SHG [Stronghold Group] Waist Pack

Waist packs – belt-mounted pockets worn usually on the hip, are gaining advocates outside the civilian market. Producers of military equipment feature them in their offers ever more frequently. Stronghold Group have expressed their own impressions on this theme in the form of the SHG Waist Pack – and got it in our favourite Pencott Greenzone camouflage for us to test.

Stronghold Group is a Polish company that specialises in developing and manufacturing cutting-edge tactical equipment made from laser-cut laminate fabrics. This works by replacing traditional PALS/MOLLE systems with laser-cut openings or slits in the material. This method works especially well in significantly reducing the weight of the equipment worn (less material, less tape), but it also has other advantages – like keeping the camouflage pattern intact.

CONSTRUCTION AND CRAFTSMANSHIP

The waist pack is made from Cordura 500D fabric and comes in various camouflage schemes – i.e. Pencott Greenzone. The side ‘wings’ have been made from laminate fabrics (glued layers of Cordura) while the waist pack’s belt is made from a 40-millimetre wide Pasamon strap, fitted with a polymer ITW Nexus buckle. The main pocket is accessed through a two-way zipper, however all the other pockets feature regular one-way zippers.All zippers are equipped with paracord loops and are protected by tucks on either side to prevent moisture from entering the waist pack.

An olive velcro patch (9cm x 5 cm) is located at the waist pack’s front. Directly above is the opening to a pocket suitable mainly for flat items.

The main pocket features an additional interior compartment (located on the outer side) and elastic tapes for fastening tools and other accessories.

The previously mentioned ‘wings’ offer two columns and four rows of laser-cut grooves that are compatible with MOLLE/PALS system-mounted equipment. This allows to expand the waist pack with additional pockets, pouches, or a knife.

The inner side of the waist pack – which is located closest to the body – is made from a soft distancing netting (improves comfort when increasing waist pack’s payload) and provides space for one more pocket – great for storing ID or money. Despite we can only access this pocket by removing the waist pack, this solution guarantees that it’s really inaccessible for anyone else.

FUNCTIONALITY
The waist pack’s simple and minimalist construction also works great in everyday life, for example as an EDC platform, as it isn’t very visible. It was even used as a compartment for portable fishing tools and equipment. Because it’s so easy to expand it may also be considered as a substitute for a regular tactical belt.

The SHG Waist Pack fitted with additional equipment: Fast Draw Mag Pouch v.2 and Cargo SSGP – also provided by Stronghold Group.  

Even when we tried filling the waist pack up to its full capacity, it still stayed in a firm and stable position (thanks to the ’wings’). We had it out in the rain and while canoeing at the Polish coast – and it has stayed waterproof till today (note: No, we did not try to intentionally sink it! /Roger).

The waist pack became our trusted companion for the next couple of months and although we all got really dirty we’ve never encountered any problems with it. We have to mention however, that due to the repeated process of attaching and removing additional pouches, at some point of wear-and-tear there were pieces of little strings and floss coming out from the edges of the laser-cut openings in the Cordura laminate – although this seems to be a common issue (among other manufacturers) when using this particular production technology. We easily eliminated the mess with the help of a lighter.

SHG Waist Pack in GZ blends in with Scandinavian undergrowth.

Advantages:

+ lightweight,
+ robust,
+ high quality materials and components.

Drawbacks:
– none.

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”3″ gal_title=”SHG Waist Pack – Photogallery”]

Stronghold Group merchandise is available directly at the producer: office@strongholdgroup.pl or one of their distributors:

/Roger/
Translated by /Siemion/