Little brother of the opmod prb - VISM Competition Range Bag w/ Non-Zip Side Pockets

I was looking for a medium sized range bag discreet enough not to attract unwanted attention from the neighbors but rugged and spacious enough for an extended day at the range with a variety of toys. I liked the features of the OPMOD PRB, but wasn't thrilled with the gigantic "OPMOD" logo embroidered on the side, waiting to be Googled by a nosy bystander. The PRB is also a huge bag, which I figured would be 1) too large to conveniently carry or store and 2) too heavy by a wide margin if I actually came close to filling it with gear & ammo. Some sleuthing through the other range bag listings showed the VISM Expert Range Bag to be suspiciously similar in description and features to the OPMOD, but minus the large-print logo. That led me to look at the VISM Competition Range Bag, and here I am...

This bag has the same elastic mag retention scheme as the OPMOD PRB inside its zippered outer side pockets, one of which opens flat to serve as a pistol rug (this is the side with the large velcro area for name tape / morale patches). Like the OPMOD, the mag retention elastic is arranged, cleverly IMO, to secure either AR or pistol mags, making it quite versatile. The pocket with the velcro has mag elastic on both inner surfaces, providing storage for a total of 8 AR mags or 16 pistol mags (or some combination). The other side has MOLLE webbing on the outside (3 rows, 9 columns) and only zips open halfway, providing vertical support for external MOLLE attached pouches even when opened. The pocket on the MOLLE side has mag elastic on only one side, holding another 4 AR or 8 pistol mags. The MOLLE on this pocket fits two side-by-side 5.11 6x6" pouches perfectly and still allows access to the flat zipper pocket on the face of the MOLLE panel. One short end of the bag has a zippered compartment suitable for gloves, goggles, ammo, or folding earmuffs. This pocket also includes a name tag window. The other short end has a somewhat oddball bungee-cinched open-top half-pouch that seems sized to hold two water bottles side by side or some other mystery cargo...maybe a towel or jacket?

Zippers on the main compartment are lockable, but the outer side and end pockets are not. There is a velcro loop on top of the bag for securing earmuffs or other items. The main compartment of the bag is fairly minimalist, with an open-top padded full-length sleeve (not removable) on each long side for pistol storage and low-profile velcro-flap covered document pockets on the short ends. A spent brass bag with mesh bottom and drawstring top is also included - a handy bonus that seems to work well, can be clipped to the outside of the bag, and packs down small when not in use.

Overall construction is excellent, and the bag is very solid and stable, even when heavily loaded with a few hundred rounds of ammo, two pistols, plus mags, ears, eyes, and other range gear. You could easily put more weight in this bag than you would want to lift, but I believe the bag itself would hold it. If you really loaded up a bag the size of the OPMOD PRB with ammo and gear, you'd probably need a buddy to help lug it to and from the car. In that respect, I think the VISM competition range bag offers just about the ideal balance of payload and mobility, at least for my purposes.

Overall, an excellent balance of size and features at a very reasonable price point.