This triple has been on my want list for years.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not rare or sought after. However, I absolutely love Blue Force Gear’s materials and design and this pouch is like a distillation of their ethos: simple, minimalist and unfussy, while leveraging modern fabrics and construction techniques.
Having said these things aren’t rare, I did note the product description on BFG’s site.
Much as I’m loath to cut and paste boilerplate, this time it’s worth a read:
These Helium Whisper pouches were first made for a specific client who needed an even more secure M4 mag pouch for the front of their plate carriers and we have a few left over from the production run. Made almost entirely out of our proprietary ULTRAcomp fabric, this pouch will last a lifetime! The Triple M4 Mag Pouch was designed as a low profile, minimal bulk option that would securely hold 3 single M4 magazines (metal or polymer.) As with most of our over-run items, quantities are limited to stock on hand and orders are filled first come, first served. Buy one of these exclusive pouches now so that you don’t miss out!
However, it’s said the same thing for a few years – so maybe there’s a slowly depleting mountain of these things?
Given that I’ve mated the BFG triple to my Crye AVS (via an AVS PALS flap) readers may be wondering whether I prefer this magazine carrier to Crye’s own AVS triple flapped pouch which I reviewed here.
The answer is yes.
And no.
Yes, because to all intents and purposes the BFG item is a better product in my opinion.
Amplifying everything that makes the company great it’s well made, minimalist, works with or without Ranger Plates and – crucially – does one thing well. How many of those criteria can Crye’s pouch claim it satisfies? Very few.
On the other hand, I can also answer “no” as to whether I prefer the BFG item to the Crye. This is because the AVS flap is iconic and it just looks more pleasing to the eye.
When it comes down to it, though, the balance of utility falls to the BFG triple so that’s what I’m using.
As mentioned, this is a slick, minimalist design. It is mainly composed of ULTRAComp – BFG’s proprietary laser cut laminate – but utilises 500D cordura for the mag pockets themselves.
The backing is BFG’s Helium Whisper.
Helium Whisper is particularly easy to thread through PALS webbing. It terminates in Velcro tabs, which lock the weave solidly.
The base of the item includes drainage holes.
At the flap ends, a tactile nitrile rubber ball is embedded. I’ve seen and used this in BFG products previously, but today I found out that it’s called the “Ball Loaded Index Point”, or BLIP for short.
You can see the BLIP imprinting on the flap ends in the pics below:
The flaps themselves are composed of ULTRAcomp laser cut laminate and are a decent length to subsume Pmags with or without Ranger Plates. The loop Velcro inside the flap is also a decent length.
The mags themselves are exposed enough to be easily drawn thanks to the height of the pocket.
It should also be noted that the pocket is a great fit – not tight on the mags, but not slack.
There’s no retention without the flap deployed, but the flap can be tucked behind the mag if an open topped shingle is desired. I wouldn’t trust it in this mode if I took a spill, but if you stay upright it’s a pretty safe arrangement.
Do I need to say the quality of the BFG triple is exceptional? Well, it’s expected of BFG but it doesn’t hurt to say.
The Reptile House 