I am not normally a fan of most of 5.11 products outside of their clothing line. I am not sure why, since I have a number of 5.11 uniform pants that are durable, comfortable and practical. So, when I was searching for a new briefcase/messenger bag I kept ignoring the 5.11 Rush Delivery series of bags until recently. I have tried and used many different bags: Timbuk2, Osprey, Patagonia, Jagg and The Pack Shack to name a few. All were well made but none had the organization that I wanted.

What I desired was a bag that I didn’t need smaller pouches and bags to organize the contents. For a number of reasons, I didn’t want a bag that was Velcro or MOLLE lined requiring additional pouches to be purchased to setup an organizational system (this is mostly a personal preference and I admit, this can be a good system for certain needs). Finally, I decided to buy a 5.11 Rush Delivery Mike off. I figured that I could return it if I didn’t like it. However, in the end I not only kept the Mike (the smallest bag in the Rush Delivery line) but I also purchased a X-ray (the largest model) to fit different needs.

When I was packing for my current mission in Albania, a 7-week trip to help develop the Albanian EMS system, I decided to bring the smaller Mike messenger bag. I choose to take the smaller bag because it would be make a better carry-on and easier to carry through the airports and around Albania once I arrived. I was a little worried that once I was working in Albania, the Mike wouldn’t be big enough but after a week I was surprised how much I actually was carrying around in the little bag.

The Mike easily swallowed my Laptop, Tablet, notebook, communication equipment, with all their associated cables and supplies as well as basic medical and survival gear plus some other “essentials”. Some of the pockets bulged, but the seems were never stressed and there was still some room left to stuff a “Marmot PreCip” raincoat into the bag.

Internally, the Rush Delivery has a main compartment that is divided into three sections. At the front and the back of the main compartment there is a full width divider making two pockets that can fit a 13“ laptop or letter/A4 sized notebooks. On each of these dividers are pockets to help organize the bag. The rear divider is covered with Velcro so Velcro back pouches could be added to further organize the bag. On the front divider, there are also two additional zippered pockets.

The ”front" of the Mike is organized with a number of pockets and slots, including with a zippered full width pocket and a smaller Velcro closure to secure small items. On the flap, there are two external zippered pockets that are big enough to carry all my immediate need medical supplies in one and my PSK, PLB, signal panel/mirror and Rescue Laser in the other pocket. On the back of the pack is another flat zippered pocket that also has a Velcro closure, internally this pocket has a Velcro patch that can accommodate most full-sized handgun in a Velcro backed holster. When travelling this is where I kept the documents and small stuff I wanted access to quickly, the secondary Velcro closure made sure the items were secured even if I left the zipper open. The back of this pocket is a strap to allow it to be carried on the pull-handle of a rolling bag, unlike other smaller bags I have used this one actually fits on the pull handle of a Pelican 1510 Carry-on.



The outside of the pack has a number of features that add to the backs utility. The top of the back is a centered webbed carry handle, this is a feature that many other messenger bags neglected or added as an afterthought. The Mike’s carry handle is well designed and allows the bag to be comfortably carried by just the carry handle if needed. The shoulder strap is well build and has enough length to adjusted so it can be carried over the body for longer distances or just over a shoulder. The pad is moveable but can be secured in the position wanted so that it doesn’t slide around like some other packs I have used. 5.11 included heavy elastic sleeves that cover the side-release buckles for the shoulder strap. On either side of the back are adjustable mesh pouches, that sadly aren’t large enough for a 1L Nalgene bottle, but does fit a 24oz Kleen Kanteen.

Time will tell if the 5.11 Rush Delivery, Mike will hold up to the abuse it has been getting here in Albania. So far so good, and I really don’t want to have to start a new search for a well-organized messenger bag/briefcase. When I get back to the US, I will post some pictures of the humongous X-ray version of this bag.