MOLLE Gear: Pouch Round-Up

If you're in the market for a simple MOLLE magazine pouch, it's hard to go wrong with any of the major US brands. At that point, you'll probably choose the pouch based on price or your preferred MOLLE attachment system.

But there are plenty of variations on that basic theme, whether it be pouches with extra retention capabilities, shorty or staggered stack versions, pouches that combine rifle and pistol pouches into one, etc. I'd wanted to do some side-by-side comparisons of these kinds of pouches, and as I wrote up a table of which company offered which pouch, I realized that maybe the table itself would be a valuable post.


Basic M4/M16/AR-15 rifle pouches
* Standard Pocket: This refers to the most basic type of pouch that is essentially open on one end, closed on the other, and has some kind of bungee restraint to hold the mag in place.  In pocket pouches, one end of the mag will always be exposed.

* Flap: This is essentially a pocket pouch but with the addition of a flap that folds over the top of the mag and typically secures by either hook and loop or Fastex buckle.

Other/Specialty rifle pouches

* Retention: This refers to pouches that use some type of system to exert extra force on the magazine to hold it in place.

* Combo = Pistol/Rifle Combined: This refers to pouches that integrate a rifle and pistol mag pouch into the same unit.

* Shorty = Short Pocket: This is a pocket pouch made deliberately shorter than normal so that more of the magazine body is exposed at the top.

M4/M16/AR-15 MOLLE Mag Pouch
	Standard Pocket	Flap Pocket	Other/Specialty
Tactical Tailor	Yes	Yes	No
Eagle Industries	No	Yes	Retention
Paraclete	No	Yes	Combo
Spectre Gear	Yes	Yes	No
HSGI	Yes	Yes	No
S.O.Tech	Yes	Yes	No
TAG	Yes	Yes	Combo
Blackwawk*	Yes	Yes	No
Maxpedition*	Yes	Yes	Shorty

* Manufactured offshore


9mm Pistol pouches
* Standard Flap: This refers to the standard type of pouch that has a fold-over flap, usually secured by hook and loop, which holds the magazine in place.  Note that these pouches will also hold flashlights, multi-tools and folding knives, and are sometimes even sold under the "sheath" or "knife" category.

* Added retention: This refers to pouches that use some type of system to exert extra force on the magazine to hold it in place.

Pistol MOLLE Mag Pouch
	Standard Flap	Added Retention
Tactical Tailor	Yes	Yes (Magna)
Eagle Industries	Yes	Yes (FB)
Paraclete	Yes	No
Spectre Gear	No	No
HSGI	Yes	No
S.O.Tech	Yes	No
TAG	No	Yes
Blackwawk*	Yes	Yes (Talonflex)
Maxpedition*	No**	No

* Manufactured offshore
** While Maxpedition does make a standard pistol/knife flap pouch, it is not designed to be MOLLE compatible.


Made Where?
It may be worth noting that both Blackhawk and Maxpedition use offshore facilities to produce some of their gear, though I include them here simply for the sake of comparison.  All the other companies listed handle both design and production in the US.

Tactical Tailor: Washington State
Eagle Industries: Missouri
Paraclete: North Carolina
Spectre Gear: California
HSGI: North Carolina
S.O.Tech: California
Tactical Assault Gear (TAG): California