1157 Tactical 354 Pouch

1157 'PRC 354 Bowman Pouch' (£34.13)

 

 Radio carrying is a bloody nightmare when it comes to carrying the PRC 354 (thanks Bowman). The radio ancils come with a god awful box-like pouch that attaches to PLCE. But what if you're not wearing PLCE and have a MOLLE system? What if you're embracing fight light and leaving your daysack in the harbour area? Well, I present a possible solution. 

The 1157 tactical 354 pouch has been in my collection for about two years and I love it. The thing's pretty bloody bomb proof and for a small manufacturer of tactical gear, I highly recommend them as the kit is 'UK forces' focused in it's design. The company makes their equipment in the usual multicam but also offer EREBIS which is a 'MTP' pattern clone which pretty much looks like the real thing.

For carrying the 354, the pouch has plenty of space and the antenna feeds out of a top flap. The only problem with this top flap is that you have to detach the antenna and KDU every time you need to take the radio out. 

However, the inbuilt KDU pouch on the front is a great idea that keeps the KDU in reach especially when you have to do stuff such as frequency changes etc. 

 In conclusion, I find this pouch to be the best one I've found on the market for carrying the bloody huge 354, the material and stitching are robust and hold up well after many years of ownership.

 The only flaw I could see is that the MOLLE poppers open rather easily when moving. Perhaps replacing them with the thicker and more robust poppers found on osprey pouches would be a better option to complete this great bit of kit.

 For anyone who happens to carry a radio, I recommend this pouch. It sure beats having to carry your daypack everywhere, and the quality construction will ensure its place on your belt-kit for years. 

 You can find this product here

 This Kit Pest Review was written by Callum Bickerton. Hopefully you enjoyed it and if you have any thoughts or comments related to this review then leave a comment!

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Odin Systems Commanders Pouch

Odin Systems 'Commanders Panel' (£29.99)

As a commander you're going to be carrying a fair few extra items. Compass, lumi pens, maps, etc... There are several solutions to carrying all your extra items, but what if you're carrying them whilst wearing Osprey body armour? Some may argue that the issued command pouch that comes with the Osprey pouch set may be good enough. However, I disagree. I personally feel that extra space is needed for this mission essential kit, this is stuff you can't sling in your daysack and mess around getting later. It needs to be front and centre at less than a arms reach. That's why I feel the Odin Systems command panel offers you the best solution for keeping that kit right where it needs to be.

          

 First of all let's talk about the pouch itself. The material is military spec genuine Crye multicam fabric and is extremely compliant. The outside of the pouch includes a large multicam Velcro part that gives you ample room for placing your patches on. Furthermore there are three rows of MOLLE for mounting any patches you want on the exterior. On the rear the MOLLE loops are secured by Velcro tabs that fold back on the final loop on the patch, extinguishing the nightmare of poppers coming undone whilst moving.

 When you open the command panel, I'm sure (like myself) you will be astounded by the sheer amount of real estate on offer internally. Inside you'll find a series of MOLLE rows sewn in for organising things such as your pens and keeping secure any kit you need to tie down. Behind those, there is a large open pocket against the rear, I find this a great solution for where to store my Haribo and cigarettes! It also has more than enough space to hold your notebooks, crib cards and TAMs.

One of the unique aspects of this command panel is the Inbuilt waterproof map case. The laminate on it is waterproof and can hold a small tactical or a well folded map. Underneath the map case you'll find a small waterproof pouch that I've used to contain my section ORBAT, these are very simple ideas that the guys and girls at Odin Tactical have refined and perfected to give the soldier in the field just what they need to keep what their Kit secure and in the right place.

My final thoughts on this command panel are that I'm happy as hell to be using this! It's construction is solid and robust and the use of actual multicam fabrics will stop you looking chippy. It will last a long time regardless of where you take it and what you put it through. If you're thinking of buying a command panel I highly recommend this one! It works perfectly with osprey and you'll be future proofing yourself when VIRTUS comes knocking at your door. So go check out the kit at Odin Tactical, I'll leave a link below.

You can view this item here.

 This Kit Pest Review was written by Callum Bickerton. Hopefully you enjoyed it and if you have any thoughts or comments related to this review then leave a comment! 

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