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When my buddies and I discuss matters such as self defense, I have the privilege of sharing with them (and you!) the insights gained from testing a lot of gear. In fact, not many days go by before I do a pocket dump and the friends and I engage in some robust discussion about concealed carry and such. We take self defense seriously and enjoy frank, good-hearted conversations about all our various every day carry tools — affectionately known as our pocket protectors.
Two tools getting some recent air time with my peeps include a Nightstick Mini-Tac Pro and a NeoMag, a pocket magazine holster.
Ah, the pocket flashlight. While I love weapon-mounted lasers and lights, sometimes I want a tough, bright, and handy light with me at all times. Separate from the weapon light. One that clips on to just about anything and can take a beating. Or deliver one, if necessary.
Nightstick’s Mini-Tac Pro requires one AA battery which powers a CREE LED, good for 50,000 hours. It’s made from aircraft-grade 6061-T6 aluminum, so it’s tough and light weight. Easy to hold on to and waterproof, the Mini-Tac sports a crenelated bezel and offers three user-selectable brightness settings and a strobe feature. That’s a lot for a light you can buy for less than $30.
And then there’s the matter of carrying a reload. When the reload is a magazine, sometimes I just drop it in my weak side pocket because I don’t want to fuss with a magazine holster. But the magazine moves around a lot, jockeys for position with my phone, and so on. Sure would be nice if it stayed in one place, rounds pointing forward, ready to be deployed if needs be.
NeoMag (retail $44.99) offers a handy means of carrying a spare magazine. Basically a magnetic holder with a pocket clip, NeoMag attaches to a magazine and allows you to carry the magazine in your pocket, straight and steady, while the pocket clip looks like you’re carrying a knife. I had NeoMag doing its thing with a Nighthawk Custom 1911 magazine. Once I got it attached and situated in my pocket, NeoMag held the magazine there but quickly relinquished it when I wanted.
What are your favorite pocket protectors?
— Mark Kakkuri
