I recently had the luck to meet ILE - Inside Line Equipment and was happy to see other good local gear folks working on cool things. Although specializing in hard use bicycle pack and bag designs, this MOLLE Organizer is a great example of civilian and military ideas coming together to combine pros from both worlds.
The design is fairly straightforward, so to separate itself from similar cheapo import organizers it is the quality and smaller details that make the MOLLE Organizer stand out. For starters the main material used is 1000D cordura along with mil-spec webbing/elastic/mesh etc so you can count on the long term durability. Instead of some wacky half-assed proprietary system to connect the pouch to a larger bag, it uses MOLLE/PALS webbing hence the name. I hope this is a sign of more to come as many civ bags could use the functionality benefits of PALS webbing. For the way of connecting, Molly Stix are included which are likely a good choice for ease of use for first time PALS users. They aren't the high end of secure, but plenty good enough for most and easy to take on and off. They even offer the quick release capability, it just doesn't necessarily apply to this pouch.
For the external PALS layout, the front is the same as the back so it makes it easy to rotate and mount allowing the user to decide which side the internals face. As another way of saying it, it lets one choose to open the pouch and first see the elastic side, or the mesh pocket side. This plus does have a bit of a downside however, where most designs leave the back PALS webbing off-spec to allow flexibility on mounting. So if you end up with only 5 PALS channels to mount on, you just gotta bite the bullet and pick a side where it hangs off a little. This is a result of 6 PALS channels being required and I show a quick example of this on my last picture.
The overall opening is clam-shell like, yet the zipper stops before getting to the bottom to prevent the flap dropping straight down when opening. It will depend what is in the internal compartments of course, but offhand the zipper placement offers a good hand-free stopping point. As a less common feature, the double zippers themselves are water resistant to offer improved protection if one decides to store items like electronics in the pouch.
Internal wise the layout is pretty simple, but should be effective for most at the same time. One side has a sleeve pocket and an elastic party using 3" elastic with 2" elastic on top with a variety of divisions. I find the division variety good as most people aren't looking to hold 6 of the same thing and the organizer is trying to cater to many users as opposed to being super specific use. If I were to change something, I think making the 3" webbing a contrasting color may be helpful to see the elastic divisions in lower light situations.
The other internal side is a mesh pocket with single zipper access. No fluff, just works as intended to have a secure storage option while still being able to see the contents inside. With about 2" of main depth there is still plenty of room for more items to hang out in the middle of the pouch even with items stored on the organizer sides.
Although a little pricey I think the MOLLE Organizer is a solid product. The cost is due to good things at least; using quality materials, clean craftsmanship and hand made in the USA. As expected ILE offers a lifetime warranty on their products. Be sure and check out ILE's other products, such as the Photo Bag Prime, the main pack in their line the MOLLE Organizer was intended to mount to.
Approx size: 9" x7" x2"
http://ilequipment.com/collections/all/products/molle-organizer
