Most tactical gear companies start with a product idea. Forge Concepts started with a problem. Founded by active duty and veteran operators, the brand describes itself as "Solutions Focused™" — and that is not marketing copy. It is a description of a process. Before a Forge Concepts product goes to market it has been identified as a genuine gap, developed in collaboration with an active end user test and evaluation group, and validated in real operational environments. The company makes everything in the United States of American materials to Berry Compliance, and it shows in both construction quality and in how tightly each product addresses its intended purpose.
The product line is deliberately focused. Forge Concepts does not make a product for every category of tactical gear. It makes targeted solutions for specific problems that existing options have not adequately solved. Geartown is an authorised European distributor of Forge Concepts, bringing the full product line to operators across the EU without import complications or extended wait times.
The Charlie System
The foundation of the Forge Concepts pouch line is the Charlie Pass Through™ System — a proprietary design feature that runs through every pouch and panel in the Charlie family and fundamentally changes what a MOLLE pouch can carry. Most conventional pouches offer a single storage volume accessed from the top. The Charlie Pass Through™ adds a second, fully independent storage zone built into the front of the pouch that opens both horizontally from the side and vertically from the top.
When the pass-through is empty it lays completely flat, maintaining the pouch's low profile. When loaded, it provides a dedicated retention and storage area that is completely separate from the main pocket. The pass-through interior is loop-lined and accepts inserts from the Rigid Insert System, wing pouches, and any hook-backed accessory. Internal tie-down points provide additional retention for irregular items. The Charlie Pass Through™ also doubles as a horizontal MOLLE mounting point, and every Charlie pouch includes a belt pass-through on the rear for mounting to any standard belt without MOLLE columns.
Charlie Pouch Wide
The Charlie Pouch Wide is the flagship general purpose pouch and the most versatile item in the Forge Concepts line. It provides three completely independent storage areas: a loop-lined main pocket large enough to carry EUDs, drone controllers, goggles, comms equipment, medical kits, and breaching equipment; an expandable front pocket for soft goods; and the Charlie Pass Through™ across the front for initiators, tools, or zip cuffs. A pull tab closure provides fast one-handed access. The interior is fully loop-lined and compatible with the complete Rigid Insert System. Charlie Zippers can be added to convert the pass-through to a fully closed admin pouch.
Charlie 5.56 Pouch
The Charlie 5.56 Pouch is the lightest and lowest-profile entry in the Charlie family — a single-cell elastic magazine pouch with the Charlie Pass Through™ integrated across the front. The elastic main cell retains standard 5.56 magazines as well as tools, tourniquets, and initiators. Integrated bungee retention tabs double as tie-down points and each cell accepts any hook-backed flap on the market. The pass-through adds independent horizontal storage with loop lining compatible with the Rigid Insert System. Belt pass-through included for non-MOLLE mounting.
Charlie 7.62 Pouch
The Charlie 7.62 Pouch follows the same architecture as the 5.56 variant but is dimensioned for 7.62 magazines and items up to smoke grenade size. The wider elastic cell accommodates larger-format items while the Charlie Pass Through™ provides the same independent horizontal storage. For DMR, GPMG, and CSASS roles, or for any operator who carries larger-format items in an elastic cell, the Charlie 7.62 is the right platform.
Charlie Double 5.56 Pouch
The Charlie Double 5.56 Pouch scales the single-cell format to a double-cell configuration while keeping the Charlie Pass Through™ running across the full width of the front. Two elastic cells retain magazines side by side. The pass-through is compatible with Charlie Zippers and the full Rigid Insert System. Each cell accepts hook-backed flaps. Rear MOLLE tabs extend for carrier mounting. For operators who want a compact double-mag solution with genuine second-zone storage, the Charlie Double replaces two separate pouches with a single integrated platform.
Charlie Panel
The Charlie Panel is the highest-capacity format in the Charlie family — a triple-cell elastic magazine panel with the Charlie Pass Through™ running across the full width of the front. Three elastic cells retain magazines in parallel while the wide pass-through provides a full-width storage zone for maps, admin items, initiators, or tools. Fully loop-lined interior, compatible with Charlie Zippers, Rigid Insert System inserts, and hook-backed wing pouches. Both a hook-loop attachment zone and a Viper Tab channel are included on the front. The natural choice for operators building a placard around the Charlie system.
Charlie Flap
The Charlie Flap is an adjustable elastic retention flap for the entire Charlie line and any loop-based surface. It uses SquadronB52® laminate on friction points for superior durability, and a height-adjustable design that retains items ranging from small initiators to large-capacity magazines. Available in a Hook variant that attaches to any loop surface, and a Viper Tab variant that slots silently into MOLLE or PALS webbing — including the dedicated Viper Tab channel on all Charlie pouches and panels.
Starlink Mini Bag
The Starlink Mini Bag is a purpose-built carry and protection solution for the Starlink Mini and Starlink Mini X — a piece of technology that has become mission-relevant for military, law enforcement, and SAR teams but was never designed for field environments. The bag uses a removable CURV® impact plate combined with a removable 6mm high-density foam panel for multi-layer protection that is NIR compliant and adds minimal weight. Integrated cable management, kickstand support in stowed and deployed positions, and a Multimount panel on the exterior that accepts Rigid Insert System components for organising accessories, cables, and batteries.
The critical operational feature is seamless use: the Starlink Mini operates at full performance directly inside the bag without removal. It can be mounted to a vehicle rack, pack frame, or field position and left running continuously — the power cable routes through a protected channel, the antenna faces out correctly, and the kickstand deploys inside the bag for the correct operating angle. Available in Multicam, Ranger Green, Black, Coyote Brown, and Hi-Vis Orange — the orange variant suited to SAR, maritime, and civilian emergency response where rapid visual location of the unit matters.
The Rigid Insert System
The Rigid Insert System is a family of hook-backed, rigid-frame elastic inserts that attach to any loop surface and provide customisable retention for a much wider range of items than fixed loop lining allows. The key material is CURV® — a NIR-compliant thermoplastic composite plate that prevents the hook from pulling away from the loop surface under tension, a failure mode common in soft elastic inserts. Every insert is Berry Compliant and NIR compliant.
The Loopsert holds magazines, EUDs, batteries, medical supplies, and munitions — available in Standard (10 × 7.5 cm, 15g) and Large (15 × 7.5 cm, 22g). The Multisert uses a multi-layer construction to layer different items within the same pouch cell. The Bangsert is built for flash bangs, 37mm and 40mm grenades, with each loop stretching to 57mm diameter across a compatibility list covering Mk13, Mk20, Mk24, M84, IWA, CTS, TRMR, and ALS series munitions.
TNT Pouch™ and Breaching Tool Retention Cover
The TNT Pouch™ addresses the lack of a good carry solution for tubular nylon — a tool carried widely across military and law enforcement yet typically carried either in a slow-access zippered bag or rubber-banded directly to the carrier. The hybrid MOLLE and dangler configuration pouch holds tubular nylon in a protected, snag-resistant format with fast one-handed access. It also carries breaching tools and explosive charges, and is directly compatible with the Breaching Tool Retention Cover which secures Halligan bars and bolt cutters against the outside of the pouch.
Retention and Organisation
The Night Vision Battery Pack Retainer provides 360-degree jumpable retention for all major battery pack types on any helmet platform, developed directly from a unit requirement. The Holster Leg Strap replaces fixed-webbing leg straps with a webbing-and-elastic hybrid with swivel-point grommet, compatible with all major Safariland and True North Concepts systems. The Utility Hook provides a secure gate-closed mounting point for gloves and chem lights without covering MOLLE webbing. Routing Tabs manage cable runs across shoulder pads and carriers. Zipper Silencers replace noisy hard pulls with silent paracord. Chem Keepers organise chem lights on keychain cables for single-pull deployment.
Why Forge Concepts
The thread connecting every product in the Forge Concepts line is the same: a documented problem, a structured development process involving active operators, and a manufacturing standard that does not compromise on material quality or country of origin. The brand identifies specific gaps, builds a better solution, and validates it under real operational conditions. For European operators, Geartown provides direct EU access to the full Forge Concepts line from the Netherlands — no import delays, no customs complications.
