product ideas, straight from GHI

[ovv]

If you're willing to do modular pouches (which, in my opinion should be the way to go), consider a few improvements over the basic "pouch of two with a velcro-flap"-design.

 

Frist of all, make it MALICE compatible, so no ready-sewn molle-straps or anything. Also make it possible to mount it either vertically or horizontally, just some extra webbing behind the pouch.

 

Secondly, make the flaps a bit more better, make them removable (eg. the flap itself should also be attached to the pouch by velcro on BOTH ends) and provide a retention strap for tightening down the mags for people who wish to go without the flap.

 

Also I like the idea of having multiple closure-options. So having a buckle-closure option in addition to velcro would be great. This way you could use both, just the velcro (leaving just the buckle open) or just the buckle (folding the velcropart of the flap away).

 

And if feasible, provide also PALS webbing on the frontside belowe the velcro and buckle to make it possible to attach other pouches on top, as you'd use more PALS-estate than "normal" magazines so people would most likely want to attach still the same pouches to their loadout if needed.

 

-ovv

[Tinkerton]

if you could email me pictures of those various attachment systems i would be very greatful.

[ViscountCharles]

The friend that did my modular P90 chest rig - Dude, on ASCUK - tried out a number of different combinations.

 

The design brief called for a modular carrying rig that could hold 6 P90 mags - I'd asked for a chest rig after seeing one he'd sewn for another friend, but he explored a number of possibilities.

 

Mounting P90 mags vertically on a belt, or at waist level, isn't such a hot idea - either you have to tuck them so far round the sides and back that it's a struggle to reach them, or every time you bend over you do yourself an injury. Scratch that idea.

 

Mounting P90 mags horizontally across the chest or stomach requires you to have a girth of about 60" or be improbably flat-chested - anything else and the mags will not sit flat against the body.

 

The two ideas that seemed most feasable were having them mounted on drop-leg thigh panels, or midway up the chest. We didn't think of putting them on the shins, although I would have rejected this idea as it puts the mags out of reach while standing or prone, and in harm's way when running about in woodland stepping over logs and branches (plus extra weight on the lower legs adds to fatigue much more quickly than loads that can be spread over shoulders and hips).

 

Having them mounted at mid-chest height works perfectly for me - low enough down that drawing a mag doesn't involve smacking myself in the chin, but close to the gun for quick relaods whatever the position. Dude then tried various cobinations of single, double and triple mag pouches, and the doubles were the best compromise that allowed a reasonable carrying capacity while being flexible enough to allow the rig to wrap around the body.

 

We didn't really think of adding more webbing to the front of the pouches - although this is feasible, the P90 mags are already edge-on to the body and stick out as far as most triple mag pouches - I wouldn't want to go any more bulky than that TBH. Your mileage may vary, though, particularly if you had more gear to carry.

 

Dude offered me various closure options (another advantage of having it done as a custom job), including velcro and/or buckle - I preferred press-studs, as they're secure, easy to open and quiet. Again, it's a matter for personal preference (the only thing Dude couldn't do were the spanish fly closures used frequently on German webbing & gear - this is probably my number one choice for closures).

 

The vest has gone back to Dude for a couple of small modifications (not, I stress, repairs) after field-testing at a skirmish showed that there was room for a few improvements. The main change is to add a retention strap (made from elasticated shock-cord) for holding down the mags when the flap is left open (as ovv suggested) - and there was room for a magazine to slip out to the side of the closure flap without such retention. The other option would have been to make a larger flap with covered sides, but that would be less flexible in use. One thing to watch with any P90 mag pouch is that you're left with enough of the mag sticking out of the pouch to get a firm grip of (M16 users have to resort to Magpuls to solve the problem). If I was doing the whole thing again, I'd suggest adding an extra patch of velcro to the flap so that it could be secured out of the way, rather than being removed altogether (like some pistol holsters have).

 

The cost was approximately £55 for the modular chest rig, £20 for each double P90 mag pouch, and I had a couple of extra pouches that attach to the vest with Malice clips. All made from 1000 dernier cordura, triple-stitched and pretty bomb-proof. If I ever swap my load-out, it's pretty easy to replace the P90 pouches with standard M16 pouches (or anything else that's compatable with Molle gear).