Whilst I won’t stake my reputation on the statement that Ferro made the first dangler on the market, I will confidently say that their original The Dangler (reviewed here) made an impact on the market so profound, that the word “Dangler” is the predominant placeholder for all sub-carrier pouches, irrespective of brand. Much like Hoover, Biro or even Sellotape, it’s become the normal term for nearly everything of its category.

The Ferro Concepts Mini Dangler is a derivative of Ferro’s original “The Dangler”, it features a wider profile than most of its competitors and it’s significantly shorter than its older brother.

It’s primary attachment is via a flap/tongue of hook (rear face) and loop (front face) designed to interface with most of the currently used plate carriers or indeed chest rigs that are available today.

With the majority of carriers you can simply slap the pouch onto the front of the plate bag and use the placard attachment loop field to ensure a firm, secure fit. Another option on certain carriers such as Ferro’s own Slickster (reviewed here), is to mount it directly underneath the plate bag (via the Velcro flap holding the plate in (giving you a closer fitting pouch with zero front to back movement).

Don’t panic if you’re not a plate carrier type of guy (or gal), The Mini Dangler will also work very well beneath the Haley Strategic D3CR-Micro or other small format chest rigs, with a hook field on the rear. Using what has become the default standard 9” wide loop field, there’s literally hundreds of carriers and rigs that this pouch will work with.

One benefit that’s been mentioned on Ferro’s own website is that the ability for it to be mounted on their newly released Bison Belt System, this is due to the hook and loop tongue being shallower in size (9” x 2”) to the original Dangler flap. It will work with other, similar profile belts (such as my TacBelts U.K. Shooters Belt) but you might struggle to find space for such a pouch if you have your belt set up already.

One minor issue I’ve had with most “danglers” on the market, is their inability to even carry a small drinks bottle, or other similarly shaped objects without appearing and feeling lopsided. This isn’t an issue with the wider, flatter bottomed profile of the Ferro Mini Dangler, it’s a welcome addition for those looking at the variety of Dangler type pouches on the market today.

Looking at the main body of the pouch, Ferro have gone with an interesting approach to the way in which the pouch is formed. A pleated top and bottom form a unique, almost “hospital corner” type fold on each side of the pouch. This is most easily seen when the pouch is full and it gives the pouch a little “wiggle room” with slightly oversized objects.

The overall internal dimensions of the pouch are roughly 9” wide by 3.75” tall with a depth from front to back of 2”, big enough to carry a 500ml bottle, a bundle of flash-bangs or even a few M4 magazines.

The zipper is constructed inside out, allowing what would usually be the backing material to form an additional flap, this helps stop the ingress of moisture or dirt. The wide mouth design of the zipper is probably the single biggest USP that I can see becoming a standard feature for any subsequent dangler designs.

The zipper is placed to the front of the pouch, not the top and reaches from one side, all the way around to the other. It’s a placement that I’ve previously suggested as being superior to a top mounted zipper (I’d mentioned it as a possible revision in my review of the Spiritus Systems SACK, reviewed here).

The zipper features a pair of ITW GT (GhillieTEXTM) Zip Line pull tabs, these are the same as used on the original Dangler’s single pull-tab and have a manufacturer’s stated strength of up to 80lbs (which is ridiculously strong for their intended application). A coresponding loop is fitted to each end of the zipper track, which aids in opening and closing the pouch.

Under the main body of the pouch lies a section of 2” elastic, the intended purpose of this isn’t listed or even alluded to in Ferro’s own literature, but it’s most obvious use is that of a Tourniquet carrier. Under the elastic, there’s a single drainage grommet which is virtually invisible unless you turn the pouch inside out.

Looking at the interior of the pouch, it’s rather sparse, save for a single strip of elastic which provides four loops or “keepers” on the inner rear surface. There’s generally two types of dangler pouch organisation available on the market today: loop fields or elastic keepers. Both Ferro’s original “The Dangler” and “Mini Dangler” are in the minority by using pre-fitted elastic keepers (The original Dangler also has a loop field on its inner front face).

The lack of a loop field might seem like a step backwards, but the only thing that I’ve ever fitted to loop lined pouches (if anything at all) is Blue Force Gear’s Dapper elastic strips which ultimately do the same thing as pre-fitted elastic but at an additional cost.

When I was given the opportunity to have a look at this pouch, I wasn’t really sure if it was something I’d actually use. The initial review sample was always destined to become part of a promotional giveaway that Tactical Kit kindly donated this pouch towards. I didn’t really have any skin in the game when it came to reviewing this, however, I actually purchased one for myself (alongside another Ferro Slickster) as I really couldn’t bring myself to part with it and saw a great deal of potential when using this alongside a plate carrier.

With new products such as Ferro’s FCPC V5 and the aforementioned Bison Belt being designed alongside all the smaller components that together make up the Ferro Concepts catalogue, I can genuinely see Ferro’s latest generation of tactical gear becoming firm favourites with both those fortunate enough to be able to field it as part of their job and also those who shoot as a pastime.

Can I recommend it? Hell yes. If you want a dangler with a slightly wider yet shorter profile, this is your best option. If you’re 5’2” and are fed up from traditional dangler pouches constantly hitting you in the FUPA, this will certainly cure that issue.

Quality wise, it lives up to what I’ve come to expect from Ferro gear, good quality materials and well made throughout. I think that these might end up being seen on people’s loadouts where traditionally they might not have used a dangler before.

The Mini Dangler is currently available in the U.K. from Tactical Kit, who stock it in the colours that were available from launch. Black, Ranger Green, Multicam, Wolf Grey and Coyote Brown.