Sandpiper of California (SOC) is a company that has been doing business since 1980 and now you can find their products being sold world wide. SOC is an American company where all products are made here in the USA. SOC and their sister company PiperGear USA offer a wide variety of products and gear that conform to requirements that meet the Berry Amendment, NAFTA, GSA and Buy American Act and offers lifetime warranties on their products.

I had the opportunity to review SOC’s newest addition to their Gear Pack line, The Venture was in Coyote Brown (also available in Black and Gray) and is perfect for travel or carrying your daily items.  My first impression was that it looked like a really nice pack, stylish and even though it was in Coyote Brown it didn’t scream “Tactical”.  There is a panel in the front that allows for you to add MOLLE/PALS compatible pouches, a section of Velcro on the front that allows you to add your favorite moral patches or even a name plate. On each side there are hidden compartments and a universal handgun holster that attaches via Velcro.

Looking further into the pack I saw that there were 3 separate storage compartments to store gear, your laptop, notebook and other items that you would normally carry.  The rearmost compartment separates into more sections to individually store your items inside. It also unzips down completely on both sides allowing you to unfold completely for access to or viewing of your contents as opposed to packs that just have cavernous area which just makes it difficult to find what I am looking for.

The middle compartment is what I normally see in a pack including a pocket for an Ipad or Notebook and a generous storage area to place items inside.  The front compartment is what you would normally see in a pack where you can your pens, keys, note pads or smaller items with one surprising exception, there are two Quick Pack Flash Pouches attached.

The Quick Pack Flash Pouch is a flat pouch that has a zipper closure at the top, a see through mesh front allowing you to view the contents with ease,  attached to the interior of the back with velcro. I found that this worked perfectly for my first aid supplies ( band-aids to QuickClot Combat gauze, tourniquet, FirstCare Israeli battle dressing). The Quick Pack Flash Pouch turned out to be pretty handy and a great addition to the Venture.

The Venture is the first pack I have used with hidden compartments for concealing a handgun. I took advantage of the concealed handgun compartment holster on a day we went to the beach. As it was my first time using this method of concealment it took a while to become accustomed to the draw of the pistol (I always recommend that you practice safely prior to even thinking of carrying your pistol in any new manner). With that being said, The Venture is a solid pack with only one issue that I had is at times drawing the zipper over the top it would hang upon the flap that overhangs.

While the Venture is constructed to handle using it in SWAT, I chose to carry it as my everyday go bag.  Its sleek and stylish design fit in well with my environment (Southwest of Chicago in the suburbs) as I carried it daily I found the shoulder straps to be comfortable and didn’t slide off my shoulder when I just used one to sling up. Additionally both shoulder straps and the back of the pack have padded mesh backing.

In summary: The Venture is a great pack. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to my friends, coworkers or team mates. There are many ways to personalize where and how you store your items including Molle/PALS webbing on the front allows you to add extra pouches as needed.  The Quick Pack Flash Pouches were easy to remove and view whats inside of them. Shoulder straps and the back have good padding and mesh to allow for comfort and ventilation. With an MSRP of $89.99 you can’t go wrong.

Model Number: 4015-O-CB

Size:                   Medium

Dimensions:       19” x 12” x 8”

Volume:              1,800 in(3)

Weight:               2.9 lbs

Material:             600-Denier

Warranty:            Lifetime Warranty

Functionality:  4/5

Width            5/5

Durability:       5/5

Comfort:          5/5

Cost:                5/5

Total:               24/25

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received this product as a courtesy from the manufacturer via Spotter Up to use and provide my honest feedback. I am not bound by any written, verbal, or implied contract to give this product a good review. All opinions are my own and based off my personal experience with the product.