Accessories
Custom Kit Builder
Embroidery
FireFighting Bags
First Responder Kits
Med Pods
Medical Bags
Supplies
Tactical Bags
Tactical Trauma Kits
LIGHTNING X IS A SMALL, FAMILY OWNED COMPANY
We strive to provide excellence!
About Our Store
Lightning X Products began designing and manufacturing firefighter and medical gear bags in the year 2000. By always listening to customer feedback we have learned never to accept the status quo and in turn we are constantly improving upon our product designs and striving to make our bags better. This has allowed us to become the premier supplier of gear bags and kits to the public safety industry. We always welcome input on how we are doing from you, our customers because you are our greatest asset. Thank you for your service!
We are a small, family-owned business based in North Carolina. We have been in business for nearly 20 years and are very proud of our commitment to serving the public safety industry. We design all of our bags in-house based around the real life experiences of our employees, many of whom are former EMTs and firefighters. We know what works because we’ve done the job.
We value putting the customer first. That’s why we have never had an auto attendant for our phone system. When you call Lightning X, a real human answers the phone – every time. We also redesign each of our gear bags annually. How do we know what needs to be improved? Our customers tell us! We value customer feedback so much that it is what drives us to keep moving forward. Year after year. Bag after bag.
OUR HUMBLE HISTORY
How it all started:
Needing something to occupy his spare time from his job as an EMT,
Andy Spivey started what was then Fire & Safety Outfitters in June of 2000 with his dad John Spivey,a 12 foot trailer, and a dream. Operating the business out of his parents basement, and on the road 40 weeks out of the year attending fire schools, trade shows and calling on fire departments, they sold primarily gear bags, turnout gear and warning lights.
Out of the basement mom!
In April of 2002, Fire & Safety Outfitters moved out of the basement into a 3,500 square foot building in Charlotte, NC.
There was a small retail store in the front for local firefighters, EMTs and police officers to come and shop for supplies.
This store was the first of it’s kind in the area where customers could come and see this many products up close and in person, and actually pay for an item and take it home with them the same day.
The first Bag
After several years of design and prototypes Fire & Safety Outfitters released their first proprietary turnout gear bag in early 2003.
The “Fire Bag 1”, which would later become the LXFB10, was (and still is)the largest turnout bag on the market and the first firefighter bag to include reflective striping sewn on for safety and added visibility.
It’s Alive!It’s Alive!
With the overwhelming success of the Fire Bag 1, Fire & Safety Outfitters released two more bags in 2004.
A truly uniquely designed firefighter bag and its’ first EMT bag.
They also began branding the bags under the Lightning X name, separating these products from the retail arm of Fire & Safety Outfitters and allowing them to be resold at wholesale to other public safety stores across the southeast.
A grand pivit is upon us…
In 2006, the Fire & Safety Outfitters name was dropped and rebranded as Lightning X Products, Inc.
The retail store was closed as Lightning X chose to concentrate entirely on developing their ever popular gear bags,
which now included bags for firefighters, EMTs and law enforcement. Lightning X released its’ first catalog to support their growing dealer network across the US.
Bring on the trauma!
2008 brought the release of 8 different pre-stocked trauma kits by Lightning X.
Until this time, first responders would generally buy a medical bag and then have to shop their local drug store for basic first aid supplies to fill the kit. Needing advanced items such as airways or tourniquets usually meant having to order in bulk from a medical supply company.
Movin’ on up.
With the growing popularity of their gear bags, trauma kits and medical supplies, Lightning X moved into a new building on Woodpark Blvd in central Charlotte in 2012.
They now occupy 25,000 square feet of that building, with four massive assembly lines for trauma kits, two shipping & receiving stations and a photo and video studio for product images and how-to videos.
New Marketplace time!
In 2014 Lightning X launched an amazing new website, GearBags.com,
replacing the older LightningXProducts.com and the original FireOutfitters.com.
This site will become an industry leader in design, functionality and customer interaction with the redesign and relaunch of the site in late 2018.
The Warehouse Series.
Introduced in 2016, the Lightning X Warehouse Series was a new set of weekly videos.
that showed each product up close and personal, including such subjects as: How to stock your EMT kit, Assembling a bailout bag, How we process your order – from our shelf to your door, How to don your turnout gear from a step-in gear bag, and many more.
Present Day:
Lightning X now employs 10 people and is growing faster than ever.
But one thing will remain the same… We will stay true to our roots as a family owned, customer and quality driven business that produces the finest gear at a reasonable cost, and stands behind our products. We will always continue to move forward, no matter the cost.
The Creation of a Bag
IDEATION
The idea for a new bag is born from the need to fix a problem.
PROTOTYPE
Samples cut and sewn by hand help identify improvements.
DESIGN
Brainstorming leads to a series of sketches that bring the idea to life.
FINAL PRODUCT
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GEARBAGS | LIGHTNING X PRODUCTS
Our Shipping Process
''We're always moving forward, no matter the cost'' - Andy Spivey
At Lightning X, we are constantly striving to make our bags better, stronger and easier to use. Every time we produce a new batch of bags we make improvements based on real world, line of duty driven data. We make our gear work harder, so you don’t have to.
Gear Bag Accessories
Glove Straps
Med Pouches
SCBA Mask Bags
Small Bags & Kits
Personalized EMT Bags
Personalized Firefighting Bags
Personalized Patches
Bags Under $60
No Logo Gear Bags
Package Deals
Rescue Bags
Rolling Gear Bags
SCBA Mask Bags
Step-In Turnout Bags
Stocked Kits
Backpacks & Slings
Basic EMT Bags
Bags Under $60
IFAKs & Pouches
Modular EMT Bags
Oxygen Bags
TacMed Bags
Airway & Breathing
Bleeding/TacMed
Diagnostic
First Aid & Meds
Gauze/Bandages
Hemostatic
Instruments / Misc
Med Pods & Mini Kits
Splinting/Immobilization
Backpacks & Slings
Fire Police Bags
IFAK Pouches
Law Enforcement Bags
Tactical Accessories