Everyday Carry

5.11 Tactical RUSH LIMA Messenger Bag

Authored by:
Mikey Bautista
5.11 Tactical RUSH LIMA Messenger Bag

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When commuting into the city during the morning rush hour, moving fast is key. And a low-profile messenger bag lets you do just that without the bulk of your daily gear slowing you down. With a quick swing, your everyday carry is right at your fingertips — all without having to take your bag off. Try doing that on a crowded train with a backpack on. Even better if the bag is rugged enough to take on the challenges of your day-to-day in and out of the city.

You know 5.11 Tactical for their legendary line of RUSH backpacks, but their messenger bag—the LIMA—deserves a spot in your EDC. At 11” high, 17” long, and 4” deep, the LIMA has more than enough space to store all your stuff. There's a padded laptop compartment, a quick-access admin panel for your smaller essentials, and water bottle pockets on each side which come in handy for a travel mug of your daily brew. The organization possibilities are endless, and these compartments make it easy to segregate and lay out your gear as you need it without adding to the bag's footprint. There's even a covert, quick-draw compartment for when you need a fast handle on your tools.

Like its backpack brothers, the LIMA is built tough for the harshest conditions. Its exterior is made from water-resistant 1050D nylon, with YKK zippers and Duraflex hardware to round out its fittings. The bag also features a wrap-around web platform that not only allows for expansion and customizability, but also compatibility with attachment systems like MOLLE, SlickStick, and TacTec. A luggage handle attachment and ambidextrous design also let you carry the LIMA as comfortably as possible.

Ready to pack a sleeker, yet still fully functional bag with plenty of storage for your daily commute? Check out the 5.11 Tactical RUSH LIMA messenger bag, available from Amazon at the link below.

Buy on Amazon

Mikey Bautista

Director of Everyday Carry Operations


About the Author
Mikey Bautista is an everyday carry (EDC) expert who has been working with the EverydayCarry.com team for nearly a decade, starting with an interest in EDC as a hobby and ending up as a writer for the site in 2014. Through the years, he’s led the site in editorial content and writing about products across every category, from knives to bags to flashlights and everything in between, as well as discovering, bringing exposure, and building bridges with many brands in the industry. Today, he is the site's Director of Everyday Carry Operations, leading the editorial team and managing day-to-day operations.

He has lived through many personal and professional lives, spending nearly a decade in the workforce management industry, a minor career in gaming, and has lent a hand with entrepreneurial efforts back home in the Philippines. He has also been an active participant and helped build a number of significant social communities online, both for EDC and his other hobbies.

Mikey has been at the cusp of gaming, technology, and the internet since the ‘90s and continues to lend his experience, expertise, and authority to all his pursuits. When not online, in a game, or watching movies, you'll find him in the gym, speedrunning his next hobby, or talking at length about EDC with anyone willing to listen.

Discussion (6 total)

After shopping many messenger bags this is the one I chose. Been rocking it for a couple months and it is stellar, epecially if you pick the od trail. Od trail which is the black and green color doesn't scream " I'm tacticool" it blends into urban quite well. So many ways to organize it ridiculous. 10 outa 10.
Chris Hindman ·
I love messenger bags and use one daily on my bike/train commute. The thing that I hear from a few people using these types of bags is that they are uncomfortable or they put stress on the shoulder. This may be true for some, but I've found out that if you tighten up the main strap so that the bag rides higher up your back and closer to the body, the more comfortable the load is. I see a lot of people wearing messengers and backpacks so low that the bag is hitting their ass. Uncomfortable in my opinion and if you need to move fast (like to catch a bus or train) the thing just flops around. A lot of messenger bags have a tension release system on the main strap allowing you to loosen and access the contents quicker or make it easier to swing the bag around to the front when taking a seat on the train. The Lima looks pretty nice - does anyone here currently own this bag? Does this bag have a tension release type buckle or just the clips? How structured or stiff is it? I like the fact that it comes with a stabilizer strap and is ambidextrous, but it seems that the main compartment may be a bit too thin for me and my daily stuff. Looks like a nice bag for those that need to be really organized but don't have a lot of additional gear to carry. Thanks for the great article.
Tim Haslam ·
This is my bag and it's amazing.
Nice Bag!! I use this as well and have no Complaints
Greg ·
This is my edc bag and it is the best I have used. I have used it for about 6 months now and have had no trouble out of it. It has plenty of room for my Surface, tool kit, first aid, edc kit, and various other odds and ends. I am trying to think of a negative about it but none come to mind. 5.11 is top notch. I also use a 5.11 Covert 18 backpack. It rocks as well.
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