Walk any public range parking lot and you will see the same thing: bags the size of carry-on luggage, opened once, dug through repeatedly, and repacked by gravity. A good range kit is not a big kit — it is an edited one. This guide is the version our counter staff give out verbally about five times a week.
Start with protection, because it is the gear you cannot improvise: electronic ear pro (over muffs, so you can hear range commands with them on), a backup set of foam plugs, and ballistic-rated eyewear with a clear and a tinted lens. Protection rides in a padded pocket, not loose in the cavity — a scratched lens is a replaced lens.
Next, the working layer: gloves that fit well enough to do fine work, a boonie or cap for open bays, sunscreen, and more water than feels reasonable. Heat ends more range days early than weather does. A small tarp or mat roll earns its space the first time you kneel on gravel.
The three things everyone forgets: a marker and tape (targets, splits, notes), a small trash bag (leave the bay cleaner than you found it), and a basic first-aid kit that you have actually opened once — know what is inside before you need it.
Finally, the edit: if an item has not left the bag in three sessions, it moves to the truck bin. Your shoulders will notice the difference before your brain does. The whole kit above fits in a 45-liter duffel with room for a layer — which is exactly why our Switchback is 45 liters and not 65.