Best Gray Man Backpacks: Top Covert Bags Reviewed & Tested
A good gray man backpack is a huge upgrade for a variety of survival kits. The “gray man concept”, simply put, is the ability to blend into a crowd and not draw attention to yourself. Many tactical backpacks do the opposite of this, which can work against you in a wide range of situations: from survival to everyday encounters.
The best gray man backpack is versatile and functional enough to withstand all sorts of punishment, yet it still blends in.
We have conducted hundreds of hours of research and testing on gray man backpacks, searching to find the best ones for value, functionality, your budget, and portability. If you want to blend in and stay prepared in any situation, one of our gray man backpack recommendations will do the job.
Contents (Jump to a Section)
This latest update on the best gray man backpacks added some new pictures and test results. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Disclosure»
Best Gray Man Backpack
5.11 COVRT24
Discrete, Durable, and Proven
Withstands punishment, holds and organizes any kit with ease, and blends in with the masses.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
The third iteration of their extremely popular (and former top pick) original COVRT bag is still a clear winner. Despite the barren exterior, the interior of this backpack is full of MOLLE, QuickTact, and even a side-entry R.A.C. The storage areas are extra roomy, and it has a 2500 cubic inch (41L) total capacity – 9L larger than before.
Specifications
- Capacity: 41L
- Color Options: 3
- Material: 500D Nylon
- Weight: 2.9 pounds
The hydration pocket, laptop sleeve, adjustable straps, quality padding, and 500D water-resistant nylon build go the extra mile to make this bag the best for the job. All of these features make it an excellent choice for bug-out bags, get-home bags, and even EDC. This version is more discrete than the original, leaving off the exterior loops and now featuring tuckable logo tags.
Pick up a 5.11 COVRT24 Tactical Backpack as your go-to bag, and you will not regret it.
Budget Gray Man Backpack
Venture Pal Ultralight
Cheap, Lightweight, and Functional
Extremely light with a smaller backpack profile, this bag is an excellent, unassuming budget option.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
Venture Pal is about as cheap as you want to go. The great thing about this bag is that you really can’t find a better one until you are spending the better part of a Benjamin Franklin.
Specifications
- Capacity: 40L
- Color Options: 7 (gray shown)
- Material: Ripstop Nylon
- Weight: 0.9 pounds
They kept the design simple and within your budget by using lightweight but tear-resistant and water-resistant nylon. The stress points are all reinforced with bar tacks, and it uses metal zippers- both are rarely found at this price. It does have reflective components on it, which aren’t ideal for the grey man concept, but those can be easily removed with careful hands and some scissors.
It does have some compression straps on it, but those don’t scream ‘tactical’, and the bag’s overall appearance still blends in well in urban environments.
If you need a budget commuter bag to discreetly carry tactical or survival gear, the Venture Pal 40L Ultralight Backpack can get it done.
Best Sling Bag
Eberlestock Fade Sling
Sleek, Comfortable, and Functional
Only one strap, but unlimited uses for the best sling bag to keep up in any conditions.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
Also available to buy at Amazon.
Sling bags are a favorite for the get-home-bag enthusiasts since they are generally less noticeable in the workplace. Sling bags are the go-to for CCW carrying, so the profile of this bag is very unassuming. This is a key consideration for the gray man concept.
Specifications
- Capacity: 9.4L
- Color Options: 3 (black shown)
- Material: 210D Ripstop Nylon
- Weight: 2.9 pounds
The new Fade line from Eberlestock does an excellent job with covert bags, and the Sling displays the best features well. The velcro lining lets you completely customize the interior.
The outer layer is just 210D nylon, but it is part of several layers that make the overall product much more durable than it appears. You could easily confuse this smaller 9-liter bag with a smaller laptop bag, but it’ll outperform any of those.
If you are looking for a discreet sling bag that packs tactical functionality on the inside, get an Eberlestock Fade Sling Bag.
Comparison Table
| Grey Man Bag | Recommendation | Price* | Size | Weight | Best Feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.11 COVRT 24 | Best Overall | $140 | 41L | 2.9 lbs | 500D nylon |
| Venture Pal Ultralight | Best for Beginners and Budgets | $25 | 40L | 0.9 lbs | Price |
| Eberlestock Fade Sling | Best Sling Bag | $119 | 9.3L | 1.3 lbs | Fast access |
| The North Face Vault | $65 | 27L | 1.7 lbs | Discrete appearance | |
| Eberlestock Apprentice | $99 | 25L | 1.9 lbs | Simplicity | |
| Osprey Proxima | $100 | 30L | 1.9 lbs | Student-focused | |
| Voodoo Tactical Swank Commuter | $110 | 20L | 3.1 lbs | Integrated rain fly | |
| LA Police Gear Terrain Stealth | $119 | 32L | 3.7 lbs | Internal organization | |
| 5.11 LVC18 | $145 | 30L | 2.8 lbs | 840D nylon | |
| Vertx Urban Ghost | $175 | 20L | 2.3 lbs | Large admin panel | |
| Sert Vizard | $179 | 21L | 3.7 lbs | Firearm design | |
| Thule Aion | $196 | 40L | 3.2 lbs | Discrete appearance | |
| SOG Surrept | $200 | 36L | 2.5 lbs | Water resistance | |
| Maxpedition Entity 23 | $237 | 23L | 3.4 lbs | 500D nylon |
The Bags We Compared
Our research narrowed the field down to several bag brands and types that we tested: 5.11, Venture Pal, Vertx, SOG, LA Police Gear, Maxpedition, and more.
There are a lot of brands that make bags these days, with a wide range of prices and intended uses. When you are checking out tactical bag brands, you’ll find many brands that are shipped in from China that are essentially the same. None of those made the cut in our tests, so you won’t find them in our recommendations.
We’re always looking for new and better equipment, so if you have a bag that you swear by, let us know down in the comments. We review most of our tested gear annually, so we can always get it in the next roundup and see if it makes the cut and can beat out our top picks.
About the Tester
Hi, I’m Sean, and I’ve been reviewing gray man backpacks for over seven years now. I’ve checked out dozens of bags designed for discrete, tactical utility and still enjoy getting my hands on new bags to see how they measure up.
I’m a firm believer in the gray man concept and try not to flag myself as prior military with tactical gear when I’m out and about. My experience as an industrial engineer at a textile assembly factory helps me be uniquely qualified to examine backpacks (and other survival-related textiles).
How I Tested
I tested gray man backpacks the same way I test typical survival backpacks: by checking the material durability and manufacturing quality. I also do some practical testing, toting the various bags around with me to learn what I like and don’t like about the design features. Destructive testing on seams, stitches, and textiles to find their durability limits helps me check the build quality. Lastly, I weigh each one to see how it adds to the overall kit weight.
You can see how I qualify the best backpacks in my main survival backpack review. This review builds on that one, disqualifying bags that have external features that indicate them as tactical bags. Covert and discreetly tactical bags can still provide plenty of great organization, capacity, and durability, but external MOLLE, hook and loop fasteners, and gear straps aren’t welcome.
What is a Gray Man Backpack?
First off, the ‘gray man concept’ is a concept that has been around for as long as psychological deception. It is often used in military circles to describe actions off duty, including not wearing a uniform and acting in a way that does not disclose your military affiliation. A few other terms that loosely describe the gray man concept include:
- Hiding in plain sight
- Wolf in sheep’s clothing
- Middle of the pack
The gray man backpack is the wearable embodiment of this strategy. It should pack great functionality into a covert design. Unassuming on the outside, but ready for any situation on the inside.
The concept of being a gray man is simple: blend in and do not draw attention to yourself. We’ll get into more gray man detail in a section below, and share some resources to point you to where you can learn more about it.
Unfortunately, for many military members, first responders, preppers, and survivalists, tactical gear does not achieve this goal. There are plenty of signs that can instantly give away your job, affiliation, and intentions. A few of those include:
- Your gait, or how you move
- Your posture
- How you are dressed
- Your appearance and hygiene
- What you are carrying
The last bullet point is where the gray man backpack comes into play. It may take some self-awareness and training to adjust your other tell-tale signs, but a solid gray man backpack can conceal tactical gear, firearms, survival tools, and the list goes on. And none would be the wiser if the bag itself is not tactical or suspicious in appearance.
Just a few details of a bag that could torpedo your attempt to blend in:
- MOLLE – Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment straps and gear is a sure-fire giveaway that you are carrying useful equipment for survival.
- ALICE Clips – Less noticeable than MOLLE, but a telltale sign of someone with military gear.
- Paracord – Yeah, we know it is useful, but do not hang it off your bag. It screams ‘military’ and adds a motion component to your bag. Take off the paracord bracelet while you are at it.
- Attached Gear – Rapid access gear is awesome in deployment zones. If you are trying to blend in, that folding shovel and firearm maybe should be concealed either within the bag or on your person.
- Military Colors – MARPAT, ACU, or really any camouflage will, ironically, not do you any favors blending in. Even olive drab green is heavily associated with the military. Bright colors are also good to avoid, but as the name may suggest, gray is always a solid choice.
- Size and Profile – A bag shaped like an AR will draw attention. A stuffed 60L backpacking bag will draw attention. A middle-of-the-road size with a standard profile is best here.
The list could go on and on, but those are the major features that you want to consider when looking for a gray man backpack. Now that we have gone over what a gray man backpack is not, we will look at what it is.
Gray Man Backpack (noun): an unassuming pack used to hold tactical or survival gear.
Pretty simple, right?
Tactical bags are the rage right now. You can find thousands of types of tactical bags online, and they all have one thing in common: they look really tactical.
Plenty of people think that ‘tactical’ looks cool. Who are we to say what is cool or not? It is irrelevant. Tactical bags draw attention to themselves with all of the details we went over before. Strapping your gear to your bag with MOLLE attachments may look awesome, but it is also very noticeable.
Noticeable is not necessarily what you want in a disaster or SHTF situation. Sure, you also do not want to misplace or lose your bag, but you also do not want others wondering what is in it. That is where a gray man backpack excels.
Who Needs a Gray Man Backpack?
We talked about how you pack in the section above and provided a great reference, but what you pack is what makes a survival kit great. The gear you carry is one of the most important factors in your preparedness.
The kits and gear that can be stored in a gray man backpack include:
Anyone can and should use at least one of these kits if not all of them. Ranging from kids old enough to understand the concept of the kits to the elderly who have been prepared and weathered disasters and emergencies, there are examples of every type of person who has used the gray man concept to their advantage.
Why Gray Man?
Have you ever heard of a sleeper car? A sleeper car is a high-performance car with an unassuming exterior. They are often used at the local drag strips or street races to clean up on bets. People will place bets on the big-name ‘flashy’ car, and pass the car with the dull exterior off as a big underdog. Pop the hood of the ‘sleeper car’, however, and you may see that it is just as fast, if not faster, than the flashy car. Don’t underestimate its performance on the track. A simple psychological loophole gives sleeper cars an advantage because they are consistently underestimated.
The gray man concept uses this same underestimation to pass under the radar.
People judge a book by its cover. It’s just embedded in our psychology… and it’s also something that people can exploit. This is one reason why the military embraces the gray man concept. If a well-trained soldier walks in dressed as a soldier, you know what to expect. If they walk in dressed as a civilian, their skill set is much less likely to be anticipated.
Luckily, for anyone interested in preparing for emergencies, gray man isn’t just for the military.
Store all the tactical gear and survival equipment you want inside your gray man backpack, and most people will be none the wiser that you are prepped for bear and ready to handle any survival situation. This will make you much less of a target for a variety of people you may want to avoid, including:
- Tagalongs – In emergencies, people may look for those who are prepared to lean on them for their own survival. This could potentially slow you down or cause other issues with your planning.
- Opportunists – If a survival bag is lying around in a survival situation, plenty of fingers suddenly become sticky. Even good people lose some morality when survival is at stake. A tactical backpack is much more likely to be pilfered over a gray man backpack.
- Marauders – History has shown that some people just don’t play nice during emergencies. They view them as an opportunity to improve their station in life, with little regard for others. They could resort to physicality or threaten you to take your resources. They can also prey on those who look weak, so these groups and individuals are the most difficult to avoid.
Blending in during an active shooter, emergency, disaster, or SHTF can save your life and help you avoid hardship. The gray man concept is one way that you can accomplish this. Do not stand out and elevate your risk during risky situations.
How to Be a Gray Man
The gray man concept is easy to try but hard to master. Blending in, especially after training and learning skills, is hard to do effectively. 99% of people will be easily fooled by simple changes to your external appearance. That other small 1% will be tougher and maybe the more important group to fool.
Elevating past the exterior is hard. Being able to change your posture, your gait, and your mannerisms requires a type of mental programming that few can master. The important thing to know is your limitations. Know that your gray man appearance may not fool everyone. Once you accept this, you can stay situationally prepared for an incident where you are recognized as a prepper or survivalist.
We lay out the easiest ways to start your gray man journey in one of our first posts: How to Be a Gray Man.
How We Review Products: We research thoroughly before selecting the best products to review. We have vast prepping and survival experience and bring in outside experts when needed. Hours on end are spent testing gear in stressful conditions and using specialized testing gear to verify claims. We assign performance criteria and impartially rate each tested item. Learn more about how we test.
Sources & References
All of our experience and the testing we do to determine the best gray man backpack is useless without listing our research sources and references. We leaned on these for the book knowledge that we paired with our hands-on testing and practical military and prepping experience:
Dermody, M. (2017). Gray Man: Camouflage for Crowds, Cities, and Civil Crisis. CreateSpace. (Source)
Smith, S. (2018). How Special Ops Instructors View Candidates. Military.com. (Source)
Wee Jake. (2008). Grey Man. Urban Dictionary. (Source)
Conclusion
We are lucky that manufacturers of tactical equipment recognize the importance of the gray man concept and offer less noticeable gear. If you are looking to use gray man to your advantage, remember that your clothes and equipment are not the entire equation. Changing your habits, posture, gait, and other characteristics takes practice, so be sure to give it a try before you actually need it. If you are looking to get up to speed, check out our full gray man guide.
Everyone has a different situation, so the best backpack for you may be slightly different than what we have reviewed and tested. Be sure to get familiar with the pack and use it to get used to the feel and function. Take care of your gear, and it will take care of you. Don’t stash it away, but get it out to get familiar with it if you are not using it every day. If you are looking for other gray man gear, consider:
- The Best Hats for Prepping and Survival
- The Best Gray Man Pants for Prepping and Survival
- Get Home Bag List | 43 Essentials
See more of our expert-written guides, resources, and reviews in your search results – add TruePrepper as a preferred source.
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Your Gray Man Backpack research is much appreciated ! An aspect that I will highlight is the HANDLE. If you don’t look and smell like a homeless person then a full backpack stands out. I have found that taking it off my back and holding it low, significantly reduces attention. Backpacks with no handle or a simple nylon strip for a handle hinder my Gray Man capability. Also, urban savvy people often hold their bag in front of them in a crowd. Having a backpack on your back while in the midst of a crowd allows thieves to easy slice it open and take your stuff without you knowing. For these and other reasons, a durable and comfortable handle on Backpacks is a critical component for me.
Thanks so much for sharing! Your article really interesting and useful for me.
REBOW It’s my alternate politic bag from this manufacturer. The former is still going strong after times of use. From just many particulars to a full cargo, it hasn’t let me down. It takes up all kinds of space thanks to the versatility of the fund size and the available accessories. However, affordable politic pack, look no further, If you’re looking for quality.
Thanks so much for sharing! Your article really interesting and useful for me.
What do you think about Pacsafe backpacks?
I haven’t bought one yet but they do look interesting with the zipper lock and slashguard. I’ll pick up one and check the quality before I update this review next year.