One load bearing innovation is slowly getting into tactical gear products being made in the USA. The Helium Whisper design made by Blue Force Gear promises a more refined attachment backing than the existing MOLLE system that all airsoft players are familiar with. What's more? Helium Whisper minimises points of failure in the attachment backing than this system eliminating the number of parts of the MOLLE backing from 27 parts to just 6 parts in a double M4 magazine pouch.

So what's very significant about this? For serious airsoft players and real world soldiers see this as a significant reduction in weight, as Helium Whisper reduces the weight of a double M4 magazine pouch by almost half. Now, use the same Helium Whisper attachment backing to all the pouches that you normally attach to your vest, and the benefit of reduced weight become even more obvious. When speed is of the essence in an airsoft game or a real world mission, lesser weight means faster movement, and speed can be a matter of life or death (or a trip to the respawn area if we talk about airsoft).

How did Blue Force Technology achieve this? The secret seems simple, they created their patent-pending one-piece back panels for their new MOLLE attachment system with the material used is a highly durable laminate that was cut to "exacting tolerances." CNC cutting helps in assuring that such tolerances are achieved. The one piece backing means lesser parts that the pouches with Helium Whisper are hard to break, whereas existing MOLLE pouches' backing are said to be weak due to different parts that are sewn to form these. The metal snaps can break or bend thus weakening their hold to the pouch when attached. Blue Force Gear say that dragging a downed or injured mate usually makes one immediately make the easiest hold --- the pouch since it's the most exposed part in any armour or vest system. Thus, when the metal snaps "snap off" your hold also fails, losing precious time in moving your mate to a safer place and since these are metal, they can also be secondary fragmentation threats that can make injuries worse. With Helium Whisper, the snaps are replaced " tucked under hook and loop" that already in their Ten-Speed line of tactical gear.

The rigid straps of existing MOLLE back straps make it hard also to insert in mis-sewn MOLLE loops whilst Helium Whisper can tolerate such and its back strap are also flexible enough to be folded, helping save space when storing the pouches away. More so, the back straps of Helium Whisper can be easily repaired in the field whilst the old MOLLE back straps when damaged are hard to repair when broken.

Are pouches with Helium Whisper already available? Yes, they are now in most pouches that are commonly used in vest and body armour systems, from chest rigs to plate carriers are reasonably priced. Blue Force Gear is also open to licensing their technology to other gear makers. In fact they have just recently signed an agreement with Velocity Systems which have for their clients, top tier units according to Gear Scout. But for now, your main source of Helium Whisper backed pouches will be Blue Force Gear until more tactical gear makers license their technology.

Here is a review of the Blue Force 10 Speed Mag Pouch by M7 Airsoft to see for yourself: