Let me start by saying how much of a Classic Army fan I am.

Now that I’ve said that, you may have some level of understanding of just how disappointed I am in these two pieces of equipment.

My immediate impressions were that they were sturdy, well-sewn, an generally well put-together. Then I used them at an outdoor game this weekend.

My first sign of possible problems came when I tried to separate the snap of one of the MOLLE laces at the back of the Dump Pouch. I’m still trying to separate the snap, but I also managed to feed the lace through the MOLLE webbing of the leg-panel.

How did I manage to do this? Well, any of you who have owned MOLLE of inferior quality know that there are three key features good MOLLE gear must have:

1. Strong stitching (on webbing and laces).
2. Quality snaps.
3. Quality snaps.

Yes, I realize two and three are the same.

The first time I separated the snaps on the dump pouch to attach it to the MOLLE panel, the snap broke.

Crap. Crap. Crap.

I expect this kind of shitty material from some no-name ACM-brand of cheap tactical gear, but not from Classic Army.  Some people tell me my faith in them (faith in their AEGs, primarily) is mis-placed, but I’ve always stuck with CA for most of my internals and base-guns in my project builds, and I’ve always had excellent results.  Outlasting guns I’ve built using Systema/Prometheus/Tokyo Marui internals in some cases.

Needless to say, this is the last time I buy anything gear-wise from Classic Army.  And I’ve never actively discouraged people from buying a product before, but I’ve got no problem starting now.  Don’t buy this crap unless you feel like replacing the snaps yourself.

I can only assume other MOLLE accessories from Classic Army are afflicted by the same crappy snaps.  Don’t buy them, there are much better alternatives to your tactical gear needs for roughly the same money.

Now, on to the Drop-leg panel.

There’s a few characteristics of a good base panel I look for.  This one met a few, but fails because of the ones it misses.

1. Strong stitching. PASS
   I don’t want my MOLLE webbing to rip off in the middle of an OP or game, possibly losing accessories or what lay inside them.
2. Rigidity. FAIL
   If I put an accessory (that’s right, ONE accessory) on the panel, I don’t want the entire panel buckling and folding because of it’s weight.
3. Thick, non-slip strapping. FAIL
   I get pretty bloody annoyed if I have to constantly shift & move the leg panel back into position every time I take a step.
4. Strong, and tightly adjustable buckles/fasteners. PASS & FAIL, but mostly FAIL
   It passes this one because the buckles were strong and fit together tightly.  It fails on the fact that the straps slide through the buckles, causing it to loosen as you move. BIG FAIL. So bloody annoying.
5. Conveniently adjustable height. FAIL
   I’m about average height for guy.  Six-foot one/two-inches.  Not a big guy, and not tiny – just right .  The height adjustment on this product was a velcro strap that wraps around your duty belt, and through a loop near the top of the leg-panel.  Adjusted to it’s highest (closest to the belt) “natural” position, the bottom of the panel sat just above my knee.  It constantly knocked my knee-pad around while I walked, and I eventually had to re-position it “artificially” by wrapping the strap around itself a few times before threading it through the panel’s loop.  This was jut poor design.

To make a long story short, I took the entire apparatus off about 20 minutes into the game, and all I had in the dump-pouch were two empty SR25 magazines.  Too much weight apparently.

I may give the drop-leg panel another chance once I find a way to improve it’s rigidity, but otherwise it’s going in the trash – or up for sale.  But I really can’t fathom putting another person through the hassle I’ve experienced with these two products.

So, take this opinion at face-value, but I strongly suggest you spend your hard-earned cash elsewhere.