Your Opinion on Drag bag/mat vs case and bringing mat?

[Matt_3479]

Curious what you guys like as far as shooting mats and bringing a rifle case or something like a Drag bag/mat in one? I was thinking of getting a drag bag but seems like a pain in the ass casue you need to take everything out before using the mat?
Lets hear it

 

[CatShooter]

Curious what you guys like as far as shooting mats and bringing a rifle case or something like a Drag bag/mat in one? I was thinking of getting a drag bag but seems like a pain in the *** casue you need to take everything out before using the mat?
Lets hear it

I have two expensive drag bags from when I used to shoot "Practical Field Matches" and they worked well enough for that.

But I use a case and roll-up mat when doing other kinds of field shooting.

 

[josh.rizzo]

I have the drag bag/mat combo from the NRA store and I really like it. The big advantages to me are that its one thing to carry, and it has stuff to hold ammo, rang cards, magazines, and cleaning supplies built into the mat when rolled out. I like having everything accessible with almost zero setup when I'm prone, and this mat does that. It also has a bag on the side (and extra MOLLE) to carry your cans, instruments, spotting scopes, etc.... and you just detach it when rolling the mat out. With that it carries everything I need for shooting matches. It's also just a great mat with padded/grip-lined elbows and everything. You can also detach the backpack straps if they bother you when laying on the mat, but I generally just leave them.

The advantages I think a dedicated mat has is that it could be more tailored to the size that you want, and a dedicated hard case is going to offer better protection for your rifle. Some roll-out mats also have bipod hooks, if thats your thing (the combo mat requires your bipod to be on the ground in front of the mat). Or if you are one of those people that brings the entire Bat Cave with you to the firing line, then a combo bag may not hold everything you need, negating the benefits of the all-in-one setup. You can probably also get a dedicated mat with more padding than the combo mat, if you want something really thick.

It all comes down to preference, I think.