“Red or blue. Red or Blue.... red. Yeah, the red shirt”, So ended the preparation
for another day of work, or so I thought, as I went over to the dresser
to get my daily essentials wallet, keys, money clip, knife, pistol,
spare magazine, phones, business phone, and my sunglasses. The pockets
in my 5.11 pants get put to good use. “Great, it all fit just fine”
I thought to myself. Then I remembered I was making the rounds at several
of the other insurance offices, and had to take my laptop with me. That
presented a new problem. I didn't want to use a backpack, as I'm not
in school anymore. On the other hand, I didn't want to use a briefcase
either. What options did that leave me?
The Blackhawk Advanced Tactical Briefcase could very well fit the bill.
Blackhawk, better known for making holsters, packs, and lights, is now
making a briefcase that appeals to the “tactical” crowd. Made out
of 1000 denier nylon with waterproof lining, the briefcase was a perfect
fit for my laptop, even though my laptop has a 17” wide-screen monitor.
The bag has 3 other external pockets on its front: two Velcro pockets
work great for carrying a spare pistol mag:or a flashlight:and a
third smaller zippered pocket to store spare change or spare CR123 batteries.
The front also has a strip of Velcro for “morale” patches, or you
can use the included ID holder to personalize the briefcase. The underside
of the flap also doubles as a map holder
The briefcase opens to a large main compartment for books, a first aid kit,
supplies for work, or anything else I might need during the day. I normally
put my laptop in this area because it fits better. The padding
isn't as good here, but it's still plenty to protect the laptop. The
main reason to do that is so I can put a pistol in the laptop compartment,
so I can get to it quickly, only having to pull the zipper out of the
way.
There are a few more pockets on the inside of the case, as well as places
for pens and pencils. The pockets are big enough to hold a passport,
a few toiletry items, or a small book. I keep a small first aid kit
in the inner pockets of my briefcase, along with a few other medical
items. The shoulder strap is fully adjustable so it can be carried single
or cross shoulder. The strap also has a non-slip pad on it for comfort.
I do feel, however, that there could be a few minor improvements to the
briefcase. First, the 2 larger pockets on the front flap could be a
little longer. As they are right now they will fit a 7-round 1911 mag,
or a Glock-19-sized magazine, without being seen. If they were half
an inch longer they would be able to hold a full size 1911 or Glock
magazine, a Surefire 6P, or a light of similar size. Secondly, there
are 2 “D” rings on each side of the briefcase that connect to the
shoulder strap. The material holding the D rings in place has a little
too much play in it, and the D ring being able to move around,
binding on the shoulder strap. This is more a cosmetic than a functional
problem. (The picture below demonstrates this issue.). Lastly, the external
padding on the back of the briefcase is in 2 pieces. I would close the
gap between the pads, and just use one larger pad. The gap between the
pads had a tendency to find my hip bone, thus rendering the pads useless.
All in all I like this briefcase a lot. It's very utilitarian, and doesn't look out of place in a corporate environment. The Blackhawk Advanced Tactical Briefcase is more practical than a traditional office briefcase for carrying extra items to stay prepared, but is low-key and professional-looking, and fits in a corporate environment.
Manufacturer:
BlackHawk Products Group
http://www.blackhawk.com/
4850 Brookside Ct
Norfolk, VA 23502 U.S.A.
757.436.3101 TEL
757.436.3088 FAX
MSRP: $129 MSRP
Tim P.