Not in Love with Grimlocs

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And I know I’m supposed to be. It’s good design. The little captures for 1″ MOLLE keep them in place properly (but sticking out). Breakaway is potentially a good thing. But that’s about where the affair ends.

I recently picked up a TAD Litespeed (which I AM in love with) and saw some suggestions on a thread elsewhere for Web Dominators and Grimlocs. Went ahead and ordered some of each and the Dominators are fine to brilliant, depending on placement, but the Grimlocs I just haven’t gotten behind.

On the Litespeed I currently have 6: 2 at the bottom of each shoulder strap.below the built in rings; 2 on each said, top row of MOLLE; and two on the bottom, center of that set of MOLLE. The bottom ones are there to lash whatever to (not that I couldn’t lash something directly to the 1″) and haven’t been used. The sides and straps have been used for gloves and water bottles, and there is my problem.

Forget for a moment that I am tremendously adverse to any ‘biner I can’t climb on, as I don’t really view a Grimloc as a ‘biner anyway, they just really aren’t a one handed kind of thing for me. Yes, I can manipulate them with gloves, but on the bottom of the strap samples if I want to clip a Nalgene on through the lid loop while wearing gloves I:
Press button with hand A, Open with hand B
Grab bottle with whichever hand, thread loop onto d-ring, and keep hand in place to support/guide bottle
Close d-ring with free hand, then shift up to push button and press d-ring last bit closed

This is especially awkward when I want to connect the Nalgene when the pack is on, such as when I’ve just taken a swig out of it.

Most of the bullet points of a Grimloc (IR, heating, sand resistance, whatever) don’t have much-to-any impact on my life. Gloves or no gloves they seem to be a 2-handed operation for me, and a wire-gate is 1-handed most of the time.

So somebody sell me, cost aside is there any real reason to stick with the Grimlocs?

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