We have previously reviewed Blackhawk products and found them to be well designed and exceptionally well made. So it is with this Blackhawk Weapon Fanny Pack intended for concealed carry. Blackhawk also calls their Weapon Fanny Pack the "Urban Carry Case 5-5-10," because it allegedly allows the wearer to open the case, draw the weapon and deliver five shots in five seconds at 10 yards. Why 10 yards instead of 7 yards, 15 yards or some other distance, we could not say.

Whatever you call it, this Blackhawk fanny pack is available in sizes Small, Medium and Large to fit a variety of pistols. We ordered a medium size pack, suitable for a Glock 19 or similar size compact pistol. The large size is intended to fit Colt 1911 Government Model, Glock 17 and Beretta 92 size service pistols, while the small version is intended for sub-compact pistols. Externally, the medium size pack we ordered is actually quite large, bigger overall than a large size Galco fanny pack, for example. Here are the measurements for the three sizes:

Small

• Overall length - 19"
• Girth - 22" to 52"
• Pocket size - 7.5" wide x 5" high

Medium

• Overall length - 20"
• Girth - 24" to 55"
• Pocket size - 8.25" wide x 5.5" high

Large

• Overall length - 21"
• Girth - 25" to 55"
• Pocket size - 9" wide x 6.5" high

The Blackhawk is made of durable 1000 denier NyTaneon and uses heavy duty, large tooth, YKK #9 zippers throughout. Seams are double stitched. It is reinforced, padded for comfortable wear and the attached, adjustable, wide nylon web belt is secured by a Fastex type buckle.

The compartments include a large, square shaped area for the pistol (or other weapon) and elastic loops for an extra magazine. The ambidextrous weapon compartment has the usual nylon cords at both top corners to allow the user to rip the compartment open in an emergency. A slimmer, square front compartment is suitable for a wallet, cell phone, keys, etc. Two slender, trapezoidal shaped, wing compartments are ideal for small accessories (change, pill box, etc.). All compartments are closed by zippers with nylon cord pulls.

The fanny pack comes with a nylon holster secured by Velcro plus a strap in the weapon compartment. This holster is supplied with an adjustable, removable, Velcro attached thumb-break safety strap to keep the pistol in the holster. We did not use the thumb-break with our test Glock 19. It stayed put without the additional complexity, bulk and hassle of the thumb-break retainer. On the back of the pack are two external snap loops that are probably intended for a flashlight or telescoping baton. We removed these with scissors, as they make what is already a large and bulky pack even bulkier and we would never use them for their intended purpose anyway. A concealed carry fanny pack is supposed to be inconspicuous and attaching something like a baton or tactical light externally seems like a good way to attract unwanted attention.

This Blackhawk fanny pack is big enough to be noticed and it is only available in black. We would prefer a choice of other, subdued colors (navy blue or gray, for instance) that might appear less "tactical" in a civilian environment.

Although it is large and heavy for a medium size fanny pack, the Blackhawk is comfortable to wear for extended periods, due to its padding, rigidity and 1.5" wide belt. As with any weapon pack, we wore the Blackhawk in front, not over the fanny. It is not as comfortable to wear sitting down as it is standing, due to its 6.5" top to bottom width. We found, for example, that the Blackhawk fanny pack must be belted above the waistline of the trousers, rather than below, in order to be able to sit with reasonable comfort in a car. This positions it around the belly, rather than around the hips where we usually wear fanny packs.

We ordered the Blackhawk Weapon Fanny Pack with the squarish G-19 in mind and this pistol fit perfectly. It makes an excellent combination. A thinner SIG SAUER P232, although almost as tall and long as the G-19, was a loose fit in the supplied holster. It will work, but the pistol is inclined to shift around in the holster. This pistol could fall out if the weapon compartment were opened during strenuous activity, unless the holster is installed in a nearly vertical position. (The Velcro attached holster allows a wide range of placement options.) With the P232, a Makarov IJ-70a or a Walther PP, it would probably be a good idea to use the thumb-break retention strap.

Managing Editor Chuck Hawks, who habitually wears a fanny pack, carried a Glock 19 in the Blackhawk every day for weeks in the course of this review. He used the front compartment to carry his wallet, car keys, ballpoint pen and business card case. In the right wing compartment he carried a small pillbox, Chapstick and his pocket watch. In the left wing compartment he found room for a pack of gum and some change. He reported that the Blackhawk Weapon Fanny Pack is well designed, durable and exceptionally well made of top quality materials. He intends to keep our sample for long term testing and expects it to last for many years. Our consensus staff opinion is that the Blackhawk is a top of the line weapon pack and well worth its reasonable $64.99 MSRP (circa 2010). We recommend it to anyone in need of a heavy duty fanny pack.