HSGI Tacos… Often copied, Rarely equalled. There are many options for the carriage of magazines, From G-CodeScorpions to Esstac Kywis, There are many great manufacturers offering their semi/rigid magazine pouch. None however are more iconic than the Taco.

The HSGI Taco is a fairly simple pouch in its design, However with virtually limitless uses. The Taco itself is a rectangular fold of Cordura, Held together with shock cord which is itself retained by webbing sewn into the cordura.

On each side of the “Taco” where the shock cord bridges the gap, An injection molded polymer section helps keep the Taco open, Assisting in the insertion of magazines or whatever you wish to keep in there.

The shock cord comes with a fair amount of excess and a barrel lock keeps it adjustable yet manageable. I’ve opted to follow in the footsteps of Andy S23 and police up the ends with a short section of heat shrink. It works well and helps my OCD.

The inside of these pouches is lined with loop field, this gives a little friction, Although not enough to hamper the draw. HSGI also advocate the use of hook field tabs on your magazine should you need that extra security.

Another little feature, one that rarely gets used is the small loop atop the pouch. With one front and another on the rear it allows the attachment of a traditional shock cord retainer, This is not an option on the pistol pouch however… And for the most part it’s not necessary, The pouch is pretty effective at retaining what you put in it.

The key difference in this pouch specifically is that I’ve opted for belt mounted Tacos… These come pre-sewn with a micro Velcro strip, Which is then wrapped around your belt of choice to secure it.

I much prefer this to the Malice type clips used all too often on otherwise low profile belt pouches. It works well when used with low profile shooters belts, Especially those that have both and inner and outer section.

When it comes to what fits in, On the pistol pouches I’ve happily used it for everything from single stack Marui 1911 mags to the ones feeding my Desert Eagle. SMG Magazines such as those used with the MP5 and MP7 can be accommodated, Although there are “Extended” Tacos build to offer a little more security. The rifle TACO will easily accommodate virtually any 5.56mm magazine, most 7.62mm Magazines will fit with enough adjustment made, Although again.. HSGI make large Tacos for this very purpose. Other items such as radios, pyrotechnics, mars bars… They all fit, In fact it’s pretty difficult to find something that won’t fit with enough brute force and creative thinking applied, Im shocked #thingsinmytacotuesday isn’t a bigger trend.

I’m not about to say that these are the best pouches out there, In fact I’d say that for specific measures such as retention, durability and ease of use that there are better options… The ESSTAC KYWI and G-Code Scorpion pouches in particular offer a much easier re-index for your choice of magazine. However… The Taco is an extremely adaptable pouch, it’s not fussy on what mags fit (As the KYWIs can be) and it’s lower profile than the Scorpions (Not by much, but when your on the ground with a pouch diving into your hip… Millimetres matter!

For what I use it for, The Taco is a great fit… Its a core component of my belt set up and it’s been a solid performer for the last 18 months, The rifle pouch may get swapped out to something that offers better indexing, But I’ll not sell it on… I’m far too attached to my “hold anything” pouch.