I discovered the NORB, an
acronym for No Ordinary Range Bag several years ago when Gabby Franco posted
hers online and showed a short video of all the things she could carry in
it. I was a new shooter back then and
was immediately impressed at the versatility.
I also respect Ms Franco’s opinion on equipment becuase she is a
professional shooter and probably has more experience than I have in the world
of range bags. Although I hadn’t
purchased any range bag since I first started shooting 4 years ago, the NORB
was still in the back of my mind as a great range bag with a funny name.
A few years later I saw in
an issue of the Sure Shot’s Magazine an ad for OffHand Gear and their hand
guards. I was amazed at their designs
and checked out their website. Little
did I know, this was the same company that made that amazing bag, the
NORB. Recently, OffHand Gear posted
online their new NORB-C. A compact
version of their original NORB and I shared the post online with CCLSC, my
ladies’ shooting club. The same day
OffHand Gear’s owner Sandi contacted me to test one of their NORB bags and I jumped
at the opportunity. Here is my full
review of the NORB in Kyptek Typhon.
First impression
It’s smaller than I
thought. Not by measure, but what I
assumed, the size of a bag to carry all the things you’d need to go to the
range. I was accustomed to my backpack that I can stuff (uncomfortably at
times) full of whatever I figured I might need. Most of it I don’t actually need.
The NORB is measured at 12 inches tall by 14
inches wide by 3 inches deep. The
website states that the bag can stand on its own and I was skeptical. I immediately took it out of the packaging
and attempted to stand it up. Sure
enough it does. I was even more curious
to see if it stood up once I filled the bag with anything I could find. Surprise: it does.
Once I opened the bag up and
started looking at the fabric and pockets, I realized the NORB was made with
high quality buckles, soft fabric lined and sturdy zippers. Sandi also included a short handle accessory
which is nice because I like to grab my purses by the handle and sling them
over my shoulder. The short handle
accessory is sold separately, but I would highly recommend purchasing one with
your NORB. The NORB is heavy duty and
appears sturdy enough to hold up to regular use at the different ranges I go to. The strap is made of a bungee cord covered
with a woven material so it has stretch without pinching.
From the website - "Why on earth does NORB have a skinny,
bungie strap on it?" Well, where is your hand when you have that
wide strapped bag on your shoulder? It's holding it on your shoulder,
right? Wide straps are a better design for men so I started the design
process with the strap and designed it after a bra strap. The OffHand
Gear bungie strap will stay on your shoulder, so your hands are free for other
things (coffee for me), and the bungie distributes all that weight when you
walk. Walking with all your range gear, especially in heels, creates a
lot of stress on our shoulder and heads right to our feet. With the bungie
strap, the weight gives with you taking some of that pressure off of your feet
and even more importantly off your shoulder. Of course you can also cross
body carry NORB and that bungie makes it a little easier to get on and off.
At The Range
Of course I wanted to test
this claim. At the range at the following CCLSC practice, I packed my bag and
heading to the range. Usually I need to
put my backpack down to move around the range to teach, but this time, I kept
the NORB on my shoulder to see if it would stay in place. Sure enough it did.
How much can you REALLY
carry? I was seriously skeptical. I figured
there had to be a trick or something when I saw how much Gabby Franco could
hold in hers. I emptied my backpack and
took a picture of everything in it and then proceeded to put it all in the
NORB. All of it. Everything I take to
the range with the exception of my clipboard which I don’t always carry with
me. It actually fits more than I take to
the range. I generally only carry one
pistol with me the NORB has the capacity for two, plus everything else.
Lastly, I showed my husband
the NORB and he said “That’s it? Do you
have everything in there?” I replied yes
and proceeded to take everything out and show him. He said “WOW. Looks great like a regular bag.
And it’s smaller, so it will be easier to carry and take to matches.”
You can check out the NORB here.
