by Anthony Yeary

I’m not good at brainstorming ideas for Christmas gifts and I know that there are a lot of you out there reading this that aren’t either. Don’t worry though; I have a product that definitely fits into the category of “for the man who has everything”- the Tactical Stocking from Moteng! This is a very cool gift idea that at its core is a Christmas decoration that you hang wherever you traditionally hang your stockings. Yet, it is so much more; it is built nearly as ruggedly as any piece of load-bearing equipment and features attachment points for a wide variety of accessories.

The stocking is 17 inches long and 12 inches wide at the foot and 8 ½ inches wide at the ankle. It works like any traditional Christmas stocking- the top is open and you put gifts in it. However, I’m sure you’ve taken a moment to look at the pictures of this product and observed that it has a lot more features than the usual stocking that you’d hang on your mantle. To begin with, they come in a variety of patterns aside from the desert camouflage and standard olive-drab featured here. They have two sections that are MOLLE compatible where you can attach load-bearing gear components, plus an accessory pouch that is permanently stitched into it between these sections. The left side features three D-Rings that you can lash equipment to, and two spring loaded clips that the stocking can be hung from. The right side features a two way zipper to open the stocking up a little larger with and the top features a carrying handle/drag handle. Under that handle is a Velcro section that unit patches can be attached to, so that you can personalize it further.

stocking

The biggest surprise of all is how well the stocking is built. It doesn’t need to be, but it’s rugged enough to go to war. They could have easily have made this more novelty and chintzy, but they chose not too and that is pretty awesome really. In the photo that accompanies this review, I left the desert camo stocking alone so you can see how it appears when you buy it. If you flip to my article on gift ideas for military members and veterans you’ll see where I’ve taken the liberty of dressing up the olive-drab stocking so you can see the possibilities (those accessories are obviously not included). I’ve attached an AR-15 sling to the hooks and a TL-122 flashlight to one of the D-Rings. I’ve also added an M-16 magazine pouch with two loaded mags and a grenade pouch with an old training grenade. To top it off, I stuck a patch from my old MAJCOM, Air Combat Command, to personalize it to me further. What will you do to personalize yours? Whatever you want, because the possibilities are endless!

Moteng’s Tactical Stocking is a breath of fresh air for Holiday decorating. It is refreshingly different, yet fits in great with your other traditional Christmas decorations. Seriously, what other stocking can you give as a gift, along with the gifts stuffed inside it? Not only is it a unique idea for a present, but it opens the doors to other ideas for that someone with everything. I don’t want to sound like a cheesy Christmas commercial, but imagine what you hear when you ask: “What do you want for Christmas?” I hear: “Anything that attaches to my Moteng Tactical Stocking!”