By Dan Kidder
Managing Editor

Any guy can relate to snickering a bit when they see some guy walking around with a sissified man bag or murse as we have come to call them. But at the same time, we all know that there are moments when we need to carry more items than comfortably fit in our pockets that we have been a little envious that our wives or significant others get to carry a purse to contain all the things they need to take with them on a daily basis.

I remember one evening out to dinner with a date when it became awkward to not remove my jacket, and so to comply with social norms, was forced to violate my golden rule and slip my personal carry gun into my date’s purse under the table so I could take my jacket off.

Well now any man can have the same convenience of a bag for personal items without the girly looking European shoulder bags that will invite ridicule. The tactical garment geniuses at 5.11 Tactical have worked with a team of former Special Forces operators to create the PUSH Pack. PUSH stands for Practical Utility Shoulder Hold-all and is crafted out of 1000 Denier Nylon in a rugged configuration.

Taking the bag out on the town brought mixed reactions from my buddies. At first, they all offered their usual good-natured ribbing, but upon closer inspection and one on one, each came up and asked more about the bag. Individually, and away from all the others, they wanted to look at all of the roomy pockets and easy access compartments.

And this bag has a bunch of them. Most notable is the Back up Belt System holster pouch that allows easy and unobtrusive concealed carry of your favorite pistol. It has attachments points to allow the insertion of 5.11 Tactical BBS pouches so that when you place them there, they stay there till you want to swap them out. Additionally, a series of MOLLE web attachment points hold a variety of add-on pouches or gear. A large roomy main compartment has internal organizers to make finding items a breeze. It also has easily accessed expandable side compartments and a top compartment.

For my varied uses, it allows me to carry my Blackberry, notebook, digital recorder, and camera with ease for my duties as a journalist. Additionally, as a firearms instructor, it also holds my earplugs, multi-tool, rangefinder, monocular, and other various range items. And for daily life, it contains my checkbook, harmonica, sunglasses, flashlight a pack of smokes, a lighter, a knife, chapstick, mints and other assorted items that would normally bulge our pockets.

Even though 5.11 Tactical calls this their PUSH Pack, I call mine my BAMF Bag for Bag, Accessory, Multi-Function of course. If you are a man who is secure enough to carry a bag for your gear on a daily basis and can put up with the ribbing from your friends, this is the bag to have. And secretly, when no one else is around, they will come over and check out what you are carrying. Don’t judge, just smile.