The Hen House Response Bag

The concept of a home defense or property defense bag isn’t new. The basic idea is that it’s a bag to take with you along with a rifle. What equipment is necessary differs widely depending on who you ask. Most focus on the use of force against humans who are trying to harm you. If we are being realistic about the threat profile most normal people live under, then a bag with all manner of tactical accoutrement just isn’t all that practical or applicable to most people’s lives.

A very realistic threat for those of us who live in the flyover states or rural America are animals. Animals, for some people, are an even bigger threat than other humans might be. Four legged predators can run the range from coyotes to mountain lions to bears. If defending our life AND property is a priority for us, shouldn’t we also take that into account?

I certainly did. I spent a long time looking at past emergencies and plans for future emergencies. Your kit differ slightly from mine. The largest common predator I deal with in my area is coyotes. If your animal threat is different, then your needs may be different. Hopefully this can inspire you forward in your preparations.

Enter the Hen House Response Bag

Because of the role this bag fills for me, I’ve started calling it my “Hen House Response Bag.” It’s the bag I would grab if there were coyotes attempting to steal my chickens. It’s also the bag I would grab if there were a proverbial fox in the henhouse, and someone had broken into my home to attempt to harm my family. This bag contains all of the simple tools I might need to minimize the hazards and solve problems.

Know Your Laws

All of this should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: follow all the applicable local, state and federal laws when it comes to dealing with animal threats. I’m not a lawyer, and this isn’t legal advice. In the eyes of the local game warden, defending livestock and pets from predators can sometimes ride a fine line between “defense of property” and “spotlighting game animals”. Know your laws. Contact a local game warden or knowledgeable attorney if you aren’t sure of the nuances. Stay within your state laws.

A Light and Handy Response Bag

The base bag needed to be big enough to hold everything I might need, but also small enough to be convenient to have stashed in a ready location. The bag also needed to be able to accept AR15 magazines, as that is the primary defensive tool in my household.

For me, I chose a USGI 6 magazine bandolier in the newer OCP/Multicam style camouflage pattern. They are cheap and very easy to find. The bandolier also works well as a utility item in a range bag. There are a few different models of military surplus 6 magazine bandoliers to choose from. Generally the only difference is camouflage pattern. The recently issued coyote brown USMC bandolier is the most different. It allows for the attachment of MOLLE style pouches on the rear. The pouches sewn in are made for metal AR15 magazines. They work well, if you have them.

If all you have are polymer magazines, you might be able to do some very easy modification and make it work for you. Soak the bandolier in a bucket of water, and place two empty polymer magazines into the desired pouch. Add a spacer between the magazines (a small piece of wood or pencils work well). Then snap the pouch closed and leave the bandolier in the sunlight to dry. Once completely dry, the pouch should fit your polymer magazines just fine. If you don’t want the fuss, there’s an easier solution. Each of the magazine pouches will fit one polymer magazine with no modification.

Alternative Bags

Other small, lightweight bags worth a look at are the 5.11 Two Banger and Four Banger bags. The Two Banger holds two AR15 magazines, has a main pocket larger main pocket, and a small front zippered pocket for smaller items. The Four Banger is the larger brother. It’s it essentially to of the Two Banger bags sewn together. It holds four AR15 magazines on the rear of the bag, with a spacious main pocket and two smaller front pockets for smaller items. I currently have the Two Banger bag as a vehicle bag. Upon trying it with the items for this kit, I found it fit everything well.

The Left Pocket – Magazines

If I needed a rifle to defend myself, the first thing I would want is more ammunition. The likelihood of me expending 30 rounds from my AR15 is minimal. Nevertheless, another magazine or two can’t hurt, and will give me the warm and fuzzies.

So, in the left most pouch are two spare aluminum magazines loaded with 62g .223 Federal Fusion Soft Point ammunition. I’ve seen these bullets do some great work on deer sized game out of a 16” AR15 at reasonable distances. I’ve also seen testing done with this load that showed they reliably penetrate to around the 16” mark in calibrated ballistics gel out to 200 yards and as close as 25 yards. That makes them ideally suited to the type of work they might be expected to do in a home or property defense scenario in my area. The magazines themselves are older D&H manufactured magazines I had sitting around the house. They work well and are a good quality magazine that can easily be found in stores or most online retailers.

The Middle Pocket – White Light

In this pocket, I have all the extra items I might need to help me in the event I need to respond to an emergency in my pajamas. An older spare flashlight made by Nightstick is the illumination tool of choice here. I plan on upgrading this to a Surefire G2x with the tactical style switch in the near future. While the Nightstick has been mostly reliable, it is a spare for a reason. I have had a few of them stop working for me during training, but this one has faired better than the few that died.

A handheld light, in this writer’s opinion, is nonnegotiable. It allows us to see and gather information when we know swinging a loaded gun around to use our weapon mounted light is not the right answer. For those of you wondering, yes, your home defense gun should have a weapon mounted light or a handheld right next to it. Check out Daniel’s low light pistol AAR for why a low light class is a good idea. To read more about why a light is mandatory, read some of the works of the Tactical Professor Claude Werner.

The Middle Pocket – OC Spray, Less Lethal Response

The center pouch also sports a MkIV sized canister of OC spray. This exact example is 1.3% DefTec. With animals the value of OC spray is well documented. It was even a driving factor behind the invention of the precursors to our modern pepper sprays. With aggressive dogs or coyotes, a quick blast is usually enough to dissuade them from attacking without permanently harming them.

Chuck Haggard speaks on the use of a cone shaped mist OC as an area denial tool in his classes. That’s the main motivation for it here. In the context of animals, it allows me to coat the ground or fence posts around a hole that has been partially dug, and usually keeps them away from it for at least a few hours. For people, the use of OC spray is well documented within the tactical community. Taking classes from Chuck Haggard (Agile Training and Consulting) shows the usefulness of OC. So, this serves as a useful tool when confronting people or animals.

The Middle Pocket – Tools

The last few tools in the middle pouch are fairly self-explanatory. A Leatherman Wingman allows me to have a small suite of tools that are just generally useful for cutting fence, taking out screws, and any other number of small tasks. A full sized pocket knife like the Ontario RAT1 allows me to do harder work with the knife like carving wood or light prying without pushing the small multitool past it’s limits. A lighter and a few feet of good duct tape are always just handy to have around. I also have about 20ft of paracord, much for the same reason. It allows me to do things like resecure chicken fence to posts, secure doors, set snares, or even secure the hands of a violent felon if needed.

The Right Pocket

The right pouch is filled with gear that not enough people think about when it comes to home defense: a medical kit. A Tactical Tailor pull out tray made to fit in a double AR15 magazine pouch allows me to store most of the medical supplies to handle a single gunshot wound. A simple pressure dressing, triangular bandage, space blanket, a package of hemostatic gauze, and a set of compact vented chest seals fill it out well. I also keep a NAR CAT generation 7 tourniquet in a TQ holder on the strap of the bandolier. Slid into the MOLLE attachment points on the back of the TQ holder is also a set of trauma shears.

Those with a keen eye will notice the holder is upside down and electrical taped in place. That was done so that the lid can be opened, and the tourniquet pulled with either hand while the bag is positioned under my left arm without the tourniquet holder sliding on the strap.

Is this the pinnacle of trauma kit? Not at all. But it allows me to have enough to begin the process of first aid on myself or a loved one until my wife or I can grab a much larger kit we have staged in our bedroom. I am fortunate to have spent the better part of my adult life as a Firefighter, EMT and LEO who had to take regular trainings on equipment like this and it’s use. I’ve used equipment like this in the field to great success. I’m convinced having medical equipment while walking around in the dark with a loaded firearm is essentially a mandatory. The reality is this that with proper training, this kit is mostly like carrying two spare magazines: a woobie that will likely do nothing but ease a worried mind.

Accoutrements

For other items attached to the bandolier, I have a simple set of gloves from Viktos. They are light weight and work well. They keep my hands away from the hot, cold and sharp things of the world. Also attached to the carabiner is a partial roll of electrical tape because it works well for taping things together and takes up no room. Also attached to the bottom loop on the left side of the bandolier is a small compass, as it also takes up no room, weighs almost nothing, and is just a generally useful item to have around.

Closing Thoughts on the Hen House Response Bag

Whatever you think about the idea of a home defense bag, I hope reading this article gave something that will help improve your own home defense plans. An in depth look at the threats you are likely to face, and how best to deal with them is always the best approach. The bag I made fits into my life amazingly well and has a permanent place hanging from my headboard. Tell us what you think of the home defense bag, and what’s in yours, below!