has a few pockets on it for small items. The interior of the main bag is big enough for a laptop and it is covered by a generous flap that is secured in place by two leather straps via a metal post and keyhole set up. There is a small zippered pocket on the front of the Satchel for small items like keys or a cell phone.
To securely carry a handgun, the Satchel Bag has a flat pocket on the back that is padded and accepts the snap-in Bag Holster which will accommodate a handgun and two spare magazines. The back pocket closes with a snap, a zipper and a Velcro strip; you can secure the back pocket with all or just one of these depending on the situation or threat level.
We took our newly acquired Kakadu Satchel Bag to the Chantilly gun show for its first urban outing and to the Louisville gun show for its second major trip. With our Springfield Armory EMP and two mags (all unloaded as per show rules) secured in the back pocket via the Bag Holster, the Satchel Bag carried well.
Even as some gun show purchases were added to the load (like a new SA Range Officer 1911 in its big plastic box), the generously padded shoulder strap made carrying the Satchel Bag pretty much painless. The Kakadu Satchel Bag offers comfortable and secure concealment for a defensive handgun and support gear as well as significant carrying capacity. Whether used as a briefcase or just a general carry-all this is a useful and practical shoulder bag for the concealed gun carrier that gives new meaning to “low profile.” With an MSRP of $124.99, we feel the Kakadu Satchel Bag is an awfully good alternative to the “tactical man purse.”
We are always on the lookout for new holsters that are suitable field rigs for continuous daily use while working around our place here in the Alleghenies. Comfort, convenience and instant handgun accessibility are our main criteria, as is the ability to get into, on or off and out of trucks, ATVs and UTVs without the holstered handgun getting in the way. If a rig is easy to get on and off, it is a big plus in our book. Hence, our affinity for chest holsters for handgun carry. Both Galco (galcogunleather.com) and Badlands Leather (kbarjleather.com) have introduced new chest rigs for 2014 and both are truly worth a look.
Galco introduced the Great Alaskan chest style crossdraw holster at the 2014 SHOT Show and we got one of the first ones produced for a full sized 1911 pistol. The rig is also available for large frame revolvers with barrels up to four inches in length. The Great Alaskan is built from premium steer hide that is American raised and vegetable tanned. The holster is built from a double layer of steer hide and is attached to the harness with polymer D-rings riveted to the holster body. The 2-inch shoulder strap and harness has a nice soft hand that should require very little break-in. The whole rig is easily adjustable via pre-punched holes and Chicago screws and the holster is held close to the body via a nylon torso strap with a Fastex type buckle. Once the harness is adjusted, it takes about 5 or 6 seconds to get into (or out of) the rig. The Great Alaskan can be carried in just about any position on the body from centered on the chest (our preference) to low and off to the side of the torso. Regardless of where the Great Alaskan holster is positioned, presentation of the handgun is pretty well unrestricted, even when in or on a vehicle.
Our Great Alaskan holster is nicely formed to the 1911 pistol and has a deep molded-in sight channel to accommodate even the tallest of front sights. The retention strap works well for either a hammer down or cocked-and-locked carry and has a glove-friendly polymer release tab. The double steer hide construction makes for a very firm holster that has a solid fit and feel; it should hold up quite well to hard use. Along with the holster, we received a single magazine pouch that can be mounted anywhere one chooses on the harness system. We chose to mount it to the horizontal strap just left of the holster. The flap of the mag pouch has two snaps so it should accommodate most mag and base pad combos.
We have used quite a few chest rigs over time and the Great Alaskan is about as good as they get. Stoutly built and with a comfortable suspension system, the Galco Great Alaskan is a pretty serviceable piece of gear. At $169.95 (plus $49.45 for the mag pouch), the Great Alaskan isn’t cheap, but it is a high quality rig that offers great field utility, comfort, and security for one’s valued handgun.
Our buddy Jack Gully, of Badlands Leather, recently sent us a brilliant product; the At the Ready chest holster system. It’s a chest rig adapter for the Serpa CQC holster. We don’t know how many Blackhawk Serpa holsters are out there but we know it has to be a bunch. We are pretty sure that most are carried on the belt or as thigh rigs. Having the ability to take one’s Serpa and simply convert it to a chest holster seems like a good idea, and Jack Gully has the solution in his At the Ready chest rig conversion. By simply removing the three screws that hold any Serpa holster to its mounting plate and screwing the Serpa holster to the ATR’s leather holster adapter, the Serpa is now a field ready chest rig. For those who already have a chest rig, the ATR conversion plate and screws can be purchased for only $25. The leather adapter is compatible with most chest rig harnesses we are familiar with. If one needs the chest rig harness and the Serpa adapter/ conversion the price is $120. The versatility of this set up is obvious, especially for those who have multiple Serpa holsters for various handguns. Being able to convert any handgun-specific Serpa holster to a chest rig using one system is a much more economical than buying a complete chest holster set up for each handgun.
We recently purchased a Blackhawk CQC holster for a full sized 1911 pistol at the Chantilly Gun show and screwed it to the leather At the Ready adapter/ conversion in about five minutes. The ATR mounting plate/adapter is constructed of a double layer of cowhide, has three D-rings riveted to it for attachment of the suspension system and provides a solid “no-flop” mount for a Serpa. The idea is so simple it’s brilliant; one harness system that accepts any number of Serpa holsters for different handguns. If you are looking to enhance the versatility of your Blackhawk Serpa holster (or holsters) for driving a Humvee, fishing, hiking, ATV or horseback riding etc., the At the Ready chest rig conversion from Badlands leather is the absolute ticket. Tell Jack we sent you and, good shooting
