Interesting reading CitizenPete. I just discovered your post & conclusions. It sounds like your class was great fun & of course I am very glad but not surprised that the Vz kept performing when others failled ...
Army regulation taught me to carry the mags top down + if you carry your pistol mags that way (most people do), I would suggest you should do the same with your primary mags in order to build muscles reflex.
I had one of those issued Chinese/Russian chest rig that I got in Vietnam, partly as a souvenir at the time. I like minimalist kit & I think they look awesome. They perform perfectly but I found out that they will not resist if you try to drag the wearer (injured scenario) if he is not feather light South-East Asian frame.
I use both a short AK & a standard Vz58 during classes. I tried some US Palm pouches. They look great but a) they ride too low on my PC and b) they are too tight for getting the mag out quickly.
So now I use those Russian made ones . They are cheap, robust and do the job perfectly.
http://www.srvv.org/en/catalog/1883/63242/
