Jason Merrill 
I’ve decided to start a series of “featured gear” posts, which will highlight pieces of gear I enjoy using but don’t really warrant a full review. Example: the MLD cuben zip pouch. It’s a nice piece of gear and I use it quite a bit, but how much is there really to say about a zip pouch? It’s well made, rectangular shape, cuben fiber (Dyneema), zipper closure, holds a bunch of stuff… end of review.
My ditty bag has varied over the years but most commonly I have used a gallon size Ziploc bag. That works great, it’s cheap, readily available from a variety of stores, durable and quite water resistant. So is a cuben fiber zip pouch that costs $12 really necessary? Of course not. If you like using Ziploc bags then keep using them, they are a great storage/organization solution. I only decided to pick up the MLD zip pouch purely on a whim. I was ordering a couple other items from MLD and decided at the last minute to add a pouch to my cart. What’s another twelve bucks?
MLD offers two sizes in the zip pouch: medium and large. I went with the large as the medium seemed a bit small for my intended use. The large is advertised at 7.5” x 10” and weighing 12 grams. The one I received is 7 ¼” x 10” and weighs 13 grams w/out the included mini biner. Note: my gallon Ziploc weighs 12 grams.
Specs from MLD:
- 1.5oz sq/yd Tough Cuben Fiber
- #3 YKK Water Resistant Zipper
- Includes Mini Biner
- Double Stitched Seams
- Dual Hang Loops
What I like: Construction is top notch. Anyone who has owned an MLD product knows they have some of the highest quality production of any cottage company out there. The wide opening is very convenient, no more blindly digging around or dumping everything out just to find something. The flat envelope shape allows it to slide easily into the center mesh pocket on my pack, without being too bulky.
What I would change: Nothing. I removed the mini-biner and cut off the tag but that is just personal preference.
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