Eberlestock Bando Bag - Tactical Men's Fanny Pack w/Adjustable Waist Belt, Zippered Pockets, Compact Lightweight Belt Bag

I don't do reviews very often but this one is worthy.Background: Former Mil and full time LEO; NREMT-P, TEMS, vol FireMedic and all the other dang things. 20+ years up in it.I will without fail ALWAYS prefer on body carry. But along with a multitude of other reasons/situations, it can't always happen. Top of the list, I live at the beach and it's also hotter then the devils breath 9 months out of the year. I don't even want to talk about the humidity. Every environment is different, but lightweight shorts, t shirts and sun hoodies are the standard UOTD around here.While I'm all about a sling bag....for reasons (it's always in the truck) the advent (or resurgence if you're a 90s kid like me) of the waist packs was a solution for places like here.I've been through several different waist packs and stayed on the fence about them. I regularly used them as an adjunct for over stuffed pockets. Enter the bando bag.FOREWARNING: The one issue you may have is the holster pocket footprint. If you carry a full size or even mid-size with optics, you're gonna want a bando XL. When I waist bag carry, it's either a comped and optics G43x or a non optics G26. Fits perfect.With that out of the way, the holster pocket layout and methodology fits my liking to a T. No flop, solid mount up and purchase point with any number of velcro backed holsters. Is the draw as fast as a good AIWB setup? Maybe not quite, but spend some time on it. It's fast enough for the compromise it is. Move up to the "main" pocket, wallet, spare mags, mini ingress/egress kit, keys, mini trauma kit, 1 cell light and ETK tourniquet drop in with room to spare. Good organizational setup inside, zippered pouch, two pockets in rear and elastic band in roof for your TQ or mag or a candy bar. Front small zipper pocket for small whatevers. I keep skittles and a couple pairs of nitrile gloves in there. With all that, not only is there room to spare if you need to flex, it does NOT look full, let alone overstuffed. With all that, I'm a tall lanky dude, 6'2" and change and 180lbs. It's easy for some waist packs to look oversized and too "obvious". (Think the vertx Soc-P). Too much for my taste. The bando bag is a perfect size and low profile. If you think a man purse might be an option for you, don't end up here like I did. Just start here. It's as popular as it is for a reason. Oh, and the zipper pulls kick ass too.

Gotta comment on shipping time first: Ord'd yesterday, and delivered today! I originally bought the Standard size Bando, but after using it for awhile, I came to the realization that I needed just a slight bit more room. The XL also came with the extension strap people keep talking about. The Standard size did not have the additional strap for using it as a sling pack. Anyway, transfered my small bit of gear to the XL and now have that slight bit of room I needed. I ord'd the XL in black, and the rubberized finger zipper pulls are black also. The black pull ring blends in too easily with the bag's color, so I easily removed one of the zipper pulls on the rear pocket, and replaced it with a gray finger pull (different brand) to more easily locate it. Still haven't found a use for the narrow, elastic velcro-backed loop that comes with the Bandos. Have found a Viktos Hookie Holster (hook&looped-backed) works well in the rear pocket.

This Eberlestock Bando XL bag is the real deal! My go-to “man purse” bugout bag that’s got me squared away for any mission, whether I’m skipping through the urban jungle or just grabbing a frothy latte (I’m Retired). I’m a concealed carry kinda dude, rockin’ my EDC IWB 90% of the time (Glock 45/Streamlight TLR7/Holosun HE508T red dot fits with room to spare). But dang if I don’t find myself slingin’ this bad boy on anyway, when not in workout attire. Why? It’s built tougher than a Cummings Fire Engine with quality materials that’ll outlast a 5 Alarm Fire! The cargo capacity is like a clown car…stuff in your mags, med kit, snacks, and still have room for your dreams of some off duty R&R. Yet, this beast keeps a low-vis footprint, hugging my hip like a home cooked meal at the Fire House without screaming “tacti-cool.” Comfort? It’s like wearin’ my Airforce Teen Wolf PT shorts w/o rockin biker shorts to control the buddies! Freedom of movement and breezy to say it best! Only gripe? I’d kill for a quick-draw tab on the main pistol storage compartment for quicker access. FIVE stars! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ locked, cocked, and ready to put in some work…if ever required!All jokes aside, this really is a SUPERB hip bag when carrying IWB isn’t an option! BRAVO Eberlestock!

Overall, this is a nice quality well made bag and it is worth the price. It fulfills my stated reason to purchase it, which is that you can carry a full size semiauto defense tool in the designated compartment. There are definitely a few things I would change or improve:The rear compartment for the tool needs to be padded a little bit better and have a firmer inside backing to keep it from flopping around. Ideally it would be padded on the back of the pack, and a stiffener attached to the velcro inside.It would be nice if the main compartment with the pockets opened a little bit wider, maybe a gusset on each side.It would also be great if it was about an inch thicker to accommodate a bit more stuff. A pocket knife and multi-tool, a TQ and a small bandage fills the XL model pretty much completely. There's also no padding or protection on the front phone pocket. I feel that for the price point, these are things that should have been considered.Overall I would buy it again, but mostly because it is difficult to find a discreet bag that's not covered in cheap MOLLE that fits a full size G20/17/22 style tool. This will be used Outdoors for hiking where unfriendly four legged Critters exist, which is more significant for me than two-legged Critters in the city, where I can more easily carry smaller tools on my person.