It seems that I haven’t written a “tactical gear review” blog for years, but in fact I use them everyday it’s just a long time I haven’t bought some new gear.
Author: Beta-TNT
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In my last Japan trip, I still used Eagle Industries Courier Bag as my active pack. I bought it in the early 2012, it has been with me for 6 years, and it is expected that it will continue to accompany.
While traveling in urban environment, and you don’t have much things to carry with, courier bag is a better choice than backpack. When you’re going to take a bus or taxi, courier bag will be much easier to change position from your back to the front without taking it off. If your bag’s shoulder strap has a stabilizer strap, the bag will be as stable as a backpack of the same volume. The only disadvantage is that one chest pocket maybe blocked.
Several years ago, I paired my courier bag with a Pantac 2 Inch Pad for Bag Strap. And then I transformed the useless waist strap into a useful stabilizer strap. So I can use the shoulder strap as a stable mounting panel for some small pouches, just like a bandoleer. I think it’s the perfect way to carry valuable items that may be frequently used, such as wallet and passport.
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After my last trip, I realized that I should carry wallet and passport in a single pouch so I can make room for sunglass pouch. But there are some requirements for such a pouch:
- Horizental design, zipper main compartment but not wide open.
- Two direct accessible zipper compartments for wallet and passport.
- As small as possible.
- Both MOLLE and belt mounting are acceptable, but if it comes with belt keepers, they must openable.
So the pouch I need is a small horizontal utility pouch with two zipper compartments. I gathered following products on the market:
| Products | Face Size* | Thickness* | Mounting | Fabric | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MagForce 5″ Horizental Waist Pack (#0240) | 150mm*100mm | 70mm | Openable belt keepers | 1050D MAGTEX | NT$690 |
| MagForce 5*7*5 Tactical Utility Pouch (#0244) | 190mm*140mm | 40mm | MALICE | 1050D MAGTEX | NT$890 |
| Triple Aught Design GPP1 | 152mm*95mm | 50mm | MOLLE/Belt tunnel | 1000D Cordura | USD$44 |
| Combat2000 Survivor 7×5 EDC Pouch | 170mm*120mm | 60mm | MALICE | 500D Cordura | RMB￥119 |
*Size data gathered from official website.
BTW, the black wallet in the photo is SPEC-OPS T.H.E. Wallet J.R., I bought it three years ago in my Taiwan trip. It is the perfect nylon wallet I ever used. It’s snap-free, buckle-free and Velcro-free. If you have one, I believe you know what I mean.
Let’s get started.
MagForce 5″ Horizental Waist Pack
Let’s start from the smallest one.
MagForce 5″ Horizental Waist Pack is not only the smallest one, but also the most complex one. It has three direct accessible compartments. And there is a snap tab on its right side for anti-thief purpose.
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It’s belt keepers fit both pants belt and duty belt.
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If you don’t have much things to carry with, it may be a good choice. The only disadvantage is that there is only one zipper puller on its main compartment zipper, I have to add another one since I’m unaccustomed to the original one. I sewed that “G.I.” leather tab by myself by hand.
MagForce 5*7*5 Tactical Utility Pouch
Then turn to the pouch with the largest face size.
MagForce 5*7*5 Tactical Utility Pouch is much simpler than
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TAD GPP1
Then the most expensive one, TAD GPP1.
It’s design doesn’t meet it’s price. It just an ordinary utility pouch with belt tunnel and MOLLE.
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It has two mesh sub-compartments and one hanger eyelet tab in its main compartment.
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It may be better if it has a piece of Velcro loop pile on the face.
Combat2000 Survivor 7×5 EDC Pouch
Finally we have Combat2000 Survivor 7×5 EDC Pouch. It’s a new production.
It’s MALICE mounting compatible with both MOLLE and belts.
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It is a good small utility pouch though, but it would be better if it is 1000D, not 500D. Although I think 500D fabric is good for lightweight, but that is for backpacks and vests. As for pouches, I still believe 1000D is the best choice.
Epilogue
First let’s see how they look on the shoulder strap.
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First, the MagForce 5″ Horizental Waist Pack’s front compartment is too small for a standard passport, and MagForce 5*7*5 Tactical Utility Pouch is too big for this purpose. Maybe GPP1 or Survivor 7×5 is my final choice.
| Products | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|
| MagForce 5″ Horizental Waist Pack |
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| MagForce 5*7*5 Tactical Utility Pouch |
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| TAD GPP1 |
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| COMBAT2000 Survivor 7X5 EDC |
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Postscript
Finally, I’ll tell you why I started this blog.
In fact, that MagForce 5″ Horizental Waist Pack is the only pouch I have at first. I chose it from the official website.
When I had it at hand, I found it had only one zipper puller that I was not accustomed to. So I installed another one.
I even purchased a set of tools for leather sewing, they spent me RMB￥250+. And I spent half a day sewing that leather tab by hand.
Then I found the Velcro loop pile of the left belt keeper was not functioning well, I had to replace it.
Finally, I found a horrible fact…
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The front compartment is simply too small for a passport, all the effort I made was in vain…
So I bought as much similar product as possible on the market, only to find a perfect one. Then you are reading this blog…