Gear Bags
Our military gear bags are made to carry specific equipment, not just general cargo: tools, helmets, duty gear and kit for the flight line. Most follow G.I. patterns that have been in use for generations, made by Rothco in heavyweight canvas.
The tool bag section is the largest:
- G.I. Style Mechanic's Tool Bag and the G.I. Type Zipper Pocket Mechanics Tool Bag with military stencil
- Heavyweight Canvas Platoon Tool Bag and Canvas Tanker Style Tool Bag
- Mechanics Tool Bag and Canvas Jumbo Tool Bag with brass zippers
- Canvas Jumbo Mechanic Tool Bag, Wide Mouth Mechanics Tool Bag, Renovator Tool Bag and two tactical tool bags
For aviation and field gear, choose from the G.I. Type Flyers Helmet Bags, the Flyers Helmet Shoulder Bag, the Vintage Canvas Helmet Bag, a printed flyers helmet bag, the G.I. Plus Enhanced Air Force Crew Bag and the Enhanced Aviator Kit Bag. The Heavyweight Canvas Musette Bag and Canvas Jumbo Musette Bag carry like a small field pack, and the G.I. Style Canvas Butt Pack rides on a belt.
For duty and range equipment there is the Police Equipment Bag, the Large Canvas Police Gear Bag in black, a small black police logo gear bag, the Thin Blue Line Modular Gear Bag, the Full Access Gear Bag, the Canvas Equipment Bag and the Canvas Pocketed Military Gear Bag.
A note for service members: under DA PAM 670-1, bags carried with the ACU or Class B uniform must be black or match a color of the authorized camouflage pattern, and may be carried by hand or on one or both shoulders. Black police gear bags meet the color rule; olive drab tool bags are best kept for the motor pool and the garage.
How to Choose Military Gear Bags
Begin with the item you're carrying, then pick a bag shaped for it. A helmet bag protects a helmet and visor, a tool bag holds weight on a stiff base, and an equipment bag keeps duty gear sorted for quick access.
Tool Bags: Mouth, Pockets and Closures
The open, wide-mouth design of the Wide Mouth Mechanics Tool Bag lets you see every wrench at a glance. Zippered tool bags, including the brass zipper models, keep tools in place in a truck bed or toolbox. Pocketed designs sort sockets, drivers and pliers so they don't collect at the bottom. Platoon and jumbo bags carry a full set for a shop or team, while the standard G.I. style mechanic's bag suits a personal set. Heavy tools wear canvas at the corners, so don't overfill the smaller bags. A tool bag with a flat, stiff bottom will stand up on its own, which keeps tools from spilling across a garage floor or the bed of a truck.
Helmet Bags and Aviator Kit Bags
Flyers helmet bags have been carried by aircrews for decades and remain one of the most useful shapes around: a zip-top tote with handles that fits a helmet, a laptop, a headset or a change of clothes. The G.I. Plus Enhanced Air Force Crew Bag and Enhanced Aviator Kit Bag are larger takes on the same idea for flight gear; check each product page for its pocket layout. Off the flight line, many people use them as gym and carry-on bags.
Military Gear Bags for Duty and the Range
The Police Equipment Bag, police gear bags and the Thin Blue Line Modular Gear Bag organize a duty belt, body armor carrier, flashlights and paperwork between shifts. The Full Access Gear Bag opens wide for range days. For airsoft players, a large equipment bag holds a vest, helmet, mask and spare magazines in one place.
Musette Bags and Butt Packs
The musette bag is a small canvas field pack that can be carried on a shoulder strap or worn as a light backpack, and the jumbo version has room for a day's essentials. A G.I. style butt pack attaches to a belt or pack frame for items you need without opening your main ruck.
Military Gear Bags and Uniform Regulations
Carrying Gear Bags in Uniform
For Soldiers, DA PAM 670-1, paragraph 20-2b, allows bags to be carried by hand, on one shoulder using a shoulder strap or over both shoulders, but not slung diagonally across the body. In the ACU and Class B uniforms the bag must be black or match a color of the authorized camouflage pattern, and paragraph 4-7i limits bags with the combat uniform to a garrison environment. AR 670-1 also says shoulder bags may not display commercial logos.
What That Means for These Bags
Olive drab canvas tool bags and stenciled bags are work and off-duty gear. Black gear bags are the better match for uniform carry, but logo or Thin Blue Line designs may draw a correction, so check with your chain of command. The Air Force, Space Force, Marine Corps and Navy have their own regulations.