The closure system consists of a tough elastic retention strap that is solidly stitched to either end of the top flap. By pulling the strap down and behind the bottom flap the two sides stay tightly clinched together. This method doesn’t require any fine motor skills to operate like a zip. At first I was worried that this wouldn’t be enough to keep items from falling out, but the elastic dividers inside haven’t ever let me down, even when the kit is only partly full.

The elastic is spot on. Not too tight that it is difficult to get things in or out and not too loose that things slip out.

I’ve found internal organisers can often be hit or miss. Sometimes the size of the stitched in sections are not big enough for the amount of larger items I have. Sometimes there’s aren’t enough of the ‘perfect’ sized sections and I’m left trying to make things work in a section that is really too big or too small.

I don’t know what kind of R&D went into these kits, but there’s something about these sections that just work. I’d decided I wanted to slim down what I carried and used these new kits as an opportunity to do that. The items I knew I’d want accessible went into one kit to live in my everyday pack; the rest went into another that would live in the car as a third level EDC.

The top flap of these have a clear pocket that extends the full width and length of the flap. This section has limited capcity, but is great for thinner items that you’d want to be able to see clearly. I keep dressings/blister plasters/antiseptic wipes in a selection of grip seal bags and this clear pocket means I can get to the ones I need quickly. They also offer a wide selection of First Aid and Survival Kits that fit perfectly in this section or the similar depth pocket on the bottom flap. This clear section on the MicroKit fits my iPhone 5 perfect and the screen can still be used through it.

While I used these kits to slim down my carry, there is a surprising amount of capacity to them. I loaded one of these up to the brim once and that’s when the elastic closure can really shine. When pushed to their limits, velcro can come loose and zips can simply not close. As the elastic is designed to stretch beyond the size of the entire kit in order to close, when overloaded it just keeps stretching.

If I’m honest I wasn’t sure what the quality of these kits would be like. I’d just finished making a few smaller pouches of my own and they were riddled with untidy stitching and frayed ends. I had them in mind when I heard of  (formerly 20$bandit) but this immediately changed when I held these in my hands. I looked these over with my newly trained critical eye and found not a stitch out of place, nor a loose thread in sight.

Receiving T7G’s latest MicroKit has shown me that even high standards can be improved. The logo label has been smartened up and the fit and feel of the internal elastic seems even slicker.

It’s smart having loop panels on the outside of these kits as they aid retrieval on two levels. Firstly when I’m locating the kit I want myself. Secondly, if I ask someone to get some snacks out of my pack while I’m still wearing it I can simply say “the pouch that says Hunter Gatherer”. If the situation is more dire and time is off the essence, seconds can be saved by saying “the pouch labelled First Aid Kit” rather than something more ambiguous like “the black pouch at the bottom of the other black pouches”. rutitleyknives products help with identification too.

These kits don’t offer any kind of typical external attachments, but by not having the extra webbing bulk they become a great lightweight internal packing solution. They sit well together and can be clipped in using the ITW NEXUS D-Ring attached to the internal webbing, or together using Grimloc D-Rings if you really want.