Review on Watson Coyote Lumbar Chest with Enhanced Safety Features by Raffy Baer

This is a review of the Hazard 4 Evac Watson Bag. First, why did I buy it? My favorite EDC bags are the Hazard 4 Tonto (very minimal) and the Maxpedition Malaga (which I use to carry my extra daily supplies). In most cases, Tonto works fine. However, there are times when I need to carry a few extra items. Small additions tend to be a bit bulky and this is where Malaga falls a bit short. My EDC requires the pouch to be 5 inches deep in addition to the minimum set. The size fits Malaga except for the depth which is only 4 inches. First, the administration bag is missing (good). There are not many pockets for small things. So things tend to move. This issue was resolved by purchasing a Spec Ops Pack Rat bag. It's a little cozy but solves the admin problem well. An added benefit is that it can be moved from one bag to another very easily. When using a bag-in-bag or bag-in-bag packaging method, it may be more beneficial to pack vertically rather than horizontally. This makes it easier to access items on the go. More importantly, you can put more things in the main compartment. After all, the iPad case is bigger than you think. I was just about to order another bag to take my 13" Retina MacBook Pro with me. For fun I tried putting it in my iPad case. After that the zippers slide easily and just need to be pulled slightly around the outside corner. This one Bag is great for my current work environment a little narrower (8.5 vs 9 inches) and a little deeper (5 vs 4 inches) compared to Malaga making the Watson about 169.5 cubic inches more than the Malaga There are not much of a difference but my gear fits very comfortably in watson without sticking out like in malaga, in a way watson can be seen as a bigger version of malaga which is what i wanted, however it's better because: a) it fits the ipad easily in its closed sleeve when the bag is full; b) the "compression strap" on the back serves both to prevent the iPad sleeve from opening completely and to hold the thin jacket without getting in the way be (in G unlike Malaga); and the two side pockets can hold a 32-ounce water bottle, extra kit, or even a Bullworker Steel very conveniently. Everything that was crammed into Malaga fits comfortably into Watson. This is exactly what I wanted - a slightly larger (volume wise) bag compared to Malaga without having to carry a really big bag with me. If you have narrow or long items in your gear, better take Malaga. For my kit Watson is almost perfect. Why almost? Well, Watson has a little flaw. The management package is far from perfect. The pen pockets are short - too short to fully fit a regular sized pen. Other bags are too small to be really useful. It would be better if the pouch was similar to the one on Tonto. In my case, that's a minor misfortune. If you really need a good administration bag, you might be a bit disappointed. I still like to carry the Tonto with me. This is a low profile bag that adequately meets my minimum needs, especially if I'm just walking around town or going out for half a day. I'll use Watson to walk all day. The bag is easy to carry and easily holds my 20 oz. Thermos in side pocket. (A 32-ounce bottle would fit if my kit wasn't pressing against the walls. The 32-ounce bottle bulges a bit into the main compartment.) The bag looks better in person (in black, at least) than on the Company website. Bought for its functionality but it's nice that the side pockets don't seem to protrude like they appear in the photos. [end edit] Can I recommend this bag? Yes, without a reservation. Is it well designed? It looks like it. Will it suit my needs? Absolutely, but YMMV.