PRODUCT REVIEW:
Grey Man Tactical Horizontal Cargo Area Gear Panel
The Scoop
Grey Man Tactical’s 27.25 x 19 RMP Horizontal Cargo Area Gear Panel provides a rigid platform for modular organization. Initially designed for the inside of a Pelican case lid, this setup also gives you a place to stow a wide variety of accessories, MOLLE pouches, gear, and even a rifle onto your UTV. The panel is ultra-interchangeable, meaning that once you’ve mounted it in a secure spot—we bolted ours to the back screen on a Kawasaki Mule—you can organize your gear in an endless variety of configurations. The base price is $120. For $40 extra, you can get 48” mounting straps for quick on/off of the entire panel, and an additional $70 gets you rubber rifle mount clamps that use GMT’s ingenious little backer plates. There are quarter inch holes on the panel for mounting screws (sold separately).
The Verdict
The beauty of the Grey Man Tactical Horizontal Cargo Area Gear Panel is that you can customize it however you like. Prior to installation in our UTV—which is primarily used as a ranch vehicle—we had a hodgepodge of tools and accessories floating around the Mule’s glovebox, cup holder, and behind the seat. The GMT Gear Panel gave us one place to strap everything, and really cleaned up the clutter in the process. Because this is a work vehicle, we opted to utilize a variety of MOLLE pouches (not included) for things like a flashlight, first aid kit, tourniquet, and utility bag for gloves and such. The one major downside to hard-mounting the panel via bolts is that once it’s fully tightened down, it’s next to impossible to weave the MOLLE straps through—we were glad that we opted to secure the top edge, THEN the pouch straps, only bolting the bottom edge when we were happy with the layout.
On that note, where you put the pouches is fairly important; the last thing you want when barreling down a rough road is to have a rigid piece of gear smacking you in the back of the head. This was only an issue with the stock of the rifle, which was remedied for the passenger by simply stowing the firearm upside-down. You also need to be mindful that you leave a little space for the driver look through when checking over his/her right shoulder, as the addition of too many pouches can decrease visibility somewhat.
Our favorite thing about this panel is, without question, the rigidity. Even with heavier items in the pouches, there is no sagging and little to no movement of gear; we wouldn’t hesitate to install this same setup in a sport UTV. At first, we were concerned that the items would get wet in a heavy rain, but multiple downpours have revealed that the existing vehicle roof is more than enough to keep things from getting damp. We also can’t say enough good things about the rubber rifle clamps, which are secure as can be yet super accessible—pulling the gun out of the UTV when parking it each night is in no way a chore. Remember, if you do carry a rifle, it’s important to be mindful; depending upon how high you choose to mount it, securing the rifle in a horizontal orientation (as ours is) can lead to unintentional muzzling of those around your vehicle.
When it comes to durability, the panel may as well be indestructible, with no evident cracking or flexing anywhere despite months of hard use with a good bit of weight being hung from it. We put a wrench on the mounting bolts from time-to-time, but otherwise don’t pay it much mind at all. The configuration pictured here is simply our preferred setup; depending upon what UTV you have and where you want your gear, the options are pretty much endless—we could picture a Cargo Area Gear Panel going on the seat backs of a four-seater, being strapped to a spare, or cleverly mounted to a roll cage. Check the Grey Man Tactical website for additional panel sizes and mounting options as well.
Overall, this is a clever, well thought-out product that has a vast array of applications. Yes, there’s a bit of sticker shock when you first see the price, but considering the incredible durability (along with the fact that it’s 100% made in the USA), and we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to a buddy.
PRICE: $190 (with rubber rifle mount clamps)
CONTACT: (985) 290-3161; www.greymantactical.com
