When I first was made aware of the 5.11 Tactical Sling Pack I thought it had the whiff of the mall ninja about it. After all, it’s a bag designed for the concealed carry of sub-machine guns. I lived in New York City after 9/11 and I’ve seen how professionals who were issued sub-guns carried them. Openly and with a smug look on their face.

But hey, I’m not an “operator” so I don’t know. Maybe there’s a time law enforcement and private security officers need to pack a sub-machine gun hidden away in an over sized fanny pack.Or maybe 5.11 knows that mall ninjas burn through money on “tacticool” gear because they save on rent by living in their parents basement:

Be that as it may, the Select Carry Sling Bag actually does have some merit for we who don’t carry around MP5s on our backs. The sub-gun portion of the bag is perfectly sized to carry a weekends worth of clothes and toiletries and the bag itself sits in a nice position for bicyclists. The front holster/pockets makes the bag very useful for hiking or biking through a part of the back country (or city) where you may need more protection than your walking stick and emergency whistle. A reader sent me this video which shows someone loading out the bag for just that sort of weekend wandering:

I have been considering putting together a similar set up with a Maxpedition Lunada Gearslinger with a Janus Extension Pocket for my own hiking kit, but the 5.11 Sling Bag is roomier and ultimately cheaper than buying the Lunada and some accessories.

To save a few bucks and have some extra room I’m willing to get called a mall ninja.