NOTE: THE FOLLOWING REVIEW IS COPYRIGHT 2010 BY James Bell Jr.
ALL RIGHTS ARE RESERVED.
TheVestGuy.com PS90 Magazine Pouches
The Vest Guy
420 North 400 West
Unit 2B
North Salt Lake, UT 84054 USA
801-698-9080 [VOICE]
845-698-9080 [FAX]
Our Video Companion Review is up on our YouTube Channel.
When it comes to load-bearing or "tactical" vests, magazine pouches and their related accessories, it's generally a very individual thing. Everyone has their favorite - which is what they found after trial and error - sometimes copying configurations used by others in whole or in part - until they finally settle on works well for them. You will find that there are very specific standard military recommendations for certain job functions, and some non-military units/groups standardize their layouts based on military patterns. You also find plenty where each individual sets up what feels right to them - especially in the SOFCOM areas.
A few years back while working for another publication, I tested a number of vests and ended up recommending the Delta-5 vest from Camelbak, and a number of pouches from Blackhawk and Blackwater Gear/Uncle Mike's for my 16" AR-15 and Glock 21 load setup.
The Delta-5 is a great, comfortable, durable vest with MOLLE attachment points front and rear, a center-front zipper, and connections for your belt. It has interior pockets, and a large hydration bladder pouch on the back. It has worked well for me ever sice I wrote that review. Being MOLLE it allows you to find whatever you perfer for your chosen firearms platform(s).
The Delta-5 Vest is available in Black, and Foliage Green. The Foliage Green works well with ACU, OD Green, Multicam, and even Woodland Camo, and we recommended it very highly. You can learn more about it here.
I keep a Delta-5 in my car as a part of my GBTH (Get Back To Home) kit. Aside from multiple magazines for my Glock 21 and AR-15, it also holds water, enegry bars, MRE's, medical items, and other supplies that would be useful in the event that I can't get the jeep (www.CommoJeep.com) mobile for some reason, and an extended trek on foot is required to get from wherever I am when an emergency hits, back to my home and family.
Recently, I switched my home defense platfrom to the FNH USA PS90 - which also happens to be an excellent trunk gun. It's a truly fantastic firearm and I love shooting it recreationally as well. However, the magazines are very different and do not work with an AR magazine pouch. As a result, I was very interested in finding some good quality MOLLE pouches that would work for me with the Delta-5.
I was very fortunate to find a Salt Lake City-based company that not only manufactures properly-designed magazine pouches for the PS90, but also slings and other accessories. A major added plus is that they are quality products. I had the chance to test them, and I'm giving them two-thumbs up.
The Vest Guy is really named Rob, and he has been making vests and pouches of multiple varieties for a long time now. He makes vests and pouches for pretty much every application. When I visited his shop, Rob had samples on the walls for vests setup for ARES/RACES (Amateur Radio Emergency Services and the Radio Amateurs Civil Emergency Service organizations), the CHP and other law enforcement agencies, disaster response and incident management, firearms instructors and range safety officers, and pretty much any other application. He even had one for a Finance Manager (which I'm pretty sure had pouches for printing calculators and a slide rule).
Rob even makes items for movie and television props. Along with slings and vests setup for use with the FNH USA P90 / PS90 such as you would find on any of the Stargate franchises, he also has Zat Nickitel holsters (a stun/kill weapon designed by the Goa'uld) and holsters for the firearms used on the latest Battlestar Galactica incarnation. He has had great experiences selling these at fan conventions.
I really appreciated getting to see his shop. He had folks in there working away on various orders, and the company is small enough that quality is very important to them - and they have time to focus on it.
Rob is setup to provide pouches, vests, and slings in just about every color from black to Crye Multicam. I elected to go with ACU for pouches and sling at this point since that's my present setup, but I'm looking at switching over to Multicam in the future.
On the pouches I tested, everything was sewn very well. The thread was appropriately matched to the ACU fabric, and the buckles were the correct foliage color. The MOLLE strap components are very durable, and he uses good snaps on the bottom. They are very high quality, and I would not feel at all uneasy about having to roll around in the west desert of Utah with them if required.
TheVestGuy.com Single, Double, and Triple MOLLE Magazine Pouches for the PS90
The back of the pouches. Note that the double pouch has an older style of MOLLE straps. All current units have the style seen on the single and triple pouches.
On the PS90 side of things, I wanted to setup a Camelbak Delta V vest to carry multiple magazines - something which would be very useful if considering the PS90 as a GBTH (Get Back To Home) gun. We are also evaluating the MOLLE-compatible ACU seat covers from Smittybilt, and wanted to see what we could setup there.
All of his P90/PS90/Five-seveN/FS-2000 pouches, vests, and slings can be found here. Rob makes magazine pouches for the PS90 in single, dual, and triple-magazine configurations. They can be supplied with either a quick-release buckle or velcro closures. While velcro is very common, I prefer the quick-release buckles. They give you a more sure closure, and they can be released very quietly. Velcro is not ideal in high noise-discipline environments, and it can clog up on you if you are really out in the stuff.
The double PS90 Magazine Pouch in position with space for an ASEK or other items next to it
Close-Up Of The Buckles
I found the triple magazine pouch to be a little large for some vests, but it did work on the Delta-5. In fact, in hindsight I think I'd go with two of those on the Delta-5.
I did find that the triple magazine pouch works great with the Smittybilt Seat Covers in the Jeep. Put them on the back of the seat OPPOSITE from the person with the firearm if they may need to reload on the move - or put them on the back of the seat of the person with the firearm if they will only be used in a stationary situation. That way they simply have to roll out of the vehicle and access their gear by moving the seatback forward or through the back window if they so desire. Our video of this application is up on our YouTube Channel now.
The variety of configurations that Rob offers provide great flexibility for configuring your own vest. If you want more magazines on one side of the vest or the other, or you want to leave extra space for a knife or other tools, you can easily do that. I found two magazines on one side with places for an ASEK (Air-Force Survival and Evasion Knife) and a Leatherman Multi-Tool along side worked well. Leaving room for a light is a good idea as well.
Rob also makes complete vests setup like those on Stargate SG1 and Atlantis, belt and drop-leg magazine pouches, a chest-rig for PS90 magazines, and even a shoulder holster for PS90 magazines. I didn't do any detailed review of his vests, but from what I saw in the shop I'd say they look pretty darned good
If you opt to add the PS90 to your toolbox, you will find whatever you need from The Vest Guy. I have tested his stuff, and it works well. I'm happy to recomend it, and even happier that he's local. Even if you don't live in Utah, you can order from TheVestGuy.com and he'll ship it right to your home or office.
-- James Bell, Jr. -JeepGunner / ATVGunner / HondaGunner