On Patrol Review – M4/A2 CQB X2 Pouch
On Patrol Review

Product: M4/A2 CQB X2 Pouch

Initial Impressions

Straight out of the bag I wasn’t impressed with the look of these pouches. The Genuine IRR 1000d Cordura Crye Precision Multicam™ fabric looked pale and unremarkable compared to other named brands. My initial reaction was that this product was not made of genuine Crye Precision Multicam, and the lack of a Genuine Multicam Pattern label only fuelled my scepticism.

The most noticeable thing about these pouches is the stitching. Its white, and a complete contrast to the colour of the pouch as a whole, would a brown/tan stitching not be more suitable? The stitching itself is off poor quality with many frayed ends visible.

With many brands of Multicam product I have seen and used I have always noticed how strong and well made the items are, they are usually very strong yet malleable. These pouches seem extremely flimsy and compared to other brands the fabric is only of a single thickness and very thin. I would be very much doubt that the fabric these pouches are made from would last against vigorous and continued use.

On the plus side the magazine retention straps are in fact very good. They hold the magazine firmly in place with little movement and the forgiving size of the pouch means they are large enough to accommodate other magazines such the standard magazine of the Steyr Aug and with a squeeze the G36 and not just M4/L96A2 standard magazines as advertised. The pull tab’s however on the retention straps do feel like cut offs rather than custom cut lengths but this I is a minor detail.

The rear of the pouch is more of the same. The Molle (PALS) straps are extremely malleable due to the lack of a middle plastic strip which is great for attaching to a Molle platform and are cut to a good length whereas some brands have a habit of leaving the straps to short creating attachment difficulties. Having three Molle straps on the rear of the pouch provides a good anchor to the platform, with a strong base there is little movement. The push fasteners also seem very strong and reliable.

In the field – Combat Action Games Airsoft Event 10hr Milsim

With the pouches securely attached to the front of my Flyye MBSS plate carrier you could immediately see the difference in fabric colour between the pouches and the Flyye products I was wearing. A point also raised by another player wearing a selection of Multicam products. Throughout the day the pouches did there job very well, each magazine remained firmly in place until required, and the retention straps moved very little over the space of the days play. The removal of the magazine from the pouch was very quick and simple but returning the magazine to its pouch was a little more of a struggle. Due to the thickness of the fabric and the lack of a stiff front wall the pouch’s continued to collapse when not in use and would require the use of both hands to return the magazine to the pouch. Despite the front wall of the pouch lacking any rigidity these pouches would still be useful as a secondary platform and during game play I attached a Condor Double Frag Pouch to them using the frontal Molle loops. This also aided in keeping the pouches shape for when a magazine was placed back inside it. After the days play I inspected the pouches for wear and only found minor scuff marks which had in no way damaged the fabric and despite my concerns seemed to hold up very well against sustained vigorous use.

In Summary

A solid product which securely holds magazines onto a platform with very little movement thanks mainly to a surprisingly very strong Molle base. The magazine retention straps are very capable and have a reassuring appearance. Sadly the overall appearance of the fabric and the poor stitching throughout shows a lack of real quality which in my opinion leaves me to feel that this is a budget product not only in price but also quality. A solid product for people on a budget but fails to impress on overall appearance for those who wish to spend a little extra on quality.

Overall Appearance 2 (out of 5)

Overall Quality 3

Expected Longevity 4

Practicality 3

Average 3 out of 5