Vertx COF range bag review: two sizes, and a security feature nobody else publishes

The short version

What the COF range bag is

Vertx sells the COF range bag in two sizes. The COF Heavy is published at 15 liters, 10.75 inches high by 18.5 long by 10 wide, and 6.25 pounds empty. The COF Light is 9 liters, 10 by 13.5 by 7.5 inches, and 4 pounds empty.

Both have a padded firearm sleeve — Vertx describes the Heavy's as loop-facing, inside a large top compartment — and both have the lockable zipper pulls and the lock-down cable. The Heavy adds removable ammo caddies and a 6-pack magazine carrier, which the Light's page does not list.

Bench & Berm does not test gear and has not carried either of these bags. Everything in this review is what Vertx publishes on its own product pages, checked on 2026-10-17 and linked in Sources, plus a comparison against two other bags whose makers publish equivalent figures. Where Vertx does not publish something, we say so rather than estimating it.

Side by side

Two rows do the work here. "Capacity" is where the Vertx bags look small against anything else in the category, and "Locking" is where they look better than almost everything else in it.

Fifteen liters is small

It is worth sitting with that number before you buy. Fifteen liters is about the size of a small daypack. Our 5.11 Range Ready Bag review covers a 43-liter bag, and 5.11's own page publishes that figure; the Range Master Duffel Set is 47.

What actually fits in 15 liters, judging by what Vertx itself lists for the Heavy: a pistol in the padded sleeve, six magazines in the carrier, loose ammunition in the removable caddies, and then whatever space is left for ear and eye protection, a stapler, targets and a cleaning kit. Realistically that is one shooter with one pistol for one session. Two pistols, two sets of ear pro and four boxes of ammunition is a different bag — see our best range bags for multiple pistols.

The COF Light at 9 liters is smaller again, and Vertx does not publish any magazine storage for it. Treat it as a pistol case with pockets rather than a range bag, and compare it with the hard cases on our best lockable pistol cases page before you commit.

The lock-down cable

This is the feature worth buying the line for, and it is the one most reviews skip. Vertx publishes "lockable zipper pulls (lock not included)" plus a "security lock-down cable system" on both sizes. In plain terms: you can padlock the zippers shut and run a cable through the bag to an anchor, so the bag cannot be casually lifted.

Two honest caveats, both of which we put on the product cards as well:

• The lock is not included. Buy one with the bag or the feature does nothing.
• A locked soft bag is not a locked hard case. Fabric can be cut. Lockable pulls deter opportunity; they do not create a secure container. For storage, transport across state lines, or anywhere a locked container is required, you want a hard case — the Pelican Vault V100 class of product, covered in our hard vs soft pistol case comparison.

For air travel this distinction is not a preference, it is a rule. TSA's own guidance on transporting firearms requires a locked hard-sided container, and our best gun cases for air travel page covers what that means in practice. A COF bag is not that container.

Pistol storage, and what is not published

Vertx publishes that the Heavy has a "padded loop-facing sleeve for firearm storage" in a large top compartment, and that the Light has a padded firearm sleeve. What Vertx does not publish for either is how many pistols the sleeve holds.

That is the single most useful missing number, because it is the question every buyer actually has. We will not guess it. If a published pistol count is what you need, the Savior Specialist publishes three cushioned sleeves and calls them individually lockable, and our multiple-pistol roundup ranks only bags whose makers publish a count.

Magazines and ammo caddies

The COF Heavy's magazine provision is specific and genuinely good for a bag this size: a 6-pack magazine carrier plus removable ammo caddies. Removable matters more than it sounds — a caddy you can lift out and set on the bench is the difference between loading from a bag at your feet and loading from a tray in front of you.

The COF Light publishes no magazine storage at all, which is the clearest single reason to spend up to the Heavy. If magazine capacity is the priority, our best range bags for the AR-15 page covers the bags built around it, and a magazine loader is the accessory that makes six magazines worth carrying.

Vertx or Savior?

These two land close enough in external size to be a real decision, and they answer it differently:

• Buy the Vertx COF Heavy if the security features are the point, if you want published weight as well as dimensions, and if removable ammo caddies and a magazine carrier suit how you shoot.
• Buy the Savior Specialist if you want a published pistol count — three sleeves — plus internal as well as external dimensions, and an adjustable divider. Our Savior Specialist review goes through it in detail.

Neither is the bag to buy if you are outfitting a household. For that, start at best range bags and work down by capacity.

Availability, checked today

One thing an honest review has to say out loud: when we checked Vertx's own store on 2026-10-17, both the COF Heavy and the COF Light product pages showed Sold Out, while the Amazon listings for both were live. That is not unusual — makers and marketplaces run separate inventory — but it means two things for you. First, check availability on the listing before you plan around either bag. Second, if Vertx is winding a size down, a bag with no maker stock is a harder long-term bet than one you can reorder.

We re-check availability on every page we revisit and date it. If you are reading this long after the date at the top, treat the stock note as historical and check for yourself.

Who should buy which

• One pistol, a club bay, and you care about the bag staying put: COF Heavy.
• You want the smallest possible bag that still has a padded sleeve: COF Light — but look at a hard pistol case first.
• You own two or three pistols: Savior Specialist, which publishes the sleeve count.
• You are packing for a family or a whole range day: neither. Go to 40 liters and up.
• You are flying: neither. A locked hard-sided case is required.
• You would rather carry it on your back: see best range backpacks and range bag vs backpack.