Mag Pouches Today

Tactical Gear Tactical Gear
1

Mag Pouches seem to be the rage in new designs and yet I can’t really glean from most of the websites how they function ( I still use canvas rig designed in 50s)…would someone mind giving me a 101 course on the differences.

I see Eagle has some that collapse and have elastic that holds mag in around entire pouch and then has some box type, some have flaps, some don’t…no real explanations…

other makers have velcro flaps, some removable or adjustable, some are made from plastic and some have replaceable bungees and some have non-replaceable bungees, ???

2

they’re basically various solutions to the basic question of how to retain magazines in the pouch, based on different needs, which is up to the user to decide which of them to prioritize: security, speed, ease of insertion/extraction etc.
adjustable flaps accommodate different length mags, or basepads on the bottom of mags.

3

Yep, speed:security. More of one typically gives you less of the other. There are a lot of pouches on the market, all with a different ratio.

4

I’m thinking/looking for Speed/MOUT and maybe the ability to add extra secure flaps for field.

I just thought maybe there was a thread that evades my Search-Foo where the pros & cons of the different pouches is compared.

5

i haven’t seen a thread like that, as there are so many pouches out there. and, sometimes pros and cons can be subjective, depending on the user.
it’s easier for people to chime in and suggest options if you list what exactly you’re looking for in a pouch - the more specific the better. through process of elimination, it helps narrow down the choices quite a bit.
some questions i’d throw out would be:

  1. what mags are you looking to carry - pistol, rifle, which rifle, which brand of mag?
  2. how many mags per pouch?
  3. what do you want to mount it to?
  4. since you mentioned speed/MOUT and removable flaps, that narrows your choices down to removable-flap pouches, or maybe open top with bungee retention.
  5. nylon, kydex, or molded plastic preferred?
  6. is this for your first reload, or for all your reloads? some people use one or two speed pouches (open top, or something like the FAST mag) as the first reload, and keep the other mags in standard, more secure pouches, and replenish the speed pouch when possible. as rob mentioned, the faster the draw, usually the less secure the retention. hope that helps get things rolling.
6

I’m a FAL guy who uses old school stuff (designed for M14 in 50s) and have just decided it was time to learn the M4 (cheaper to feed helped with the rationalization;)) and so am trying to catch up on the web gear curve. I will be using a chest rig with an H Harness (not the x straps) which I haven’t decided on yet. It will be used for 3 gun and training courses (fully jocked up w/ camelbak) and so will also have pistol and shotgun gear added. It will be my learning curve on better web gear system if and when I return to working in Africa. I figured one of my first criteria questions should be mag pouches and go from there.

7

I will say this, don’t make more of it than it is.

First of all, there are more and more non-nylon pouches coming online. The ITW Fast Mag, various Kydex pouches, etc. Let’s stick to nylon for the moment.

You basically have two main types, open top and retained. There are generally two types of open top, kydex-lined and elastic-retained. There are generally two types of retained, elastic band and flap. From there the flap type may be secured with snaps, velcro, buckle, combination thereof, or other, and some are removable/adjustable and some are fixed. There are also pouches that may combine features, for example kydex-lined AND flap secured, or elastic retained AND elastic band. Then you start to figure in pouches that hold one, two, or three magazines per pouch, divided and not, etc.

Here are a few examples (and I’m going to stick to types that come in a single pouch, with molle attachment, AR rifle pouches only).

Open Top
Kydex Lined
Eagle FB Molle

This pouch is the standard for Kydex lined. It does have a flap that can be run up over the top of the magazine for retention, but the kydex and “felt” lining are really what retains the magazine. Many users either never engage the flap or cut it off completely. FWIW, the pouches that come on the Eagle M4 LE chest rig have the kydex/felt with no flap.

Elastic Tension
See Specter Gear below.

Retained
Elastic Band
Blackhawk STRIKE

you can see that it has an elastic band that runs over the floorplate of the magazine which retains the magazine in the pouch under tension.

Flap Retention
Specter Gear single molle magazine pouch

The flaps are removable and adjustable, and the magazines are also retained with an elastic band. You may find these of particular interest as they will work with a .308 magazine or a 5.56. See the link for more information on that. I have used these pouches without the flap for both AR and FAL magazines and the elastic band has been sufficient to retain the magazines for my purposes.

8

Thanks Rob! GREAT INFO!

I have read the Chest Rig article on your site several times and learned much. I would love to see you run a FAL:)

This info is what I was looking for. Do you have any pros/cons or strong opinions on any of these?

I do really appreciate your time and sharing your expertize:D

oh and I will be using mostly PMags

9

I shot a FAL in competition for a couple of years, but those days, and that gun, are long gone for me.

pros/cons are going to depend a lot on use. I REALLY like the Eagle chest rig I linked to with it’s open-top pouches. I have yet to have a magazine ever come loose in my use. Were I going somewhere hostile I think I’d want two (or more) pouches with flaps and one of the Eagle FB pouches I linked to above and I’d use the FB as my #1 reload with the others more secure. The theory there is that your #1 mag is faster to access but if something happens (car wreck, IED, whatever) that knocks it loose you have other magazines on you that are better secured.

I also do not like more than one magazine in a pouch (or “well” as some makers call it), but then I don’t have a need for lots of magazines so I can afford that. If I needed 10 magazines on me I don’t see how I could avoid going with double pouches. I would avoid triple pouches if at all humanly possible.

There really are just so many options and combinations available that it gets tough to put everything in one place. I will say that I think some people put more into pouch selection than they need to. At a certain point you just have to jump in, get your feet wet, figure out what you like/dislike about your initial purchase and try to replace the pouches with ones that you think address the concerns.

10

That why I think I’m going to get a Molle Chest Rig and just order a variety of different pouches. Thanks Again!