My family and I took an overnight canoe trip on the Green River through Mammoth Cave National Park. I used the trip to "test" some new gear and an Eberlestock Fac Trac pack that I've had for a while..
The belt is a Condor "Tactical Gear MultiCam Battle Belt" wrapped around a Condor "Tactical Belt." I've never owned a "War Belt" before, but "buy once, cry once" applies to them just like anything else. Maybe I was expecting too much, but the cushioned part wanted to rotate; it seems like it could benefit from a stiffener (kydex?) to help keep it in place. I will say that it was 100% more comfortable than a nineties issue LBE. It's also made of closed cell foam so it doesn't soak up water. It did what I bought it to do, which is to allow me to carry essentials when I drop my ruck. It also integrated well with the Fac Trac. I give it a 6 out of 10.
The Tactical Tailor "Triple Pistol Mag Pouch" is a quality piece of gear. It has kydex inserts that squeeze the mag and velcro flap for retention. My M&P .40 mags go in easily and come out smooth. It's built to TT's usual bombproof standards; I LOVE this pouch! The kydex squeeze is a little loose with 1911 mags but for my purposes with dbl stacks it's a 10/10.
Next is the HSGI Mini Admin Pouch. Very well built and it serves it's intended purpose. The size is good for belt attachment, but it's lacking in organization. It has a couple of mesh pockets and a, as in 1, pen holder. The zipper pulls are surprisingly noisy. 7.5/10
Generic molle holster and mag pouch. Serves it purpose till I find something better, and a leatherman fits in the mag pouch. 5/10
Also pictured is an HSGI Single Mag pouch that I bought to carry a flashlight (a Quark 123/2). I don't think anything will ever escape this pouch; it has a clip closure AND velcro. The velcro has a cover which can be tucked back into the pouch and that's what I ended up doing. It's built just as well as TT or OSOE and is the pouch of choice if you absolutely need max retention. 9/10
Above is the small ATS medical pouch. I use it more as a blowout kit as there's a more extensive first aid kit in my ruck. It's the "rip-n-roll" design which makes sense to me on several levels. It holds quite a bit... QuickClot, HemoCon, CAT, etc... I need the "new" style chest seal whose name escapes me. I like it, hope I never need it. 9.5/10
Eberlestock "FAC TRAC." Indestructible. Very high quality. I can't compare it to a Mystery Ranch or Kirfaru as I've never seen one first hand, but I can't see how they could be any better. They may be different, but the FAC TRAC is a TANK. Molle everywhere, even on the inside. 3 liter hydration pouches x2 with hangers (I keep tent poles in one of them). If I buy another pack it will be because I need a different size. 10/10.
Eberlestock GP pouches... meh. They're built tough, but they unsnap easily. There are many better choices, but the smaller ones hold and MSR MiniWorks perfectly. 4/10
The belt is a Condor "Tactical Gear MultiCam Battle Belt" wrapped around a Condor "Tactical Belt." I've never owned a "War Belt" before, but "buy once, cry once" applies to them just like anything else. Maybe I was expecting too much, but the cushioned part wanted to rotate; it seems like it could benefit from a stiffener (kydex?) to help keep it in place. I will say that it was 100% more comfortable than a nineties issue LBE. It's also made of closed cell foam so it doesn't soak up water. It did what I bought it to do, which is to allow me to carry essentials when I drop my ruck. It also integrated well with the Fac Trac. I give it a 6 out of 10.
The Tactical Tailor "Triple Pistol Mag Pouch" is a quality piece of gear. It has kydex inserts that squeeze the mag and velcro flap for retention. My M&P .40 mags go in easily and come out smooth. It's built to TT's usual bombproof standards; I LOVE this pouch! The kydex squeeze is a little loose with 1911 mags but for my purposes with dbl stacks it's a 10/10.
Next is the HSGI Mini Admin Pouch. Very well built and it serves it's intended purpose. The size is good for belt attachment, but it's lacking in organization. It has a couple of mesh pockets and a, as in 1, pen holder. The zipper pulls are surprisingly noisy. 7.5/10
Generic molle holster and mag pouch. Serves it purpose till I find something better, and a leatherman fits in the mag pouch. 5/10
Also pictured is an HSGI Single Mag pouch that I bought to carry a flashlight (a Quark 123/2). I don't think anything will ever escape this pouch; it has a clip closure AND velcro. The velcro has a cover which can be tucked back into the pouch and that's what I ended up doing. It's built just as well as TT or OSOE and is the pouch of choice if you absolutely need max retention. 9/10
Above is the small ATS medical pouch. I use it more as a blowout kit as there's a more extensive first aid kit in my ruck. It's the "rip-n-roll" design which makes sense to me on several levels. It holds quite a bit... QuickClot, HemoCon, CAT, etc... I need the "new" style chest seal whose name escapes me. I like it, hope I never need it. 9.5/10
Eberlestock "FAC TRAC." Indestructible. Very high quality. I can't compare it to a Mystery Ranch or Kirfaru as I've never seen one first hand, but I can't see how they could be any better. They may be different, but the FAC TRAC is a TANK. Molle everywhere, even on the inside. 3 liter hydration pouches x2 with hangers (I keep tent poles in one of them). If I buy another pack it will be because I need a different size. 10/10.
Eberlestock GP pouches... meh. They're built tough, but they unsnap easily. There are many better choices, but the smaller ones hold and MSR MiniWorks perfectly. 4/10
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