Slings anyone?

I assumed the OP was referencing a firearm when he mentioned protection items (if not, then the following is pretty pointless). I'm not an advocate of putting anything like that in a tank bag, for the same reason I think it's a bad idea to leave one under the seat of a car, or stick it in the center console; it's too easy to walk away from the bike (or car) and inadvertently leave it behind. And if you get separated from your bike, like in a crash or walking into a convenience store "for just a couple minutes", you've now lost control and accountability for that particular item.

Sling bags on bikes are a poor choice for heavy items. My experience with carrying one on my back was that their off balance weight means that gravity tends to drag them down to their lowest point, which usually involves them laying your hip, or else occupying an uncomfortable place under your arm. My experience when slinging one in the front was that it was heavy, and it was always in the way. It was either resting on my hip, hanging under my arm, or sitting on the seat in front of me, squeezed between me and the gas tank. If someone was adamant about wanting to carry items in a pack, then I believe a backpack is a better choice than a sling bag. The backpack is going to be more stable, and it'll stay in the same place and not shift around while you move. And if you have an armored jacket with back armor, then at least there's some sort of barrier between you and the contents of the backpack; you probably wouldn't have that added level of protection with a sling bag flopping around on your side or in front of you.

I abandoned the idea of wearing packs while riding (I never wore a backpack, can't stand them on a bike). At the least they're uncomfortable, at worst they're a crash hazard. I carry everything in my jacket, with an eye towards not having any heavy or hard items in the chest pockets. And if you're going to carry a protection item in your jacket (or somewhere else on your person), there's definitely an enhanced risk of it causing injury to your body if you crash. That's a risk assessment you have to make.

I carry all my important stuff like keys and wallet in my jacket pockets also. As someone mentioned before, if you leave stuff like that in a tank bag your likely to walk off and leave it on the bike and have a chance of it getting stolen or something. I always have a tank bag on the bike and keep stuff in it that if it did get stolen, I wont be happy but I'm not out anything super important either. Life will go on without whatever it was. As for firearms, I've concealed carried since I was 18yo (48 now), and have never rode with a firearm on me. I'm paranoid about it falling out or something and not knowing it for 200 miles, or in the event of an accident it getting separated from me and someone else finding it. I would consider a shoulder holster so that I can keep it covered and secured by my jacket with less likely chances of something happening to it and still be able to get to it reasonably quick if needed (never had to yet). You would run an increase chance of breaking some ribs in the event of an accident with it pushed against them like that I would think. I wear a Helite airbag jacket so hopefully it would cushion the blow in the event of an accident.

After trying different methods for transporting the aforementioned personal protection items, I ultimately found this to be the only solution that I found personally workable:



I made it specifically to fit the outside right pocket of my ARC jacket. The holster is leather, and the "wings" that stick out fore and aft are made from ABS plastic. They're attached with Chicago screws, so they can be replaced with new ones if I buy a jacket with a pocket that has different dimensions than the one I have now. The wings are just wide enough to press into the sides of the pocket, which helps to anchor it. The sharp angles at the top of the wings are designed to grab at the inside of the pocket, to help keep it anchored. The opening of the pocket has a zipper, so the opening is slightly narrower than the pocket itself; that helps retain the holster from being pulled out with the gun, since those sharp wings will get stuck in the pocket opening and will keep the holster inside the pocket. There's a stiffener that keeps the holster open so it doesn't collapse.

The pocket can be zippered shut with the pistol and holster inside, and the velcro flap can be closed, so it's completely secure while riding. The firearm will always stay in the same position in the pocket, and can't flop around. The trigger is completely covered, so reaching into the pocket (or having something else in the pocket) won't result in an AD.

It's not ideal. You have to trade accessibility for security, but I was comfortable with that compromise. It's more accessible than it would be in a clip on holster on riding pants under a zippered jacket. Like all hard objects in your pocket while you're riding, it does present an extra injury hazard when you ride. I felt like it presented less of a hazard in an outside pocket, than if it was in a shoulder holster against my rib cage (another method I've tried).

The wings tend to break up the outline of the holster, so it's not obvious what's in the pocket. I always have junk in my other pockets like my wallet, keys, garage door opener, pocket knife, etc, so I look pretty lumpy in general.

Anyhow, that's how I solved this conundrum for myself.