AllOutdoor Review: 5.11 Mission Ready 3.0 90L – “The Roadtripper”
Patrik Orcutt 07.06.23
5.11 has supplanted itself in the market as a provider of a wide variety of gear and has really made the term tactical even more mainstream in the last few years. Providing everything from workout shorts and sandbags to hiking backpacks and combat pants they really do have their fingers in many markets these days. Something I think that is overlooked in the tactical market as a whole is how to transport all your gear when you’re traveling with it. Thankfully, 5.11 has some options for this and hooked me up with a copy of their Mission Ready 3.0 90L for my travels.
The 5.11® Mission Ready 3.0 90L was provided by 5.11 for this review and while I am allowed to keep the product indefinitely, this will not change my opinion on this product or any of 5.11’s current or past offerings. I have taken the 5.11® Mission Ready 3.0 90L on multiple road trips at this point but have not yet flown with it.
Specs – 5.11 Mission Ready 3.0 90L
- Primary Materials: Water-Resistant 1050D Nylon and 1680D Ballistic Nylon
- Weight: 14 Lb
- Dimensions
- Overall Dimensions: 13.0″H x 28.75″L x 15.875″D
- Main Compartment: 10.25″H x 28.75″L x 15.875″D
- Top Compartment: 2.75″H x 28.75″L x 15.875″D
- Front Pockets: 10.25″H x 7.25″L x 0.875″D, 10.25″H x 11.25″W x 0.845″D
- Capacity: 5,514 Cubic Inches/90 Liters
- MSRP: $285
Build Quality – 5.11 Mission Ready 3.0 90L
One thing you can usually say about products from 5.11 is that they are typically more affordable than their competitors. Sometimes I feel like the idea of a product being more cost-effective is looked down upon, and I personally don’t understand this mentality. With that being said the build quality on the mission ready 3.0 90L is certainly not going to turn any heads with any fancy fabrics or high-tech construction, but just like the 5.11’s Rush series of backpacks, it’s going to serve its purpose well, and not cost you an arm and a leg.
The fabric of this duffel is made from a Water-Resistant 1050D Nylon and 1680D Ballistic Nylo, Again well, not the most high-tech fabrics. These are both solid materials and should stand up for a long long time I would be interested in seeing how this bag looks after going through airport checked baggage a dozen or so times as that is truly a test of the build quality of anything.
One thing I did notice when I first picked up this duffel-style bag is the weight. Coming in at 14 pounds this is certainly not a light piece of luggage but I feel like nitpicking. The weight of this roller seems kind of dumb considering most of the time when it’s worded up, it will weigh considerably more than 14 pounds, if you were using one of these, you’re probably not counting the amount of weight in your bag. But for those who are weak, conscious, and have to meet that 50-pound checked baggage limit at their local airport. This is definitely something to consider as 14 pounds will eat into your overall luggage weight. Period. I personally I would rather that a piece of luggage like this was built, tougher rather than lighter and that seems to be a trend on the market too.
With the top and main compartments of this bag, which are almost 29 inches long and roughly 16 inches wide, there is a fair amount of space for all of your luggage inside this carrier. While using this bag, I tended to just throw everything I would need for a week on the road inside of here and found that it worked pretty well in this capacity. I would also use this bag for military work where I would have a full set of uniforms, helmets, boots, and anything else I would’ve needed while in uniform. I enjoy the size of the duffel being around 90 L as it’s big enough for almost everything you need well not being too big to easily transport around or fit in the back of your car. If 90L is not enough then 5.11 does offer this same concept of bag in a few much larger variations.
Some of the things that I like that 5.11 did on this bag is include some very nice large and beefy roller wheels. I happy to say that all the wheels, wheel housing, U feet, corner protectors, skid rails are ALL replaceable. The bottom of the roller also has impact-resistant button face panels in these work well to help keep the bag balanced when stood up. The bottom of the bag has two plastic skid bars for when dragging the bag or setting it on the ground.
The retractable handle makes this much easier to use when utilizing the wheels on the ruler, and feels very sturdy, and secure. I all of the nylon grab handles on the bag are reinforced and double-stitched, making them feel very secure. All of the zippers on the bag are of the YKK variety and are oversized to make sure that they will last.
Internally there are fiberglass rods that allow for easy loading of the bag to stand on its end, or compact storage when removed. These rods also help the bags keep their shape, especially when loaded down with heavier gear. Overall, I would say the build quality of this bag is good, and I would love to see how it holds up over a decade of traveling through airports. Stay tuned for the 10-year review of this bag coming to you in 2033.
Organization – 5.11 Mission Ready 3.0 90L
Starting off, there are clear vinyl document storage pockets on the top of the bag. These are very useful when traveling with items that may need some sort of documentation with them so I think this was a good move on 5.11’s part to include something like this on the side there is an ID card holding window as well. There are four external zippered pockets with name, tapes, and morale patch holders as well.
They included these external zippered pockets for smaller items. I wish they had a little bit more stretch or give to them and you could put the bulkier items in here but overall nice to see them here and I’m glad they include them in this roller.
On the inside of the bag, there is a dedicated top compartment with optional rollaway dividers for top-loading access to the main department. I like that 5.11 included multiple ways to configure this bag for however, the end-user wants to utilize it. There are two separate ways to get into the top weird and then the mesh lining can be removed and rolled up if you don’t want to use it. I think it’s always good to have options in your gear and I appreciate that 511 thinks about these things when producing products like this, I really like that I have multiple ways to get into different parts of this bag. I found the top wood storage was perfect for me to store all of my T-shirts and clothes and socks for a week underneath the top lid, there is a relatively small stash pocket under the lid and this is good for holding additional smaller items that are light.
Looking at the main compartment of the bag, there are two separate matched zippered pockets. I personally didn’t really know what to do with these aside from placing very thin items in them so I never use them. Most of the main compartment is left blank and is a canvas for you to store all of your items. Often I would place my helmet or my boots or my larger bulkier items in this part of the bag. You will notice that the bars for the handle do protrude into this part of the bag but that’s just something you’re going to have to live with as it’s part of the design. There is a zipper from the main compartment into the actual bars of the bag. Finally, there are two adjustable buckled straps for securing heavier items to the base of the bag.
Overall, I like how the organization was handled in this bag and I think that it gives a lot of places to store items, but also not too many places where, as there’s plenty of spots to put larger items. I have found through my use of this bag that it’s pretty well laid out And can hold a lot of gear.
Likes
- Good organization
- The price is just right
- Rolling wheels are great with heavier loads
Dislikes
- limited color options
Wrap Up – 5.11 Mission Ready 3.0 90L
Overall, I think this is an excellent bag for weekend or weeklong extended trips on the road. I do wish that I had more time to test this and a little bit of air travel experience with it but I also think this is a good quality product and I would not hesitate to recommend it to anybody looking for a rolling-style bag that has a tactical work, in this sort of sizing. Again 511 does make larger versions of this bag and they do make smaller ones too. I prefer the 90 L as a good compromise between all the other sizes. I also think that this is an incredible value when you look at what other companies are charging for their rolling duffel as well.
