I say ultimate because it seems like it would be difficult to find something any less obviously tactical than the new version Discreet Rifle Case (D-Bag) from High Speed Gear Inc. The original one was what you might expect in appearance, with typical high HSGI standard of construction. Dual zippers for top opening, padded with 3/8" closed cell foam, removable pad on flap, interior covered in black loop Velcro with a large center divider and two additional dividers that Velcro in place. This first D-Bag would hold a broken down AR15 with a 16" barrel , 11" SBR and a folding stock AK. It was available in khaki, smoke green, black, light navy blue, burgundy, coyote tan, multicam and A-TACS. Now, some of those are obviously not your typical "tactical" colors, but they're still not terribly unusual - plus, you have to break down your AR to carry it.
That was before. The new D-Bag is 34" long instead of 26", so you can place a 16" barrel AR inside without breaking it down. Here's what's more important for the needs of the low profile crowd: you can get it in any print you desire, if you can buy it. From Sponge Bob to Hello Kitty to the Dallas Cowboys, HSGI will build you a D-Bag in whatever you want (though why you'd want a Dallas Cowboys print case I have no idea).
Kit Up! Custom discreet rifle bags from HSGI.
Gene Higdon, HMFIC and crusty old design guru at HSGI told me, "Whatever print you can buy, we'll do it...Sponge Bob or Hello Kitty, you can bring us your grandma's sofa pattern and we'll make it. We haven't licensed those prints, but you the customer can buy one and bring it to us because you the end user can make it happen...we'll fuse it at no charge to the Cordura, not to a weaker or lesser material; we fuse it and cut it out and we'll sew it in the same manner we would one of our fighting men and women, to last."
Essentially by you the customer going and purchasing the fabric, you're avoiding the need for them as the manufacturer to need a licensing fee. It's a win-win. The customer gets the exact desired print they want at no extra cost, HSGI builds the bag.
Gene is quick to point out you have to use common sense if you're really trying to maintain a low profile. "You can put an SBR in a Hello Kitty backpack, but you might attract a little attention if you've got a fifty year old man wearing it...and me, look at me...if you put some kind of skateboard $&!+ on it, do I look like a f#<%ing skateboarder? Maybe if I was pushing shopping cart around pretending to be a homeless guy, but come on..."
A different style of bag showing the same customization from HSGI.
If you've never met Gene or talked to him, let me assure you, it never fails to be an entertaining conversation.
HSGI will not charge for any of the extra labor or the fusing process, but they do ask that you contact and coordinate with them ahead of time. There are a few things to sort out ahead of time, such as matching the webbing color.
"We like to talk to the customer to find out their needs," Gene says. "We had a customer [who] called in for the New Orleans Saints and we used primarily black. The Sponge Bob bag was harder, because we didn't have the right color to match it - we'll get the closest we can, and we'll make you or your kid a backpack that will last. You have a kid with a Captain America backpack or a whatever backpack you bought at the store, how long will it hold up? These will last and last, yours [an adult with a low profile D-bag] or theirs [a child dragging one around school]."
Kit Up! Another look at the end-user chosen prints of the new Custom D-Bags.
The original Discreet Rifle Case is here: http://www.hsgi.us/proddetail.php?prod=HSG-DBAG&cat=16. The new one is not yet featured on the website, so you should contact HSGI by phone or fax (NC: 1-910-325-1000,
FAX: 1-910-325-1001, TOLL FREE (US): 1-877-301-2116) or via their e-mail, sales (at) hsgi.us. Shop hours are Monday through Thursday 8-6 EST and Friday 8-4:30 EST.
Kit Up! Not as manly a print, but it doesn't scream "I have a rifle!" either.
