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My range bag is getting too heavy so I'm looking for other options. I weighed it today....25lbs! I was at the range last week and a guy was in the lane next to me with a rolling range bag. It was a hard case about the size of an average size airplane carry-on rolling bag. It unfolded like a fishing tackle box and gave him easy access to everything that I usually fumble around for. A few years ago, I would have rolled my eyes, but I gotta tell you, after lugging my 25lb range bag through the parking lot too many times, this is beginning to look like a nice option. Does anybody else use one of these or am I just getting wimpy in my old age?

This is what's in my bag today:
- SW Mod66 in a fobus paddle holster with a couple of boxes of .38 and a box of .357
- Browning Buckmark (in the plastic case) with about 700 rds of cheap target ammo (one partial box of Remington and a full box of Federal (my daughters love shooting the .22 so I keep plenty of ammo for them and their friends in case I'm lucky enough for them to join me
- 2 pairs of shooting glasses, 2 earmuffs, and a ziploc bag full of those orange spongey earplugs (my kids and wife go to the range with me sometimes so I like keeping everything together to avoid forgetting to pack something if they decide at the last minute to join me)
- a sleeve of paper targets and a sleeve of those red stick-on targets
- a screwdriver for adjusting sights
- about 200rds for my carry gun (FMJ+JHP)

By the way, I shot some trap with one of my daughters today since she's out of school for Spring Break. We had a great time, even though we didn't hit many.

Yours is light. Time for church so I will edit this when I get home.

PhotoBucket has changed things again so I will try this.

No guns in my range tote. Just everything I need.

Let's see.....
Gun oil
Ammo
Rag
Batteries for the muffs
Ammo
10 or so magazines
Holster and mag holder for matches
Small screwdriver set
PSC Range badge
IDPA membership and classifer cards
Ammo
Stash of pens, both taken to and occasionaly removed from matches
and ....Ammo

My husband had the range bag to start, but it was easy to see that it was going to take more than one. Now we each have our own range bags...and I'm VERY particular about mine (more particular than I ever was with a purse). I also keep each of my guns in a separate bag, box...whatever. If I decide not to take the usual firearm, it's just a matter of switching out the gun case within the range bag...if that makes sense.

Have you thought about putting the extra set of everything into the second range bag (if you decide to go with 2). That way if the family goes with you, all you have to do is grab the second bag. If they don't, you aren't hauling all the extra stuff to the range.

T.

In addition.

Stapler.
Staples
leatherman
pocket binoculars

Range bag? I don't use no stinkin' range bag. I have a range truck!

Seriously, I just load everything into the bed of my truck and back up to the firing line.

I have my large range bag filled with just about anything and everything that I could possibly need at the range, to include extra springs, binoculars, cleaning supplies, etc. If I'm shooting a match/headed to the range to only shoot one gun, I've started to use my Maxpedition Fatboy Versipack to take my ammo, eyes, and ears. I've gotten looks covering the full range of expected expressions when attending matches (from the "does that guy have a purse?!" to "hey, that looks a whole lot easier than carrying my rolling wardrobe with me....") Carrying the Maxpedition always makes me feel like I've forgotten something, but so far I have not.

I try to keep it simple.

Eyes
Ears
Guns
Ammo
Extra Mags

I have noticed with my gun collection growing and the added weight of the
ammo to go with it that my bag is getting pretty heavy these days.

At least my bag is much lighter on the trip home.

I have a very large range bag I take for public ranges (it's a patrolman's trunk organizer/bag from GT Distributors). When I go shoot on family land, I also take an additional 5-gallon bucket full of extra stuff I need that doubles as a seat with one of those foam-padded spinning seat bucket tops.

My public range bag has:

• Tool kit (screwdrives, allen wrenches, pliers etc.)
• Cleaning kit (multi-section cleaning rod, brushes, some swabs etc.)
• Cleaners/oils (different bottles and spray cans stored together in a side pocket along with some BoreSnakes)
• Stapler & extra staples
• Small 20-50x50mm spotting scope with table-top tripod
• Range cards for various ranges where I shoot
• roll of masking tape (to tape off holes in a target to reuse it if I'm feeling particularly cheap that day)
• Some paper targets (homemade, printed from my computer)
• Some "splatter" targets
• At least 50 rounds of ammo for each handgun caliber I use, plus any rifle calibers I'm going to be using that day
• Pens, pencils, markers - for writing details of caliber and distance on targets if I'm going to keep them for some reason
• Maglula pistol magazine loader (only used once)
• ear plugs (reusable set for me; disposable for use by others)
• ear muffs
• an oil rag and a clean rag or hankerchef

Haven't weighed it, but I know it's heavy

My 5-gallon bucket has:

• A small clamp vice and 1x1x12 piece of wood I've engineered to hold my spotting scope clamped to my homemade shooting bench when shooting on private property
• ear plugs (reusable set for me; disposable for use by others)
• ear muffs
• various targets
• roll of tape
• stapler and extra staples
• ballcap
• some stakes to hold clay pigeons for use in long-range rifle shooting (great fun with a .22 at 100 yards or so)
• a homemade bench rest (4x4x12 scrap lumber with a terry cloth towel on top wrapped tight in an old restaurant napkin stapled to the bottom like upholstery)

My range bag has:

Eyes
Ears
Ammo
Guns
Rags/Paper Towels
Oil/Boresnake
Stapler
Pens
Tape/Targets

cougartex wrote:My range bag has:

Eyes
Ears
Ammo
Guns
Rags/Paper Towels
Oil/Boresnake
Stapler
Pens
Tape/Targets

My list resembles yours. After today with the long guns, I am adding binoculars. I don't carry ammo in the bag because it is so heavy that it eventually makes the bag "sag" from the weight. I carry ammo in one of those "ammo cans" from Cabellas. Plastic, cheap, and holds a ton of ammo!

Funny this thread shows up today. I got home this afternoon and started evaluating what I had and what I needed to add. Thanks for the timely input!!

eyes & ears (keep 2 sets in case someone comes along with me)
tape
pen
small notebook
lens cleaner rag
hat
small binoculars
bandaids

Also have a self assembled "trauma kit" with gauze, large trauma bandages, tourniquet, gloves, scissors. Never know when somebody, possibly me or one of mine, will start leaking on the range.

I have 5, yes 5 range bags. They are small 2 gun bags. I like to keep calibers seperated. 9mm guns and ammo in one bag 40 S&W guns and ammo in another bag. I only have one bag open at a time. I do it to keep from mixing up ammo.

One time a while back I had a Kel-Tec P11, 9mm, and a Kel-Tec P32, 32acp, with me and I loaded the 9mm magazine with 32acp ammo. The P11 would not fire even after several tries. When I racked the slide a 32acp round with a slightly dented primer fell out.

I will put a 45acp and a .22 or a 32acp in the same bag without worry about a mix up.

Back to the contents:
Band Aids ( I have given many of them to other shooters, mostly "slide bite" injuries)
ear plugs
screwdriver
masking tape
small stick on bullseyes
pens
My wife's bag has shooting gloves in it
We hang the muffs on the outside to make sure we have them and they won't fit inside the small bags anyway.

I need to put a section of cleaning rod in one. (Note: steel case russian .22 ammo sticks in Browning BuckMarks. )

I always take a button up long sleeve shirt or a light jacket and a hat with a brim on it. This is all to prevent "HOT brass" from getting down my shirt or landing on an out streached bare arm. I haven't had one get behind my glasses for a couple of years but I don't know a 100% method to prevent it.

Another advantage to multiple bags is my wife carries half the load.

Regards, OE

Thanks for the input. It sounds like I'm not the only one with a heavy bag, but it looks like most of you are more clever than me on finding solutions.
TLynn has a good idea of multiple bags - 1 for when I hit the range solo, and another that I can easily take with me if someone else joins me. I may look for a backpack type bag that is easy to carry and holds a lot of stuff. LT may be on the right track with the Husky soft-sided tool bag (LOTS of external pockets).

Thanks for the input. Looks like I'm going shopping for another range bag today. I'm headed to the Bass Pro Grapevine range this afternoon. I'll look at their bags while I'm there.

I posted this thread hoping for ideas on how to lighten my bag...it didn't work. Looking through all of the posts, I'm making notes of all the things that I need to add.

I think AggieMM had a chrono in his bag at the recent IDPA match.