DIM: 12" x 7" x 2.5"
The Responder Pouch was designed by a SWAT Technician with the intent to have a kit bag that could be rapidly adjusted per mission. For staters, a unique feature of the pouch is that it is padded on front, back, and bottom making it good for electronics and more delicate tools.
On the inside, one side is fully loop velcro and the other has many dividers and loops. The middle/bottom even has elastic loops for beat-sticks, large flashlights, and more. The pimped out interior side has 3 deep sleeve pockets of varying height, an double elastic loop area of varied loops sizes, and an elastic loop snap. The sleeves are great for manuals and other slim items. The elastic loops have 4 channels for pen sized items and 2 for flashlight sized items. Keys work well in the snap loop, but it also works as a general connection point. Since the core of the snap loop is elastic, I worry the snap is going to tear through eventually. I recommend adding webbing or a similar material where the snap is mounted to fortify the snap. Back to the velcro interior side, I should mention it comes with 3 webbing strips with hook velcro on one side to use to hold down gear with. Although it is great they come with the pouch, functionality wise I find them sub-par to elastic loops since they are rigid. One can use them to secure about 3 objects effectively, but one can get more action going on with a loop matrix. Thus, I busted some out real quick to show an example. Keep in mind this pouch is very affordably priced so despite my elastic whining, the responder pouch would still be a deal even if the webbing strips were not included.
Both exterior sides have 8 channel PALS with 3 rows on the back and 2 rows on the front. The front also has a bonus velcro loop area for patches or ID. The PALS fest allows the Responder Pouch to be easily mounted to other MIL type bags or even vests. One such example is putting er' on the County Comm EOD pouch. One can be cheap and use the MOLLE snaps of the EOD pouch or MALICE clips can be used to mount on the other side. As a small note, the MOLLE snap side is made for 7 channels so the Responder Pouch mounts slightly shifted. The other side, however has 8 channels for a perfect fit if you have some MALICE clips around.
If you don't mind paying extra to fully exploit the velcro interior, I highly recommend this pouch as a unique tactical tool holding pouch.
<www.countycomm.com>
ITW MILITARY PRODUCTS: FAST MAG
This interesting take on a no flap mag pouch was designed by DownEast Inc. and is being distributed by ITW Military Products. The main idea is to hold 1, 30 round NATO magazine securely with no flaps or straps. The core design is 2 pieces of high-impact resistant polymer that are snapped together at the bottom. This creates a wedge effect on the opening where the FASTMAG can be bent to open, but will keep constant pressure on your mag. The material is made from similar goodness the MOLLE frame is made of which is very strong, temperature resistant, and reasonably flexible. If shot or destroyed the polymer has anti-fragmentation qualities as well and will not turn into shrapnel. For additional pressure, an elastic band wraps around the exterior, which can be removed for easier magazine removal. To enhance the grip, 2 rubber-like friction pads are inside the pouch with 1 on each side. The core snap connection has a dual purpose in which they are also snaps for the PALS straps. Although these are not made to weave, they will allow the FASTMAG to be placed on any PALS webbing equipped gear. At the top are 2 PALS stabilizer tabs to keep pouch movement low when twisting and using the FASTMAG. When mounting the pouch, first the tabs are inserted under the PALS, then the straps are routed to the snaps at the bottom. The tabs do a good job at keeping the FASTMAG stable on your kit, but also can make the magazines a little harder to grab onto since so close to one's body. If this is the case, you can still securely attach with PALS straps only. Thing will be a little more floppy, but easier to get a grab onto the mag.
Now the thing that makes the FASTMAG cool to me it that it can be mounted upside-down. The grip is strong enough where one can do plenty of vigorous activities without the magazine inside shifting or falling out. For those who like a little backup or are doing airborne operations, a shock-cord and pull tab "jump" strap is included to further make sure your mag doesn't go anywhere. When the strap is not in use, the back- bottom of the FASTMAG seems to be the optimal place to store it.
When using the FASTMAG one should grab the magazine inside and give a horizontal twist while yanking out with authority. The twist causes the friction pads to be pushed away from the magazine to allow an easier release. I find the upside-down mounting direction to be the fastest since it requires less wrist movement to grab onto the magazine. Effective mounting areas include the lower chest / sides, belt, and droplegs, but other users may find other mounts useful as well.
For those in the know, you are probably asking "What does this do that a Kydex mag pouch doesn't?". Well the main thing is that is has enough grip and friction to allow upside-down mounting. Next, the friction and grip possibilities are more varied. Kydex pouches may have a tension screw if you are lucky, but one can tweak their FASTMAG further by using different elastic band strengths. A super tight kydex is just stuck super tight, a FASTMAG can have friction temporarily decreased when twisting the magazine out. Open top Kydex pouches also typically never come with a jump strap. Lastly, the FASTMAG polymer is much more temperature resistant than Kydex which can be negatively affected by extreme temperatures.
As for the size, the FASTMAG is a little bulky and one can only fit 3 pouches where they could put 4 typical mag pouches. This noted, only 1 or 2 FASTMAGS were intended to be used at one time when designed. As seen practiced by Special Forces units, having an easily accessible magazine amongst the normal pouches can increase battlefield effectiveness. The normal pouches are used for the bulk when behind cover, but when the shit hits the fan, the FASTMAG will give the speed advantage.
I will keep beating up on mine and keep you folks updated. The design at the moment only works on NATO 30 round magazines and kind of works with 2 double stack pistol magazines. The pistol mags are more of a note that they just happen to fit and are not particularly easy to extract out of the FASTMAG. AK magazines are too thick to fit and M-14 mags are too wide. If I were to change something, it would be having a built in wedge/slant to the back that would slightly push the magazine away from the user's body. This would allow for more hand room and thus an easier grab when using the PAL stabilizer tabs. Be sure and check out my video demo:<FASTMAG DEMO>
<www.itwmilitaryproducts.com>
Design notes: <www.downeastinc.com/FASTmag/FASTmag.html>
SORD AUSTRALIA Commander Panel Large
DIM: 10.5" x 6.25" x 1"
A more unique item, it works great for having quick access to documents and other admin goods. The intention is to mount it on the chest area of you kit, however it can also work well attached to a tactical bag. When mounted to the chest, the panel opens to about 100 degrees thus making a great hands-free admin platform. The elastic and pocket layout has all you need to get your navigation on. The arrangement is made to accomodate pens, notebook, protractor / ruler, and of course... a map. The map flap will keep your papers dry (covered, but not water tight) and is also removable if you want to tear it out to easily display to others. Unfortunately the map flap doesn't quite fit 8.5" wide legal papers and fits about 8" x 11" paper. Another slight draw back is the zippers can get caught in the open angle limiting straps. When opening sometimes the thin webbing slides right in the zipper jamming it up. Perhaps a cord like 550 may be better used here and won't slide into the zipper track. As you see, the panel is indeed big taking up my whole upper chest area on my kit requiring 6 PALS channels. I was worried this would interfere with my weapon stock placement, but since the panel is flat, it actually is not much of an issue and easy to get used to stocking against.
*Added note: Another loadout is to mount on the lower front of one's kit and have 3 mag pouches mounted on of the Commander Panel
<www.sordaustralia.com>
*UPDATE: Did the 550 mod I spoke of, works a crapload better with no snags.
SORD AUSTRALIA HTS Wrist Panel
DIM: while folded 5.5" x 3.5" x .5"
main window: 6.125" x 4.75"
small window: 2.25" x 3.5"
For those who could use a quick no hands-mission cheat sheet, you might want to look into this lil guy. The strap sizing and orientation is made for the left arm, but one can wear it on their right arm with the flap opening towards the body rather than away. All connections and seals are done with velcro which includes the straps and the main clear vinyl opening. Although the space isn't vast, the main pocket works well for holding a small map. Elastic is sewn onto the edge of the flap pannel to allow a place to put 2 pens or pencils. An extra smaller swing-away clear vinyl pocket is attached which can be good for quick notes or HVT pictures. Since the pannel wraps around your wrist, the map doesn't lay flat, but this didn't seem to be too big of an issue for usage.
<www.sordaustralia.com>
SORD AUSTRALIA Accessories Extra Large Front Zip Pouch
DIM: 9" x 6.5" x 3.5"
Although originally designed to hold a complete ADF issue ration pack, I find this to be a great general purpose pouch. After seeing the design I'm actually surprised I don't see more like it. The front zip makes this pouch a lot easier to operate when mounted to one's side, which is usually where GP pouches end up. When on the side, the horizontal zipper movement is much more natural than the common top open GP pouches. This design also has more of a rounded rectangle shape with a healthy dose of exterior PALS real estate. The inside is straight forward, with no loops or elastic. Extra plastic slides have been added to the upper back exterior to allow further mounting options.
<www.sordaustralia.com>
VOLK TACTICAL Pistol Mag Pouch
A friend at the Agressor Group got this lil guy my way. The design is reverse flap style so one can get the flap out of their way and to the business and grabbing the mag easier. It can fit a single or double stack mag, but the elastic is a smidgn' tight on a double. Nothing drastic, but more than my other pistol mags. There isn't a lot of velcro to seal the flap on your mag, but it is enough to be secure. I'm always eager to get into open flap mode anyway, and since the flap has velcro on both sides, it sticks nicely to the pouch to stay open. The back has PALS webbing to use a short Malice clip and a grommet is standard for drainage. For improvements, I'd like the hook velcro to be under the pull tab so one can open the pouch and secure the flap down all in one smooth motion. As is, one needs to pull down the flap to open, then let go to press the flap to the pouch. Other than that, if you like the reverse flap style, this is a well made mag pouch.
<www.aggressor-group.com>
VOLK TACTICAL Arm ID Pouch
This isn't a fancy piece of kit, but is sometimes harder to find. Contractors may find this useful when they need to brandish ID or gun cards. 2 straps of elastic and velcro get this pouch on your bicep, but could go on one's forearm as well. The main flap seals with velcro opens up to the ID area. It is hard to see, but on the back is a sleeve pocket to stash extra papers. Pretty straight forward and works as intended. Only draw back is on my CAC card the expiration date is partially blocked.
<www.aggressor-group.com>
COUNTY COMM EOD UTILITY BAG
DIM: 12" x 8" x 7"
Had this one sent my way as B-day present. I mostly intended to use it as expanding backpack space, however also works great as a general small go bag or man purse. Being fully PALS'd out I can mount the pouch itself or attach other smaller pouches to it to easily adjust to my situational need. The outter layer is nylon based while the interior is a more waterproof material. Side plastic D-rings allow for extra attachment points and there is a velcro strip for ID patches. Inside are 2 large velcro sealed sleeves on the back side and a mesh pocket with velcro flap on the front side. This allows for the diversity of mags to medical equipment to even ordinance. Additional tether points are inside to assist in organizational options. The strap isn't anything to call come about with plastic snaps, but should be quite sufficient most of the time. You will need to fill up the bag with ammo before much strain will go on the strap snaps. I'll update as I beat on it more, has been working great for backpack expansion so far.
<www.countycomm.com>
ICE TACTICAL Small Utility/Med pouch MC:
Notes: Got this guy used through LF swap meet. I thought would be the same as my other ICE med pouch, but it ended up being a mini size that is not seen on their catalog. Insides have some little divider pockets and zipper is a more typical length rather than clam-shell setup. Nice slim lil pouch for adding onto others or low profile areas such as sides of body.
ICE TACTICAL Medium Utility/Med pouch MC:
DIM: 6" x 6" x 2"
Notes: Cordura PAL Ladders replace webbing for better camo. Well made pouch and a useful size. Bonus mesh pocket and loop inside is a plus. Comes with Malice Clips.
ICE TACTICAL Small Fold Up Pouch MC:
DIM: 4" x 9" x 4" expanded
Notes: Simple, but well made fold up style pouch. Back has a loop formed by the webbing pannel that can accomodate up to a 3.5" belt. My example shows a bit of a half-assed fold up job, could be more condensed by folding in the sides. Comes with Malice Clips.
KIFARU GPS/Phone Pouch MC:
Notes: One of the few pouches that use 1 channel, easy to put on gear that have leftover empty PALS areas. Comes with a Malice Clip. New black on green Kifaru logo blends in better. 3rd pic is MC + OD combo with logo taken off.
SPEC-OPS OP-ORDER Logistics Pouch OD:
DIM: 8"H x 6"W x 2"D
Notes: Unique medium pouch for a good batch of ADMIN gear such as GPS. pens, batts, papers, lights, etc. I dig the flap down ability and bonus lanyard clip. Back webbing is some sort of ballistic material to make easier PALS weaving. Uses classic MOLLE style snaps, but are positioned where they end up under the PALS of what you are mounting on; making them a lot harder to get on and off than I'd like. However, once on, they sure as hell aren't coming off on accident.
SPECTER Modular GP Utility Pouch Medium - Vertical Coyote
DIM: 6" W x 9" H x 4" D
Notes: Solid no-nonsense pouch. For a side torso pouch the pullstrings are a little too loose causing the pull force to wrap around. Basic MOLLE snaps for PALS connection.
SPECTER Modular GP Utility Pouch Medium - Horizontal Coyote
DIM: 10" W x 7" H x 4" D
Notes: Solid no-nonsense pouch. For a side torso pouch the pullstrings are a little too loose causing the pull force to wrap around. Basic MOLLE snaps for PALS connection.
TAG MOLLE Admin Pouch OD
Notes: Well built and more space than most ADMIN pouches, but at 7"+ H I find it too tall due to starting to fold into my other pouches. Uses paraclete soft snap connection for PALS.
