As you all know the tactical gear arena is loaded with companies claiming that their product is the best. The phrases commonly used to catch the consumers interest are:”Tested in Iraq”,” GSA”, “Mil Spec”, “Standard Issue” etc. Today’s consumer is constantly searching for the “most tactical” gear available. Bags, holsters, vests and boots top the list.
Well, what exactly is tactical gear? In my humble opinion it is gear that will take extreme abuse and perform well under any condition. With that said the gear must be comfortable, well made and easily manageable. The bottom line is that good tactical gear should last for a long time and never let you down.
In this gear review I am going to focus on two field bags made by Voodoo Tactical, a tactical gear company that by no means is new to the tactical gear industry. They currently headquartered out of California. I have always been a value oriented consumer and with the economy the way it is, those words hold true now more than ever. In my experience expensive gear does not always equal better gear, mark my words on that! A while back I had been surfing the net and I came across Voodoo Tactical, I am always looking for new gear to evaluate and immediately the Matrix Assault Pack and the Reaper Military Patrol Pack caught my eye. The price was right and the layout was just what I was looking for. At that time I contacted Voodoo Tactical to get the specs on the bags. To my surprise, I made contact with a group of knowledgeable and friendly individuals. Very few places that I have come across in the tactical arena treat customers like they mean something.
Upon receiving the Matrix and the Reaper the first place that they went in was in the sink submerged in 12 inches of water for 30 seconds. As you know this is where most of the gear that I review gores in first. I placed a stack of white paper inside both bags to see the absorption capabilities. Keep in mind that I do this even for gear that is not waterproof. After 30 seconds, I removed the Matrix from the sink. To my surprise only about 10% of moisture seeped through the material. The same for the Reaper. By the way that is better water performance than the eagle, Blackhawk and Uncle Mike bags that I have tested in the past.
The dimensions of the Matrix are 16" tall x 11" wide x 7" deep. There are ten zipper compartments externally including to small pockets on the shoulder straps. Each compartment has a different dimension from tall to square to flat. This bag has a bunch of room just in the external pockets. Inside we are looking at multiple scale zipper pockets used for all sorts of accessories and two large pocket openings to include a compartment for a laptop. To say that this is a compartmentalized pack is an understatement. I have never seen so many pockets in a bag this size. The best part of all is that it has molle webbing on the sides and the front area of the bag. I also found that the shoulder harness has a very unique top handle. It makes it very comfortable to move this bag from the top. There is also nice cushiony back frame approximately 1 inch thick.
The Reaper has 2500 cubic inch main compartment and an expandable 850 cubic inch lower compartment. This bag is very cool period. To start the expending capabilities of this bag are the best I have seen from a military type pack. There are no messes releasing or folding up the extension compartment. A quick zip does it all. Externally it has one large front pocket. Inside there are multiple scale zipper compartments and a large roomy uncluttered area. The Reaper‘s shoulder harness is detachable with an adjustable velcro fastener that can adjust the height. The shoulder harness also comes with a detachable heavy duty waist belt. The back panel has a molded cushion platform that forms to your back. The harness looks like a unique interesting concept. Of course it needed to be tested. So far both bags looked solid and very “Tactical”. The next and most important test was to put them through the rigors of my tests.
I decided to make the matrix my gun- training accessories bug out bag and the reaper my traveling bag. I just can’t say enough regarding the compartments in the matrix pack. I was able to fit all of my range and instructional gear in the bag including manuals, ear protection, laptop, 2 firearms, knee pads, multiple hats, timer, markers, gloves, 2 holsters, first aid kit, sun block glasses etc. The matrix went through two tactical courses with me and through was daily grind. I pulled it dragged it and every time the bag retained its form. The compartments and zippers became better with wear, it’s almost as if they became larger and the zippers smoother to open. The more I used the bag the better it fit my needs.
I took the reaper with me overseas to Lima Peru. The bag had a very comfortable shoulder harness. Walking around with the bag on one shoulder or two, I was able to adjust it to fit me accordingly. The main compartment area of the reaper is actually bigger than it looks. It held t shirts, tactical gear, boots, laptops and books. The inside zipper compartments were very useful, I was able to place documents, pens and small accessories in these compartments. I used the reaper as a range bag during my course. It worked well (Not as good as the matrix for a range bag due to its size) and easily took the pounding of loading and unloading. Most of the time the bag was expose to direct sunlight for many hours at a time. I observed no fading or cracking of the material. The bottom extended compartment was by far the best feature of the reaper. You get an extra 850 cubic inches in a lower separate compartment that extends approximately eight inches. That compartment proved to be important on my flight back as I had purchased some goodies that would have never fit in my check in luggage.
I was impressed with both the Matrix and the Reaper. The craftsmanship, design, functionality, and price make these bags a standout in the tactical gear market. I consider them multi-use tactical bags and a requirement for any individual involved in the tactical, outdoors or extreme environment world
4.8 out of 5.0
(Highly recommended)
This review can also be found at PoliceOne.com