Rig’mups Redux

First, a few pictures of the item this pouch is intended for, what I’ve always known as a rigger’s key.

In the hand, giving a sense of the size.

Several years ago I posted something about this pouch I had made several years before that.

The closure for it broke, namely the button.

Came up with a different approach. The button obviously proved the weak point, but getting the elastic through the slot in the skein proved to be a bit fiddly. Besides that, this approach meant that it could really only be mounted on the front of something to be able to open and close it. If I carry this, (and it is admittedly a tool that I haven’t so much use for), it will likely sit behind another pouch. I wanted something that would allow me to open and close it from the top, not the front.

Opted to sew two lengths of Mil-Spec elastic cord to it with a pull tab on each one. The cord is only under tension when it’s pulled up to release it. 

Front. Cords in place. The key is held in place very securely. 

 Front. Cords released. 

Back. Cords released.

Close up on the tabs. I only have to release one for me to be able to extract the key, but both open is a little easier.

Hanging upside down, no amount of shaking to and fro, no matter how forcefully, will release it.

Mounted behind a pouch.

 Tabs and cords pulled to the side.

Tool being extracted.

Part of me thinks I should have sewn tabs to the pouch and then secured the bungee cord to those tabs rather than to the pouch itself. If I have to replace it, that would make it easier. But the elastic is very good quality, they aren’t going to be yanked on dozens times a day, and really, if I have to replace the cord, I may just take a different approach and make a whole new pouch. But for the foreseeable future, this will work just fine.