Vertx is revolutionizing ways to carry concealed firearms through the designs of top tactical firearms trainer Matt Jacques.
Vertx and Jacques joined forces a couple years ago and have released a number of everyday bags and packs that also provide a place for a concealed gun.
But Jacques’ latest creation, a garment bag, takes it up a notch.
“This is my baby,” Jacques told us at the 2016 SHOT Show. “This is the thing I’m extremely proud of.”
The newest, trave
l-friendly product, which is not approved by TSA, is a fully functional garment bag that also fits a full-sized AR-15 — and much more.
Jacques said he’s fit as much as two sport coats, two pairs of pants, three dress shirts and socks and underwear for two to three days into the bag. He also had an AR platform rifle, three spare magazines, four spare Glock magazines and two extra flashlights in the bag at the same time.
“It is a fully functional garment bag, but as I take it out of the truck and as I’m moving around with all of the stuff, I do a lot of driving all around the country,” said Jacques, who is also a rep and trainer for a rifle manufacturer. “So, as I’m going from my truck into the hotel room I can pick this bag up and I might have it laid out with two or three pairs of pants, a sport coat, two or three days’ worth of clothing in it, but also as I’m walking into the hotel room if there’s some sort of terrorist attack in the hotel or shopping plaza I’m nearby, I can come in, EDC pull tab tells me where my rifle is and I can go straight to my rifle.”
The EDC pull tab is small piece of material that allows the bag owner to find his gun without looking into the bag for rapid-fire access. Jacques also uses aluminum G-hooks for the garment bag, which don’t break like plastic hooks.
The garment bag will retail for around $250, Jacques said. It weighs between 30 and 40 pounds when fully loaded.
“In the grand scheme of things it weighs about the same as it would if I were to load down an actual roller,” Jacques said. “Gotta give to get, and I get to run around with an AR. You know what I mean?”
The outside of the bag includes mesh pouches on the front and full organizational options on the bag, including about 90 percent coverage of micro-Velcro from top to bottom. The bag also has a full pass through and tri-glide zipper opening .
“Everything on the inside is just like a regular garment bag you’d buy from a luggage store,” Jacques said.
Other Vertx Gear
Vertx released Courier, Commuter, Gamut, Gamut Plus and Satchel bags around two years ago. All but the Satchel are backpacks, while the Satchel is a camera bag. Vertx has since released the Principle (a briefcase), the Transit (a sling pack), the Ready (a pack) and the Essential (a small go-bag).
“What we wanted to do is build upon the family of bags that were released two years ago. Now it doesn’t turn into, when guys are out there running around, ‘I know what that bag is. That guy has a gun,’ ” Jacques said. “As we start talking, it’s a lot about the gray man and the guy that just wants to fit in, but he wants to be the professional. It’s for the guy that wants to carry a gun but doesn’t want to be that target indicator.”
Vertx also sells tactical pants, shirts and outerwear — some that have compartments for concealed firearms. Vertx was created by world-class designers to uniquely combine a low viz profile with the functionality of a battle garment.
