Introduction to the Tasmanian Tiger Trojan Rifle Carrier Pack

Rifle packs are a great way to carry a gun, especially if you’re climbing up trails and over hills.

I’ve been using various carriers for years, but at the start of 2014 I received a new and unique system: the Tasmanian Tiger Trojan.

The Trojan has a lot to offer as a rifle carrier, and after a few months of using it I can see myself retiring some of my older packs.

At its core: the Trojan is an ultra-flexible rifle carrier, that can be adapted for different distinct uses.

There are two primary parts to the Trojan: an assault pack, and a rifle scabbard.

The assault pack has a large interior compartment with included camera-case-style velcro dividers and 8 interior pockets. On the outside of the pack, you have a large flat zip pocket on the front, and four small compression straps at each corner. There’s a rubberized handle on the very top of the pack, and a velcro section for attaching whatever patches your mission or vanity requires.

External elasticized water bottle holders and drinking tube vents on each side round it out as a proper hiking pack. This uses the same carrying system and shape-able internal aluminum frame as the Mission Pack, which has excellent shoulder straps and a small hip belt. I’m a thin waisted guy, so I appreciate the elasticized strap retention, which I’ve always preferred over the velcro-rolls common on other straps.

The scabbard has molle up and down both sides, a reinforced end, and a butt cover that attaches via velcro and buckles. A set of 4 molle binding straps snap the scabbard in between the assault pack’s carrying system and it’s main pouch. The molle straps mean you can move the scabbard up or down, and even remove it entirely.

When you remove the scabbard, you can zip up the assault pack to remove the dead space, and make sure the load of the main pouch is against your back where it belongs.

The scabbard itself has its own set of shoulder straps that are hidden when inside the main pack. They also attach via molle, and while they’re only flat strapping, they do have a functional chest strap and allow you to carry the rifle scabbard alone. There’s also a molle threaded handstrap on the scabbard, which I opted to transfer over to the side of the assault pack.

If there was one thing I could change about this pack: I would add a second one of those hand-grips onto the other side of the assault pack. I like having handles when tossing packs like this into the back of a vehicle.

But the flexibility really starts to shine when you look at all the different ways to use all these different carriers and straps.
For one trip, we took a .308 rifle alone in the scabbard, but attached a small utility pouch on the outside that held all the ammo Jess and I would shoot that day.

I took the Trojan pack without a scabbard to Shot Show this year, and used its interior dividers and pockets as a great camera and sound bag.

I can carry my mags, lunch, spotting scope, and a folding stock Vz58 in the completed trojan without needing to use the butt-cover. The scabbard is deep enough to cover the entire rifle, but if I want to keep it accessible: I can insert the gun with the stock unfolded and retrieve it without unshouldering the pack.

I’ve also taken the flat molle carry straps and attached them to an old unused shotgun scabbard. Suddenly this thing that was collecting dust in my gear closet is a great way to carry my Russian M44 carbine in the bush.

I have a wide variety of guns, and take them to all kinds of different places. I know the Trojan is going to see a lot of use this summer because its flexibility means that I can quickly and easily make it the right solution for a given trip.

If you want to see some footage of the pack in action, I also put together a youtube video: