In the pursuit of realism there are often little details that whilst not needed for Airsoft, Provide that look we might be looking for.

From Combat Tourniquets to Plate Carriers, There’s generally very little you actually need to buy for an airsoft game… However, We do all to often choose to spend money on bits of nylon that do nothing to increase our effectiveness albeit whilst looking cool.

One of those little thing I’ve seen a fair amount of on loadouts is the addition of a blow-out pouch. After looking at a number of options, Including the ever popular Blue Force Gear Micro Trauma Kit Now (Micro TKN) and it’s Bigger Brother, Which despite its relatively high price tag is very popular with the UKSF impression community due to its popping up in one or two reference pictures.

In the end however, whilst browsing Tactical Kits  extensive inventory I stumbled across this classic  London Bridge Trading design, Made by their subsidiary… LBX.

London Bridge Trading was founded by a Medical Professor turned Gear collector (Possible future job for cryemeariver?) Their head office being based extremely close to the headquarters of SEAL Teams 2,4,8,10 and indeed… DEVGRU at Virginia Beach, Its no surprise that a lot of their products end up on the front line and beyond with NSW units.

Alongside other distinctive designs such as the 6094 plate carrier, LBT released an innovative Blow Out pouch, Available either on its own or with an included trauma kit…

This proved to be immensely popular and is to this day a very popular choice with Law Enforcement and Military units the world over.

Fast forward to 2011, London Bridge Trading decided to create an offshoot of its main company… LBX.

LBX for all intents and purposes is LBT, One of the key differences is in the location of manufacture… LBT being “Berry Compliant” and made solely in the USA, Whereas LBX is often made south of the border, Where lower  manufacturing costs allow a cheaper end product to consumers not bound by the aforementioned Berry Amendment. The key outline of the legislation is as follows…

“The Berry Amendment (USC, Title 10, Section 2533a), requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to give preference in procurement to domestically produced, manufactured, or home-grown products, most notably food, clothing, fabrics, and specialty metals.”

So much for “America First” being a Trumpism, Its been around in one shape or form for quite some time!

One thing many do say regarding LBX is that the quality does not seem to have taken a hit, Sure… there are some bits that are made slightly better when they have the LBT tags on, And certain products are either restricted in colour or unavailable unless bought in the parent company’s range. But the materials and patterns are for the most part, Identical.

The LBX 0065 is directly copied from the LBT  9022 Blow Out Pouch, In so far as quality… Nothing noticeable in the difference. Same materials, design and quality… Although I’d suspect that in a random 100 of both LBT and LBX your more likely to find a duff product in the LBX pile, But I can only go on what I’ve seen… Which is good so far.

I did a brief overview of the pouch in my Booboos and Blowouts Article, But I felt that it deserved a mention in its own right… If only to make it easier to find in the distant future. The pouch its self is a rather simple yet ingenious idea…

A rectangular pocket of fabric with the only access under the pouch, With 3 rows of Molle (Including built in fabric “Molle weaving straps”) and belt loops each side of the Molle and a series of staggered loops along the bottom.

These loops hold a section of cable (Akin to aircraft control cabling)  which when fed through the loops will hold the inner and outer sides of the pocket securely shut, But pulled (Using the woven tab) allows a rapid dump of the pouches contents onto the floor or a well placed hand under said pouch.

A simple idea, But refined enough to work flawlessly yet simple enough to not be too delicate for the average soldiers needs.

The front of the pouch features a stitched on medical cross indicator, Below this is an elastic panel, Held at either side by a reinforced hem. Under this is a small velcro loop field which matches up with the hook field on the wire pull tab.  The Elastic does a great job at holding the tab out of harms way, allowing it to sit in a convenient yet safe location for when its needed.

The pull tab itself appears to be made from Mylar, Or a similar durable plastic. tough as old boots and low profile enough that I’ve yet to accidentally pull it out, But its easy enough to locate and pull if you should need to access the pouch.

Refeeding the wire is a simple job, but its not designed to be done on the move… Using this pouch as anything but a blowout or first aid pouch doesn’t make much sense as you’ll spend too much time holding in the contents and feeding the wire through to make it a viable option.

It is however, Exceptional at what its designed for… Low profile when filled with a suitable blowout kit or skeletonised IFAK, And doesn’t get in the way… Even when rolling around on the ground.

I use mine as an IFAK (Individual First Aid Kit) pouch, It works well within this role and fills up a section of my belt I’d otherwise not use.

For its modest price tag (Especially when compared to the BFG Micro TKN) I cant say I’ve had a second of buyers remorse… In fact, Despite how nice the TKN is… I’d keep the LBX/LBT offering as it fits my specific needs a little better.