Chest Rig

Rad on Gear: London Bridge Trading Load Bearing Chest Rig

Rad’s not just an adventurer, he’s also the owner and operator of Tactical Airsoft Supply in Salt Lake City. This time, he’s busting out some of the gear he uses in matches and while working as an instructor.

This London Bridge Trading Load Bearing Chest Rig may be a bit pricey, but you’ll never have to buy another one — Rad’s used his for years now. Here’s Rad to tell you about it.

Check out London Bridge Trading Company to get your own!

Or you can scoop up this 1961A from Amazon for the deal we found below:

The Pistol Caliber Carbine chest rig By Beez Combat Systems

The Pistol caliber carbine market seems to be growing yearly with more options on the market than ever before. PCCs is a broad term and covers both rifles like the Ruger PCC and pistols like the Scorpion and they’ve never been more popular than now. The market for quality tactical kit to accommodate PCCs is quite small, but Beez Combat Systems is forcing it to grow. Their PCC Chest Rig is a modern and well-made piece of gear for those who love the PCC.

Are you Down With PCC?

Pistol caliber carbines and what are essentially SMG lites utilize long, but thin magazines and they need magazine carriers designed for them. Most pistol pouches are way too small to hold long boi magazines, and these guns need dedicated magazine pouches. The Beez Combat Systems PCC Chest Rig gives you for dedicated pouches that are designed to function with 30/32 round magazines.

According to Beez these pouches are compatible with Glock 9mm 33rd Magazine, M&P 9mm 33rd Magazine (ProMag), Beretta 9mm 32rd Magazine, Ruger 9mm 32rd Magazine, Springfield 9mm 32rd Magazine, CZ Scorpion 30rd mags, PGS hybrid CZ Scorpion mags, MP5, Sten, SIG MPX 9MM 30RD, KRISS Mags .45, 10mm and 9mm.

I can say from experience they fit CZ Scorpion magazines, Glock extended, and Colt SMG magazines. This is great because I own guns that take Glock mags, Scorpion mags, and my next 80 lower receiver build will be a Colt SMG. The PCC Rig comes with removable flaps, and the model I’m running is the “Grid” models. This is a laser cut Grid that accommodates any MOLLE/Pals webbing pouches and accessories. This laser cut webbing is very low profile and easy to use. Behind the pouches, you have a full-length kangaroo pouch.

The strap design is brilliant. Over the shoulder is 2 inches of webbing to add accessories and to support the weight of 4 fully loaded magazines. The straps are all fully adjustable and form an H harness for greater support and comfort. You also have a waist strap around the back of the kit that adjustable and quick and easy to remove.

The PCC Chest rig in Use.

The first thing I did with the PCC Chest rig was getting it adjusted to fit my body type. I’m a big dude, 6 feet and four inches and 280 pounds. it took all of five minutes to get the rig right for me. Once adjusted properly I donned it and grabbed my Scorpion rifle and 5 mags.

I wanted to practice doing some reload drills dry and slow. I wanted to learn the kit before going live. This is important because this is the test of fit and function, and ensures a live fire session is as safe as it can be. I ran dry fire drills with both the flaps and without the flaps. This dry fire practice made me tighten a few things down and served its purpose well.

I also wanted to see how the rig handled under heavier, non-static use. I decided hell, let’s wear it and workout. I wanted to see how well the adjustments held and how well the kit functioned with some movement and stress put on it.

With 4 mags in place, I ran some sprints, flipped tires, did box jumps and a kettlebell workout. Excuse the pics as it was later in the evening when I worked out. The magazines staid in place without issue.

The rig conformed and moved with my body and did cause chafing or pain in any way. It remained comfortable throughout the wide variety of movements and situations I put myself in.

Range Time Pain Time

Finally, it was time to hit the range. I took a few hundred 9mm rounds and plenty of mags and worked a lot of reload drills. Holy hell did I need the practice! It was rough at first and I was clumsy when trying to go fast.

The kit does place the magazines in a way where I can easily reach all four at any time. The placement right under the chest ensures both left and right-handed users will no issues reaching the magazines. The PCC Chest rig does eat my CZ magazines and leaves very little uncovered. This ensures they are retained, but makes me wish I had a Ranger plate on my Scorpion magazine. If they were cut just an inch lower I feel they’d be easier to retrieve.

I tested the kit with both flaps and without. The flaps add maybe a quarter of a second. They are wide, long, and easy to grab and defeat. Admittedly I prefer a flaps off approach. This is just quicker and more intuitive to me.

Reloading from the kit is quick and it does hold the mags in place very well even when the flaps are not in place. The Beez Combat Systems PCC Chest rig is comfortable and easy to adjust, as well as remove and don.

Final Thoughts

The PCC Chest Rig and its Grid Systems allow for a ton of customization and you can add pouches and kit to your heart’s content. I like to run it decently slick because the overall design makes it very low profile. It’s easy to hide under a jacket and conceals very well. You can keep a low profile if you are in the profession of arms.

This blends in the compact firepower an SMG offers. Organizations like the DEA and Secret Service do prefer a low profile approach in many of their tasks. The Army just approved the B&T mini-sub gun for low profile VIP protection duties kits like this certainly have their place.

Make no mistake, the Beez Combat Systems PCC Chest Rig is a professional piece of gear.

Don’t forget the essentials when setting up your combat loadout

Whether you’re running a chest rig or a plate carrier, there are some key features or additions that are going to remain requirements no matter what. I will readily admit that not everyone has the same needs for their gear but the following serves as a good rule of thumb. Magazines, communication, medical, and all other mission specific equipment should be prioritized based on relevance or need. Organizing your rig based on this methodology will cater to efficient shooting and fighting while wearing your kit.

Magazines and their placement, for obvious reasons, is a priority to set up a rig for gun-fighting. I personally keep my magazines upfront on my center line. This enables easy access under stressful conditions, which is generally the conditions under which a combat reload is performed. The style of magazine pouch employed here is entirely user dependent and there are a million variations available. What matters is that the pouches effectively retain the individual magazine while still allowing for efficient extraction.

Medical equipment, often in the form of an IFAK (Individual First Aid Kit), is almost as important as magazine placement. That being said I prefer to keep my IFAK somewhere accessible to either hand and apply the same philosophy for my tourniquet; I keep a second tourniquet on my primary weapons stock as well. Having immediate access to your individual medical equipment is important because if a severe injuring occurs during a fight, you will be responsible for providing a solution. As a general rule, if an injury occurs during a gunfight it’s the team’s responsibility to finish the fight before rendering aid; thus preventing more casualties.

Communication is key to working with a team in an austere environment. Having a reliable radio and placing it somewhere that you can reach it is always a good idea. I use a PTT (push to talk) and a headset, while I still maintain easy access to the radio itself the placement of the PTT is far more relevant given its purpose. I always recommend employing quality comms gear that makes use of encryption, ideally, or frequency hopping, at a minimum. To drive all of this home the saying is, “Shoot, move, communicate.”

After all, this comes any other mission essential gear that is an absolute must. Mission-specific items such as grenades or miscellaneous tools that see routine use belong in this category. A water source of some kind my belong on your kit but again that is situation dependent. The big thing for determining whether or not these items belong is to ask yourself, “What is the rig for?” Some items I almost always keep on my chest rig or plate carrier are a knife of some kind (almost always a fixed blade), a multi-tool, a notepad and pen, etc. Things that I use regularly, regardless of the role I’m filling.

It’s up to you really, but keep it practical and use common sense when setting up your kit. A good way to figure out what works, if your experience is limited, is to get on Google and look at kit pictures. Whatever you see that shares a commonality with most setups despite their mission is probably a safe bet. Remember to train with your gear too. If you don’t familiarize yourself with it, you will be clumsy when trying to access stuff under stress. Lastly, don’t be the guy who needlessly fills out space on a rig with stuff you don’t use; it’s okay though, we’ve all been there.

Gadsden Dynamics Wasp Chest Rig

Today I’m reviewing the Gadsden Dynamics Wasp Chest Rig. I’ve got the enhanced version with detachable hook and loop panel which allows me to add the TacProGear “Roo Pouch“. The panel has an elastic tourniquet holder sewn on that holds the CAT tourniquet well and I keep other medical supplies in the Roo pouch.

I wanted the back strap in addition to the chest strap to keep the rig secure to my body when leaning over and it also holds my dump pouch well. The elastic magazine holders keep my AR and Glock Pmags secure and they don’t fall out. Overall this a great rig that you can throw on with everything you need and it will fit discretely under a jacket when you don’t need the full protection of a plate carrier. Gadsden Dynamics chest rigs are 100% MADE IN THE USA.

Kelin Ray is a Corrections Officer in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest specializing in man tracking and is a member of the Inmate Recovery Team. He is a former Field Artilleryman in the Washington Army National Guard and served in Iraq as a gunner for convoy security operations. In his free you can find him Tactical Live Action Role Playing with his friends as Batman.

Tactical Tailor MAV reviewed by an active duty Special Operations member

Halfway through the SFQC (Special Forces Qualification Course), I realized I had effectively utilized the ubiquitous Army issued FLC (Fighting Load Carrier) to its utmost potential and was left wanting. I could not efficiently carry my loadout as well as all my necessary comms equipment comfortably. The search was begun to uncover a more capable, effective, and moderately affordable replacement. I landed on the Tactical Tailor One-Piece MAV with BIB adapter.

The Tactical Tailor MAV is not a new technology, but simple sells. I’ve seen several of these rigs on the back end of multiple deployments and they’re still ticking. This system boasts ample MOLLE real estate (18×3 columns on the main body, the BIB adds another 9×3 column). Using a bit of Google Fu, I was able to find the TT MAV and the BIB adapter for around $115 for both pieces of equipment.

The rig performed very admirably. The TT MAV has outlasted two to three pouches that were attached to it. It is a fairly rudimentary design that does what it is designed to do: hold a decent amount of kit. The MAV is constructed of 1000D Cordura and features 1.5-inch wide harness webbing. The BIB extension was easy to attach and, for me personally, it was a needed addition if the user wanted to run an admin pouch or any other ancillary equipment at a higher chest level. The BIB, in essence, turns the TT MAV into a pseudo Rhodesian rig with a bit more MOLLE space.

A useful modification that I implemented was to attach an EOG 5 chemlight panel within the small map pocket of the MAV BIB.

The only two real deficiencies with I have found with my MAV are :

The amount of MOLLE often can lend to the trend of overloading with too much weight
The 1.5 crossed Harness often bunches up in its guide and can be slightly uncomfortable

Author – Ross R. is currently serving in the US Military Special Operations community.

Underground Partisan Chest Rig | Low-Pro on the go

Wolverines! Let’s take a quick look at Gadsden Dynamics‘ Mountain Guerrilla Underground Partisan chest rig. (From here on out, just the Partisan). An ultralight, ultra-slim, ultra-discreet chest rig, the Partisan aims to get you and your ammo on site with a minimum of bulk and no extras.

Designed by former Special Forces 18-Bravo John Mosby’s specifications, the Partisan Chest Rig is the ultimate in simplicity. It is a polyester elastic panel of mag pouches sewn onto a 1.5mm thick neoprene moisture barrier. Add on some nice comfy 2″ wide shoulder straps and the package is done. Simple. No molle webbing, no removable velcro panels with buckles and clasps, this is just designed to get ammo to where you’re heading. The mag pouches are available in open top and closed top varieties for the 3x (5.56mm) mag and 4x mag flavors. Only available in open top are the 2x rifle/3x pistol mag, 3x rifle/2x pistol and 3x rifle/1x pistol loadouts. To top it off, a 4x 7.62 rifle mag and 24x shotgun shell (12ga and 20ga) are available.

Ok, now that we’re through the mouthful of options, let’s take a look at the specific T&E sample I’ve got here. Three rifle mag pouches and two pistol mag pouches adorn the front. The extra-wide shoulder straps have more load bearing capability than other chest rigs which are designed to carry far more weight. There is an adjustable chest/around-the-back strap to keep the whole assembly from flopping around when you’re on the move. The stitching is exceptionally even and appears to have been applied more than sufficiently. Much like the last Gadsden Dynamics product I reviewed, the War Belt, this appears to have produced by a shop that spends more time designing and fabricating their gear than they do promoting their brand name.

The elastic does a really good job securing magazines. For serious rough-and-tumble work I’d opt for the more secure closed-top version. But for a day at the range or a hunting trip, this is more than adequate. The inside of the elastic mag loops are slick and snag-free as one would hope. Reinserting your mags is easy enough, something a few other manufacturers have managed to bork due to excessively tight openings.

The exceptionally slim design adds very little bulk. I can keep this worn under a zip-up hoodie or jacket without attracting undue attention. For a low-profile scenario, this is just the ticket. Sure, many shooters feel the need for plates, first-aid kits and utility pouches. Those things have their place and are well represented in the marketplace. For a nice, slim chest rig that will keep your ammo close at hand, the Partisan Chest Rig is a good option and worth a look. Retail is $60, check it out!