History of Ferro Concepts
Ferro Concepts started out with one man and one vision, to design kit and equipment for use by Military and Law Enforcement personnel that met requirements that other manufacturers could not meet. Ferro Concepts pride themselves on their minimalist gear that is functional, cost effective, durable and battle proven. The continued updating of their catalogue and new products being designed and re-0designed based on real world feedback is a testament to their hard work, effort and ingenuity.
For more info - visit the Ferro Concepts website.
Why the Ferro Concepts PVS31 Battery Retention System?
Currently my Team Wendy EXFIL Carbon helmet setup includes the use of a battery pack for my JerryC CE2 COTI and the battery pack of course sits on the rear of the helmet. This pack currently is attached via the hook velcro on the rear of the battery pack to the loop velcro patch on my Virtus bungee retention system. The pack is also securely held in place using the bungee elasticated cords from the Agilite Team Wendy helmet cover which neatly goes down and over the pack attaching to the underside of the helmet. Whilst this is fairly secure, due to the shape of the pack and the way that it stands several cm off the back of the helmet, there is a risk that it could get caught on something and accidentally ripped off, which is less than ideal.
In comes the Ferro Concepts PVS31 Battery Retention System, specifically designed to house PVS31 battery packs and mounts on the rear of a helmet. I did research several variants of a battery pack system including the one that Agilite produces (the Bridge Tactical), however the low profile, sleek and modern look of the Ferro Concepts version piqued my interest. The below three are examples of the packs that I researched.
Product details
Herein lies the product description from the website;
The PVS-31 Battery Retention System provides a way to safely secure a PVS-31 battery pack to a helmet. The mounting system is secured utilizing features already found on most helmets in the market.
The battery pack is held in a sleeve which is affixed to the helmet with Velcro and can be retained by three anchors. Two lateral anchors attach to the helmet with chin strap bolts or by being looped through accessory rails. The optional third anchor is a firm bridge to an IR Strobe mount that can be adjusted and affixed to the top of the helmet with Velcro. Tie-points at the front of the mount can be used to attach a strobe lanyard and secure the system at the front of the helmet as well.
Product code - FC-PO-PVS311-NS-WG
Compatible with a variety of ballistic/bump helmets
Dual anchor points for battery pack retention
Additional tie-points for cable management
Adjustable bridge with strobe mount
Nano Cord lanyard included for IR strobe
Fits PVS-31 and GPNVG Battery Packs
Made in the U.S.A.
Instruction video
The below video is the instructional video detailing how to affix the battery pack and strobe bridge to your helmet system and is a useful reference when setting it up for the first time.
Packaging
The system shipped in a small transparent bag with only the product sticker on the exterior.
Components
The system consists of 11 components;
3x bungee retention cords
1x Nano cord
3x cord locks
2x lateral anchors
Strobe bridge
Battery pack pouch
Individual components
Below are the individual components photographed separately.
Measurements
The battery pouch measurements are;
Length 11 cm
Width 9.6 cm
Depth 0.1 cm
Weight 14 g
The strobe bridge measurements are;
Length 17.4 cm
Width 1 5.1 cm
Width 2 2.6 cm
Width 3 1.8 cm
Depth 0.1 cm
Weight 4 g
Battery pack pouch
The battery pouch is manufactured using both cordura material and a layer of laser-cut thermoplastic which is the rear 'baseplate' of the pouch itself. The thermoplastic is slightly flexible though and does retain some rigidity enabling it to fit the curvature of a helmet. The numerous tie-points laser cut into the baseplate offer a large amount of adjustment depending on what's stored in the pouch, the helmet system it's affixed to and what level of fixtures are required. The pouch is extremely well made as expected from Ferro Concepts with clean clear stitching and laser cut holes in the baseplate, with the 4 corners featuring coyote brown press studs. Already the weight or lack of is a huge plus, ensuring that additional unnecessary weight is not added to the rear of the helmet system.
The pouch section itself consists of elasticated material featuring an 8 x 5.3 cm (width x height) loop velcro rectangular patch on the front face to enable patches or other fixings to the rear of the pouch. The elasticity of the material is particularly useful if employing different sized battery packs meaning that the pouch retains a tight fit around most battery packs. The rear of the baseplate also features a 9.6 x 5.3 cm (width x height) hook velcro rectangular patch used to affix the pouch to the rear of a helmet or helmet cover. On the left hand side (whilst facing the pouch from the rear) is the Ferro Concepts label with the company logo, product name and the manufacturing country printed. There are no additional features on the right hand side.
Strobe bridge
The strobe bridge is a modular addition that can be used in conjunction with the battery pouch. The bridge itself again is manufactured using the same laser-cut thermoplastic material for the bridge part of the add on which is extremely lightweight. The head of the bridge features a rectangular shaped velcro loop patch on the top, with a mirrored hook patch on the underside to provide a fixture point between the bridge and the helmet or helmet cover for stability. The bridge itself features a number of tie-points again to enable the bridge to be adjusted to the helmet.
Installing a battery pack
To install a battery pack inside of the battery pouch, it's achieved by sliding the pack into the elasticated sleeve and centering the battery pack both horizontally and vertically to the sleeve. Whilst the sleeve is elasticated it's unlikely to be able to hold the battery pack in solely, requiring the addition of the included retention cords.
Fitting battery pouch to Team Wendy
The battery pouch can be fitted to a helmet independently of the strobe bridge. The baseplate of the battery pouch as seen in the above sections has hook velcro. On the Agilite Team Wendy helmet cover there is a large section to the rear that has a horizontal velcro loop band attached. This enables the PVS31 pouch to attach easily via the amount of readily available real estate. The battery pouch shock cord was threaded through the shock cord of the helmet cover and required the use of the lateral anchors affixed to the helmet itself. Once in place and the shock cords were tightened using the cord locks, the battery pouch and battery pack itself were immovable from its position.
Finished product
The below section illustrates the PVS31 battery pouch when correctly fitted to a Team Wendy EXFIL helmet.
The below section illustrates the PVS31 battery pouch and strobe bridge when correctly fitted to an Ops Core SF style helmet. The Nano cord was not used to secure the strobe to the bridge in these photos, but it's advisable to do so as an extra layer of security.
Thoughts and opinion
The Ferro Concepts PVS31 Battery Pouch is a useful and likely required item, especially if you're running night vision or thermal devices that require use of a battery pack. The streamlined, low profile and extremely lightweight pouch and strobe bridge keeps the exterior of the helmet streamlined. The multiple tie-points on the laser-cut thermoplastic baseplate provide numerous adjustment options for the battery pouch and bridge which are incredibly useful, ensuring that you can pretty much guarantee a fit onto your helmet and guarantee you'll have tension running throughout the shock cords.
Opting for the Ranger Green variant ensures that it blends nicely with already existing kit and with the notion that this was quick and easy to add to the helmet made it even more appealing.
I purchased this for use with the battery pack I have for the InfiRay JerryC CE2 Clip-On Thermal Imager. A typical PVS31/A battery pack is particularly curved to fit the curvature of a helmet whereas the JerryC battery pack whilst also having a slight curve, is deeper than a PVS31 battery pack, which means that the pouch doesn't sit 100% fully wrapped around the rear of the helmet. By tying down using the multiple tie-points, the lateral points and tightening the shock cord meant that when fitted it's not going anywhere. Whilst I don't have a requirement for the strobe bridge as the Agilite helmet cover already incorporates one into the design, it's certainly a huge plus to have it included in the package price and not being an additional extra cost to the end user.
I've used this on the range several times and when in an urban environment and have nothing at this point in time to say negatively about the Battery pouch. If you're looking for a low profile, very lightweight and reliable battery pouch for a fair price for any of your pack requirements, I definitely recommend the Ferro Concept PVS31 Battery Pouch.
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Final Note
I am not paid for my blogs by the manufacturers or companies that I purchase my items from. I am not offered freebies to promote a product. These blogs are purely written from my own experience in truth to help advise and inform others who may wish to purchase the items or understand more about them. If I am sent a freebie to review this will be stated at the beginning to make you aware.
If you have any questions about the product, want more photographs or want to learn more about a specific feature that I've covered, please comment below and I'll be happy to respond and help.