Varusteleka Elastic Mag Pouch Cummerbund

As of writing this I've had this cummerbund on my plate carrier for about eight months and used it quite regularly. I don't think it comes as a surprise to many that this is a compromise solution. You're sacrificing some elasticity for more real estate for magazines and other gear. I appreciate being able to carry a total of seven AR magazines, two double-stack pistol magazines, and other doodads in the rear-most pockets using a low profile plate carrier with a three-cell placard together with the cummerbund, but it has its issues. The main issue being that it's a bit awkward to get anything out of the four rear-most pouches, which leads to me usually just using the pistol pouches and the first row of AR pouches. Even then, getting magazines out from those pouches is a bit too difficult to do so quickly, and you can forget about quick, one-handed reinsertions without making your own modifications. Apart from how awkward it is to get magazines out of the second row, they easily press themselves into your sides if you ever have to do anything other than standing up straight. In my honest opinion, only the first row of rifle pouches and the pistol pouches are really good enough for me to use frequently, so the way I use this with my plate carrier leaves the practical carrying capacity of the cummerbund to two AR mags, and two pistol mags. I do like what this cummerbund tries to do despite not being the best execution. But I also need to point out the flaws with it. Perhaps if they released a version that only has the pistol mag pouches and the first row of AR magazines pouches for a lower price, I could give it a better score. But for this particular model, I have to give it a lukewarm score because of how awkward it is to use the pouches further back and because it's a bit pricy for what it delivers. I would recommend this if you want something that gives your low-profile plate carrier a slight boost in carrying capacity without having anything bulge out too much, and don't care about quick reloads from the pouches on the cummerbund or that it gets uncomfortable if you're ever in a position where your spine isn't completely straight. For anything else, I'd probably recommend getting something else, possibly Särmä's PALS cummerbund if you already have pouches you want to use.

I received some made in bulgaria from the production batch 2022-1. These do not fit AK Magazines, only the wide pouch fits AK mags and my handheld radio. The material not elastic, rather stiff like normal fabric (trying to stretch it by hand is like having a sports tool). For its price I expected a better quality...