We all have various pieces of gear that we keep in our vehicles. That gear may be for navigation, EDC, survival, or even just convenience. If all of that gear ends up piled into your glove box or center console, then it isn’t very useful to you. Gear is most useful when it is stored in a place that is easily accessed and well organized. Some gear, like seat belt cutters or glass breakers, are completely useless unless they are immediately accessible. Keeping your vital gear accessible and organized is the exact purpose of the MOLLE Visor Panel (MVP) from Zulu Nylon Gear (ZNG).
Overview
The MVP is a 12″x6″ wrap around panel that can be adapted to fit nearly any vehicle’s sun visor. The panel adjusts to fit the sun visor via 3 large hook and loop tabs that provide several inches worth of adjustment. One side of the panel features 2 deep slot pockets and the other side has 3 rows by 8 columns of MOLLE webbing.
The MOLLE webbing side looks like any other MOLLE panel until you take a closer look. There are a couple of surprises on this panel that make it far more versatile than any other panel on the market. You will find loop material in between the MOLLE rows and the upper and lower MOLLE webbing rows are actually made from heavy duty elastic! These two additions allow the panel to accept more than just MOLLE pouches. The loop material allows you to attach hook backed pouches or patches. The elastic MOLLE rows make it easy to stow small items securely, even without a pouch! The number of items that can be attached to this panel in one way or another will boggle your mind.
The panel also features sets of elastic webbing loops in 3 locations that are useful for securing items like flashlights or chem-lights. There are 2 sets of 2 loops on each end of the MOLLE panel and a set of 3 loops on the leading edge of the slot pocket side. The set of 3 loops are long enough to secure even longer lights like the 3xAA Maglights and they position the light so that it can be accessed, even if the visor is in the up position.
Fit and Finish
The MVP is extremely well made. The stitches are straight and even. The edges are taped to prevent fraying and to give a clean look. Everything is reinforced where it should be and the materials themselves are all very durable. I expect that this will be the last visor panel you ever have to buy. It is just very clean work overall.
Mounting
Mounting the MVP is extremely easy. First, give some thought to how you will orient the MVP based on which way you want the slot pockets to face and the items that you place a priority on accessing. It is easiest to attach MOLLE pouches before you mount the MVP on your visor. Wrap the MVP onto your visor with the loop tabs facing into the passenger compartment (not forward toward the engine compartment) and attach the tabs loosely. Finally, tighten each hook and loop tab individually until the MVP fits tightly on your visor. This thing doesn’t even need to come with instructions. You can look at it and figure it out.
In Use
I have used the MVP in my truck for about a month now. In that time, I have been rotating various pieces of gear and combinations of gear on and off the panel to try and learn what works best and what doesn’t work at all. I ended up taking pictures for this post in three different sessions because I was constantly thinking of other things that the MVP could hold. It is great for holding admin gear like pens and small pads but you will find yourself scheming about a million other things it can hold.
Something that I learned early on is that you don’t want to over load the panel. The visors in my truck would hold quite a bit of weight and still stay up – at least when your vehicle is sitting still. Once the vehicle is moving, an over loaded visor will begin to sag into your line of sight. You can stow a lot of stuff on your MVP, but only testing when the vehicle is actually moving will tell the whole story about how much weight you can really hold.
The MVP excels at organizing your lighting. I found that I could figure out ways to attach nearly any AA, AAA, or CR123 powered flashlight I own to the MVP. The MVP also handles chem-lights with ease. I also found that task lights like the Inova 24/7, Streamlight Sidewinder and the previously reviewed Princeton Tec MPLS Switch could be mounted in ways that made them useful for illuminating the passenger compartment. The MVP is especially useful with these types of task lights since the red LED can be used to illuminate maps or documents without causing glare on your windshield at night. A chem-light positioned in one of the sets of elastic loops could be used to illuminate the interior of the vehicle. There are just tons of ways to make the MVP work efficiently with your lights.
I found that the MVP was great for carrying small pieces of survival gear – especially vehicle specific gear like a belt cutter or glass breaker. I easily attached a SAR Global Tool Eclipse Signal System for day and night signalling. Several methods of fire making like Bic lighters and fire steels could easily slide under the elastic MOLLE webbing. A Fresnel lens could be stowed in the slot pockets. You could even stow a flat folding water bottle like those from Platypus and some water treatment tablets on board.
The slot pockets on the MVP are the perfect place to store relatively flat items like maps or other documents. You need to be mindful of the thickness of the items that you store here because items that are too thick can prevent the visor from “locking” in the up position. In my truck, I was able to get away with items that are slightly thicker like a small pre-packaged poncho, an emergency blanket, and a signal mirror. I also keep some of the previously reviewed Waterford Press guides stashed in the pockets. The pockets are a bit too deep to store something like a business card or a parking garage ticket. It would be nice if there was a smaller business card sized pouch or a small slot in the side of the panel to quickly for smaller documents. However, I was able to simply wedge a parking garage ticket under the panel itself where it was held relatively securely.
Don’t forget that you can store things under the panel as well. I used the space to discreetly store my previously reviewed Bogota Entry Tools. I also found this useful for storing larger flat items that wouldn’t fit in the slot pockets like large maps.
The MVP can be easily detached from your visor if you need to leave your vehicle. You could even transfer the whole panel to your EDC (every day carry) bag or use it to carry several items that would be cumbersome on their own in the event that you have to leave your vehicle on foot. It serves as a sort of mini-BOB (bug out bag).
Conclusion
If you have gear that you keep in your vehicle for convenience or emergencies, the MOLLE Visor Panel from Zulu Nylon Gear will help you keep it organized. This, like every other design that comes from ZNG, show Joel’s gift for innovating a stale design in a way that makes it more functional, more visually attractive, and more versatile. There are other visor panels on the market but none with the amount of thoughtful design, innovation, and versatility that can be found in the MOLLE Visor Panel.
You can purchase your own MOLLE Visor Panel at Zulu Nylon Gear’s website.
Disclosure: This product was provided to me for review, free of charge, by Zulu Nylon Gear.
Nice job on the review! I remember you featured a visor panel on here a while ago, and my complaint was with the overt branding on it – this panel doesn’t have that problem at all and appears to hold a ton of gear. I really like it. Might have to get ‘el trucko’ one of this for his birthday. 😉
Thank you Dan. The branding that you saw in the initial announcement was actually just the ZNG logo patch.
Ah! I thought that might have been the case. Glad to hear it because this is a really nice visor panel. I think my father would really appreciate one for his birthday.