I’m going to get the obvious out of the way before we look at this in detail…

Yes, it’s very similar to the Microbat Systems Candy Pouch, but I don’t think that actually matters… I’ll explain why, later on.

I should also mention that this pouch was gifted to me by Andy at Tacbelts UK (who also happens to be a personal friend), he chucked the pouch across the table at me a few weeks ago and asked me what I thought. I didn’t ask for it but I’ll admit that I’ve liked the concept of this design for some time, so I was hardly going to say “no thank you”.

As with anything else I’m given or lent and regardless of personal friendships, there’s no guarantee given of a positive review. Generally, if I’m not enthusiastic about an item I won’t bother spending my time writing about it, unless of course I feel like there’s a duty to inform people of substandard parts (cough, Angry Gun MWS parts are shit, cough).

So with the formalities out the way, let’s look at what we’ve got.

The actual design of the pouch is simple enough. A flat “pencil case” type design, with a single zipper along its front face. A hook field on the rear allows attachment to corresponding loop fields on plate carriers, chest rigs, packs etc and a smaller loop field on the front retains some of the loop real estate you inevitably lose by having this pouch attached.

The basics of the pouch are:

• Material: 330d Cordura, Hook and Loop, YKK Zipper
• Width: 200mm
• Height: 105mm
• Depth: 6mm
• Weight: 28 grams

Being made almost entirely from 330d Cordura, it’s very light and very flexible. Central to it’s appeal is that you can literally slap this onto a loop field and take it off when needed, giving it a tremendous scope for potential. It’s lack of weight and bulk makes it the kind of pouch that you almost forget you have, until it comes to using it.

A YKK zipper runs across the front of the pouch, allowing access to the inside whilst keeping the contents reassuringly secure. The Multicam printed material on the front face of the zipper prevents any ingress of dirt and keeps the zipper track clear, whilst also colour-matching the main body’s cordura.

The zipper is finished with a silent and easy to manipulate paracord pulltab (also colour matched), this is wrapped in black heat shrink tubing and joined together at the end with a fused, dual overhand knot.

The build quality is exactly what I’ve come to expect from Andy’s work over the years, it’s flawless. Turning the pouch inside out (a trick I’ve learned from a certain individual in the reviewing game) shows the detail that’s gone into producing what would otherwise be a simple pouch.

Twin rows of stitching on the zipper keep it from pulling free under strain, enough stitching to be strong but without adding unwanted rigidity.

The body of the pouch is made from a sleeve of fabric, with the zipper joining both ends together. A taped seam on each side keeps the pouch smart and snag free.

One of the main uses this pouch will probably have is on plate carriers, giving admin space to carriers that may not have this feature built in. Carriers such as Ferro Concepts Slickster have a large Velcro loop field on the front and rear plate bags, but lack a true, secure admin pouch of their own. When pairing this pouch up on the chest of a plate carrier such as a Slickster, you gain space for documentation, Haribo or even this years EDC essential… The face mask.

There’s a ton of uses for this pouch, from carrying reloads for a blank firing grenade to in-game money or medic tabs for themed/Milsim games. Would I put my car keys or something of high value in a pouch that’s literally held on by Velcro? Probably not, but for low value items such as snacks and paperwork, it’s a great option.

My personal favourite? Within the Haley D3CRM chest rig, it offers a small pocket space that fits perfectly within the front face of the rig’s admin pocket.

So back to my initial point, “why doesn’t it matter that it’s effectively a copy of something else?”. Well, there’s a number of reasons actually.

Firstly, there’s the ethical standpoint. Is it covered by a patent? No. Well, then it’s technically fair game. If you’re familiar with the tactical gear industry then you’ll probably realise that for every innovation, there’s a dozen products that stem from it, including those made by many of the big names in the tactical industry.

Also, does the TacBelts U.K. pouch differ enough to be considered it’s own product? It’s very similar, but yes it does. There’s a number of things that separate this from it’s small, Microchiroptera named cousin.

Certain elements of the design, such as the full hook backplate and the change of zipper design make this different enough to be recognised as it’s own product.

Finally there’s the question of customisation, where buying “the other pouch” will leave you with two size options and a dozen or so colours, there’s literally no end of options when it comes to what is essentially a “one off” custom pouch.

So negatives? Well maybe not outright negatives, but certainly points to consider. This pouch is made from 330d Cordura, both lighter than the material used on the original and more flexible, I personally think it’s a better option as the item you attach it to gives it the rigidity, but it does offer slightly less protection than thicker material in the microbat pouch. I’d also like to see a clamshell zip on a future design, along with possibly elastic keepers on the inside. So not negatives as such, just observations.

So why the name Remora? Well, it’s only my unofficial name for it… The Remora is a type of fish that attaches itself to a larger predator such as a Shark and hitches a ride, eating the little scraps that the shark leaves, a perfect name if I do say so myself.

If you’re interested in grabbing one, Remora pouches are available made to order from TacBelts UK, the best way to get in contact is through either of the following channels:

Facebook: TacBelts U.K.

Instagram: @tacbelts_uk