It looks like as of May 2014, Joe has redesigned his belt pouches ->
http://zpacks.com/accessories/beltpouch.shtml
I had the old style, and thought that they were good, though with the downsides that they were less waterproof if you had a slip in a stream crossing (water could come in from underneath freely), plus the I just thought the shock cord opening was slightly awkward.
I also have MLD style pack pockets where the zipper is on the front face (so you are pulling out away from you to open up the zipper). Having the zipper on the front face is better if its really rainy…but I still felt I had to use two hands to get enough resistance on the zipper.
I'm seriously considering this new version though. With a top zipper, yes, its less water resistant since water could pool on the zipper. However, I'm hoping upward force might be easier to open. Also, since the pocket splits open at the top, I'm thinking its easier to find and put items in.
Here is really what I want:
1. Pockets that I can open with one hand completely.
2. Pockets that are large enough for my Galaxy S4 phone. Its a big phone!
The phone does fit in the MLD pockets, but the zpacks ones look much larger.
