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While HSGI gear is very well-made, overall, it should be noted that the elastic shock cord used in the making of TACO pouches is an item which deteriorates over time, and that deterioration is accelerated with exposure to direct sunlight and dust/dirt infiltration.  Also note that HSGI makes available (to their credit) repair/replacement shock cord kits for their products.  You can also buy the shock cord from other vendors, if you wish.

It should be added that any other mfr of gear that relies on shock cord or elastic webbing is making a choice in using elastic components in lieu of more expensive alternatives.  For example, before the cost-cutting benefits of elastic cord/webbing were discovered, High-end mag pouches were made with fabrics curtains/buffers between the magazines.  This was quite costly in terms of workmanship, and far more costly than simple shock cord/elastic.  Such curtains/buffers also lasted forever, as compared to elastic shock cord/webbing.  To be fair, such mag pouches would only take a very limited number of different types of magazines.   

I own a number of HSGI products, all of them entirely satisfactory, but have never been a fan of their TACOS, for a number of reasons, the shock cord being just one.

I prefer full-flapped mag pouches that will not admit snow and freezing rain--or even some dust.  It is understandable that with US troops being involved in the arid Middle East, the easier-to-access open-topped pouch has come into vogue.  That works well there.  The same open-topped pouch will be  a disaster when used in a snowy/sleeting/freezing rain environment, or during a dust storm.

I might ask how many magazine users regularly take their (non-stored) mags apart, and clean the innards and lube the mag springs?

YMMV.

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To each their own, SHTF rifle use itself is a near-zero likelihood / possibility for people living in most places in the USA. Battlefield pick ups have happened in pretty much every major war that's been fought since guns have had magazines. Ever see a pic of a Nazi soldier in Stalingrad with a Ppsh-41? An American spec ops guy in Nam with an AK? If the USA really did fall apart in a full on SHTF, there's billions of magazines that could potentially be 'laying around', I don't think a pick up is much less likely than the SHTF itself. Things are gonna happen in a SHTF, most of which are non-optimal. So while a pistol taco may not be the best thing to store a spare flashlight in, it may be the best thing you have on you at the time. Naturally a dedicated pouch is optimal.

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The people at HSGI, when asked about wear-and-tear issues with bungee cord, say that this is not really an issue.

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I have tacos on my belt but I'm just not that crazy about them.

Has anyone used G-codes Scorpion softshell ?

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Are you regularly carrying mags other than AR mags?

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Are you regularly carrying mags other than AR mags?

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I took a AK class recently. Two guys were using a pistol taco stacked on a rifle mag. Both of the pulled the wrong mag several times. I assume you could work around that with training. I personally would skip that setup.