About a year ago, I heard about an interesting modular backpacking stove from the UK that could not only burn wood, but utilize alcohol stoves and serve as a windscreen as well.

The immediate benefits I noticed with The Honey Stove were that it could be packed flat and would hardly take up any room. The modularity of The Honey Stove also allows for different configurations based on need. For instance, by simply using four of the nine pieces the kit comes with, you’d have everything you need to still get the job done.

There’s certainly more benefits that The Honey Stove provides and I’ll attempt to show them all to you in this detailed written and video review.

Purpose

As mentioned, The Honey Stove is a wood burning, multi-fuel and multi-configuration stove that works fantastic for backpacking. What I feel is a key benefit of the assembled pieces, is their double duty as not only a pot stand, but also as a windscreen.

The versatility of The Honey Stove is another amazing feat. Whether your fuel of choice is wood, fuel tabs (like Fast Fire, Esbit, Hexamine or Trioxane), or nearly any type of Alcohol Stove, you’ll truly find this product exceeds it’s value. I’ve personally had success with the following Alcohol Stoves: Vargo Triad XE Titanium, Trangia 28-T Backpacking Stove and a homemade Coke Can Penny Stove or DIY Alcohol Stove.

There’s even an expansion kit called The Hive, that will increase the size of The Honey Stove to accommodate cooking of oversize meat or fish either on the top grill or on a stand-alone foldable grill.

Essentially with nothing more than a cup, three side panels and the fire door (square configuration) of The Honey Stove, you’ll always be able gather some tinder and boil water for meals; even in windy conditions.

Configuration

The Honey Stove consists of five side panels, fire door, base grill, mid grill (to hold Trangia) and a top grill. All grills are also interchangeable in any of the seven side slots.

Rather than get into the many configurations that The Honey Stove is capable of, I’ll direct you to the following video where I go into not only those configurations, but run a boil test with both wood burning and utilizing denatured alcohol in the Trangia.

Notes

As mentioned in the video, the entire weight of The Honey Stove (with the case) is just 13 oz. With just four sides, you’re only looking 5 oz.; again this is all in a flat package that’s easy to toss into a backpack or keep in your vehicle. Since the video a few months ago, I’ve gotten to where I can assemble The Honey Stove in under a minute as well.

A couple of quick lessons learned and tips: ensure that when lighting wood or your Alcohol Stove, put the top grill on soon after it’s lit. Large flames make it difficult to put it on without burning yourself… Don’t ask. The individual pieces of this kit are all manufactured in .7mm Stainless Steel and will slightly warp after exposing them to heat. This isn’t an issue really, as you can just bend them back. That’s the beauty of Stainless Steel.

Of course, never use this indoors or in a tent, but I shouldn’t have to mention that to anyone here! You can currently only get The Honey Stove from backpackinglight.co.uk which as you can imagine will cost everyone here in the US a bit more. With the current currency conversion it works out to around $50 for the kit and another $20 or so for shipping.

Have you ever heard of The Honey Stove? If you own one, what have you found to be the best use for it?

Check out all our detailed photos of The Honey Stove on Flickr!

If you’re not familiar with OC Tactical’s incredibly-detailed custom gear manufacturing, we hope to change that with this review.

We’ll be highlighting a few of the great custom items that OC Tactical currently produces and what’s setting them apart in this industry.

I’ve been personally working with Mike from OC Tactical to produce some custom items, as well as working with him through ITS Tactical to develop a pouch for our ETA Kit.

A Different Kind of Custom

When you think custom gear, what comes to mind? To me it’s that lightbulb that goes off in your head when using your equipment, or tweaking it, when you say “this would be easier if I had…” That’s where OC Tactical comes in. They take your gear idea from concept to reality, with that personal touch that not many in this industry have the time to afford.

Let’s face it, custom work for a single item doesn’t equate to much profit when you factor in prototyping and labor. In fact, there are only a handful of people I know that have the time and resources to produce great custom gear like OC Tactical does. Mike is definitely in a small group of companies that are doing this kind of work the right way; with tremendous attention to detail, quality craftsmanship, great customer service and the 1-on-1 dialog needed to bring your idea to life.

A caveat to this, that shouldn’t dissuade anyone from journeying into the world of custom gear, is time. To develop your idea or modification in the way that OC Tactical does, it’s going to take time. This definitely is not somewhere where you can expect a fast production turnaround. The prototyping process and labor I mentioned above aren’t something that can be rushed and still retain all of the inherent service qualities OC Tactical provides.

OC Tactical is also the only place I know of to get custom gear manufactured in such a wide array of colorways and patterns like A-TACS, AOR1 and AOR2.

Production Items

OC Tactical isn’t 100% custom work and have many products they currently offer on their Website. The stock is dependent on their workload and most items listed currently require contact to inquire about the build time.

While the product offering from OC Tactical includes a few items not commonly found by larger manufacturers, as well as standard pouches and pockets, what’s truly setting them apart is a term I refer to as “user serviceability.”

This is pretty self-explanatory, but let’s truly examine the term and how it applies to gear. Whether you’re out at the range shooting, patrolling your beat, or sneaking up on smelly bad guys; there’s never a good time for gear to fail. The fact of the matter isn’t necessarily “if,” but “when.” Let’s face it, as bombproof as a lot of gear is; buckles can break, elastic can get stretched out, and things happen.

When they do, it’s always good to have a small gear repair kit to address these issues. This can include a few repair buckles, shock cord, malice clips, duct tape, etc. There are, however, only a certain number of things on a piece of gear that can be replaced by the end-user without access to a sewing machine.

What OC Tactical has done, is designed their gear with the end-user in mind and made as many things “user serviceable” as possible. To highlight exactly what this means, let’s take a look at one of the items we’re reviewing today.

Small Radio Pouch

One of the products OC Tactical has recently started listing as a product, began life as a custom request of mine for a pouch that could hold the small Vertex 410 series radios that we use here at ITS. Not everyone who uses radios on a daily basis runs MBITRs, which is what you’ll commonly find a pouch for when searching a manufacturers product listing. The reason is obvious though; MBITR pouches are what sells, due to most Military guys running them for comms.

In our case, we needed a bombproof radio pouch that could be mounted to MOLLE and fit our Vertex radios. We typically run these with Sordins so we can maintain comms when on the range or as other situations dictate and having enough width in the pocket to still attach the comms lead was also important.

Design

What OC Tactical came up with was a 1000d coated Cordura Small Radio Pouch that integrated user serviceability into each facet of the design. At the rear of the pouch is a doubled over 4 3/4″ wide x 3″ tall piece of Cordura that ingeniously provides the ability for a small channel to be sewn in for shock cord. This shock cord is looped through the 1″ webbing used in the buckle/adjustment portion of the pouch, run down through a grommet in the rear channel and out through the bottom. At the bottom of the pouch, the shock cord is routed through a Cordloc and secured with an overhand knot.

This provides an easy adjustment, as well as using shock cord for retention where possible. On the front of the pouch, shock cord is also used for the pouch body retention. A length of shock cord is run through a sewn piece of 1″ webbing on the front of the pouch and through what appears to be loops of 1″ lightweight binding tape and through a Cordloc secured with an overhand knot. The shock cord retention is also separated through the webbing as it crosses the body of the pouch so as to evenly distribute the retention and not allow it to bunch up.

This retention system, both on the top of the pouch and on the body, fall in line with the user serviceability aspect of OC Tactical I was mentioning. Rather than go with traditional sewn-in elastic that becomes stretched out, user replaceable shock cord is integrated so it can just be replaced when it gets stretched out.

With elastic retention of any kind, whether sewn-in or shock cord, it’s not a matter of “if” it becomes stretched out, but when. The SRB (Slide Release Buckle) assembly of the Small Radio Pouch is also designed in a way that it can be replaced with a repair buckle without having to break any stitches. Again the common failure points such as retention and the buckle have all been carefully assembled in a way to promote user serviceability.

Further features on the pouch include a drainage grommet in the bottom and a bound lip at the mouth of the pouch. It measures 3/4″ wide x 3″ tall x 1 3/4 deep, attaches with two small Malice clips and is available in any colorway and pattern that OC Tactical offers. They have truly outdone themselves on this small radio pouch concept and I couldn’t have asked for a better design. As with everything I’ve seen of theirs, the stitching is superb and made with incredible attention to detail.

Hearing Protection Covers

I’ve been wearing Sordin electronic earpro for a number of years now and had always wished someone would come out a more comfortable head strap with different colorways options.

The woodland camo cover that comes standard with Sordins has a pretty weak padding insert and has severely needed an upgrade for a long time.

While browsing the Lightfighter forum I saw that Troy, a Lightfighter member, had arranged for OC Tactical to start producing Hearing Protection Covers for him to sell to other members. This was actually my first time hearing about OC Tactical and well before we started ITS Tactical. I took one look at the quality in the photos and immediately knew it was the upgrade I’d been looking for.

As you’ll see in the photos below, I tried working with another custom gear manufacturer to produce a hearing protection cover about a year before I saw the OC Tactical design, but it wasn’t very good quality or integrate the padding upgrade I was after.

Design

The OC Tactical Hearing Protection Covers are made to fit the Peltor ComTac II, Sordin Supreme Pro-X or the Sordin Supreme Pro. They’re made in 33od coated Cordura and feature a 5″ velcro strip on the top for nametapes and a double layer of Dri-Lex foam padding on the underside for moisture wicking. The wider band Supreme Pro’s can be accommodated with a slightly wider cover or you can simply cut away that naugahyde coating and use the standard Sordin cover.

OC Tactical has now started offering the optional addition of small exterior velcro-straps to aid in wire management. As you can see in the photos, this would be a nice upgrade to the rigger’s rubber band I currently use to manage my comms wire when not running the Vertex radio.

If I had to be picky with the Sordin covers I have, I’d say that the inclusion of the small velcro tabs in the original cover interior would be a welcome addition on the OC Tactical version. It would help manage the cable that spans the headset a bit better and while not a necessity, it would make an already fantastic cover that much better.

The Hearing Protection Covers are available in pretty much any colorway and pattern that OC Tactical offers, but anything other than AOR1, AOR2, MultiCam and ACU are built with heavier Cordura material. All orders must be placed directly with Troy on Lightfighter (he goes by capntroy).

You won’t be disappointed with this upgraded cover; it’s done wonders for the comfort of my Sordins, especially when in them all day or using them with a helmet.

Notes

I hope this article has convinced you to give OC Tactical a look when planning your next custom gear idea/modification and highlighted just a few of the great products that they’ve produced. If you send an email inquiry be sure to mention that ITS sent you!

Look for more gear reviews from OC Tactical in the future, we’ve definitely got more OC Tactical goodness to cover!

Anyone who has ordered anything from SKD Tactical knows that they have some of the best customer service in the business. They also have super fast and inexpensive shipping. When shopping online, they only show what items they have in actual stock so there is never a backorder.

Along with great business practices, they also work with top gear makers to have custom gear designed and sold under the SKD brand. Their newest endeavor is a research and development shop with a full computer assisted design capability.

The Patrol Incident Gear (or PIG) plate carrier is the latest in plate carrier design. It is made 100% in the USA by Eagle Industries so you know you are getting a quality product. You also have to love a product line with a motto like this: “Help the Good Guys Break Things & Kill Bad Guys™“.

History

The PIG plate carrier started life around 2006 as a modified Eagle Industries plate carrier. SKD re-routed the shoulder straps so that they no longer engaged the side release buckles. This gave more room for taking the vest on and off. It also let the plates ride higher. A new internal plate hanger was developed to force the plates to the top of the vest. The pre-production model debuted at the 2007 SHOT Show and was a baseline for what SKD wanted to fix with the current plate carriers, based on customer input. The final version was available for purchase on Christmas Day 2009.

Pre-Production Model

In 2007 I was running a HGSI Woosatch plate carrier. I wasn’t really happy with it. The front always seemed to sag and the fit was pretty loose. No matter what I did, it just didn’t fit right for me. I ordered the pre-production PIG once the MultiCam model came out. As stated, this was a modified Eagle Industries carrier; it had front or rear Velcro sewn on the PALS and the back panel was modified at the bottom to keep the rear plate from digging into your back when seated in a vehicle.

SKD offered some nice perks for those who ordered the pre-production model. You were able to give feedback on what you liked and didn’t like and you also got a very nice discount once the final model was done.

After getting user feedback, SKD wasn’t content with modifying the Eagle Industries carrier over and over, so they completely threw the design out the window.

Custom Solutions

The final production carrier is completely custom built from the ground up. It is by far the most customizable plate carrier on the market. It’s designed to have a low profile and carry any size Small Arms Protective Insert (SAPI) plates (or similar corner cut plates) in the correct location to cover your vital organs. There are separate pockets for NIJ (National Institute of Justice III-A) soft armor backers which are made by Velocity Systems and available through SKD. One of the many cummerbund options is a side plate carrier. You can pick and choose your armor levels based on how you wear the vest.

The PIG has the highest degree of adjustability of any plate carrier I’ve seen. It achieves this by using a ladder system for the shoulder straps. SKD also thought about how and what you carry on the vest, and came up with a Load Integration Kit.

A Plethora of Options

What’s so great about the multiple options is that you can buy the vest to suit your needs right from the start. In my case this vest is used in a LEO capacity for high-risk and active shooter work. Since my anticipated threat level is lower than those overseas I didn’t need the side plate carriers. I also didn’t need the ballistic backers as I would be throwing this vest over my concealable armor. I still wanted to have a MOLLE option on the cummerbund and opted for that over the slick sides.

As you will see, there are plenty of options to choose from. You can dial in the vest to suit your needs right online.

Plate Profile

What I really like about this vest is that the plates ride nice and high. This is in comparison to my HSGI Woosatch carrier, which had the plates much lower. If I adjusted the Woosatch to ride high the whole vest went with it and I would feel like it was choking me out when I sat down in a vehicle.

The PIG will accept SAPI plates ranging from small through extra-large, or any corner cut plate. In my case, I use CPC 10×12 plates. The adjustable plate system pushes the plates to the top of the carrier and holds them securely so that they don’t swim around in the vest. The rear panel holds the plate above the shoulder strap connecting points. This puts it in a optimal position. On my Woosatch the rear plate was always very low.

Weight

The first thing you notice is the weight, or lack thereof. The panels are made of a mix of 500 denier Cordura and pack nylon. This allows the vest to be light but abrasion resistant in the areas that need it. While the weight of the entire vest depends on what you load it down with, it’s definitely lighter than the Woosatch I used to run.

Cummerbund Options

There are four options for the cummerbund, two of which are for 6×6 or 6×8 plates. You can go for a low profile with slick elastic or a MOLLE system with 10 columns and 3 rows of PALS. The MOLLE system has a rear shock cord setup which can be adjusted with the cummerbund attached in the vest. This is a great feature as you can make adjustments without having to take the vest apart.

No matter which cummerbund option you pick you still have the split bib at the front. This option is awesome. You don’t have to unhook the entire front bib to take the vest on and off. In my case I leave the left side of the vest attached and only have to take apart the right side to put the vest on. When I take it off it’s even quicker as I only have to take apart the right side and then unhook the right shoulder strap.

There are small pockets built into the flaps for small items.

This is by far the quickest vest I’ve owned when talking about speed of donning and ditching the entire vest. While it’s not a “releasable” vest, it is very quick to ditch if needed.

Rear Padding

If you run the vest without concealable body armor there is a channel in the back of the vest to help with cooling and comfort. Even with all the padding in the back, the vest does not feel bulky when worn with concealable body armor.

G-Hook Shoulder Pads

I think one of the most unique things about the PIG are the G-Hooks. You have two shoulder pad attachment options when you order the vest. The first is a double D-ring and the second is a side release buckle. What’s nice is that you can mix and match each side if needed.

Both of these systems attach to the shoulder straps via G-Hooks. These are removable hooks which attach to a webbing ladder which runs the full length of the shoulder straps. Along with the front pull buckle it gives you an almost unlimited shoulder strap adjustment.

As I stated above, the side buckle release at the shoulder straps are a huge improvement on the Eagle Industries and HSGI carriers. You can now leave your helmet, headgear, communications or hearing protection, and eyewear on when taking the vest off. Plus, my ears always seemed to take a beating from the shoulder straps with the old vests. Anyone who has worn a loaded down plate carrier knows what I’m talking about.

SKD is continuing to develop the Load Integration Kit which also uses the G-Hooks to attach things like slings and hydration systems.

Final Thoughts

Since the PIG came out there have been several reviews on forums such as AR15.com and M4Carbine.net. These have been written by everyone from civilians to military and police officers. I have yet to see one bad review. I think that shows SKD really put a lot of thought into the development of the PIG.

SKD has several videos which show how to set up the PIG with the various options. This is a nice feature that really helped me make sure I had everything installed as intended.

Sometimes bigger isn’t better and this certainly came true recently when I needed a fix for my TAC vest.

I was having issues with the vest coming apart partially at the sides. The front and rear panels are only held together with Velcro strips. This works fine for concealable body armor but it isn’t optimal for a TAC vest loaded down with gear.In extreme body positions the Velcro would try to separate and that wasn’t good. Like anything velcro, once you start to separate it, it doesn’t take much force to completely undo.

I started searching for a solutions online and came up empty. None of the “big” gear carriers had anything that looked like it would work. All the pre-made strap systems were for mounting things vertically on PALS webbing. In my case I needed to have the straps run parallel and I couldn’t find anything that looked like it would work.

Down Range Gear

Enter Chris at Down Range Gear. While looking at the ITS Tactical review “Fantastic Solution for your Chest Waist Strap” I thought there might be a way to retrofit that strap on my vest. I emailed Chris with photos and explained my problem.

Chris literally emailed me back three minutes later and said he didn’t think that would be the best solution. He suggested a PALS shock cord anchor or strap system. He included photos and I had one of those “why didn’t I think of that” moments. He said he would ship me both systems and I could figure out which one worked best. He offered to exchange the winner so I would have two sets on hand.

Chris quickly produced the two systems and promptly mailed them out. I was very pleased with the quality and craftsmanship of the straps. The front buckles are QASMs and the rear are notched Tri-glide sliders to connect to the PALS.  Chris also included two ITW Nexus GhillieTex slide buckles in case the QASMs took up too much real estate. I messed around with the shock cord and strap systems and chose to go with the straps. This was a perfect solution and now the vest stays together with no issues.

If you ever have the need to get your gear modified or need custom gear made, make sure to check out Down Range Gear!

If you’re looking for a simple, lightweight, low-profile chest rig look no further than the 215 Gear Recon Series Mod Chest Rig with Pockets.

Today we’ll be walking you through the rig, highlighting the features, material and the unique self-adjustment H Harness system that sets this apart from many rigs on the market today.

We’ve also included detailed photos and a video review below where we talk through our thoughts on the rig and how it worked for us.

215 Gear Mod Chest Rig w/ Pockets

In talking with 215 Gear, they’ve explained to us that their typical design philosophy is for a lighter, smarter set up; regardless of the item. We feel this is an accurate description of the features they’ve integrated into their Mod Chest Rig.

A highlight of 215 Gear’s attention to detail is the integration of a tourniquet solution built into their rig. Carrying a primary lifesaving device like a tourniquet is often neglected in chest rig designs and one that we feel is extremely important.

Let’s take a look at the features of this rig in detail and explain their purpose and function.

Storage Capacity

To focus on the lightweight and low-profile aspects of this rig, let’s first talk about the storage capacity. This rig is NOT purpose built for carrying some ridiculous 13-mag loadout that leaves you immobile and unable to fight properly. It WAS purpose built for a simple recon loadout of three mags and one in your gun.

While built to fit standard 30-round 5.56 magazines and PMAGs, we also tested the fit of AK-47 30-round magazines as well. You don’t get the same retention with AK mags and if you want to use the built-in retention pull tabs you’d have to replace them with longer shock cord. They’re also not as easy to draw and reinsert, but it can be done if needed.

Moving fore of the magazine carrier brings us to two GP pockets with attached pull-tab flaps and two pistol magazine pouches with removable/adjustable flaps and 1.5″ elastic retention. In our testing we ran Glock 19 and Sig P226 pistol magazines without the flaps and didn’t have any issues with retention, even while running.

The two GP pockets are great for miscellaneous items like a multi-tool, cleaning kit, flashlight, QuickClot Combat Gauze or admin supplies. It’s nice to see GP and pistol mags on a chest rig to enable the operator to free up his waist for increased mobility.

Moving port or starboard of the magazine carrier, you’ll find PALS webbing three columns wide that will accommodate MOLLE requiring up to eight rows in height. This is common to the Eagle MLCS pouches and many other three-column wide MOLLE pouches. Dual comms setups can be run using the PALS or even an extra pouch to hold a blowout kit. As every unit isn’t running MBITRs, the PALS provides an advantage for custom communication setups.

Retention/Routing

Briefly mentioned above, the three on-board magazine pouches feature user adjustable and replaceable shock cord retention, which also means that the retention and pull tabs are removable if desired. The doubled 1″ webbing pull tabs were large and easy to grab even with gloves on.

Large 2″ elastic loops with an integrated smaller loop channel are placed onto the H-harness shoulder straps to help manage comms cables and hydration tubes. These slide easily, so don’t depend on them to stay put in a certain place on the 2″ webbing shoulder straps other than sitting at the bottom. If you have a large and lightweight item secured to these, they could possibly stay put in a place other than at the bottom.

Moving down the rig you’ll see two smaller 1″ elastic loops on each side of the magazine carrier to continue the cable/tube management from the loops on the shoulder straps.

Tourniquet Integration

215 Gear’s Tourniquet holder is mounted to a 1″ webbing strip just below the magazine carrier. Although having a tourniquet in this handy location could get in the way when going prone, for the most part we didn’t mind its location at all. The potential to jab into your stomach would also be mitigated if wearing body armor.

Under stress the tourniquet holder is a bit difficult to open through the integrated release mechanism, but can simply be pulled out the side if needed due to the flexibility of the shock cord used in the holder. This doesn’t compromise the security of the tourniquet in the holder and we felt that it properly held the SOFTT-W Tourniquet we were running just fine. It can become lopsided from going prone and dragging on the ground, but we didn’t experience any premature opening or release in retention.

Unique Adjustment

The last feature we’ll look at is the adjustment of the Mod Chest Rig and the unique self-adjusting straps that aid in common donning and doffing issues with chest rigs.

The Mod Chest Rig features a single length of 2″ webbing as the basis for the H-harness design that’s completely detachable from the rig through the use of 2″ tri-glides in the front and 1″ ITW Fastex SRBs (slide release buckles) under each armpit.

Most H-harness type chest rigs utilize 1″ webbing that runs from the shoulder blade under each armpit and typically feature a tri-glide adjustment or an adjustment through the SRBs. Where 215′s design differs is the unique way they’ve attached the 1″ webbing to the tri-glide and the SRB. The webbing is sewn-in on the SRB male buckle and the top bar of the tri-glide, allowing the webbing to flow through the middle bar of the tri-glide when a 4.5″ long webbing pull tab attached to the bottom tri-glide bar is pulled by the wearer.

While seeming complicated to explain, it’s truly a simple and unique design. However, the self-adjustment depends on how good your flexibility is. To adjust each side of the straps you have to cross-grab each strap, meaning that you’re grabbing the right side adjustment with your left hand behind your back.

Out of the two people who put this rig through it’s paces one could adjust it properly by himself and the other didn’t have the flexibility to pull the adjustment tabs. This would also be harder while wearing this rig over an armor carrier. While someone may not have the flexibility to grab this adjustment themselves, it definitely increases the ability of a buddy to come along and simply grab the tab to help adjust the rig.

As far as doffing the Mod Chest Rig, to us it was easier to simply unclip an armpit Fastex SRB rather than trying to reach up and loosen the self-adjusting straps.

The 1″ waist strap is completely detachable via 1″ ITW Fastex SRBs with a sew-in adjustment on a right side tri-glide, leaving the left side to manage the slack and overall adjustment.

Material/Durability

While unlisted in the product description on 215 Gear’s Website, the material appears to be 500d Cordura. With lighter weight Cordura you’re more prone to wear than the common 1000d Cordura used in most tactical manufacturing, but it’s becoming more common these days to go with 500d and even 330d to trim weight.

Of course if you’re in a unit purchasing lighter weight pouches and rigs you can probably afford to easily replace them if they become damaged. We’ve been running this particular 215 Gear chest rig for about three months now with no wear issues whatsoever. Granted our testing on this rig hasn’t been downrange, but we definitely aren’t on a static range when we’re putting gear like this through its paces.

ITW Nexus Hardware is used throughout the Mod Chest Rig with color-matched single-side printed MultiCam webbing on the particular colorway we reviewed. The rig also comes in Coyote.

Measurements and Weight

Lightweight was definitely achieved with the Mod Chest Rig, weighing just under a pound at 15.7 ounces. The overall dimensions of the rectangular main rig area are 18″ wide by 7.75″ tall. The GP pockets are roughly 3″ wide x 4″ tall x 1″ deep.

There will most likely be plenty of slack leftover after you properly adjust the 2″ webbing shoulder straps and we’d recommend trimming off the excess and not stuffing it in the elastic routing loops just above. As the elastic routing loops move up and down your slack will fall out and could get in the way when drawing your mags.

Notes

215 Gear can can purpose build any variation of this rig for any unit and it’s also available in a version called the Mod Chest Rig MOLLE without the GP and pistol mag pouches. It’s nearly identical to the one we reviewed except for featuring PALS webbing over the mag pouches rather than the GP and pistol mag pouches.

The Mod Chest Rig can also be used for PSD work and easily be concealed under a cover shirt, the MOLLE version may be a better fit for that purpose, but the lightweight and lo-pro aspects of this rig are truly beneficial to multiple applications. The Recon Series Mod Chest Rig with Pockets runs $149.99 and $144.99 with MOLLE.

Visit 215Gear.com for more information on the Recon Series Mod Chest Rigs.

We’ve just released our testing footage for our Mil-Spec Plastics Cobra Cuff review a few months back and we wanted to give everyone a heads up.

Cobra Cuffs and Mil-Spec Plastics’ Zip-Style Restraints are the first Mil/LE style restraint we’re proud to endorse after thoroughly testing them in each of the methods we’ve shown that will defeat standard store bought Zip Ties.

Please refer to our review article for more information on Cobra Cuffs and the video below for our testing. While the video below shows just a few of the many tests we put these restraints through, it will give you a general idea of our testing procedures.

Testing

These restraints were thoroughly tested here at ITS by multiple individuals on our own accord. While they were sent to us free of charge to test, it was not a paid endorsement, nor implied that they’d be given a favorable review. Our goal in this was to work with a company that stands behind their products and truly wanted to put them to the test, despite the chance that they could fail.

DISCLAIMER: Due to the inherent dangers of the techniques we demonstrate, please do NOT attempt this testing on your own.

For more information on Cobra Cuffs and other products offered by Mil-Spec Plastics please visit them on the Web at www.milspecplastics.com

I’m super excited today to bring you what we feel to be the best messenger bag out on the market today!

The ITS Tactical Discreet Messenger Bag has been in development for over a year with Zulu Nylon Gear and represents features unseen in other bombproof tactical messenger bags; A bag laden with tactical features that doesn’t look tactical!

With no exposed MOLLE/PALS or visible velcro, this bag is sure to blend right into any urban environment; or with MultiCam as one of the colorway choices, blend into a tactical environment as a bug out bag / bail out bag.

You may remember a few months back when we highlighted the Discreet Messenger Bag Prototype on ITS and referred everyone over to Joel at Zulu to purchase. He had such a great response, we decided to make some crucial improvements and brand it as the ITS Tactical Discreet Messenger Bag for sale exclusively on ITS Tactical.

The ITS Tactical Discreet Messenger Bag is capable of fitting into any role you require it to; We know you’re going to like the improvements and hopefully adopt one for your EDC (Every Day Carry) bag.

Features

The initial requirements of this bag consisted of a few important things lacking from traditional tactical messenger bags adopted for every day carry use. First, while there are some great designs out there, everything screams tactical, so that was the first thing we tackled.

As mentioned earlier, we did away with any visible MOLLE/PALS or velcro. As we wanted to incorporate a large loop velcro panel for identification or patches, we did the next best thing and hid it behind a removable strip the blends right in with the flap of the bag. There’s also a completely hidden compartment on this bag that we’ll get into soon.

Secondly, while being discreet, we still wanted a bag you could fight out of if needed. We handled this with exterior pockets just under the flap that can accommodate up to eight PMAGs or four AK mags. The entire interior pocket of the bag is also loop velcro lined so the possibilities are endless. Even the side Nalgene pockets secure shut and out of the way for a low-profile.

In addition to the magazine pockets, the rear of the bag closest to your body has an externally accessible pocket that’s also loop velcro lined for concealing a pistol, magazines or whatever else you need quick access to. Back there you’ll also find a removable waist strap to further secure the bag when you’re on the move.

Lastly on our list of requirements for the ITS Tactical Discreet Messenger Bag, was versatility. As noted we wanted this bag to fit multiple roles, from the EDC bag you carry around town or to school with your laptop; to the bug out bag / bail out bag you have pre-staged in your vehicle if everything goes south.

To incorporate these last requirements, we needed a bombproof platform capable of handing anything you could throw at it. We did this with heavy-duty 1000d coated Cordura that provides additional water resistance. The entire bottom of the bag is lined with SlipNOT to protect the area of the bag most susceptible to abrasion.

In addition, you’ll find a padded laptop pocket, interior pocket large enough for multiple notebooks, exterior Nalgene pockets and more places to put smaller items than you ever knew you needed.

Full Feature List

• Available in Foliage, Coyote Brown, Black and MultiCam
• Sewn by Zulu Nylon Gear in the USA with coated 1000d Cordura
• Measures 15″ long x 5.5″ deep x 12″ tall
• Exterior Nalgene Pockets with 1″ wide x 12″ long removable straps
• 4″ exterior loop velcro field with removable discreet cover
• Large 11″ deep and small 5.5″ deep zippered exterior flap pockets
• Rear 14.5″ wide x 11″ deep loop-velcro lined and HDPE-reinforced concealed pocket
• Removable and adjustable 1″ wide waist strap
• SlipNOT abrasion-resistant lined bottom with two drainage grommets
• Removable shock cord interweaved on bag bottom
• 2″ wide removable and quick-adjust shoulder strap
• Adjustable top lid flap with 14″ x 12″ zippered marine-grade vinyl map pocket with side access zipper
• Padded 14.5″ wide laptop pouch contoured to fit most 15″ laptops
• Two interior 7.5″ wide x 9.5″ tall paracord drawbridge pockets containing two elastic-retention magazine pouches and large rear pocket
• Left side interior drawbridge pocket flap with admin pockets and right side loop velcro lined
• Reinforced paracord drawbridge channels
• Keychain lanyard d-ring in right rear interior pocket
• 550 paracord pulls on all zippered pockets
• Each bag comes with an ITS Tactical and Zulu Nylon Gear velcro-backed Patch
• Exclusive Hidden pocket that will only be disclosed to those purchasing the bag

Improvements

We’ve given the ITS Discreet Messenger Bag some major improvements and new features from the initial prototype design. The biggest and most exciting improvement was the inclusion of a hidden pocket never before seen on any tactical messenger bag. This pocket is so well hidden that we’ve had Police Officer friends of ours that couldn’t find it!

As to keep the location of this pocket as discreet as it should remain, the location of this pocket will only be disclosed by email to those purchasing the bag.

Another major improvement was to the drawbridge functionality of the exterior pockets. They now feature a reinforced channel that provides much needed stability to the flaps of these pockets. The right side drawbridge pocket is also now loop velcro lined so that you can add anything from a holster to a GPS for quick acquisition. Again with loop velcro the possibilities are endless.

Some feedback we’ve received is that the laptop pocket was often a tight squeeze, especially with two Nalgenes riding in their pockets. We’ve remedied this by expanding the laptop pocket outward and it will accommodate most 15″ laptops. When you carry Nalgenes in this bag you do sacrifice a bit of the interior room, but this was necessary to ensure the Nalgene pockets could fold flat and out of the way. As you’ll see in the photos, it’s really not that much space you loose in the interior when running Nalgenes.

The carry strap has also been upgraded by adding a second triglide. This was done because on occasion while running, the strap would come out which was definitely an issue we had to fix.

On the ITS Tactical Discreet Messenger Bag the shoulder pad strap and HDPE velcro-lined divider are extras that will need to be ordered directly from Zulu Nylon Gear if desired. We chose to keep the costs low by not including these, as they’re really not necessary. By running the shoulder pad strap you loose the quick adjustment feature and have to remove the pad to adjust your bag. When on the move it’s important to retain the quick-adjust feature.

For the full development history of this bag and how we came to the current version, check out the prototype article for more information.

Order the ITS Tactical Discreet Messenger Bag Here!

I’ll admit I’m a bit of an organizational freak, but my wife and those that know me would probably say that’s an understatement. With that being the case, I knew I had to get one of 215 Gear’s Custom Tactical Bags to organize my entry tools.

The Custom Tactical Bag is the Gucci of entry tool bags. Nowhere have I seen a more comprehensive and modular way to carry method of entry equipment on the market today. Up until now, it’s been limited to throwing everything in a big bag, or trying to come up with your own velcro panels to mount all those little items.

While purpose built for carrying entry tools, the Custom Tactical Bag is functional enough to be used for just about anything, including medical supplies or EOD tools.

Custom Tactical Bag

As described on 215 Gear’s Website, “this project was designed from the ground up for one specific purpose, for the tactical organizing and employment of method of entry tools.”

Through the use of custom designed panels, pouches and accessories, the Custom Tactical Bag fills a large void in carrying entry / lock picking tools and does so with a well thought out design that makes efficient use of velcro to bring tremendous modularity to the bag.

Description

The Custom Tactical Bag is smaller than it appears, but don’t let that fool you. It measures 16″ long x 8.5″ tall x 4″ deep and literally held everything I needed it to.

Exterior

Starting with the exterior of the bag, the first thing you’ll notice is the nice rubber-coated nylon webbing handle that provide a nice comfortable grip, despite any amount of weight you may be carrying. Moving away from the handle in either direction will land you at the ITW Nexus/Fastex buckles that allow the shoulder strap to be removed if unnecessary.

The adjustable shoulder strap itself is made from 1.5″ webbing with a contoured, slip-not backed pad that keeps the bag in place whether carried on a shoulder or in a messenger bag style configuration.

Moving to the backside of the bag reveals a low zippered-compartment running the width of the bag. This pocket opens to reveal a hook lined velcro field spanning the entire interior of the pocket for attaching small panels, or to take advantage of the well thought out drop cloth integration.

Measuring a whopping 36″ wide x 28″ tall the fold-out drop cloth not only neatly tucks away in this compartment, but also integrates a 11″ wide x 7″ tall loop velcro area that attaches directly to the inside of the compartment. This ensures that the stored drop cloth stays with the bag at all times and is ready to catch any metal filings or scraps that may get created from entry.

The drop cloth itself is very nicely made with heavy-duty pack cloth and bound edging all the way around. Definitely a feature that adds great functionality to the bag and doubles as a nice place to lay out your equipment.

Made from 1680 ballistic nylon for durability, the Custom Tactical Bag is sure to last a lifetime.

Interior

Accessing the interior of the bag is handled by a clamshell opening on the bag. When carrying the bag, the opening almost seems wrong until you understand the true purpose of the bag and how filleting it open via the heavy-duty zipper allows full access to all contents.

Both the top and bottom inner lid feature hook velcro allowing the placement of any loop velcro backed panel manufactured. Some of 215 Gear’s panels offered are covered in a plush fabric, which also adheres very well to the hook velcro.

The true modularity of the bag lies with the removable main interior panel that allows twice as much storage in the same amount of space. The interior panel is also attached via a PALS/MOLLE connection and can be mounted in either of the three channels of PALS provided to make more room for bulkier items.

This is a great feature of the bag, as it allows some of the larger pouches to be mounted in a way that doesn’t cause the interior panel to ride over them and cause unnecessary bulk in the bag.

Last but not least are the ingenious panels and pouches that 215 Gear has designed to hold everything from bump keys to files for the fine art of lock impressioning. There are over 10 different panels and pouches to configure the bag however you’d like. How awesome are these?

Just take the bump keys you see in the photos of this bag, before I stumbled across the GP Panel #1 I was literally storing all 35 of those keys on a large binder clip ring. Each time I’d need a specific key I’d have to rattle though all of them to find the one I was looking for and then open the binder clip to remove one.

I’m also a huge fan of the GP Panel 2 and 3 which not only do an excellent job of securing a pick set case, but even hold a pair of vice grips extremely well.!

Equipment Carried

Here’s all the items, panels and pouches carried in this bag; despite the numerous items there are still plenty of places let for expansion. Worst case, I just change the configuration and have a brand new set up (Many of these lock picking items can be found at 215 Gear).

Bottom Side

• GP Panel 3 – Peterson Elite 4 Bypass Pick Set
• GP Panel 2 – SouthOrd Assorted Pick Set
• GP Pouch 3 – Security Bit Set, Pin & Tumbler Trainer Lock (For Practicing)

Interior Panel Side 1

• Stanley Mini Crow Bar – Shoved into unused PALS webbing
• GP Panels 11-13 (4) – County Comm Micro Widgy, Mini Multi-Tool, Lock Graphite, Peterson Bump Hammer Weight Kit, Rolled Aluminum Can Strips for Padlock Shimming
• GP Panel 4 – Wire Strippers/Cutters, Pens, Hemostats (curved and straight), Mirror

Interior Panel Side 2

• Adams Rite Slim Jim – Shoved into unused PALS webbing
• GP Panel 1 x 2 – Bump Keys, Featherweight Tension Wrench, SerePick Bogota Entry Toolsets
• GP Panel 10 – Warded Padlock Picks, Automotive Jigglers, Keys for Trainer Lock

Top Side

• GP Pouch 1 – Craftsman Screwdriver/Bit Set, Petzel e+Lite, Peterson Bump Hammer
• GP Panel 2 – Craftsman Auto-Lock Vice Grips
• GP Pouch 4 – Gerber EOD Multi-Tool

Coupons!

Before you rush off to 215 Gear and order a Custom Tactical Bag, they have provided you guys with some killer coupons for not only the Custom Tactical Bag Complete Kit, but Lock Picking supplies, lights, mag pouches and T-Shirts as well!

• Use code ITSCBkit in the coupon code section of checkout for 40% off the complete Custom Tactical Bag Complete Kit a new item set up just for this review that includes the bag and 1 of each panel and pouch. Valid thru December 7th.
• Use code ITSlocks in the coupon code section of checkout for 25% off all lock picking items, lights, mag pouches and T-Shirts. Valid thru December 7th.

The market is saturated with flashlight brands, each trying to carve out their own niche or specialty. 4Sevens is relatively new to the marketplace, showing up only three years ago.

It’s easy to get lost in marketing speak, but 4Sevens’ slogan, Redefining the Flashlight™, is so far an accurate description of many of their products. I bought my first 4Sevens flashlight, their Quark 123² Turbo ($75 retail), back in April of this year. Since then, I’ve purchased three different 4Sevens models.

Recently, 4Sevens introduced a remarkable new light, the Quark MiNi AA² ($43 retail).

Features

What makes this flashlight so unique? How about the fact that this is a 1 ounce device that emits 180 OTF lumens from a pair of AA batteries using a CREE XP-G R5 LED!

The Quark MiNi AA² is constructed with an optical-grade glass lens with an anti-reflective coating on both sides, surrounded by a type-III hard-anodized aircraft-grade aluminum body. It comes with a lanyard, spare O-ring, two Duracell AA batteries, and the instruction manual. The flashlight has enough knurling to offer a decent grip, regardless of whether the hand is naked or gloved.

Pocket Carry

I purchased the Quark MiNi AA² to replace my Preon 2 ($65 retail). The Preon 2 served me well, but the Quark MiNi AA² solves one critical design flaw. I carry my light clipped on my tactical pants pocket, and the push button atop the Preon 2 was too often bumped. I always knew when this happened because my leg would start to get warm — the Preon’s 160 lumens generated a moderate amount of heat at the tip of the light! I’ve just finished carrying the Quark MiNi AA² for two weeks during a field exercise, and the light didn’t have a single accidental discharge — a vast improvement over the Preon 2.

The Quark MiNi AA² has a deep-carry pocket clip, which has just the right tension for a shirt or pants pocket.

Dimensions

The Quark MiNi AA² is a tad bit fatter in diameter than the Preon 2: 0.7 inches versus 0.55 inches. It’s also slightly shorter, at 5 inches, and weighs in at 1 ounce.

Modes

The flashlight offers the user seven different light output modes:

• Low (3 lumens)
• Medium (36 lumens)
• High (180 lumens)
• Strobe
• S.O.S
• Beacon (Hi)
• Beacon (Lo)

Rotating the flashlight through the output modes is very straightforward. Approximately a quarter twist of the head to the right turns on the light. (The head actually feels tight, as it in won’t rotate right any further.) Then quickly twist it a quarter twist back to the left (turning the light off momentarily), followed by immediately twist the head back a quarter twist to the right. You’ve now entered the next mode.

The engineers have thought the sequence of the seven modes through, starting with the lowest light output level first, getting brighter with each step. This is useful if you’ve already established your night vision and just need to reference a map with the perfectly fitted 3 lumens low output mode. Likewise, if you’re looking for the small BNC adapter for an antenna that you dropped into the tall grass, the bright mode’s 180 lumens lights the area up brilliantly. To reset the mode counter and restart at the beginning of the cycle, leave the flashlight turned off for about 2 seconds.

Waterproof

The Quark MiNi AA² has an IPX-8 waterproof rating, meaning it can operate flawlessly completely submerged in “water under conditions which are identified by the manufacturer.”

I don’t anticipate ever using a pocket flashlight as a dive light, and while I can attest that the light worked great during a recent downpour on the east coast (sadly better than my shell, which apparently unbeknownst to me was cut while crawling around an armored Humvee), I wouldn’t go around shoving the light deep under water.

Battery Life

The specifications state that the flashlight will run 1.7 hours in the high output mode. My test run 1 hour and 51 minutes on a new pair of Duracell AA batteries – just slightly longer than the advertised 1.7 hours. I wasn’t motivated enough to verify that the low mode lasts 3.4 days!

Notes

If you’re in the market for an EDC pocket flashlight, the Quark MiNi AA² delivers significant value for $43 and is worthy of making your short list. If you intend on carrying the light in your pocket, this is a far superior choice to the 4Sevens Preon 2.

We’d like to draw your attention to a brand new product combo from Combat Medical Systems called the Mojo Medical Shears and Retractor.

While medical shears haven’t come too far since their original design, CMS has truly added fantastic new features to not only their shears but to their retractors as well.

As many of you probably know, a good set of medical/trauma shears is a must for a first responder and today we’ll show you why CMS has raised the bar.

Basic Features

Medical shears haven’t come very far since their original design, which can easily aid first responders in cutting clothing to expose a wound, cut gauze, bandages and even a penny. Most feature a serrated edge on one blade to aid in cutting and have a lift-lip to help lift clothing up out of the way.

While these are fairly standard features on all medical shears, what sets apart great shears from mediocre ones, are a few things. One is the tightness of the shears. If you’re the owner of medical shears you’ll probably know what we’re talking about. Loose shears are a recipe for failure when it comes to that important cut and can lead to the material you’re cutting actually bending and getting trapped in between the shear blades rather than getting cut.

Next is weight. Obviously the lighter the better, especially in the field. Last, but certainly not least is comfort, you want your shears to provide great cuts with minimal effort so you’re not taxing yourself during an all day training class where you’re cutting numerous things. All shears rub, so to us comfort doesn’t mean that you’ve got a nice squishy pair of handles with gel inserts or something. Comfort to us means depending on them to do the job without extra work on your part.

Mojo Medical Shears

So what sets the Mojo Medical Shears apart from those other shears you commonly see on the market? Where do we start…

First off, these are some of the tightest (and lightest) shears we’ve ever handled. This is coming from years of collective experience with medical shears and real-world use. Here’s a quick example of what happens when you’re using shears that aren’t tight:

That’s not all that sets the Mojo shears apart though. Hopefully your keen eye caught a glimpse of the handles that CMS has specifically designed for these shears. Notice the holes? This is what made us want to review these shears in the first place, those are lanyard holes! File that under “why didn’t we think of that?”

When these shears are used in conjunction with the Mojo Retractor we’ll get into in just a bit, it gives you eight different attachment point holes to find the most comfortable spot for you to dummy cord your shears. The last thing you want to do is lose your shears when seconds count. The attachment points also ensure that the cable/dummy cord doesn’t interfere with effective gripping of the handles.

What’s also great about the handles is that their autoclavable, which means they can withstand up to 290˚F of heat to sterilize them for repeated use.

Here’s some additional features if you’re not already convinced these are great shears:

• Stainless steel blades
• Serrated lower blade for increased cutting power
• Autoclavable Handles
• Two-tone matte finish
• Rounded tip for patient safety
• 8 attachment points on handles
• Weight: 1.8 oz. / Size: L 7 1/2″ x W 3 3/4″ x D 3/8″

Gear Keeper

You may recognize the basic design of the Mojo Retractor, as it’s a base design from the Gear Keeper line made by Hammerhead. The Gear Keeper retractors are nothing new, but Combat Medical Systems has made some great modifications to these that truly put them on top of all current Gear Keeper offerings.

We’ve always been big fans of Gear Keepers, as they’re low-profile, strong and feature a quick-disconnect so that you can easily remove whatever is attached to them without removing the retractor from whatever you have it attached to. What we haven’t liked is the way that you have to attach the lanyard side to whatever you’re securing (typically with the provided key ring) and the typical snap hook mounting via the other side.

Having to use a key ring not only puts the item you’re dummy cording too close to the retractor body, but is a pain to attach to a pair of shears to and the ring gets stretched out when you do so. Not to mention the noise having a key ring rattling around. The issue with the snap hook is that it’s not a very versatile attachment system and if you’ve ever tried attaching it to MOLLE you know what we’re talking about.

Mojo Retractor

CMS has made some great modifications to an already fantastic design that truly puts the Mojo Retractor on top. First, they eliminated the standard key ring attachment and added a small 6″ nylon lanyard extension similar to something you find included in the box with a cell phone or camera. This provides a small, yet strong loop to girth hitch into the attachment holes on the Mojo Medical Shears.

This combination also eliminates any attachment into the inside of the handles on the shears that could interfere with your grip. It also moves the shears further away from the start of the retractor cable to make mounting options more versatile. Having a universal girth hitch option also allow the retractor to be used to dummy in a number of electronic devices, like a GPS or digital camera.

In addition to the lanyard extension, and by far the coolest feature, is the attachment point. CMS has gone with a threaded pin specifically designed for the difficulty of standard retractors to be mounted into webbing or thick material. All you do is unscrew the pin body, push it through and screw it back into the back of the retractor body. When fully cinched down, there’s also a gap that’s left which enables the retractor to spin on whatever you’ve mounted it to. The pin design truly allows you to mount the Mojo Retractor virtually anywhere!

Features:

• Designed for any environment
• Stainless steel and high-impact plastic construction
• 36″ stainless steel nylon coated cable
• 3 oz. pull
• Quick Disconnect / Break Away lanyard attachment
• Threaded pin back mounting design
• Versatile mounting solution
• Weight: 1.2 oz. / Size (w/o lanyard): L 3″ x W 1.5″ x D 7/8″ (with pin back)

Notes

The Mojo Medical Shears and Mojo Retractor represent a solid upgrade in what’s currently available on the market, which is why we’re proud to offer some of the first pairs available in the ITS Tactical Store (Available NOW!). CMS does not have these listed on their Website yet, but they do have them in stock as well.

We’ve always tried to bring you the best niche products available in our Store and the Mojo Shears and Retractor are no exception. We don’t offer products to our readers to make huge profits on, we do it more as a service to our readers to have a convenient outlet to get hard to find items or things we feel aren’t available like our ETA Kits. Thanks for your continued support!