Review: Dual double mag pouch

Here's another item from my bulk load of pouches and packs like the S10 Haversack that I have been slowly rolling out. I had a windfall of a truckload of army surplus gear ages ago, which have been sitting in the bunker, being musty, but there are some real gems in there. These may not be the cutting edge of high-speed, low-drag gear, but have been mil-spec at some stage, so they're damn tough, if nothing else.

This particular pouch came from a box full of here, and I just reached in and grabbed one at random. You can see it's already had a rough life, but has held together.

This double, dual-magazine carrying set of pouches is made of a high Denier (800-1000 I'd guess, by the feel) and are built into a single backing. From the frayed stitching marks, I'd guess that they originally came with some sort of Fastex style clips to act as the primary closure points for the box-like pouches, but was probably removed to speed things up in the field.

A broad loop-field panel on the front of the outside of the pouch acts as the primary closure as a result, with a corresponding hook-field inside the box-top lid. A tongue of webbing with a hook-field can be pulled out from inside the pouch to mate with the loop-field on the front to neutralize the hook-and-loop closure entirely, which was probably useful when the original Fastex loops were still in place.

Internally, the pouches have been given a polyurethane coating for additional waterproofing, and are double stitched throughout. Drainage grommets with a wire mesh grit filter are found in the bottom of each, this would act to keep the grit and sand out of your magazines, and was a nice little feature.

The inside of the box-lid has a little pocked sewn in, big enough for a MRE packet of waterproof matches, a P-38 can opener or maybe a button compass, I found a couple of match-packets and even a couple of water purification tablets when I went through the pouches.

The back panel of the pouches have several different ways to mount, and also shows the vintage of the pouches. ALICE style brass-wire belt hooks, and no PALS-MOLLE to be seen. A pair of steel rings allows extra strapping to be attached to sling the pouches, though the angle of the two ring mountings being different suggests there is a "right way" to do this. A question for the veterans out there. What gives?

The pouches have been stamped with a NSN, but they are all so aged that I couldn't make out the cage numbers. I'd say these pouches would work well doing double duty in much the same way as any of the Platatac FUP or bigger pouches I've grown to love, but with a far older look.

 

Review: Tactical Tailor - MALICE 2 pack set

Here's the third installment of reviews for KitUp!'s David Reeder, and the inestimable Casey Ingles of Tactical Tailor. I've been so pleased with the other kit that they sent me, I've been somewhat hesitant to begin on this next review, given its magnitude.

However, it's just too awe-inspiring to hold it back any further, so here we go.

I've always wanted an ALICE pack. Since childhood I remember putting it on Birthday and Giftmas lists. 

The combination of metal frame and hefty pack have been of great interest to me, from my earliest camping days.

So, without further ado, let me introduce to you the MALICE 2 kit from Tactical Tailor.

This MODIFIED All-Purpose Lightweight Individual Carrying Equipment pack is jam packed with improvements over the standard "lowest-common denominator" issue pack, and I'll get to those points as we go along.

Probably the first thing that strikes me about this pack is that it is BIG. With a main compartment capacity of 53L (3276 cu") and a whopping total capacity of 75L (4556 cu") That is a whole lot of ruck!.

Here is what it looks like when I filled it up, and threw it on. See lower down for what I filled it with. Lets just say a LOT.

As you can see, this is some serious pack! The kit itself comes in four distinct parts; the main pack body which constitutes all the storage, the Super Straps which are the heavily padded shoulder straps, the Super Belt which is the padded hip/kidney belt and the frame These all come together to form the MALICE2 -kit-. Each are available to add to, upgrade or replace a standard ALICE pack component.

I'll be honest, in that I needed the provided instructions to put it together, as there's no shame in RTFM.

So here's what I can tell you about all the parts:

The frame is built from light weight metal tubing, just like a racing bike, which is reported to give a 30% reduction in weight compared to other  pack frames. This frame is welded, rather than riveted, like the older issue-frames,  while increasing strength and rigidity over the issue ALICE pack frame. Apparently one key issue with those frames, apart from being flimsy, were the popping of rivets, leaving metal ends flapping in the breeze, ore more accurately, finding nice solid fleshy places to jab. Yeah. No thanks! The welds are really solid, and there is NO flex, sway, or signs of weakness in this frame. Rock-solid quality, powder coated to a smooth finish.

The frame also has a crossbar, which in fact rather than just joining the uprights, bends away from the body, creating a  space between the pack and your body. This is ace for not only keeping an air-flow gap, but also keeping the bulk of the pack up and off. The spacing of the frame also lends itself to go around standard sized (10"x12") back hard armour plates, something that hadn't occurred to me, but a brilliant idea!

The Super Straps are reported to be twice as long as issue straps, a real bonus if you are already bulked up with a plate carrier, warm clothes, and allows the use of a cool item like the MysteryRanch Cinch Straps to fix it snugly over a plate carrier. They  are made with 3/4" thick foam padding for added comfort under heavy loads. They are also are contoured rather tan just straight, to fit your shoulders and feature an adjustable sternum strap which helps distribute weight and keep it loaded tight to your body.

The Super Belt is much the same, except it utilizes 1.5" padding to maximise a comfortable ride of the pack. It features a big dual-adjusting front fastex style buckle and side ALICE style webbing attachment points to allow additional modular gear to be attached directly to the belt. Mounting the belt to the pack was a snap with the two adjustable buckles which just cinched it on tightly, this apparently replaces the 'ratchet' style attachment system on the issue kidney pad, which sounds like a nightmare!

The main pack itself as I said, is HUGE. The whole thing is made of 1000d Cordura, and features extra reinforcements of all  the high stress areas of the pack. The seams and all the finishings are top-notch.  

The main compartment is 53cm  (21")  tall, 35cm (14") wide and 28cm (11") deep. That might be hard to picture, but see below, for a good indication. You'll know when. That single main compartment has drainage grommets in the base, but is essentially a big open sack. For more compartmentalization , look to the outside! 

The front of the pack features two 6" x 7" x 4" and one 8" x 12" by 4" zippered pockets and on each side there are additional 7" x 10" x 4" zippered pockets. That's five big pockets lining the top of the pack. Below them are three more deep clip-fastening lidded pockets. I was able to stuff a set of cargo pants into each of these side pockets, rolled up, to give you an idea of their capacity and my Platatac Harry 1.2 Softshell Jacket in the middle one. We're talking a whole lot of storage here... Below the top row of pockets are two twin ALICE webbing loops, to give you even more modular attachment options, like for a canteen or e-tool.

You really CAN fit a whole lot in this pack.

Inside the top of the main compartment, in addition to the standard draw-string closure, is the additional Storm Flap modification, which sits inside the main closure, and adds an sphincter-like extension around the inside of the top of the pack to help keep things secure and dry. This also features a draw-string closure and really improves the packing security, easy of access when needed, and keeps the elements off your kit.

This is in addition to the built in flap that covers the whole of the top of the pack, secured with two long fastex-style clips on long webbing straps. That cover itself features another pocket, a
zipper closing 8" x 12" x 4" Claymore pocket. There is also a heavy duty 2" Nylon webbing carry handle at the top of the pack

Tactical Baby says RUCK UP!

She also objected strenuously to me trying to get her back OUT of the pack, and wanted to go for more rides. Considering she spent several hours worth of walking at ConFest in my Light Field Pack, I shouldn't have been surprised.

This is a serious mountain of a pack. 

Lightweight on its own, a heavyweight when used to its full capacity. The additional padding on the shoulder and hip belts are with no doubt a stunning improvement over previous offerings and I shudder to think what those old frames must have been like. The construction of this setup is without reproach, and I can see it lasting a lifetime. It truly warrants the "M" for Modified in its name but could just as easily stood for "modern".  This is a modern pack with classic lines, with rock-solid modern materials and construction philosophy.

Review: 3x30 M16 magazine pouch

Following on from my review of a "vintage" butt-pack I did a little while back, here is another piece of old kit that still serves really well. This is a 3x30 M16 magazine pouch, which I collected from a disposal store a few years ago. These are based on a Vietnam era pattern, and the ones I have are made of a woodland camouflage pattern nylon and it seems these had a NSN of 8465-00-001-6482. It is designed to hold three 30 round M16 magazines, and has two "wings", one on each side which after doing some research I see are for hanging grenades.

So, what can I tell you about them? They are constructed of a light nylon, with tape sewn around the edges to contain any fraying. The front and back panels also feature a stiff plastic plate, sewn onto the nylon, which gives the pouch some rigidity and presumably protected against the material  tearing and the strain put on it by the hard magazines.  Internally the pouches originally had two strips of nylon tape dividing the mouth of the pouch into three, one for each magazine.

The lid has a plastic clip, the teeth of which are pinched to release. As you can see, I stuffed this one open with a ubiquitous Nerf magazine which is a bit too long for the width of the pouch. but you get the idea. This is an ALICE pouch, and has two clips at the back for attachment. The grenade clips are press studs (although one of mine has torn through the nylon). I also cut one of the internal straps, so that I can fill this particular pouch with larger items, such as the electronics pouch for my Stargate laser tag kit.

These are cheap, light and fairly sturdy pouches. They are quite easy to come by and with a few modifications (cutting the internal straps) give quite a large storage capacity, as well as the two wing pouches on the sides, even if they are oddly shaped and open.

Review: Australian Army Butt Pack

I've reviewed a lot of modern packs and pouches, almost all of which I use regularly, or plan to in the event of an emergency. Cordura, nylons and all the modern trimmings. However, there is a lot to be said for the packs that were cutting edge or at least fit for purpose in yesteryear. These are the pieces of kit you find in op-shops, and in discount-barrels at Army Surplus and Disposal stores. This is one such piece. The OD Canvas Butt Pack one of several I have, from a variety of sources but here is the one that I use more often. The name comes from the position you wear this on your belt, right at the back, at the small of your back. Silly name, good pouch.

The heavy "government issue" 20 oz canvas pouch comes with a fold-over lid-flap that features a name-tag pocket as well as a carry handle. The lid-flap is secured by two metal fittings through which thick canvas pull-straps feed to give a easily fastened and openable lid. A series of riveted eyelids line one side of the lid, I'm uncertain what this is for, but i threaded a length of paracord through them. You never know. It also serves as an attachment point for other kit.



The back of the pouch features two sewn-in Alice keeper clips, another pair of canvas pull straps, which act as compression straps matching with another set of metal fittings found at the front of the pouch. A set of eyelets can be found at the top of the pouch, on a pair of reinforced canvas toggles. I've used these to fit a shoulder-strap to turn the belt-pouch into a slingable one. Useful if you have several of them, want to pass the contents from one person to another or any other reason to not have it physically attached to yourself, but still hands free. Simple really. The wide canvas belt around the pouch looks like standard 50mm webbing, and has a couple of extra loops for Alice keeper clips, and two extra wide loops for slinging other kit, one on each side of the pouch.



The inside of the pouch is really quite spacious, and I can fit two of the "3L dead people jars" in a pinch, with a little extra room, with measurements of 23cm x 21cm x 15cm (9" x 8.5" x 6") or around 7.5 L (2gal) giving you an idea of the capacity. Nothing to be sneezed at. The inside of the pouch is lined with plastic, making a pretty waterproof container. There aren't any drainage grommets and it doesn't seal shut, but is certainly dunkable and rain resistant. I expect it could act as an improvised bucket as needed. This may not be what you want after falling into a lake though.



One interesting feature is the large turtle-neck sleeve of the plastisised lining, which allows the user to fold and cover over the top of the pouch, before closing and securing the lid, to offer some water resistance. It also acts as a secondary means of securing your load, even when the lid-flap isn't fastened. I previously used this as part of my Stargate lasertag LRP kit as a dump bag, which I replaced with the Platatac gas-mask bag but I still take a couple of these with me, with shoulder slings attached. I also gave one to my step-daughter to use as a bug-out-bag when she expressed an interest, following Season 1 of Walking Dead.

These are great pouches for what they are, tough, dependable, and if you can find one in good condition, that hasn't been trashed by it's previous owner, I expect they will see you through pretty much anything you care to throw yourself into.