digby7 Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 (edited) I spent alot of time reading up on random threads trying to choose a new range bag. Now that Ive chosen one, I thought I'd write up about it to help out others that tend to over analyze things way too much. Previous to this I was using a extra large bail out bag from county comm. I had a boyt pistol case inside it and for the most part it was a great first bag, lots of pockets, lots of flexibility in terms of how to get different items in there, liked the large external round pockets that i'd use to hold a can of d-lead wipes. Over time and with use I started noticing a few things about the bag that werent so hot. For one, because the main compartment has a single zipper, I found myself digging alot to find things inside the bag itself, theres a large cavernous space inside that has a divider thats held in place by velcro on either end. The bag itself has zero padding so theres no protection for the things inside, not too big a deal for a b.o.b. but not so great when I have gear inside thats i want to be careful with. lastly theres no structure to the bag, it'll fold down flat on itself. So in trying to decide, I looked at bags from gander mountain 5.11, shooters connection, midway, wilson and a few others including backpacks. I really liked the idea of a range backpack but after some thinking, it might be bad idea to have the thing resting on my mag holders on the way from stage to stage, that and i'd probably end up doing alot of digging again. I was set on the shooters connection/5.11 for a while until I went to a large match and actually saw one. It looked like something that you pack gear in for a week of camping. With a range bag I'm looking to pack what I need, not everything I can so that one got dropped off the list as well. So I ended up with a CED range bag. Here is how it compares to a jumbo bail out bag. big enough to fit everything i need without going too crazy or too heavy Heres how I have it laid out: gloves and uplula on one side Edited May 1, 2011 by digby7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digby7 Posted May 1, 2011 Author Share Posted May 1, 2011 (edited) Not much room in this pocket, probalby good for a uspsa rule book or anything paper. I have a bunch of shoot n-c's in there: Got a small pelican case for small parts and tools that would get lost otherwise, spare lenses for glasses, squib rods + hammer and keys Wasnt so sure about the inner compartment when I first got it but after stuffing the bag with all my stuff, I think it will do. Ive got about 250 rounds in here, with room for plenty more, a pair of MSA sordins, singlestack in a nice pistol pouch(very well padded) and a marvel conversion on the other side, everything that counts has a good amount of padding surrounding it. The pistol bag is designed for a full sized open gun, would be nice if they had a smaller option for guns without compensators or red dots. I really like the giant flap opening, no more digging and I like the structure + how things are organized on the inside. ears plugs in the other side and i'm using the brass bag to hold a can of d-lead wipes. The brass bag is large, looks like it would hold a few hundred rounds of brass easily. Lastly, Mags in dedicated pouches, all the tools i'd normally use and some spare springs and mag brush. big fan of this bag so far. Edited May 1, 2011 by digby7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joedodge Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 looks great i looked at these but ended up goin with a 5.11 backpack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Gaines Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 I have had both ced and the shooters connection bag. I gave the ced to my father and I kept the shooters connection bag. chuck has an excellent bag. Its big, sturdy, and comes with everything the ced bag has and has an inner bag which is handy for club matches. Plus chuck is always sponsoring all the major events, so I like to give back to the vendors who make the prize table more enjoyable at the major matches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-ManBart Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 The CED bag is nearly an identical knockoff of the Shooter's Connection Tournament Ultra bag. I can only spot one very slight difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SDM Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 The CED bag is nearly an identical knockoff of the Shooter's Connection Tournament Ultra bag. I can only spot one very slight difference. The CED is $20 cheaper? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-ManBart Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 The CED bag is nearly an identical knockoff of the Shooter's Connection Tournament Ultra bag. I can only spot one very slight difference. The CED is $20 cheaper? Zipper on the outside of the mag pouch side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Nukem Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 So how does the Midway bag compare? The Midway bag is $39.00 on sale. Is the CED bag worth more than 2x the price? So in trying to decide, I looked at bags from gander mountain 5.11, shooters connection, midway, wilson and a few others including backpacks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Gaines Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 So how does the Midway bag compare? The Midway bag is $39.00 on sale. Is the CED bag worth more than 2x the price? So in trying to decide, I looked at bags from gander mountain 5.11, shooters connection, midway, wilson and a few others including backpacks. the midway bag is a direct copy of the shooters connection bag, but the quality is not there compared to the shooters connection bag. Plus they stole the design. I personally don't do business with people who's innovation gets ripped off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digby7 Posted May 1, 2011 Author Share Posted May 1, 2011 So how does the Midway bag compare? The Midway bag is $39.00 on sale. Is the CED bag worth more than 2x the price? So in trying to decide, I looked at bags from gander mountain 5.11, shooters connection, midway, wilson and a few others including backpacks. the midway bag is a direct copy of the shooters connection bag, but the quality is not there compared to the shooters connection bag. Plus they stole the design. I personally don't do business with people who's innovation gets ripped off. so heres a better question then, regardless of the fact that its a blatant ripoff, a shooters connection bag goes for $139, is there a extra $100 worth of quality in there that you get? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steel1212 Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 So how does the Midway bag compare? The Midway bag is $39.00 on sale. Is the CED bag worth more than 2x the price? So in trying to decide, I looked at bags from gander mountain 5.11, shooters connection, midway, wilson and a few others including backpacks. the midway bag is a direct copy of the shooters connection bag, but the quality is not there compared to the shooters connection bag. Plus they stole the design. I personally don't do business with people who's innovation gets ripped off. so heres a better question then, regardless of the fact that its a blatant ripoff, a shooters connection bag goes for $139, is there a extra $100 worth of quality in there that you get? buy the midway bag and come ask me in a year how its holding up. I've had my Shooters Connection bag since I started shooting and there is NO tears, rips, stitches coming out of any kind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerTrace Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 I was given a brand new 5.11 range bag about 2.5 years ago and it has held up very well and has more than enough room. I picked up a Shooter's Connection Ultra Bag at Space City and although it's a tad smaller (no pockets on the ends) it it made with much heavier material and zippers. I think it will last much, much longer than the 5.11 bag. I'm using the SC bag from now on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 Is the shooters connection bag $139 with the BE members discount? I use both bags I have a Midway that I originally bought because people said it was as good as a Shooter's connection bag. When I went to my first match and sat it down next to a Shooter's Connection bag I was embarrassed. It is a functional bag but it is nowhere near the quality of the SC bag. I use the MW bag to carry stuff to the match that I or somebody else may need like knee pads, major spare parts, lead wipes, umbrella, etc. I carry what I will use at the match in my SC bag. I do use the SC Ultra bag which is smaller than the SC Pro Series so it is not so bad carrying it at the match. Ammo is what gets really heavy real fast so I only carry what I need. I keep extra in the other bag. Shooter's connection bags are indeed more like luggage than a regular shooting bag. In my opinion they can't be beat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hankfan79 Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 (edited) I have used a CED Pro for about 4 years now. This bag is outstanding. It carrys everything I need. I used the zipper side pocket to hold my carbon copies of my scoresheets and calculator. The smaller pockets hold my timer and Surefire earplugs. The only things that go in the main compartment are gun, holster, mag pouches, electronic ear protection, and ammo. Brass bag is a big plus!. It is very rugged and shoulder starp is very firm. The name tag holder is handy as well. I just picked up a used one from Hunter Customs for cheap. Trying to get one for every gun setup I have so I can grab the bag and head to the range without a problem. Edited May 1, 2011 by hankfan79 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-ManBart Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 Is the shooters connection bag $139 with the BE members discount? The SC Ultra is only $99 (no discount). R, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dugout Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 the midway bag is a direct copy of the shooters connection bag, but the quality is not there compared to the shooters connection bag. Plus they stole the design. I personally don't do business with people who's innovation gets ripped off. This is sort of humorous since the Shooters Connection bag is a direct copy of the Bag made by Haftner Worldwide, Lake City FL , which was sold by Kentucky Windage way back when. One must credit the Haftner's for the design and I still use one which is 20 years old. I would buy another one tomorrow. If you want the original buy the Haftner Bag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KGentry Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 Best Quality - Shooters Connection Bag. Supports the sport you shoot - Shooters Connection Gives discounts to Brian Enos members - Shooters Connection Great people to deal with - shooters connection Enough said for me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoNsTeR Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 The Midway bag has held up well for me, but it definitely feels cheap compared to a Shooters Connection bag. The shoulder strap in particular is pretty crappy, in fact I've replaced mine with an SC strap. When I buy another bag it will probably be an SC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z40acp Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 I wish Shooters Connection would bring back some of the colors they used to have. When I started USPSA everybody had a Dillon bag. Now I see Dillon has a bigger bag also. Has anyone seen the bigger bag, and is it good? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steven37 Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 How does the CED bag compare to the Shooter's connection bag quality wise? I just got the shooter's connection ultra bag but it seems a little too big. I'm thinking about selling the shooter's connection bag and get the CED bag in place of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silversmoke Posted May 26, 2011 Share Posted May 26, 2011 I love Shooters Connection and do a lot of business with them. They do a great job of serving the needs of the competitive shooting community. This, however, does not mean everything they sell is perfect or better than alternatives in the marketplace. In particular, I personally find the Shooters Connection range bag too big and cumbersome. I bought one a couple of years ago and ended up giving it to a friend. As a replacement, I bought a Midway range bag and have used it happily for a couple of years. Contrary to what I read in many of these threads, I find the Midway bag to not be a clone of the Shooters Connection bag. The Midway bag is a bit smaller with a somewhat narrower aspect ratio. For me, the Midway bag size is a better choice --- not too big and not too small. The quality of materials and construction is very good. Mine shows very little wear and tear after two years of heavy use. Bottom line is that both Shooters Connection and Midway sell good range bags, one is bigger and one is smaller. Choose whichever one best suits your needs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digby7 Posted May 26, 2011 Author Share Posted May 26, 2011 How does the CED bag compare to the Shooter's connection bag quality wise? I just got the shooter's connection ultra bag but it seems a little too big. I'm thinking about selling the shooter's connection bag and get the CED bag in place of it. i havent spent much time with a SC bag so I cant directly compare the two, so far the CED bag seems to be very well made, i'm impressed with the quality of the thing. A local guy I shoot with has one thats several years old and its a bit beat up looking, i'll have to check it next time to see what kind of wear it has and if its anything substantial, so its probably not like the magical shooters connection bag that looks brand new for decades on end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blcksmk Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 Looks like I need a CED bag. I currently use the one made by Glock and don't have enough room to carry everything I need at a match. It only holds 4 magazines as well. How many mags can the SC or CED bag hold? Blcksmk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digby7 Posted May 27, 2011 Author Share Posted May 27, 2011 ced has pockets for 7 mags Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blcksmk Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 Sounds like this is what I need. Guess I'm gonna have to dig up some more money! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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