Full Forge Gear Review
Full Forge Gear sent me some of their items to try out. They are their: Torrent double rifle case, Hurricane backpack, and Storm Tool Bag. I will write a little bit about all of them, so you can skip ahead to the section that interests you. All of these products are an exceptional value for the money and can be used for a variety of range tasks.
All of these Full Forge Gear products have similar construction. They are made from 600 denier fabric so they are pretty durable. Full Forge Gear lines them with a smoother 210 denier polyester. They all are running 10-gauge zippers. Plus they are all water resistant. Now if you like a little color in your life, you might be disappointed that they only come in black or tan colors. No Olive Drab for Chad.
Now a little review on the goods:
The Hurricane Pack is packed with features and pockets. I’ll try to explain them all, but I will probably miss something. It starts with vented padded shoulder straps with a sternum strap. Straps are very comfortable. There is also a waist strap on the Hurricane pack, I proceeded to take it off because I am not carrying enough stuff for it to matter. There is also a carry strap at the top of the pack in case you just need to grab it and go. Of course the pack has a ton of pockets, both inside and out. The pack's dimensions are 18 inches x 11 inches x 11 inches. So it is not huge and not tiny. I do like this size pack as it can be used as a personal item on flights, since it will fit “under the seat in front of you”.
The back portion of the Hurricane pack has some additional features. It is padded with a harder style padding. This is not a bad thing as there are spaces between the padding to allow for air flow to keep it cooler on your back. It is also more comfortable than you think it would be. Toward the bottom of the back is also a clear “name tag” holder so you can distinguish between your pack and your friend who has the same one. Lastly, on the back of the pack is a large pocket for a hydration bag. It is between the padding and the rest of the bag and has a hook and loop closer at the top. If you don’t want to put a hydration bladder in it, it could be used for backpack armor.
Backpacks usually have one main compartment, the Hurricane essentially has two. The largest one completely unzips and can fold down. Inside this compartment is a large open mesh pocket on one side, and a smaller zippered one on the other side. These are useful for whatever kind of stuff you want to put in it. Then there is the slightly smaller large compartment. This sits in front of the largest one, more toward the out part of the pack. This one unzips about two thirds of the way. Inside it is one open small mesh pouch with two smaller pouches on it. These two main compartments give you a lot of room to fill up.
Lastly there are two pockets on the front of the Hurricane backpack. The top one is smallish and fits a pair of glasses nicely, which is probably what it was made for. The exterior of this pocket has MOLLE and hook, so you can attach your favorite stuff or patches. The other exterior pouch is what I would call the admin pouch. It is about twice the size of the glasses pouch. Inside are open pockets for pens and such. The exterior of the admin pocket has some more MOLLE for attaching extra stuff. There are also plenty of extra straps to help keep pockets and pouches closed.
The Hurricane Backpack is so useful that my wife is stealing it from me. She saw it and said, “That will make a great bug out bag for the dogs”. So the pack that I really liked, because it has so many pockets, is now a Labrador pack. I just need to figure out how to get him to wear it. The pack is also very comfortable for a human and a great size. I might just have to buy myself one. At under 60 dollars, they really are a great pack for the price.
Now, the Torrent Double rifle case. As one would expect, this is soft padded and can hold 2 rifles. It is really more of a carbine case since it is only 37 inches x 14 inches x 12.5 inches. Inside the main rifle storage compartment is a padded separator to keep the 2 carbines from bashing into each other. Each side of the rifle compartment has an angled piece of fabric at the front and rear. These are to help keep the muzzle of the firearm protected. It also helps keep the rifle from flopping around inside. To secure the rifle on each side, there are two wide hook and loop straps. All of this is pretty standard as far as rifle cases go.
Full Forge also supplies a shoulder strap that hooks to the outside. The shoulder strap itself is fine, I just didn't like how it hooks across the bag at each end. It seems to get in the way of opening the case up. Luckily it has quick connect clips to take it on and off. Then of course, there are two fabric carrying handles at the top center. These carry handles can also be hooked together, with the hook and loop strap that is sewed onto one of the carry handles.
On the exterior of the Torrent rifle case are three pockets. These pockets are on the outside of another large side pocket. The large outer pocket can be used for pistols, ammo, or something like a SBR. The three smaller outer pockets can be used for magazines, ammo, or tools. These outer pockets have flaps that hook and loop shut. They also have a strap and clip to make sure they don't accidentally come open.
I like the Torrent Double Rifle case. These types of soft rifle cases are my go to. The Torrent has not let me down yet. Typically I put two carbines in the main compartment and something with a folding stock in the outer one. This lets me only have to take one case to the range. I would like the case to be a little longer, or for Full Forge to make an XL version. But really, the length is the only thing that could be improved. Everything else just works like a soft rifle case should.
My son asked for the Storm Tool Bag to use at matches, so I put him to work. Here is what he has to say:
Recently, the Firearmsinsider.tv received some Full Forge Gear to review. Part of that was one of their tool bags. With little use for it, they gave the bag to me as I was in need of something like it. I have been needing a range bag for a while. Most of my time at the range is short and usually consists of shooting a competition, or trying out a gun or two. This makes the need for large, bulky range bags obsolete for me. That’s where this bag shines.
The Full Forge Gear Tool bag is not designed to be a range style bag, kind of. Though it still worked great for holding all the ammo I needed for a day trip, along with enough room for extras such as an extra pistol, my ear and eye pro, and pockets on the side for your smaller items. Like I previously said, this bag is a tool bag, not a range bag. This makes storing some items in the bag a struggle since all the pockets on the inside are made for things like screwdrivers, wire cutters, and other various tools. I find myself only using these interior side pockets for things like my gun oil and magazine loaders. The pockets are extremely tight and don’t even fit a Glock mag, which is a gripe of mine. Overall the construction of the bag feels extremely durable. The large zipper is nice and very easy to open. The bag has a couple exterior pockets to hold other various items (or tools) but I didn’t find myself using them. The bag opens extremely wide which makes searching for things in the bag extremely easy. This large opening also works well for pulling out larger items such as boxes of ammo. Overall, as a range bag for short, lightweight trips, this thing works great. My only complaints lie with the interior and exterior pockets, as they are too small for most of the equipment you bring to the range with you. I hope to try Full Forge Gear’s actual range bag line to see if these problems are solved.
Full Forge Gear makes some good soft items. The prices on these are reasonable and they should give you a long service life. I was pleased with all of them. The Hurricane Backpack holds a ton of stuff, yet is not super large. The Torrent rifle case does what I need it to, and then a little more. The Storm Tool Bag is used as a range bag, for when you only need to carry ammo and magazines. But it is built nice and would also work as it is intended. If you are looking for some reasonably priced gear for the range, go check out the Full Forge Gear line of products.
Firearms Insider Reviews - Key Points
Claim to Fame:
Affordably priced gear
Target Market:
Anyone wanting cases, gear, bags, or other affordable gear
Features, Benefits, and Specifications of this product:
Torrent Double rifle case
600 denier polyester fabric
210 denier polyester lining
Nylon monofilament thread stitching
10-gauge nylon zipper
Polyester EVA 10mm thick foam
Water-resistant
MOLLE webbing exterior
3 exterior accessory pouches
Additional exterior pocket
Interior padded divider
Reinforced carry handle for heavy loads
Padded shoulder strap
Weight: 7.5 lbs
Dimensions: 37" x 14" x 12.5"
Hurricane backpack
600 denier polyester fabric
210 denier polyester lining
Nylon monofilament thread stitching
Polyester EVA 10mm thick foam
10-gauge nylon zipper
Large internal hydration pocket
Water-resistant
Reinforced nylon straps
Customizable velcro patch
2 exterior pouches with interior organizational pockets
2 large interior pockets with interior organizational options
Hydration reservoir
Reinforced carry handle for heavy loads
Padded shoulder straps
Buckled waste band
Additional MOLLE webbing coverage
Lockable zippers
Weight: 3 lbs
Dimensions: 18" x 11" x 11"
Approximate Capacity: 1,870cu in
Storm Tool Bag
600 denier polyester fabric
210 denier polyester lining
Nylon monofilament thread stitching
10-gauge nylon zipper
Water-resistant
Reinforced hard base
10 exterior pouches
14 interior pockets
Reinforced carry handle for heavy loads
Weight: 1.80 lbs
Dimensions: 9" x 12" x 9.5"
What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?
Black and Tan in most products
What others are saying?:
Nothing much found
Link to other reviews:
Price point:
MSRP:
Retail:
I need it now! Availability:
Full Forge Gear, Amazon, or Shootammo.com
Our Rating:
Pros:
Quality for the price you pay
Lots of pockets
Good padding
Cons:
Small inner pockets in Tool Bag
Rifle case can be a little short for some AR’s
Score: All - 7.50 Good
Favorite Link: Hi-Point 995P Review
