When selecting a first magazine pouch for your airsoft gear, it is key to ensure maximum comfort and use. A terrible fitting or very badly placed magazine pouch can be really annoying whilst playing airsoft. They can be disturbed easily by other items or knock about a lot, also if you are crouching or laying down for a long time then the discomfort of the pouch can become very sore. To prevent these problems it is crucial to select the correct pouch in the first place.
Understand Your Magazine's Specifications
Get familiar with your airsoft magazines, as they come in all sorts of shapes, sizes and even with special base plates. While a magazine pouch might look alright in a picture, it may not hold your specific type of magazine in optimal fashion. For best results take a look at the magazine's body, the magazine's feed area and the magazine's base plate. Preferably use an unloaded magazine when choosing the right pouch. Fuller inserted and withdrawn several times will give you a good impression of how the pouch will behave. The areas that may possibly get caught are the magazine's lip and the magazine's base plate. Some magazine pouches are equipped with bungees or even a flap. These can be adjusted in order to get the best fit possible for your specific magazine. Make sure to test all aspects of the pouch when it is fully loaded with an unloaded magazine.
To provide proper fit to the unloaded magazine, push the magazine all the way into the pouch and pull it out several times. Check for any snagging of the magazine, especially at the lip or the base of the magazine. If your magazine pouch has bungees or a flap, make sure to incrementally tighten the bungees or the flap as much as necessary, to prevent any obstruction when trying to insert or remove the magazine while wearing gloves.
Evaluate Different Pouch Formats
As was previously stated, magazine pouches come in several forms and will include open-top magazine carriers, covered pouches, and magazine holding airsoft chest rigs.
Open-Top Carriers
Open-top magazine carriers are great for quick access for rapid-fire reloads. But, again, you have to make sure that the magazines will stay in the pouch well and that you are comfortable using the pouch for access as you would in a game. Practice with these designs before game day to make sure that you are using them correctly.
Covered Pouches
Covered magazine pouches are great for those wanting a little bit of extra protection for their magazines against the elements such as dirt and other debris. However, they are not as quick for reloads because of the flaps that have to be pulled back in order to get to the magazine. So, it really depends on who you are as a player and what you consider to be more important, security of your magazines or speed of your reloads.
Integrated Chest Rigs
Chest rigs hold lots of magazines and are good for people who want to have a lot of magazines for their guns and have them in one place. The drawback is that the magazine pouches are typically stacked up on your torso which can make you hot and may restrict your movement slightly. Be sure to check that your specific magazine will fit in the pouches on your chest rig before you order it.
Finding the Right Balance: Retention vs. Accessibility
First off, you have to figure out a balance of magazine retention and magazine access. What I mean by this is that you want a magazine pouch to hold your magazine during movement (bending, kneeling, walking, etc.) but also to be easily retrieved for a reload. You can test this out by removing the magazine from the pouch in various situations of movement and seeing if it behaves predictably.
As stated previously, perform the aforementioned tests whilst donning the given gear, utilizing the corresponding hand(s) and with the relevant articles donned such as gloves. Research on Airsoft in general notes that even latex gloves can hinder certain M4N degrees of freedom. Be sure to test magazine pouch access with given nearby straps, etc. Also consider the space that cables, etc. may occupy close to a magazine pouch.
If a magazine rattles in a pouch, simply check if it fits perfectly in the pouch and if it has been attached as evenly as possible on both sides. If a magazine is hard to put into a pouch because of too much retention, loosen the retention or reposition the magazine's mount. Doing so will help maintain your load and your posture.
MOLLE Placement and Practical Adjustments
While MOLLE webbing is an amazing piece of work in terms of flexibility, many people load up MOLLE with every type of accessory imaginable for Airsoft, which can actually become a huge weight (literally) and a problem in terms of hindering the wearer. In our view, keep it simple and make sure you have primary, magazines and other essentials first before adding in loads of other superfluous kit.
To accommodate a sling for your rifle, ensure that your magazine pouches are positioned so as to not interfere with the area where your shoulder will sit when wearing the rifle sling. Ensure also that the magazine pouches are not so solid that they will create 'hard surfaces' against your body. In particular, the front of your magazine pouches should be made of relatively soft material to sit comfortably against your ribs.
Make sure there is enough room for your sling on your shoulder and also don't place hard surfaces of big pouches under your elbow when shouldering your air rifle.
Comfort Testing: Move Before You Commit
This can be evaluated by moving around the house or yard where airsoft games will be held. Test crouching, sitting and even reaching for something behind one's back. Note any discomfort felt on the ribs, collarbone or hips. Areas of discomfort must be addressed prior to taking equipment to the game field.
Load up the pouches as you intend to for game day to realize the extra weight will distribute unequally. Practice loading up as you would for a game to test for any discomfort or soreness that could be transferred to in the field. Even minor changes, like wearing a different undershirt or swapping out a smaller strap, could alleviate any discomfort previously thought to be caused by a particular magazine pouch.
Small changes can provide lots of relief. Wearing different undershirts, or changing the height of the straps can make huge differences. Also, don't think that soreness in your pouch area is just part of the deal, it may well be and it may be something that you need to look at changing to a different style of pouches.
Ensure Reliability and Adhere to Safety Protocols
Also always check your gear before you leave for the field. Inspect the stitching, the straps and all the points where your gear is attached. Also always clean your gear according to the manufacturer's instructions. This way you can make sure your gear will last long and will always function properly.
Mark your magazines and do a few checkoffs before you head out to the field. If you have a lot of other airsoft enthusiasts that play in similar conditions to you, then more pouches or ammunition does not necessarily mean better. Accessibility and comfort are key.
Make sure you have checked the latest safety and equipment regulations for the specific airsoft venue you will be attending to ensure that all your gear is up to date and safe. The rules can change so make sure you check with the airsoft game organizers before the event. It is very important that your chosen airsoft magazine pouch is reliable, easily to access and also comfortable for long periods of time.
