The Martialist: The Magazine For Those Who Fight Unfairly

“Stay ‘unreasonable.’  If you
don’t like the solutions [available to you], come up with your
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Copyright © Phil Elmore,

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reserved.

“Fatigues Army Navy” Danish School Bag

Review by Phil Elmore

The “Original Danish Style School Bag,” as sold by Fatigues Army navy and Surplus Gear Company,
is a heavy canvas shoulder bag (OD green in color) that I purchased
specifically because it was purported to be the one carried by “Jack
Bauer” on the Fox series 24. Specifically, TV Guide
described it as Bauer’s bag in their regular feature on product
placement in popular television shows. I was suspicious of this claim
when I read it because my own Jack Sack is a Rothco Messenger Bag. On closer examination of the Danish School Bag, I feel confident in declaring TV Guide
to be wrong. The shoulder strap is different in length, configuration,
and its mounting to the bag itself. Pictures of Bauer’s bag definitely
do not match the Danish School Bag. While a nice daily carry bag on its
own merits, I wonder just how many Danish School Bags have been sold to
fanboys and -girls who thought they were getting an authentic 24 product tie-in (only to be disappointed).

The Danish School Bag measures 15 inches by 11 inches
by 8 and a half inches. The seller’s website states, “Please note that
the shoulder strap measures approximately 42″ fully extended.” This is
probably the company’s way of warning you that the shoulder strap
really isn’t long enough (at least not for large-framed Americans like
me — maybe the Danes run smaller on average). At its full length, I
find it only barely long enough to sling the bag, which rides above my
waistline. This is okay because it’s great for use as a dump pouch when
shooting (or as a daily carry bag if you don’t want the bag to ride
low), but it’s no where near the full length available to buyers of the
Rothco bag. (On the television show, Bauer appears to have his Rothco
bag at full extension, as it rides very low on his small frame.)

Interestingly, both this bag and the Rothco bag are
made in India. While still rough in spots, the stitching and the weight
of the canvas are both better in the Danish School Bag than in the
Rothco competitor. The Danish bag simply feels heavier, as if it will
stand up to more abuse (and more carry weight). The brass-colored
hardware (D-rings and the rings for the shoulder strap) are of better
quality than thsoe found on the Rothco bag, too.

The Danish School Bag is expandable. A single zipper
(which encloses the moutning points for the shoulder strap) runs down
the sides and across the bottom of the bag, constricting it when
closed. When unzipped, the zipper ends detach from each other
completely, meaning you’ll have to thread the zipper like you would to
zip up a jacket when you go to close it again.

The large outer flap secures firmly (unlike the flap
on the Rothco bag, which is never really “secure” when lightly held by
hook and loop strips) using two hook and loop-backed fabric straps that
feed through two metal D-rings on the bottom of the bag. The outer flap
also has a zippered compartment. Beneath the outer flap, two
snap-and-flap closure pockets (seven and a half by six by one and one
half inches, according to the manufacturer) front an outer pouch and
the roomy main compartment. A crude wooden ruler (which appears to have
been painted yellow with a paintbrush) fits into a compartment sewn
into the inside of the upper flap. On the “rear” side of the bag’s
exterior is another pouch that doesn’t quite run the full height of the
bag, which is accessible even when the outer flap is secured.

A heavy-duty canvas handle at the top of the bag is
there if you wish to carry it like a briefcase. The shoulder strap can
be secured completely inside the zippered expansion area, too. When
carried by the top handle, the two straps securing the outer flap will
become “load bearing,” as without them the bag would simply flop open
and dump its contents when you grabbed the handle.

Given the top handle and heavy construction, I’ve
found that the Danish School Bag makes an excellent range bag that can
be pressed into service as a dump pouch on the firing line. It is
slightly more expensive than the Rothco Messenger Bag and, to be
honest, I prefer the Rothco, but I’m not sorry at all that I purchased
this similar counterpart.

The Danish School Bag is available in black, Olive Drab, and Navy Blue as of this writing.