How much ammunition that’ll be needed during a self-defense encounter is an unknown variable. There are alleged statistics that say it may take three rounds to stop an attacker. That’s if those three shots are landed and there’s only one perpetrator. Having a spare magazine on hand for your everyday carry is important but can be a pain. I came across a product called the ExtraCarry® and it helps make carrying a spare magazine less onerous.
An everyday carry quandy
Everyday carry items can range from person to person, but at the end of the day, there’s only so many pockets and crevices we can stow items in. The ExtraCarry® magazine pouch is designed to clip to the outside of a pants pocket and house an extra magazine within. Clips on the ExtraCarry® look benign, sitting on the outside of the pocket as if they’re a clip from a flashlight or pocketknife.
The ExtraCarry® is considered a magazine “pouch.” This is an important distinction to make, as it’s not designed to be a retention device or to hold onto a magazine with great force. ExtraCarry® units act as a pocket within the pocket for magazines to sit in. When they’re needed to be deployed, just reach into the pocket housing the magazine and pluck it out. Your magazine is not wedged tightly into the pouch and depending on make, model, and tolerances, there might be some wiggle room in your particular unit.
Construction
The ExtraCarry® magazine pouches are designed to be ambidextrous. The material that the pouches are made of is a carbon fiber reinforced nylon. These have stout bodies, but do have a little give in them.
Attached to the ExtraCarry® pouch is a steel clip. Again, to the unknowing, the clip would look just like a clip on a pocketknife, tactical pen, or flashlight. The clip is springy enough to put a nice clamp on your pocket. A raised ledge underneath the upper part of the clip will put a bite into a pant’s pocket when it’s being pulled up on.
Available in various configurations
ExtraCarry® pouches come in different styles for different makes and models. I tried out some ExtraCarry® pouches for my Glock 43, Glock 26, and Ruger LCP. There’s a slew of models they support and there are some “universal” designs. The universal designs have tension screws that can be used to secure the dimensions of an individual pouch as needed.
The consensus
I consistently carried a spare magazine in an ExtraCarry® with my EDC for a couple of months and found the unit to be complementary to my needs. I actually would forget it’s there from time to time. Depending on how much stuff you stuff into your pocket, depends on how you’ll feel about using one of these. Carrying an extra magazine inside a pants pocket is not for everyone, but it’ll fit the needs of many.
I found the magazine to be very accessible when going through dry exercises with it. I did not find it to interfere too much with anything else that I carry in my pocket, but yes, you have to work around it if you’re trying to get something at the bottom.
The quick and dirty
Pluses: Discrete. Made in the U.S. 30 day money back guarantee. Limited lifetime warranty.
Minuses: Not exorbitantly priced, but not modest either, at $55.00 per unit.
Out of the spare magazine carriers I have, the ExtraCarry® is the one I use the most. It fits well for my needs and makes having an extra magazine on hand non-cumbersome. I’d recommend this product for those in search of a solution for carrying an extra magazine. I will note that in my opinion, these devices are best suited for shorter magazines, as these do go into your pocket. There was thought that went into these simple solutions and they’re a worthwhile product to try out.
If you use the code THESQUAREREVIEWS at checkout, you’ll receive free shipping on your order and we’ll get a commission! If you prefer, this product is also offered on Amazon.
