| Product: |
Concealed Carry Shoulder Bag |
| Manufacturer: |
CrossBreed Holsters |
| Reviewed By: |
B.T. Davis |
| Date of Review: |
Jan 08 |
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Crossbreed
Holsters Concealed Carry Shoulder Bag (CCSB)
Review
By
B.T. Davis
January 2008
CrossBreed Holsters has an innovative new
product for CCW permit holders wanting a
versatile off-the-body method for going armed.
They’ve developed an extremely functional
shoulder bag which has a discreet, quick-access
compartment to conceal a holstered handgun.
CrossBreed calls it their Concealed Carry
Shoulder Bag (CCSB) and in today’s modern,
high-tech, “wired” world this shoulder bag looks
very much like a typical, unthreatening laptop
computer case. From a practical standpoint the
CCSB blends in well with today’s typical urban
landscape. For concealed carry, its design and
appearance are, I think, its strongest
attributes. The bag does not appear to the
casual observer to be overtly “tactical” looking
- which can be a decisive advantage to the CCW
holder. In fact, a person wearing the CCSB
slung over their shoulder appears to be any one
of the countless number of people who carry a
laptop computer, or book bag, back and forth to
work or school each day.
The CCSB that I had the opportunity to review
was made out of sturdy black canvas material and
tanned leather. As is typical with CrossBreed
products, both the materials and workmanship
evident in the CCSB’s construction are
first-rate. The use of the mixed materials,
combined with quality construction and
stitching, gives the bag a high-end look, and
not simply like that of a utilitarian mil-spec
denier nylon “assault bag”.
The basic design of the CCSB is very similar to
that of a laptop computer bag or book bag with a
fold-over top. The fold-over flap top covers a
spacious main compartment which has three
individual side pouches sewn in, where you can
stow smaller, loose items such as spare
magazines or revolver speed loaders, keys, a
cell phone, etc… The flap is secured via snap
hook hardware. The bag’s adjustable shoulder
strap is made of black web material and attaches
to the bag with snap hook hardware.
Running vertically along the left-hand side of
the bag, when slung over the wearer’s shoulder,
is a full length black zipper which discreetly
blends in with the seam. Pulling down on this
zipper opens the slit concealment compartment.
The bag I tested was set up this way for right
handed shooters, but CrossBreed also produces
them for southpaws with the zipper access to the
concealment pocket being on the opposite side of
the bag. To aid in quickly locating the zipper,
especially in high-stress situations, I looped a
length of black 550 parachute cord through the
hole in the zipper. This allows me to yank the
zipper by grabbing the cord with my whole hand,
not just with my right thumb and forefinger.
Accessing the concealment compartment in a
fumble-proof, fast manner were my primary
concerns here. |
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The removable holster which fits in the
concealment compartment is one of
CrossBreed’s excellently designed Ohai
Kydex and leather models. The Ohai is a
weapon-specific holster, and the user
will need to specify their gun type at
the time of ordering. It is secured in
the concealment compartment with Velcro
material. The “loop” Velcro material is
sewn into the sidewall of the bag’s
concealment compartment, and the “hook”
Velcro material is covering the back
side of the Ohai holster’s flat leather
panel. The Ohai holster design provides
user-adjustable retention and a covered
trigger guard which allows a secure
Condition 1 carry option. Since the
holster is a separate piece of the CCSB
system, it can be securely positioned in
the bag to the shooter’s exact
height/cant preferences. As a well
thought out extra touch, Crossbreed
provides extra loop Velcro material
which the owner can put on the underside
of a desk, car interior, etc… with which
to secure the Ohai holster when it’s not
being used exclusively with the bag.
Talk about 24/7 real-world versatility! |
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After living with the bag for awhile I
increasingly came to appreciate the
functionality of its innovative design.
The bag blends totally in the typical
urban landscape. Unzipping the
concealment compartment and smoothly
drawing a holstered handgun is next to
effortless, and requires no break-in of
the Ohai holster. There is a semi-auto
pistol magazine pouch sewn onto the side
wall of the concealment compartment.
During drills where I drew the weapon,
fired the gun then attempted either
slide lock reloads, or reloads with
retention, I found this particular spare
magazine pouch set up awkward. The
shooter has to transition his gun to his
weak hand and reach back into the bag’s
concealment compartment with his strong
hand to retrieve the spare magazine.
During a lethal force encounter this
would be tactically disadvantageous to
the user. Elastic loops for 3-4
magazines sewn vertically into the body
of the main compartment would be a
better solution. This would allow the
shooter to maintain both his focus on
events around him, as well as control
his handgun in his strong hand while
using his weak hand to quickly access
the main compartment and retrieve the
securely stowed magazines there.
All in all though, I very much like the
concept of CrossBreed’s CCSB. It’s
tailor-made (no pun intended) for women,
who in the conduct of their daily, urban
lives would not be at a tactical
disadvantage using it to legally carry
for personal protection. My wife has
commandeered my test bag. In addition
to a .45, she’s got her “girl stuff” in
there. For students, it blends in well
as a laptop and/or book bag. Imagine
how great it would have been if the
academic elites running Virginia Tech
had allowed concealed carry on campus,
and one of those innocents ultimately
slaughtered by the psychopath murderer
had been discreetly armed in this
manner, and could have defended
themselves!
To provide this common-sense carry
option to the widest possible customer
demographic, CrossBreed is, at the time
of this review, working to provide both
an all-canvas CCSB, as well as an
all-leather CCSB. Up market, down
market, or in between, they’ve got a
CCSB bag/holster combination to cover
your needs. For more information go
online to CrossBreed’s excellent website
at
www.crossbreedholsters.com to check
out the CCSB, or to place an order.
CrossBreed can also be reached at:
(888) 732-5011. |
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