If you’re anything like me, you’re always on the lookout for new and interesting tactical gear, that improves on your current set up. In this Agilite Micro MAP Assault Panel review, I’ve found it to be a tremendously flexible addition to any plate carrier setup. In this article I will cover all the details for the Agilite Micro MAP Assault panel, and give you a few tips for setting it up correctly. Keep reading for more.
In my experience, assault panels tend to look cool, but aren’t exactly as useful as you think. Quite often they only work with with certain manufacturers, or need proprietary zippers to actually use it. This is not the case with the Agilite Micro MAP . It has ton’s of available space in a very small foot print. It really comes in handy, provided you have some free rear MOLLE space.
I was contacted a few months back by Agilite to see if I was interested in evaluating this rear assault panel. I agreed because I had a great experience with the Agilite K-Zero Plate Carrier, which I used to evaluate this back panel. In the interest of full disclosure, they did provide me with this piece of gear for free, but did not pay for a review.
I have no qualms about telling you something stinks if it doesn’t cut the mustard. Luckily, that isn’t the case for this high quality back panel. Here’s a quick overview.
Agilite Micro MAP Assault Panel Review
- Price $149.90 as of this writing
- Highly recommend that you add on the 3 Liter Hydration Bladder
- Can be attached to any plate carrier with MOLLE webbing providing and extra layer of storage
- Very sturdy beavertail dropdown flap, for holding heavy breaching gear, helmets, and more
- Beaver tail max volume – 8 liters
- Main compartment volume – 3 liters
Over the years I’ve tried many different styles of micro assault packs, back panels, as well as plane old GP MOLLE pouches. All of these systems have their benefits and drawbacks for short raids / assaults that require a limited amount of additional carrying capacity. However, I think this assault panel is the best of it’s kind that I’ve tested.
The best part of this panel, is the ability to attach it to any plate carrier. While this doesn’t make it quick to remove, it does provide for a very sturdy attachment point. I found that it could hold 20-30 pounds worth of gear quite easily, provided that you set it up correctly. Let’s get to the full review. Before we do that don’t forget to put your email below so you don’t miss any awesome articles.
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Agilite Micro MAP Assault Panel
When searching for plate carrier storage solutions, the first thing you need to ask yourself is what do you need the piece of gear to do? If you only need a bit of extra storage, for very short missions, then a pouch or two works well. If you need something more than that, then a back panel is your go to option.
The Micro Map is designed as a minimalist, low profile assault panel, with straight forward organization. It features a large full width pouch that holds their proprietary hydration bladder. It contains 3 liters of water due to the bladder’s unique shape.
While I didn’t test this bladder, I am looking forward to trying it out, as it’s the first tactical hydration bladder design that doesn’t bulge off the back of the plate carrier. This low profile construction makes sitting in vehicles and maneuvering in confined spaces much easier. Unfortunately, it doesn’t come with the panel. It’s an optional extra.
The Micro MAP also features upper and lower zippered pouches (YKK zippers) for convenient organization of smaller items, and an expandable cargo flap / stowable beavertail that allows you to carry bulky items like helmets, breaching gear, and long guns. This helps you carry a wide range of additional gear on most SAPI plate carriers.
Overall I was impressed with the build quality and thoughtful design. The cargo flap can be stowed, and there is a lot of exterior MOLLE, that allows you to customize this back panel even more. It really is surprising how much gear your can store in this exceptionally compact package.
The best part about it is that it has zero footprint, and zero bulk when you remove the Agilite 3 Liter SAPI hydration bladder, and gear from the panel. In the next section I’ll review some of my impressions, and setup recommendations.
Agilite Micro MAP Setup
During my testing I found that this rear panel fit its intended roll well. However, it does suffer from the most common drawback for this type of panel. You can’t stow the gear, or access it without someone else helping out. The other option would be taking off the plate carrier to access the back panel.
The plate carrier has an extendable lower pocket that is meant to store longer items like rifles, and bolt cutters. They’ve installed a heavy duty bungee system to help retain the pouch when stowed. It seems adequate for that purpose, but does catch on the equipment, making it difficult to remove. You can adjust it so it catches less, but I think that is one design area in need of improvement.
I would also recommend bungee retention on the upper MOLLE section for some tools or long guns. You can see in the photo that I was able to put in my 10.5 Inch LWRC with the LAW Folder. It fit nicely, however, it would flop from side to side when moving aggressively. This would be solved with a simple bungee to retain the rifle.
Lastly, I really liked this setup up with Blue Force Gear Triple M4 mag pouches (Amazon Affiliate Link). These pouches offer great flexibility. I found that when mounted high on the back panel, I could access the mags myself, without much issue. Because these pouches are elastic, you could just as easily store flash bangs, flexi-cuffs, or other useful team gear in those pouches, due to their flexibility.
It’s also important to highlight the complete pass-through feature for storing even longer items, like this Jersey Claw breaching tool. It was a snug fit, sliding the tool in behind the assault panel, but it did keep it from moving around.
Like much of the other gear, you won’t be able to replace the tool without help from a team mate. This is fine if you have a mechanical tool that you only use occasionally, but it would be annoying if you had a lot of mechanical breaching, that required replacing the tool often.
I also think that you could use a swift clip placard to make quick setup changes on the panel if you don’t want to use dedicated mag pouches. Next let’s finish up this Agilite Micro MAP assault panel review and get to my final thoughts.
Final Thoughts
I think this assault panel is a great piece of equipment, as long as you understand it’s limitations as a sustainment system. It’s best used as a hydration carrier, or as storage for equipment that you only occasionally need access to.
It has built-in admin pockets and cable management channels to secure your gear. If you have equipment that you need to use all the time, then you’re better off with something like a smaller assault pack, with traditional straps.
I think breachers, and snipers could really benefit from this back panel, as they often carry additional tools that they don’t use all the time, but must have with them. The good news for you is that Agilite Micro MAP comes in various colors (ranger green, multicam etc), and has a lot of positive reviews already.
If you need additional storage on your plate carrier, with diverse capabilities, then you can’t go wrong with this assault panel. Don’t forget to add your email address below. Now get out there and get training!
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