Review: Platatac WUP

I've been collecting pouches for quite some time now, because I've found that there is always room for more pockets.

I've covered all manner of pouches in the past, from the very large, almost a bag in itself, to a variety of smaller utility pouches, down to the very small indeed. There are times though when a pouch needs to be a bit bigger, for large or bulky items, without wanting to add a whole other bag to your loadout, or better yet, having that item out of your existing pack. Thats where something like the Platatac Water Utility Pack, their WUP, comes into its own.

Large enough to fit a Platatac 1 litre Flask or a 1L Hydrapak Bladder,

or in my case, a 1L Nalgene bottle. The WUP fills a niche not unlike that of the Tactical Tailor Hydration Joey pouch, but in keeping with the Platatac range it is fitted out like a bigger version of one of their smaller pouches.


With both a chunky Fastex clip and a broad swathe of hook-and-loop the WUP doesn't lack for closure options, and security. Inside there is an internal loop with elastic shock-cord, to cinch in the lip of the pouch, giving even better retention.

I really liked that the Fastex clip strapping loops back through a loop on the lid of the pouch in a solid V shape, not only does this support the lid, but keeps the straps from flopping about and getting in the way.

A drainage grommet in the bottom of the pouch is a really good addition, something that you really appreciate if you've ever taken a dunk with a bunch of kit on. Especially if you then need to haul yourself up and out, and keep on running.

This is a pretty big pouch, with at least a 1L capacity, and it is held secure to you and your gear with a 2 channel, 3 row set of PALS/MOLLE on the back, ant its set up to be able to attach using 5 rows on the host side, giving a really secure fit for those heavy loads.

There are also three rows of two-channel loops on each side of the pouch, for attaching accessories to your accessories.

I took a couple of these on an adventuring weekend recently, one with an old style canteen on a Platatac Bongo battle belt, and the other on the side of a plate carrier covered in other pouches. Neither were ungainly, overly bulky and anything other than functional. Offered in both Multicam and traditional khaki, the two I picked up are in MC, see how I venture into the modern era!

Review: Voodoo Tactical - Open Top Single Magazine Pouch

When I backed the MS Clean Kickstarter project, which I covered recently, they also threw in, as a bonus stretch item,a PALS/MOLLE pouch to house the system in. Originally suggested to be one of the HSG Tactical Taco pouches, to keep costs down they settled on the simpler Voodoo Tactical Open Top pouches which are no slouch either.

I've covered a couple of open-top shingle style pouches before; the ones built into the Platatac SCAR mini-chest rig and also the Platatac Modular Radio Pouch. Generally, I prefer my pouches ti have a lid, or cover of some kind, because I am generally not using them as originally intended. So, that in mind, here's what I can tell you about the Voodoo Tactical open top shingles.

These single-magazine pouches have a good solid finish, with 1000d Cordura as the base material, shock-cord and webbing loops, throughout. They feature a press-stud closing pair of PALS/MOLLE tabs in the lack to feed and mount on whatever platform you choose, and the tabs are reinforced with plastic internally to add some stiffness, aiding in both feeding, and sturdy attachment. The shock-cord is fitted with a looped webbing pull-tab, and it comes adjusted to fit nicely over the MS Clean case, so presumably they fit over a 30 round STANAG or MagPul P-Mag magazine as well.

The fact that it is a single case might seem a bit limiting when it comes to loadout, given that pouches like the Platatac FUP but because it is fitted out with PALS/MOLLE loops on the front (and side) it is possible to stack them quite easily. This may well add more bulk and weight to a double stacked set than would a dedicated double mag-pouch, but each pouch independently carries the magazine, so no worry of them rattling about. Again, remember, I'm not a shooter, get proper training and advice of experts, but it makes sense to me.

They are also a slimmer option for those who aren't planning to be as heavily equipped. Especially useful in those times where every gram makes a difference. These are a good basic pouch, and I could find no fault with them, they certainly are a good match for the MS Clean kits, and work as advertised.

Review: Platatac - LD Dump Pouch

Having added a new black pack to my repertoire of cargo-carriers, in the MR 1DAP so I've been looking into matching accessory pouches. (Pouches, pouches, POUCHES). I have a pretty vast collection of khaki and Multicam pouches already, and I'm not just going to cover new colours of systems I've already reviewed but I also picked up some new ones.  One of these that I immediatly attached to my new pack was the Platatac LD pouch.

The LD Pouch or Little Dump was developed for high-speed, low-drag Special Operations and Dismounted Infantry end users, but it also fits my need profile nicely. I needed the ability to occasionally load up on extra loot, without wanting to carry a big empty bag, or pockets full of plastic shopping bags.



The LD Pouch, when folded up, is barely bigger than its 2 x 2 PALS/MOLLE attachment panels at its back. It only weighs 120g (a bit over 4oz), thanks to its lightweight mess material construction, with 500d Cordura only on its lid and backing. It's a snap to deploy it, even one handed.

When expanded by pulling up the hook-and-loop closure, the pouch opens up to give you a spacious bag for your goodies, be they tools empty magazines, evidence snatched on a raid, snacks for the movies or contraband at the end of a long night. Cordlocks snared in a webbing loop, and feeding out an eyelet give you cinching control, to close the pouch off, and the hook-and-loop lid can either be used to close the pouch, or mated to a corresponding loop field inside the pouch to stow it out of the way.

The pouch itself, being mesh, is quick draining, and breathable, perfect if you have damp gym clothes or a high-profile head you need to get back home. As long as it's a smallish head, I suppose. This isn't meant as a full-sized dump pouch, it's specifically fo small-jobs. The pouch is spacious enough to easily stow 6 or more 5.56 sized magazines (MS Clean gun cleaning kits seen here) to give you an idea.

With three separate mounting options; the 2x2 PALS/MOLLE, a webbing linked tri-glide buckle and broad belt loop wide enough to take any of my duty or rigger belts, the LD is good and modular, as you'd expect from Platatac. This small, utilitarian pouch sits innocuously on the side of my pack, but would equally disappear on my hip, along side my Mark IV pouch and multitool pouches.

I'm all for keeping my hands clear, and as much as I like cargo-pockets on both my pants and kilts, there are definitely times when stuffing some loot in a bag on a pack is superior to shoving them in a thigh pocket.

The LD dump pouch is perfect for that kind of job.

Review: Platatac - OC spray Pouch MkIV

As I mentioned in my LD-60 flashlight review, I mentioned that I lost a bunch of stuff when my car was broken into. One thing I lost was my Hexbright v1 torch too which I kept in a Platatac ASP pouch.

So, when my replacement Hexbright came in the mail, I needed a new pouch for it, and I had noted that the ASP (expandable baton) pouch didn't quite fit the light, being a little too long, allowing the light to be accidentally switched on.


I popped into the Platatac retail shop with my new Hexbright, and the guys helped me out wiuth a better fitting pouch. This is the OC spray Pouch Mk IV.

The pouch is around 15cm (6") in overall length, and 5x5cm (2"x2") at the base it fits the Hexbright really well. The pouch is fitted with a press-stud closure as well as a 50mm webbing pull tab for good grip and release. This is a lot quieter than a patch of hook and loop, and less bulky than a Fastex clip. The 500d Codrura body is taped and double stitched which gives all its high stress points extra strength.
 

The top of the pouch is open, which keeps the light (or your OC spray, if thats what you're packing) in place, but gives you access by swiveling the lid out of the way, without popping the press stud. A grommet in the bottom of the pouch give you drainage, for those quick jaunts into bodies of water that happen from time to time when you live adventurous lives.

Equipped with the standard PALS/MOLLE fittings that all of the Platatac pouches. I use this as a belt pouch by fitting the tab through the second MOLLE loop, giving you a quite wide, but very secure belt loop. It has a fair amount of travel on a regular belt, but couple it with the loops of a belt like the Platatac SICC belt and you have a rock solid platform for your light (or, you know, OC spray). I'm allergic to capsicum, so I try to avoid pepper spray. This is a solid utility pouch, and if you have an odd shaped or sized item, I recommend taking it into a shop, asking for advice.

Review: Propper - Gen Multipurpose Bag

As first seen on RecoilWeb .....

Here is another part of my Propper haul, and one that I have been getting a whole lot of utility out of.  I took it with me to Fiji for my island get-away, and it rode as my carry-on as well as emergency toddler change station. It's been my day-to-day bag since then, swapping out from my beloved Platatac Bullock Echo as I've needed a more briefcase style option rather than a backpack for my current duties.

This is the Propper Gen Multipurpose Bag and it punches well above its weight.

Filled with storage options, the bag offers a rather large carry-capacity to an otherwise standard briefcase-style design.  I can fit three 2L (2.1qt) milk jugs to the main compartment with no problem.

One of the first things I noticed, and have come to love, about this bag, was the easy-access, dual zipper opening, tapered grab handles. Grab and yank, and the bag opens up. No more fiddly zipper pulls and fine motor skills needed to grab your needfulls. More on that later.

The bag has a wide webbing strap, with a very well made non-slip shoulder-pad, a real boon for a habitual over-packer like myself. The shoulder pad itself has webbing loops that allow you to fix it in place via hook-and-loop tabs, through the pad, to eliminate slippage.  The strap can be adjusted at each end with a broad tri-glide loop, and there is a big-mouth 50mm (2") Fastex buckle at each end of the strap, for quick release. One of my biggest gripes with previous satchels has been the "slung across my chest" trap.

There is also a inset pocket at each end of the bag, between the main compartment and the side-saddle pockets, that very neatly fits my Propper Liberty bottle and even takes my venerable 1L SIGG bottle. 

The "front" panel of the bag is faced with a broad loop field, for patches, and I've made great use of that. Inside that front facing panel is a very spacious document compartment, with three distinct sections, that will fit a number of CD cases, iPads and the like. A hook-and-loop tabbed strap keeps your valuable documents and devices secured, and as with all the zippers on this bag, it features rubber-moulded zipper-pulls as well as "inverted" zipper material to give maximum crud intrusion protection.  

The opposing "inside" facing panel features an even greater selection of pockets, for holding all your needful tools and tricks. 

I have mine loaded up with a variety of goodies; both eating and entry hardware, medical and electronic. Things I don't like to leave home without! 

Again, the double  rubber-molded zipper pulls give good, fast access to my kit, and the panel itself offers a flat clean workspace that is flush to the ground, thanks to the design. 

You can see the main carry handles extend all the way through the pack from the side panels,  they continue all the way under the bag as it happens. They are NOT going to tear off, no matter what you fill it with.

The main compartment has its own surprises as well. Twin storage pockets add further capacity to the narrow ends and the bottom of the compartment is lined with loop-field to facilitate the removable divider, which itself has zippered pockets for business cards, death-cards, whatever. 

It is also loop-faced and includes a 3-channel organizer for all your highlighter pens, or double stacked mags, to go along with the hook-field sided adjustable pistol sleeve that would accommodate most handguns. I don't have any justification to have that in use, but you might. 

Coupled with the grab handle opening strap and you have a quick-access concealed carry option right there.

The side pockets, two on one end, and one bigger one on the other, follow the same pattern. Taped seams, inverted zipper runs to keep crud out, and internal pockets to maximize organization. The single big side pocket also features a clear plastic external ID pocket.

One more cool feature are the twin, adjustable hook-and-loop retention straps for an umbrella or flashlight that sits over the"inside" pocket. It also happens to be a perfect fit for my DeadOn Anihilator Superhammer, because, you never know ...

All in all, this is a pretty awesome bag. It certainly does everything it sets out to do, and had weathered all I've thrown at it, from kicking around trains, planes and hospitals, to being an overnight bag and a day-to-day hauler of my ever changing loadout.

If I had to pick something to gripe about it would be the overall "width" of the bag. When I sling it either across the front of my hips like a paratroopers reserve, I've found that it is  so wide that I bump and brush people with it where normally I wouldn't have, with a backpack. Same goes when I sling it behind me. The addition of the end pockets, whilst adding valuable additional storage, also add to the bulk of the bag.

That said, I'm very pleased with it, and will keep using it until it dies or I find something better.

Review: Platatac prototype hydration carrier

Here is the hydration pack that I have been using for the last few Tough Mudder events I've done. This is an old prototype from Platatac that I picked up on eBay, and combines elements of both their Bravo hydration carrier that I have, and the MEOP Medic Pack both of which I've covered in the past, and are great pieces.

I found that wearing an extra set of straps was redundant when I was wearing a vest anyway on my Tough Mudder and similar adventures, which is why I looked for an alternative to the Bravo, which has served me well in other situations, and on my first Tough Mudder. When I saw this piece come up on eBay, I was thrilled to give it a go. It follows the same kind of design philosophy I've come to expect from Platatac pieces, with a tough 1000d Cordura exterior, and ITW Nexus hardware. It if "faced" with 6 rows of 4 channel PALLS/MOLLE loops, and features a hook-and-loop secured drag handle. Running down the flanks are nylon D-rings, three to a side, allowing shock or paracord to be run through these, to provide attachment points, or compression.

The wide-mouth of the pouch perfectly fits the Source Storm 3L hydration bladders main cap.

The baffled sides of the carrier allow for quite significant volumes to be carrier, without restriction, or perhaps even storage for other items besides a hydration pack. However, this particular piece lack the zipper-access of the Bravo, which means that the only access into or out of the inside is through the main cap.

This actually posed a problem when trying to run my hydration hose through it, and I bit the bullet and melted a channel in the backside to feed it through.

I also had to melt a drainage hole in the bottom, following the previous Tough Mudder, last September.
I found that the carrier filled up with nasty pond water when I took my tumbles, which really added to the weight I was hauling. No such trouble with a small drain hole melted in this time around.

The back of the carrier offers a variety of attachment options; Zippers paired with the MEOP carrier (which allows me to sandwich these two pouches nicely). It also features female Fastex clip ends top and bottom, tri-glide loops for all your clipping and looping needs. Best yet, the back features two sets of three three channel PALS/MOLLE PLMRS (Platypus Light Modular Recovery System) strips. These gave both a rock solid attachment and also load spreading capacity. I barely felt the 3kg that the full bladder weighed,and certainly not the sloshing side-to-side I might have with a pack-type carrier.

This was just a prototype, bridging the gap between the Bravo and the MEOP, but if you want to see the new production version, check out the Platatac Utility Hydration Cover. Looks like the logical next step.

Review: Original SOE Gear - Combat Cock

Awaiting me when I got home recently was a package from Tay of Hornest, Singapore. Tay and I have worked together looking at some cool kit previously, like the Helinox Packable folding chair, the Jil Lite UV light and the Jil Lite Constel LED lantern as well as a bunch of other cool things.

This most recent item is a lot of fun, just for fun. It's time to rock out with my cock out, behold, the SOEGear Combat Cock.

Crafted from 1000d cordura nylon, the Combat Cock is fitted with a length of 1" webbing and a tri-glide buckle under the tail-feathers to facilitate attachment to any number of items.

Each flank of the Cock is fitted with a 75mm x 50mm (3" x 2") colour-matched loop field for attaching your favorite patches, I've thrown on one of my also-new MOTUS/Hornest exclusive patches.

With drainage grommets for eyes, and a hook-and-loop opening on the underside to access the stuffing, for either re-fluffing, or replacing it with what-have-you. It could make an innocuous stuff-sack for secret needfuls, even SERE gear.

I've been thinking about stuffing mine with a Headover to give it double duty as a fun accessory, storage as well as an impromptu travel pillow.

I really like this little guy, and look forwards to photo-bombing a bunch of things, places and events with my khaki Combat Cock! Get yours now, we'll see who's has been more places ...

Review: SORD - 870 Back

The good folks at SORD, who hooked me up with one of their very cool hoodies, were also kind enough to send me one of the items I saw on their website but have never seen the like of in person. As you are probably aware, I am big on being prepared, so it probably strikes you as unsurprising that I have a set of bolt-cutters. These were a hold-over from my University Scavenger Hunt days (I was head/on several Black-Ops teams, and later a Judge) but the knack of getting into, onto and around obstacles, and coming away, unscathed, with tools, with the prize has always been dear.
This is where something like the SORD 870 Back pouch would have come in very handy.

Explicitly designed to house the Remington 870 models of shotguns, as well as other breaching tools such as sledge hammers, bolt cutters and breaching bars. I was thrilled at the chance to get my hands on one and see what I could make use of it for.

Fitted with two twin sets of PALS/MOLLE attachment tabs (with integral hook-and-loop) and a Fastex style clip with a long webbing strap, this was exactly what I'd envisaged.  Constructed from what I believe is 1000d Cordura.

Internally the pouch has two main compartments, the larger, external one, and a smaller, tucked-away one. I hadn't noticed the smaller one until I had been loading it up, and I opened it up. Not owning a shotgun, I havent been able to test it out with its name-sake, but I certainly tried out a variety of my own stabby, cutty, smashy tools, and was very pleased with the results. The main pocket was a perfect fit for my off-the-shelf bolt cutters, holding them very securely for such a head-heavy tool.

The thinner back pocket seemed to be a perfect for for my stand-by tree-chopper, the Ontario BlackWind. I really wanted to fit it out with my Zombie Tool Deuce, but the Deuce was just too much sword for that pocket.

With the retaining strap holding it in place, I mounted the pouch to the side of my Platatac Light Field Pack and took it out for a trial. I barely noticed it. No sway, no rattle, not jiggle. In fact, with those top and bottom PALS/MOLLE fasteners in place, I barely even felt the pack shift from the extra weight. The low profile and rounded sides meant I had no snagging and better yet, I could even manage the fabled over-shoulder draw much loved by Hollywood, (as long as a buddy unclips the Fastex clips for me) However, this has allowed me to carry, comfortably and securely, two of my favourite tools of localised destruction.

Great piece. Well made and exceptionally well suited to the role it was designed for.

Wish Lust: Skinth Solutions - TrailBlazer Pouches

Swiped from Skinth Solutions website

I have now had several people point me towards these pouches for some time now, and whilst I haven't managed to lay-hands on one, I still wanted to show them off, because they appear to have tremendous potential.

Although Skinth offer several different options of pouch, but I'm going to focus on one in particular.This is the TrailBlazerw (woops, [edit], Skinth let me know these pictures are the slightly larger Catch All ) which was was originaly designed by Skinth toorganize fire starting and small survival kits.

Their other pouches are different sizes, shapes, but all follow the same design philosophy, so this will give you a good idea of what they're about.

Constructed from 1000D Cordura, with V70 stitching, this is a hefty pouch, and is fitted with Fastex style buckles and is 3″ wide, 1.5″ deep and 4″ long.

Swiped from Skinth Solutions website

Internally, in the main compartment there is a divider to slide a regular sized Altoids tin survival kit against the back. Each side tube pocket is 1.25″ in diameter, lots of room for items and even 4″ multitools.

Swiped from Skinth Solutions website

As well as this there are as a standard feature, offering 5 pockets to organize small items. This "Penta-Pocket" system (one behind each side tube, one 2.5″x3″ flat pocket and two 1″x3″ in front) allows for a variety of small items to be secured. I can envisage ferrocerium fire-starter rods, Lockpicks, a WTF tool or any of the other small, needful items that I've covered thus far.

There are elastic pen-flaps sewn to the front panel, for pens, safety sheers or a clipped knife, adding to the gear-density of these pouches.

The backing of the pouch comes with 2″ wide hook-and-loop closing belt loops, but the joy of Skinth pouches is the "optional extra" options they offer. In the case of the TrailBlazer, they offer pairs of stainless steel belt clips, MOLLE attachment webbing or even horizontal strapping for bag strap carry. Key hanging loops, 13 colour options, even bag hanging straps.

These are a well designed bridge between chest-worn admin pouches and satchel like pouches. Stores your gear, where you want, for when you want. I've seen things like this being worn by nurses and EMT's at work, and would love to get my hands on one of Skinth Solutions versions.

Review: Platatac Bongo modular battle belt

It's been a while since I've covered a belt, and I picked up this piece recently, and gave it a good workout over the weekend, so wanted to tell you about it.

I've covered a number of belts before, from the surreptitiously tricky PM Leather Hobble Belt, to the hardworking 215 Gear Ultimate Rigger Belt, and the airport friendly 5.11 TDU belts as well as the very capable Young Guns Battle Belt by Platatac, so I wanted to show you this platform as well. This is the Bongo Modular padded belt (Mk2)


With 22 rows of PALS/MOLLE looping, 18 of which are 3 row, with the two channels beside the buckle being only double channel sets. This gives both a lot of real-estate to work with, but also narrows the form around the front, giving the wearer unrestricted motion when sitting, squatting or kneeling.

Designed to be ALICE compatible the belt includes 8 loops for direct attachment to harness or other vest system, such as my MAC armour carrier or the First Spear OAGRE.


It also sports 4 D-ring lash loops along the bottom, which could well be used for leg-straps too, if that's the way your mind works. The principle buckle is a large ITW buckle, as features on many of Platatac's gear. Twin webbing sliders allows you to adjust the belt from either side.

For my skinny (size 32) waist, I needed to cinch it all the way in on both sides, even when wearing it over belted pants and tucked in shirt. The up side of this is that if you have layered clothes, you will have no problem fitting it as an outer-wear layer.

I wore this out to an event, where is was doing First-Aid type monitoring, so fitted it out with my Half Med pack, a set of twin 40mm grenade pouches (they work really well as disposable glove/ mask storage, for quick access). I also fitted one of my SR25 pouches to hold my wallet, a Blackhawk removable side-plate carrier as a mini-dump-pouch, FUP pouch holding my Fenix TK-51 light, and also the SORD 870 Back sleeve, which I'm sneak previewing here. I didn't run it with a sword in it for the event I was at, actually had it filled with big cable-ties, but that's how I would like to roll... A set of CountyComm Premium EMT safety shears rounded it off.

Thankfully none of this kit was needed at the event, but the belt served me really well. The padding is mesh lined, giving it great weight bearing, as well as moisture management capacity.


I wore this rig just on my hips, no strapping, or braces, for 6 hours or so, including some running up and down stairs, with zero dramas. I would wear almost all the pouches identically, other then perhaps moving the 870 pouch to sit higher, if it was bearing more load, just to take advantage of the PALS/MOLLE attachments, but all in all, I was really happy with the belt. The webbing used for the buckles is sewn right into the body of the belt, wrapping the whole way around, and sits under the top. This made feeding the attaching straps of the pouches, both the Platatac-type integrated straps, and the Blackhawk STRIKE Speed Clips I use, a little tricky, but once in, they were rock solid. The overlap of the belt webbing and the middle row of channels makes it LOOK like its a staggered set of loops, but it isn't. Still, this adds to the stability and security of the belt! I might consider swapping out the ITW buckle for a Austrail Cobra buckle at some stage for climb-rating security, but otherwise this is an awesome addition to my load-out options.

Here's some obligatory tacticool shots of my load-out.

Review: Hazard4 - Ventrapack

I've been really pleased with the Hazard4 LaunchPad iPad case, and the Loader RG holster harness that I have covered previously. The Loader RG harness is part of my EDC, I don't feel dressed without it. 

 When I placed my last order with Hazard4, I picked up a couple of items, and this was one of them. I have covered a couple of admin pouches before, and am a big fan of my ZuluNylonGear CAOS pouch, as well as my really good Hill People Gear Runner Bag.

This is the Hazard5 low-profile chest rig, the Ventrapack.
The first thing I found was that it was considerably bigger than I had expected, at 31 x 26.5 x 3 cm (12.2" x 10.4" x 1.2"), if I had checked their website or even counted PALS/ MOLLE strips, I would have worked this out. However, size is not a concern for me. Sure, it matters, but I like variety! 

With 6 channels and 4 rows of PALS/MOLLE, and two rows of loop-field, you get an idea of the size here. A Faastex style clip on the front gives a quick secure option, as well as the twin zipper releases around the perimeter. This then reveals the interior, which is really very cool. 

Webbing retainers hold the "front" of the platform, to make a shelf, with an included clear document/map window with a stiffened and quilted padded micro-suede backing (much like in the LaunchPad) with two little hook and loop tabs which fits and secures an iPad nicely. A cable feed port is a really nice addition.

That shelf also acts as a work-space, which is matched by a tool shop's worth of storage on the "back" of the platform. Three pen holders, Two multi-tool sized pockets, twin elasticised cylyme/small tool holders on top of a wide but shallow pocket make the first row of pockets, with a second layer with two PDA sized pockets, and a wide and tall, hook-and-loop closed pocket. behind all of these is a full document sized panel, with a dummy-cord'ing loop. 

I filled out my pockets with a collection of little tools; my Spyderco Harp tool, one of my WTF multi-tools, a set of lock-picks, and several practice locks. I also have my APOC Geiger counter. Because I'm awesome.

The back of the pack shows off its attachment options. Four sets of webbing, attached to each of the four corners of the pack enable the wearer to lash it to the straps and body of a backpack. Fastex buckles provide quick attachment and removal of the Ventrapack, as well as ease of fitting.

Each of the four sets of webbing are terminated with a hook-and-loop strip, which enables you to both bundle loose webbing, but also attache the strap to other straps, without the need of an additional buckle. 

There are D-loops fitted to the top two straps, as well as the front Fastex clasp, all of which can be used for additional attachment. I found that my Portuguese sinnet paracord lanyard for my multitool, which I attach to both belt and tool with a small carabiner, perfect placement for this pack, making a very effective hip-bag for hands free courier-style. 

You could just as easily throw a shoulder strap through those D-loops and wear it as a messenger-bag.

 I really like the variety that this pack offers me, especially for times where I know I will be needing to carry a bunch of hand tools, but also needing my hands free. Roof crawlspaces, zombie-choked freeway, half-way up a power-pole, having your tools to hand and your movement unrestricted is a real boon, and this is certainly one way of ensuring it. 

The Invista® 1000D Cordura makes for a rugged and sturdy pack, which is good for both your tools and your body, and I especially liked that the bottom of the pack had a toughened strip, to further guard against abrasions. 
 
The fact that the back of the pack is lined with a breath-ability enhancing mesh, forming an additional document pouch as well as having bottom pockets to stow the straps when not in use, when the pack is attached by D-loops, or carabiners off a hip, or the like.

As you can see, it does have a big foot print when worn on the chest (although I'm a skinny fella), it doesn't restrict arm movement overly, and sits very securely. All in all I am very pleased with this additional to my technical loadout. Next time I have to fix something in a hard to reach area, this is coming out to play!