Review: Snake Eater Tactical IWB Magazine Pouch

IntroHi everyone, I wanted to share a writeup of my thoughts about the Snake Eater Tactical IWB Magazine Pouch.http://ift.tt/2d841PG seeing them linked in a post here a couple months ago I decided to check them out. I bought two of them in black (they're also available in Coyote Brown) for $15.00 each and $5.00 shipping. I placed the order on 9/12, the order was marked complete (shipped) on 9/22, and I received the package on 9/26. The package included the pouches, a business card, and a nice sticker of their logo (I love stickers).http://ift.tt/2dB3k3V flat the pouch measures a hair under 5" in length, 1.5" wide and weighs about a half an ounce. It is primarily constructed with a piece of heavy duty elastic folded over and stitched together on one side as well as the bottom with a rectangle of hypalon covering half of one side and a smaller hypalon strip sewn onto that creating a loop. Overall the materials and stitching seem to be of a good quality. The only area of concern is the top edge where the magazine is inserted. I can see a metal feed lip possibly tearing this up over time but we'll see.Functionhttp://i.imgur.com/y7B9tYr.jpgThe pouch holds both single and double stack magazines. In my case I tested the pouch with 9mm S&W M&P Shield magazines and 9mm S&W M&P Pro Magazines. The pouch can be attached to the belt easily with the belt already on. The soft elastic opening makes it somewhat difficult to insert a magazine. With some practice I was able to wiggle in either magazine one handed but it was still much more difficult to insert compared to a kydex or leather magazine holster since the elastic is very tight by design.The SE Tactical website says full size magazines use the full length of the pouch but in order to be able to get a good purchase for reloading I used only half the length of the pouch for both the single and double stack magazine.Even at an insertion only halfway into the pouch the retention was very strong and magazines would not shake out easily. Being elastic we'll see how this retention might change over time.The draw of the magazine out of the pouch is smooth and consistent and the pouch stays in place well when the hook and loop in secured. The pouch has a little bit of wiggle to the left and right which may slightly affect a consistent grip but I think it is beneficial overall because it allows the pouch and magazine to move better with the body.Reinserting a magazine after a tactical reload doesn't seem practical to me because of the difficulty of inserting a magazine one handed but could get easier with more practice.Comfort and ConcealmentThe weight of the magazine and pouch was well supported by my belt and carried at the 11 o'clock position. The bottom of the pouch just barely touched my leg when sitting so I could feel it there but it wasn't uncomfortable in any way especially since the soft materials just conformed to my body.I used the pouch next to a T.Rex Arms Raptor and a G-Code Incog holster. Carrying the pouch at the 11 o'clock position the pouch fit in the gap that was already created by the holster. The magazine was held tight against my body and top of the bottom of the magazine was level with the back of the gun and I noticed no printing from the magazine or pouch in any typical body position.http://ift.tt/2dB46Os NotesThere is a loop of the hypalon sewn onto the belt loop side of the pouch that you can put the belt loop through to make it more stable if you want to flip the pouch around and carry it on the outside of your belt or attach it to something else like webbing on a bag. I like this versatility but if I needed to carry a magazine OWB I would still prefer a kydex holster.They also advertise that this pouch can carry a RATS Tourniquet but I only have CAT tourniquets so I wasn't able to test out how that worked but I'd like to try that in the future.I carried this pouch on a Volund Gearworks G-Hook belt in the picture where it is attached at the thickest part of the belt. You can adjust the belt orientation for a lower profile carry though.ConclusionI think this is a great option for IWB magazine carry especially in the 10 - 2 o'clock positions. It has a well thought out but simple (in a good way) design and for something that is handmade in the USA it is a great value at $15. Comfort and concealability are my two greatest concerns when carrying an extra magazine and neither are an issue with this pouch. My only concerns are the durability and retention of the elastic but only time and more practice will tell how well it holds up.Feel free to ask my any questions about anything I might have missed. via /r/CCW http://ift.tt/2d83tt0