Chest Rigs for Beginners

[Jerm_G]

Chest Rigs for Beginners

Hey gents, once again I’m attempting to add some real content and cover some information that seems to be lost in the boards. This time with the low down on chest rigs. Being that the chest rig is hands down the most flexible load hauler for the tactical community, I’m frankly surprised we are not seeing more threads on the chest rig. So here is the low down and dirty on a hunk of kit that almost every airsofter/ tactical gun guy should have in their inventory.

What’s a Chest Rig?

A chest rig is an armorless harness system designed to carry your basic 2nd line combat load. Light weight due to the fact that the only material used is for supporting pouches, Chest rigs cut almost a pound or more of material off of the typical load barring device. The minimal fabric also means that chest rigs breathe a lot better than typical vests and plate carriers, keeping you cooler in hot weather. Varying in size and design, chest rigs come pre setup with permanently attached pouches, with MOLLE/PALs webbing or a combo of both. More often than not the cost of your required pouches for your magazines and other gear will be as much, if not more than a chest rig with prebuilt pouches and room to grow.

Why Should I Have One?

Plate carriers and armor vests are designed to work with soft armor and plates. Without these plates and soft armor, your typical carrier or vest will not sit right and properly support the attached gear. Not to mention wearing a plate carrier/ vest without armor makes you look like a dumbass no matter how high speed, low drag you think you are or may be. Despite being able to get replica plates for about $12.00 a pop, most don’t use them. With a chest rig, the system was never intended to have plates or soft armor installed in the rig it’s self. Therefore the rig properly distributes and supports the weight of the gear on your body. At the same time if the event you are playing in a game that has functioning body armor rule sets, slapping on a PACA style armor carrier and tossing the chest rig over the top will give the player the armor protection he requires and at the same time all of the pouches and equipment are in the same spot on the same rig. Knowing exactly what is where because you use the same base gear every game is important.

Selecting the Rig for You!

When selecting a rig I lay out all the stuff I feel I need to carry in my 2nd line gear. I then organize that gear in to two piles, the gear I needed now and the gear that I can take a minute to access. The Now pile is the stuff I’m concerned about for the rig. This pile determines how many pouches I have to have and the overall size of the rig. For the typical operator this is about 6 magazines, 2 pistol mags, multi tool, flashlight, IFAC , map, radio and a couple of chem lights. From there I hit the internet and start looking. I look for quality construction, simple layout, long adjustment ranges, and something that is as low profile as possible not only in the chest area but the shoulders as well. The thinner the shoulder straps, the easier and more comfortable it will be for me to wear a small backpack equipped with a hydration bladder. This is where all that stuff in the second pile will go if there is not enough room on the rig. No matter what rig you use, it has to work for you.

Recommended Rigs

I have gone through several rigs and there are several others that are just damn well made. These are just a few that I felt are notable. Eagle Industries makes some awesome and well thought out products. My personal favorite that I have owned is their LE Active shooter Chest Rig. This rig can carry up to 8 m-4 mags, 4 pistol mags, and has enough MOLLE webbing to mount an IFAC, Radio or any other type of pouches. The rig also has a massive map pouch on the inside of the rig. The price is just right at around $100.00 too.

Another excellent rig is made by Tactical Assault Gear. More expensive than the Eagle rig coming in prices ranging from $100 to $150, the Phalanx series has all the pockets and pouches that one could want. Holding 8 magazines, two massive cargo pouches on the left and right side, chem Light holders and more molle webbing than you could shake a stick at, there is more than enough room to pack your crap. TAG also has larger rigs going all the way up to $200. If you feel that you need to carry more than these rigs haul then you need to look hard at what you are carrying.

Hands down the most revolutionary rigs are made by Mayflower Research and Consulting LLC. Their chest rigs are not only stand alone but designed to plug strait into their plate carriers. Meaning one can go from comfortably snooping and pooping to full direct assault mode in just 4 snaps. As some of our troops have found, there are situations that require you to have your mags and gear but not always your whole vest. The ability to quickly scale up and down is truly not appreciated until you have that ability. With rigs starting at $145 and climbing they are respectably affordable. Compare this cost to buying 4 mag pouches, 2 pistol pouches, admin pouch and others; the $150 to $200 price point comes out about even.

If this is the route you choose, make sure whatever you select works for you. I highly recommend looking around and comparing prices. Doing so can save you lots of money in the long run. I also recommend sticking with quality equipment. These have been heavily tested and normally under warranty. Not to mention better quality control. Unlike the china knockoffs you won’t have to worry about getting uneven MOLLE webbing or in some cases unusable rows because they were sewn too close together. Don’t forget to apply the Kiss method to your gear as well and by kiss, I don’t mean a make out session with your gear. There are some in this community that I’m a little concerned about. I mean Keep It Stupid Simple. Carry only what you need and everything else should find a home somewhere else.

Have fun and happy hunting.

[Jerm_G]

As a side note I would eventually like to see the "post your loadout" section broken down into 1st line, 2nd line, and 3rd line sections with sub sections for chest rigs, plate carriers and vests. This would make streaming through photos much easier to find gear examples. Just my 2 cents.

[Jester316]

What are your thoughts on the Tactical Tailor MAV rigs?

[Krony]

Another great write up. I'm looking forward to more of these from you in the future.

[Variable]

What are your thoughts on the Tactical Tailor MAV rigs?

Love em.

[Charlie]

A very well written, well thought out guide for the rig enthusiast or beginner. I now know what my options are when I have the money to upgrade from my dinky Condor 7 Pocket.

[Jester316]

What are your thoughts on the Tactical Tailor MAV rigs?

Love em.

I love mine too. But he didn't mention them, so I was wondering if there was a reason.

[Unconventional]

Chest Rigs for Beginners

Hey gents, once again I’m attempting to add some real content and cover some information that seems to be lost in the boards. This time with the low down on chest rigs. Being that the chest rig is hands down the most flexible load hauler for the tactical community, I’m frankly surprised we are not seeing more threads on the chest rig. So here is the low down and dirty on a hunk of kit that almost every airsofter/ tactical gun guy should have in their inventory.

What’s a Chest Rig?

A chest rig is an armorless harness system designed to carry your basic 2nd line combat load. Light weight due to the fact that the only material used is for supporting pouches, Chest rigs cut almost a pound or more of material off of the typical load barring device. The minimal fabric also means that chest rigs breathe a lot better than typical vests and plate carriers, keeping you cooler in hot weather. Varying in size and design, chest rigs come pre setup with permanently attached pouches, with MOLLE/PALs webbing or a combo of both. More often than not the cost of your required pouches for your magazines and other gear will be as much, if not more than a chest rig with prebuilt pouches and room to grow.

Why Should I Have One?

Plate carriers and armor vests are designed to work with soft armor and plates. Without these plates and soft armor, your typical carrier or vest will not sit right and properly support the attached gear. Not to mention wearing a plate carrier/ vest without armor makes you look like a dumbass no matter how high speed, low drag you think you are or may be. Despite being able to get replica plates for about $12.00 a pop, most don’t use them. With a chest rig, the system was never intended to have plates or soft armor installed in the rig it’s self. Therefore the rig properly distributes and supports the weight of the gear on your body. At the same time if the event you are playing in a game that has functioning body armor rule sets, slapping on a PACA style armor carrier and tossing the chest rig over the top will give the player the armor protection he requires and at the same time all of the pouches and equipment are in the same spot on the same rig. Knowing exactly what is where because you use the same base gear every game is important.

Selecting the Rig for You!

When selecting a rig I lay out all the stuff I feel I need to carry in my 2nd line gear. I then organize that gear in to two piles, the gear I needed now and the gear that I can take a minute to access. The Now pile is the stuff I’m concerned about for the rig. This pile determines how many pouches I have to have and the overall size of the rig. For the typical operator this is about 6 magazines, 2 pistol mags, multi tool, flashlight, IFAC , map, radio and a couple of chem lights. From there I hit the internet and start looking. I look for quality construction, simple layout, long adjustment ranges, and something that is as low profile as possible not only in the chest area but the shoulders as well. The thinner the shoulder straps, the easier and more comfortable it will be for me to wear a small backpack equipped with a hydration bladder. This is where all that stuff in the second pile will go if there is not enough room on the rig. No matter what rig you use, it has to work for you.

Recommended Rigs

I have gone through several rigs and there are several others that are just damn well made. These are just a few that I felt are notable. Eagle Industries makes some awesome and well thought out products. My personal favorite that I have owned is their LE Active shooter Chest Rig. This rig can carry up to 8 m-4 mags, 4 pistol mags, and has enough MOLLE webbing to mount an IFAC, Radio or any other type of pouches. The rig also has a massive map pouch on the inside of the rig. The price is just right at around $100.00 too.

Another excellent rig is made my Tactical Assault Gear. More expensive than the Eagle rig coming in prices ranging from $100 to $150, the Phalanx series has all the pockets and pouches that one could want. Holding 8 magazines, two massive cargo pouches on the left and right side, chem Light holders and more molle webbing than you could shake a stick at, there is more than enough room to pack your crap. TAG also has larger rigs going all the way up to $200. If you feel that you need to carry more than these rigs haul then you need to look hard at what you are carrying.

Hands down the most revolutionary rigs are made by Mayflower Research and Consulting LLC. Their chest rigs are not only stand alone but designed to plug strait into their plate carriers. Meaning one can go from comfortably snooping and pooping to full direct assault mode in just 4 snaps. As some of our troops have found, there are situations that require you to have your mags and gear but not always your whole vest. The ability to quickly scale up and down is truly not appreciated until you have that ability. With rigs starting at $145 and climbing they are respectably affordable. Compare this cost to buying 4 mag pouches, 2 pistol pouches, admin pouch and others; the $150 to $200 price point comes out about even.

If this is the route you choose, make sure whatever you select works for you. I highly recommend looking around and comparing prices. Doing so can save you lots of money in the long run. I also recommend sticking with quality equipment. These have been heavily tested and normally under warranty. Not to mention better quality control. Unlike the china knockoffs you won’t have to worry about getting uneven MOLLE webbing or in some cases unusable rows because they were sewn too close together. Don’t forget to apply the Kiss method to your gear as well and by kiss, I don’t mean a make out session with your gear. There are some in this community that I’m a little concerned about. I mean Keep It Stupid Simple. Carry only what you need and everything else should find a home somewhere else.

Have fun and happy hunting.

Fantastic post, sir.
It's really good to see this topic addressed as it seems that many people have a misconception about chest rigs and don't realize that they are not on the "back-burner" of the kit list...and are used quite regularly.

[Jerm_G]

Hey guys, thanks for the great comments. there are tons of extremely well built rigs out there. Sadly I have not had as much experience with rigs as I do plate carriers and BALCS style vests. LBT and MAV included. However I am familiar with both companies quality and they make top notch gear that is hard to beat. I wanted the article to focus on gear companies who typically don't see the lime light that often and TAG and Mayflower just don't get the attention they deserve.

To date the absolute most comfortable piece of gear I have ever owned was a Tactical Assault Gear Spartan armor carrier. This vest integrated the old interceptor armor and properly aligned the plates for perfect placement. Other cool features were the sheep wool lined collar and awesome weight distribution. I bought this out of my own pockets before the IOTV was being developed and got a lot of shit for being a gear queer from the guys in my unit. Then the LT tried it on and the next day I saw him with his own. This truly was the only vest I have ever owned that I enjoyed wearing all day long. Don't take that lightly, I really do mean enjoyed. If I was able to find another one in small I would snatch that bastard up in a heart beat.

Back on topic. These write ups that I decided to do, and there are more on the way, were done to shed some light on the equipment side of the house and get people thinking. Many times airsofters are so worried about trying to look like the high speed low drag guy that they don't sit back and look at what the industry has for them.

Reality is that for the average airsofter, the type of operations that they perform do not match what the high speed low drag guys do. I turn the cool factor of trying to play dress up and look like those guys, they never learn about what is out there, why stuff was engineered the way the product was, or even how to use that product in the first place. In turn many don't wear their gear properly and get to see how it really functions.

I highly encourage airsofters who have never worn real rifle plates and have PCs or vests to go get some replica plates, fill them with sand or other medium (should weigh about 6.5 ot 8 lbs a piece) put them in their vest and go do about a dozen 100 yard sprints as fast as they can. Plates will no longer be cool or fun anymore. The gear sucks to wear. Tipping the scale at about 40 to 60 lbs for just the vest and everything strapped to it is about the current weight of a basic, stripped down fighting load right now for our military personnel.

My personal PC, not counting the soft armor, 1st line gear or the rifle and handgun weighs about 30 lbs. For those who don't know, that is one slimmed down rig. Because of that weight is why you wont see me with one on the airsoft field that often unless I'm testing my set up. My choice is a chest rig. Its light weight, carries the bare minimum of what I need, stays out of my way and give me full freedom of movement. I don't see my need to break my self while trying to have fun.

I encourage everyone to keep posting in this section and keep it alive and current. I would like to hear about your personal rigs, how you set them up, what you thought about them and what you learned from them. Lets build a solid end user review for people to go to and use this section for what it was designed for. Pics in my opinion are a plus too. I just recommend posting a picture of just the rig however so people can see the details. I don't think anyone here is a model so we will just leave that to the professionals. Call it the show us your .... thread. Preferably if Matt or a moderator could make those a sticky and post up rules, that would rock. I would also like to see the same for 1st line and 3rd line gear too.

[ogrejager]

The Tactical Tailor MAV kicks a$$. I've worn and used both the one and two piece one. I should add that I duck hunt with it, not just airsoft. They're big enough to carry the essentials, but don't overweight you, or maybe I should say don't allow you to overweight yourself. I only wear my PC (should I be honest and say "Jerm's old PC") when it's cold out, anymore.

[Limpy]

Making threads titled "Post Your Carrier," or "Post Your Belt Rig," or "Post Your Chest Rig" is a good idea, I think. Posting up your kit and getting opinions about it is always good for new players, since they can look at the thread and get direct feedback for their unasked questions about gear. Of course, some airsofters do care more about how they look, and less about practicality, but it'd be nice if we could change that. Often times the HSLD Operators airsofters are trying to look like didn't choose gear because it looked cool, but because it was what made the most sense to them. I mean, yes, gear can look cool, but it looks cool when you do it accidentally. Operators don't try to look bad-ass, they just do.

But the threads are a good idea, it'll allow new players to get a feel of different kinds of carriers, because there are. Like how a FAPC is much different than an EPC. If anyone wants to set up those threads I highly encourage it (I won't because I'm not that good at starting threads). It'll also shed light on a less ASGI-esque attitude towards gear, meaning people would focus on getting what suits their play-style and their platform, be it an AK or AR. I'd love it if more airsofters could look into more non-reproduction gear companies, because, usually, they make gear that is more specialised and specific. You can't achieve what HSGI Universals achieve with a set of Condor AK mag pouches.

Plus it'll be a good outlet for the gear queers of AP. ; )

[Sixxgun]

Great Post there op I currently own a condor 7 or 8 pocket chest rig I got to say it very light weight and comfortable although I have not got to use it in a game yet (finances are not allowing games or gear)

[Jerm_G]

Rob- Chris has my Weesatch and I have sold several others as of late. Im throwing my MSA SOHPC up this week for sale on AP too. I think I have gone through at least 8 plate carriers in the last 3 years. I guess Im never satisfied.

Those sections also help even the pros. Im always screwing with my gear and looking at what other people have done to make adjustments and try new things. Sometimes you have an issue and you haven't even noticed it. For example you have routed a cable for a radio and with out realizing it you have created a snag hazard. Or there is a different pouch that would do the same job and slim down your profile. Lots of good reasons for people to post and troll those sections.

[Minerva]

How would you attach hydration though with a chest rig..? Just a backpack with a bladder in it?

[mossy]

1961's, RRV's and some HSGI rigs have hydro rigs that attach to them with a couple of buckles.