21 Jan Reconbrothers Templar’s Gear CPC Front Panel Pre-sets
Reconbrothers Templar’s Gear CPC Front Panel Pre-sets
Getting a Convenient setup that works for you takes time, testing & experience. With this blog we’ll try to ease up a part of that process by solely focusing us on front panels.
In order to do this, we came up with certain quick attachable “pre-set” front panels that are entirely constructed of Templar’s Gear products. So, in this blog we’ll show what different panels we have come up with and we’ll share the thought processes that went into them.
But before we dig into this subject, make sure to subscribe to our blog page by filling in the form. Also Make sure to visit our Youtube Channel by clicking the button. Have a look at our store shop.reconbrothers.com for your quality tactical stuff. And obviously here you can find the front panels which we’ll talk about in this blog.
Intro
Purpose of a front panel & the problem
For starters what do you need on a front panel? Well, in our eyes it is mainly meant to carry items that you need in an instance or utilize the most. This sounds pretty simple, but we know that in practice it can be difficult to setup something like this that works for you with the limited available space you have got.
Our solution
So my brother and I pulled our heads together to work out some setups with different purposes such that either you don’t need to think too much about a front panel. Or just to show some examples and give you some ideas on the thought process that goes into making these.
When designing these pre-sets we aimed to keep a few things in mind. Here we’re talking about item fitment, user convenience and the maximum utilization of panel space while maintaining a compact profile.
Just so you know, we’ve had quite a lot of ideas. Most of them worked and some were a total failure after testing. And thus we eventually scrapped those of the list.
Used brand
The pre-sets we have created are all made with Templar’s Gear products and are therefore available in all their current fifteen different colors and patterns, so more than enough choice.
Furthermore, all the pre-sets are build with the Templar’s Gear CPC standard front panel as a base and thus they fit on all the CPC plate carriers. Obviously, the advantage of working with this quick attachable panel is that you can quickly change to different setups whenever you need without doing all the MOLLE work again.
Options we considered
When designing these, we have mainly worked with AR, AK and slim submachine mag pouches for the MP5 for example. We’ve also added pistol mag pouches to some pre-sets as well.
The selection of mag pouches on these panels can either all be retained or non-retained or a combo of the two. This gives you options to have all fast accessible pouches or all well-retained pouches or some that are fast accessible while others are retained.
As for the amount of mags you can carry on these different front panels, we created different setups going from 2 up to a maximum of 4 AR or SMG mags and the pistol mags can go from 0 up to 2 mags max.
In addition to mag pouches, we also covered combinations with utility, smoke and flashbang pouches. Here the utility and smoke versions will always be a single one since they are pretty big and the flashbang version is always double to fill the entire panel.
Used Pouches
The various pouches we have used for these setups are the TG Fast Rifle Mag Pouch which can be used for both AR and AK mags. The TG Double Fast Rifle Mag Pouch with the same mag compatibility but double. The TG Double Magazine Pouch AR Gen 3 and also the AK version and the TG Shingle AR/AK Gen 3 for bungee retained systems for all AR mag only systems.
As for the SMG setups, we only used the TG Machine Pistol PM-SLIM Gen 3 which are the retained versions. We also tried the fast mag versions, but they just couldn’t fit next to each other due to the Kydex lips taking up too much space.
For pistol mags solely, we have used the TG Fast Pistol Mag Pouch and for a combo with the AR mags, we have used the TG Fast Rifle & Pistol Mag Pouch.
And at last for the carrying of grenades and general utilities, we have used the TG Utility Pouch MOLLE S, the TG Smoke Grenade Pouch and the TG Flashbang Pouch.
Now, in a bit we are going to cover the different front panel pre-sets we designed and made available over our shop, but first we want to share our general thought process that went into making these.
Thought Process Front Panels
First to say is that we don’t like bulky gear and tried to keep that in mind. Even though we’re sometimes talking about a panel with two layers on top of each other, they will never exceed the thickness of a filled utility or smoke pouch. This so it’s never too obstructing when going in a prone position.
Secondly, we designed these in such a way that mags are always as much as possible to the left which is to most people their non-dominant side. This so that mag accessibility is a logic process.
The right side of the panel we dedicated more towards the placement of utility and grenade pouches, since whenever you have to grab for something like this, you’ll always need to use both hands anyway.
And thirdly, if we have used fast accessible pouches, those will be prioritized to the left as well. Because those speed reloads have to happen quickly with as less obstructions as possible.
Now as just mentioned, these setups are build for right-dominant shooters, so if you’re a leftie you simply have to mirror the setup. A last thing to mention, is that we have given them names, so that they are easy distinguishable.
That said, let’s jump over to our panels starting with the full magazine versions first.
The Front Panel Pre-sets
AR/AK Mag Panels
Ammo Dog
Probably the most simple pre-set is what we’ve called the “Ammo Dog”. It is a very slim setup built entirely with fast accessible AR or AK pouches which makes it easy to grab and to re-insert those magazines.
Just so you know, we also tried this with TG their Double Fast Rifle Mag Pouches and that one didn’t work out at all. Since the weight of so many magazines, just pulls everything in a very inconvenient position. So we scrapped that one.
Compact Merc
Going a bit more complex, we have the “Compact Merc”. Here we thought, since a fully bungee retained panel of Templar’s Gear already exists and we just showed the “Ammo Dog” as its exact opposite, it would be interesting to have a hybrid as well.
And that’s what the “Compact Merc” is for. So here you have two out of the three mags retained and the left one is quickly accessible.
Mag Master
Next we come to the “Mag Master” and with this one we tried to maximize the ammo count, but not that the panel starts to do uncomfortable stuff. So here we have two fast accessible rifle and pistol mags on the left side and one double fast rifle mag pouch on the right side.
So here you basically have the option to quickly grab a pistol or rifle mag twice and the mags on the right act as buffers.
Mag Manager
Out of this pre-set we also created a version called the “Mag Manager”. This one has a flap mag pouch for those two buffer mags on the right side of the panel. This one is available for both AR and AK mags.
Next we come to pre-sets where we started to add the utility and grenade pouches to the panels.
Utility/Grenade & AR/AK Mag Panels
Taskmaster
The first in this category is the “Taskmaster”. On the left, this one features a double rifle mag pouch to allow for that quick access. On its right side we’ve placed the utility pouch and at its center you get the option to either go for a smoke or a double flashbang pouch.
Why the last two in this order? Well, simply because if you place the utility at the center it’s quite difficult to open up the zippers. So, this pre-set only allows you to carry two magazines on your front panel, but you can carry lots of other useful stuff.
Raid Hog
Next up we come to a similar version that allow you to carry more magazines, four in fact. This one we called the “Raid Hog” and is constructed in the same way as the previous panel, but the center pouch is replaced with an AR or AK flap mag pouch.
And with this one, the utility pouch can now be replaced by the smoke version or the 2 flashbang ones. So, this one has quite a lot of options open for you to choose what fits your needs best.
Now, why did we opt to go for a flap mag pouch at the center? Well, here we tried to place another double fast rifle pouch, but due to the plastic parts touching each other it was all a bit too tight and forced against each other. So, the flap mag was a nice alternate that still allows to carry a total of 4 magazines.
Sweep Chief & Sweep Master
Going further we come to the “Sweep Chief” and “Sweep Master”. With these we basically built on the previous idea, but instead of carrying four AR mags, we replaced the left double rifle one with a fast rifle and pistol one.
This since we believe carrying a pistol mag up there can be pretty convenient as well in our experience, especially with tactical reloads.
What is the difference between the “Sweep Chief” and the “Sweep Master” then? Well, one features a double fast rifle mag pouch while the other has a double flap mag pouch. And these have been made available for both the AR and the AK version. And just as with the previous setups, you can choose to get a utility, smoke or double flashbang version on the right side of the panel.
Speed Addict
The next pre-set is what we’ve called the “Speed Addict”. Here we’ve left the option to choose a utility or grenade pouch on the right side of the panel, but we’ve replaced the two other spots with fast rifle and pistol mag pouches.
It only allows you to carry 2 rifle mags, but it does allow you to carry 2 pistol mags as well.
Riot Bull
The next one uses this same principal, but instead of using fast rifle and pistol mag pouches, we opted for a more retained system with 2 shingle AR/AK pouches. The pistol pouches we left fast accessible with the fast pistol mag pouches.
Combat Fox
Going further, we come to the last of the rifle versions which is called the “Combat Fox”. What we did here was we basically took the “Riot Bull”, which we just covered, and replaced the left spot with a fast rifle and pistol mag pouch. So you get a fast accessibility to both the rifle and pistol mag on that side of the panel.
Next we come to the SMG panels and these are not that many, just two in fact, because they allow to carry double the amount of ammo with every spot a rifle mag would take. So, there’s no need to play as much in setup options.
SMG Mag Panels
Sub Runner
The first here is what we have called the “Sub Runner”. This is a pretty simple setup that allows you to carry four bungee retained SMG mags, all positioned on the left. On the right side you again get the option to carry a utility, smoke or two flashbang pouches.
Duty Jackal
The very last front panel pre-set we have created is what’s called the “Duty Jackal” and for this one we have replaced the two center SMG pouches of the previous setup with the choice to go for a smoke or a double flashbang option.
This gives you the same abilities as the “Task Master” rifle setup but for now for SMGs.
Thanks for reading our blog
“Reconbrothers Templar’s Gear CPC Front Panel Pre-sets”
Hope this blog gave you some clarity on this subject and we hope you have become a bit wiser by reading it.
And that guys, was it when it comes to the current available front panels we have created. If you are interested in one of these, you can find them in all the current fifteen available colors through our store shop.reconbrothers.com.
In the meantime we’re also working on creating pre-set back panels which will certainly also be interesting and you can expect a video about them with their explanation in near future as well.
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