I currently carry my CCDW Insurance through USCCA (I know, there are probably other less-fascist options, but I haven't found one that lets me choose my own attorney yet).

Anyway, in the recent email advertisement from USCCA, there's a blurb about a Viktos Upscale 3 sling bag. In the text on the web site, it mentions "concealed carry option," and how the USCCA logo is stitched on in almost-same-color thread as to be less noticeable.

For some reason, I think having the USCCA logo on a pack would twitch a fair number of folks to "that it's likely an off-body concealed carry bag."

I looked at the Viktos site to see if they offer the bag at similar price--same price, but with their own logo in lieu of the USCCA logo. I suppose that anyone deep enough in gun culture to know who USCCA is would already know who Viktos is.

If I were to buy such a bag, I wouldn't want ANY logos on it. But, then, I tend away from logo wear a lot of the time, especially when I'm carrying, just to make myself less memorable. "Old fat white guy in a plaid shirt and jeans" fits a LOT of people. "Old fat white guy in a t-shirt with Bruce Springsteen all over the front of it" stands out a bit more. Maybe.

I mean, the bag looks like it would work for at least some folks, and if I find the scratch to test it out I might take a seam ripper to the embroidery.

Or am I over-thinking it?

I agree with you. I carry a (discontinued) 5.11 Covrt Sling with minimal markings. I'm an old white guy that still wears cargo pants and plaid shirts. I feel like the only people that would recognize it are those familiar with the product line. It's very non-threatening with no webbing or "weapon" related identification. I will admit that the Viktos sling is a nice looking product.

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nightcrawler wrote:I agree with you. I carry a (discontinued) 5.11 Covrt Sling with minimal markings. I'm an old white guy that still wears cargo pants and plaid shirts. I feel like the only people that would recognize it are those familiar with the product line. It's very non-threatening with no webbing or "weapon" related identification. I will admit that the Viktos sling is a nice looking product.

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Still has a bit of military look to it, although it is a handsome bag! When I go to the hiking/backpacking store, none of the packs have military/tactical colors.
As far as labels, it looks likes the letters for Viktos are glued on. So just put a patch over them. I recommend a Hello KItty patch.

[youtu_be]https://youtu.be/HKPxOe0wJwM?si=pdHHOBe6y_hEs3qs[/youtu_be]

I think it looks like a nice bag, and at $85 reasonable - considering what the market prices those type of “edc tactical bags” get it in a more neutral color and I doubt you’ll have any issues.

I’m a 43 y/o dad that looks like a bro vet with camo hat, beard and tattoos. Even more so when I wear my Heavy Metal Patch vest. While the general public is completely oblivious to CC in general, I assume most LEOs assume I’m armed.


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BearPaws wrote: Tue Nov 07, 2023 6:47 pm Old fat white guy in a plaid shirt and jeans

LOL. You talking about me? I love when the weather gets cooler so I can live in my flannel shirts.

Also a plain black baseball cap. I just bought one, and the store called it a "baseball cap / dad cap". Only thing worse than being stereotyped is when they nail it.

P.S. I don't carry.

cooper wrote:
LOL. You talking about me? I love when the weather gets cooler so I can live in my flannel shirts.

Accurately describes my fall/winter/ early wardrobe as well


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9:38am 80 degrees with 75% humidity.

But how is an EDC bag carried?

For some years prior to 2020, when I got serious about daily carry, I preferred kilts to p@nt$. Still do for a lot of what I do. However, while my kilts (current favorite is a Utilikilt Survivor model) don't attract tons of attention, they draw more attention than jeans (current favorite jeans are Duluth Trading Company Relaxed Fit Carpenter Jeans, with a "ruler" pocket on each side--one for my cell phone, the other for my Live the Creed trauma kit wallet). I've tried a couple ways to carry concealed while wearing a kilt, with nothing I consider satisfactory so far. Appendix carry doesn't work well for me, and I don't think I could make the Phlster Enigma work so am reluctant to invest the $$$ to try and have it fail.

I'm pondering getting this Viktos bag or something similar, just to be able to carry while kilted, knowing that I'll have to train for a different draw.

Because every time I wear a kilt, I am reminded of why I like wearing them.

They say its ambidextrous. Doesn't look very ambidextrous to me.

wooglin wrote: Wed Nov 08, 2023 11:42 am They say its ambidextrous. Doesn't look very ambidextrous to me.

I think the "bottom end" of the shoulder strap can be buckled to either the right or left side of the bag, allowing for carry over either shoulder. I haven't looked at the zipper arrangement to confirm or refute your assertion, so you may be correct.

Having worked with my hands since I was a wee lad, I'm better with my non-dominant hand than many, but I am also keenly aware that left-handed folks are all but forced to be closer to being ambidextrous than right-handed folks, just because so much of the stuff we use was made for right-handed folks, even the (allegedly) ambidextrous stuff.

My sister is left-handed. She once had a small single panel comic she had cut from a newspaper that read, "I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous." I still think about that, fifty years later.

BearPaws wrote: Wed Nov 08, 2023 1:25 pm

wooglin wrote: Wed Nov 08, 2023 11:42 am They say its ambidextrous. Doesn't look very ambidextrous to me.

I think the "bottom end" of the shoulder strap can be buckled to either the right or left side of the bag, allowing for carry over either shoulder. I haven't looked at the zipper arrangement to confirm or refute your assertion, so you may be correct.

Having worked with my hands since I was a wee lad, I'm better with my non-dominant hand than many, but I am also keenly aware that left-handed folks are all but forced to be closer to being ambidextrous than right-handed folks, just because so much of the stuff we use was made for right-handed folks, even the (allegedly) ambidextrous stuff.

My sister is left-handed. She once had a small single panel comic she had cut from a newspaper that read, "I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous." I still think about that, fifty years later.

Yeah, it can definitely be slung over either shoulder. But I think that zipper is on the wrong side for lefties. That or they need a vid showing how the thing works. When I wear a messenger bag the strap is on my right shoulder and the bag comes around my left hip when I dive into it. A vid showing access from both sides and either hand would be helpful. Stupid righties and their right-handed world.

I too have my insurance through the USCCA. Not much to say about the bag... really nothing at all to say about it, but I will say I thought it was rather dumb of them to send me a USCCA branded hat and sticker.

First of all, I don't have a head for hats, even if I did I wouldn't wear a hat that advertises the fact that I'm likely carrying a concealed firearm. That, in my mind, defeats the purpose of concealed carry. So the hat and the sticker went in the garbage. And their alarmist emails with subjects like "your loved ones are in danger!" irk the absolute shit out of me. That might appeal to their usual clientele of right wingers but I'm not one to try emotional manipulation on as it will fail out the gate every time.

But, like you, I like the ability to choose my own attorney and some of their online instructional videos are okay, I guess.

NonServiam wrote: Wed Nov 08, 2023 3:52 pm I too have my insurance through the USCCA. Not much to say about the bag... really nothing at all to say about it, but I will say I thought it was rather dumb of them to send me a USCCA branded hat and sticker.

First of all, I don't have a head for hats, even if I did I wouldn't wear a hat that advertises the fact that I'm likely carrying a concealed firearm. That, in my mind, defeats the purpose of concealed carry. So the hat and the sticker went in the garbage. And their alarmist emails with subjects like "your loved ones are in danger!" irk the absolute shit out of me. That might appeal to their usual clientele of right wingers but I'm not one to try emotional manipulation on as it will fail out the gate every time.

But, like you, I like the ability to choose my own attorney and some of their online instructional videos are okay, I guess.

Yeah, the whole "let's violate opsec by wearing logos supporting gun-waving culture" thing goes right on past me.

But, then, I don't really like large logos for any clothing or accessory brand. They don't pay me to advertise for them. In certain spaces, I will wear message t-shirts (that coincide with protest issues if I'm part of the protest, for example).

wooglin wrote: Wed Nov 08, 2023 2:03 pm

BearPaws wrote: Wed Nov 08, 2023 1:25 pm

wooglin wrote: Wed Nov 08, 2023 11:42 am They say its ambidextrous. Doesn't look very ambidextrous to me.

I think the "bottom end" of the shoulder strap can be buckled to either the right or left side of the bag, allowing for carry over either shoulder. I haven't looked at the zipper arrangement to confirm or refute your assertion, so you may be correct.

Having worked with my hands since I was a wee lad, I'm better with my non-dominant hand than many, but I am also keenly aware that left-handed folks are all but forced to be closer to being ambidextrous than right-handed folks, just because so much of the stuff we use was made for right-handed folks, even the (allegedly) ambidextrous stuff.

My sister is left-handed. She once had a small single panel comic she had cut from a newspaper that read, "I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous." I still think about that, fifty years later.

Yeah, it can definitely be slung over either shoulder. But I think that zipper is on the wrong side for lefties. That or they need a vid showing how the thing works. When I wear a messenger bag the strap is on my right shoulder and the bag comes around my left hip when I dive into it. A vid showing access from both sides and either hand would be helpful. Stupid righties and their right-handed world.

Yeah, I went back and looked at the zipper locations a little while ago (bored at work), and they don't look like they would work for lefties (or even, perhaps, leftists like myself, even though I'm right-handed and thus not in my right mind). Something about privilege and not recognizing what actual ambidextrous qualities are.

wooglin wrote: Wed Nov 08, 2023 11:42 am They say its ambidextrous. Doesn't look very ambidextrous to me.

There was a small pile of what Beau of the Fifth Column calls "power coupons" burning a hole in my pocket, so I got the bag. The only pocket that isn't close to ambidextrous is the smallest front pocket. Both of the zippers used to access the firearm pocket (one each side) are double-ended, meaning that there are two pulls per zipper, and there are two zippers, which seems to fit their claim that the draw can be ambidextrous. The middle pocket (with all the elastic straps to hold spare magazines tourniquets, gauze, a wallet, or what-have-you) has a U-shaped zipper with two pulls, so one could call that ambidextrous. The zipper for the smallest pocket is, alas, offset to one side, so NOT ambi.

I'll play with it some more before I make a man purse out of it, er, use it for carrying stuff a lot. I bought the dark blue one, figuring that the black logo would stand out less. I may toy with removing the logo, too.

Never having seen a guy with a sling bag or man purse in reality I still have a hard time seeing how one might be even faintly useful as a way to carry a handgun.

sig230 wrote: Mon Nov 20, 2023 8:09 pm Never having seen a guy with a sling bag or man purse in reality I still have a hard time seeing how one might be even faintly useful as a way to carry a handgun.

Yeah, the whole "off body carry" thing seems problematic to me, too. I don't know that I'd keep a pistol in this bag, even if I keep some trauma stuff in there (which, frankly, is more likely to be useful to me). Still, this bag might actually be useful to me, just because I'm willing to be abnormal.

They have them at Amazon without any USCCA identification. Nice looking sling bag and practical.
https://www.amazon.com/VIKTOS-Viktos-Up ... N3CYB?th=1

highdesert wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2023 7:50 am They have them at Amazon without any USCCA identification. Nice looking sling bag and practical.
https://www.amazon.com/VIKTOS-Viktos-Up ... N3CYB?th=1

I got mine direct from Viktos, and chose the color so that the black company logo is less obvious.