Air Force duffles?

[Squatchout]

A co worker I occasionally rides bikes with had a great duffle yesterday. It is heavy canvas like the old army duffels. But had 2 canvas handles (suitcase style). He said he got it from a family member that used to be in the Air Force. They were used by pilots to carry their flight stuff like helmets and what not. Anybody know about these and havea good source for them. I'd love to find about 3 of them in good shape. They would work well for my gear. I like the size. I'm finding I have a preference for HD canvas stuff as opposed to the imported nylon bags these days. They just seem to hold up better. Surplus items seem to be much more affordable than the high end stuff canvas stuff that's on the market.

Also I have an old "flyers kit Bag". It's hanging bag for clothing on hangers. Made out of a rubberized canvas like a dry bag. I bought it years ago at a surplus store and haven't seen one since. It's about worn out and I'd love to find another.

[DarthBeaver]

check Sporty's... www.sportys.com and look at the wright brothers shop... they might have it or www.mypilotstore.com..

[Idlehour]

is it a "flyers helmet bag"?
http://tucson.craigslist.org/spo/2814472432.html
https://www.google.com/#sclient=psy-...ers+helmet+bag

[AFSOC]

flyers kit bag.gif

I think you are describing these, they're marked as "Flyers Kit Bag". They are currently made from cordura or cordura like material. Very sturdy construction and bomb proof zippers and versatile. I love them too. About 20 years ago they were made out of a cotton canvas type material, they were good but suseptible to mold if wet for a period of time which stained and weakend the fabric when laundered. The later cordura ones are less prone to mold, snags, and rips. They are a very good and very inexpensive piece of gear...or kit if you must use that term. The military uses them for any number of purposes and it is an individual issue item. About any surplus store you find will have them.

[bugnout]

Aviator Kit Bag
vintage_flyer_kit_bag.jpg
Military surplus stores, or knock offs available on Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Rothco-Plus-En.../dp/B000KZJ7NQ

[RocketManDane]

I love these bags!!! I am using about 8 of them right now to store gear both for work and personal use! What makes them nice is the rectangular shape you can easily stack them side by side! Also they are great for storing pretty much anything that will fit. Not the best for carrying heavy gear but to keep it organized its great! They are still used by the military most people call them A, B, C bags or flyers kit bag depending on what is in them! And when I do have to buy them I get them from Cheaperthandirt.com

[Ray_G]

I've been using the cordura ones to haul my stuff on deployment for much of the past 10 years-very effective at containing a fair amount of stuff and as described the shape is helpful for stacking. It can hold pretty heavy items (I used one to haul my body armor-including front/rear/side SAPIs) helmet, and other external kit and it did it without flinching. Wouldn't want to carry it too far with that much load as its ergonomics aren't great, but for vehicle use they're quite good if a bit too large at times.
cheers-
Ray

[snorkel54]

Red Oxx makes well-priced new aviator bags in Montana. http://api.viglink.com/api/click?for...13287574521011

[Dirtytires]

I think these are great to have around.

[Squatchout]

Thanks for the feedback folks. After I posted this I did some searching and found quite a few interesting bags on surplus sites. The kit bag above is one of them. I think the one My friend has is a little more rounded but it's real close to that and canvas. I found them both ways today. I know cordura is the way to go but I'm just camping not on extended expos around the world. I've recently bought a couple of canvas items and prefer that. I don't expect them to get real wet for extended periods with my use. I will probably try water proofing a couple of these bags though with the same treatment I use for my oilskin coat.

Kit bag must be a pretty generic term. I saw several bags listed under that. Here are some pics of the one I mentioned above. I presume it's for carrying uniforms. It vinylized canvas and carries stuff on wire coat hangers. There is a place in the top to hook them. Very similar to a luggage suit bag but surplus.


Folded in 1/2. It snaps that way. The little flap covers the hooks on the hangers.




Here it is open. Inside are 2 snap pockets about the size of a magazine. A smaller one on the bottom with a zipper. And a shoe pocket on each side.


I've only seen these once at the surplus place I bought this one. I'm thinking Nam era. I bought it in the early '80s. It's carried a lot of clothes for me over the years.

I carry some stuff in hard cases but I find that soft bags pack so much better. Especially when you do all kinds of trips. Sometimes I'm packing light for a canoe trip. Sometimes I'm more loaded for a multi day wheeling trip where we set up a basecamp. I don't have the luxury of just having a rig loaded to travel. My trucks have to do work truck duty as well.