London Bridge Trading

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:

Short to Medium Range Operational Loadout

My short range gear is my favorite. I use it during VBSS and short-medium range ops. Why is it my favorite? It’s light and fast! I’m going to skip on the Comms/batteries and all that and just move straight into what gear I run starting from the ground up. Under Armour is my choice of boot. I can’t tell you why but they are the most comfortable out there for me. Not necessarily the most durable by any means but they are light, fast and also what I run in when I workout. I wear the Under Armor Valsetz in Coyote brown sprayed with a high dose of Atsko Silicone water guard. I spray almost all of my small boat ops gear with Atsko. You will never find a waterproof system to spray on (or at least I have not) but Atsko does a damn good job in my opinion. A pair of Valsetz Not be suitable for a full deployment, But they last a decent amount of time depending on how much you wear them. Personally, I would bring 2 pairs on a deployment – one for training and one for operations.

Depending on a low-vis or high-vis situation dictates what I wear. If it’s low vis then I’m usually wearing a pair of Walmart wrangler’s (The best $15 you’ll ever spend) and a T-shirt. High vis I’m usually wearing London Bridge Trading without thinking twice. London Bridge Trading has recently come up into my life as my go-to for pants and they make some of the best combat shirts out there. I have a few pairs of the Multicam combat pants and a few of the Multicam combat shirts they sell. If we are running maritime operations I tend to stick to the Frog Combat shirt because it is NWU type III. Back to London Bridge; Light, durable and comfortable. The pants have a reinforced seat and reinforced knees with the option to throw in knee pads. I’m not a big fan of elbow pads so for me I’m not looking for a combat shirt with elbow pads (I would recommend getting a size up on the combat shirt though) I wear a medium but buy or get issued larges. The only downside to the London Bridge pants is that usually, the Velcro on the pockets tends to come off. I personally reinforced the Velcro with a new stick and have had no problems. Underneath my uniform, I usually will wear an Under Armor base layer and if it’s cold I will throw a Drifire long sleeve over that. I also was issued Dri Fire short sleeve t-shirts so every now and again I will wear one of those if it is hot. They are Flame Resistant and they keep ya cool and dry on hot days and nice and warm on cold days. Now getting down to the gear – hydration is key in all environments. I have a 2-liter and a 3-liter Camelback bladder I’ll use depending on the op. I attach them to my plate carrier via a Fox Hydration pack in coyote brown that hooks up by the ever so beautiful Molle system. Once again, Molle if you’re out there, I still owe you that date.

The plate carrier I run is the Voodoo Tactical 20-0096 Light Weight Plate Carrier. If you want to know more about it, you can read my review here. As far as my plate carrier set up goes I’ll run you from left to right starting on the back. I run coms on my left side up through my shoulder strap. Next to that is my Fox Tactical 3L bladder carrier. I have my second personal Tourniquet on my back right on or next to my Fox Tactical Bladder carrier. I carry it on my back because it’s easy to access for my teammate to grab if I’m hit. On my right side, I carry a drop pouch. Depending on the op I may ditch it and throw an extra flashbang in replacement of it. Next, to my dump pouch, I have my primary tourniquet. Easily reachable to apply self-aid. I carry a Gerber next to that. Easily the handiest thing on my plate carrier. Up front, I carry 3 M4 mags in a Voodoo tactical retention 3 mag pouch. I like to stay flat, open and free on the front.

Depending on the op I may or may not throw my double mag pouch on there but for basic maritime or fast attack ops, I will run a 3 mag pouch. Behind my mag pouch, I carry a Sandel Med Pen. They are better than a sharpie and they definitely don’t smear or run off of skin or paper. I carry 2-3 chem lights or IR lights and a set of trauma shears. I wear an IR American flag patch and a 9 line card in a single pistol mag pouch above my mag pouch. On my left side, I have a flashbang pouch and a weapons retention system. I used to stay away from plastic weapons retention systems because I have had them break but lately I’ve been utilizing one. If I’m not using the plastic weapons retention system I will use one I made from 550 and an old carabiner. I stole the idea from Jason Phalin’s video on the Tactical Rifleman. I do like using the 550/carabiner idea because it does save a lot of space where I can throw an extra flashbang or grenade in place of the plastic weapons retention system. I currently am in between a drop leg holster and a holster that connects to my battle belt.

I run my battle belt for most of my land ops and every now and again for small boat or maritime operations. I carry my pistol mags on the left side of my battle belt. I shoot my sidearms right handed and my rifles left handed. I run my IFAK in the middle of my battle belt. I won’t go into details because everyone is different with their IFAK and it’s all personal preference. The last thing I have on my battle belt is 2 extra mags which put me at 6 total. I tend to stay around 6-8 mags. If I need extra mags, I’ll carry a small backpack with extra mags in it or I will wear a double mag pouch on the front of my plate carrier. I always stick 2 cans of wintergreen Copenhagen where my side plates go just in case I’m out longer than expected and I usually stick a few kind bars of cliff bars in my hydration bladder carrier. Better to be safe than sorry. Lastly, my helmet. I have a standard issue maritime helmet that I take on all my ops. I run NVG mount on it as well as a MANTA Strobe. Manta Strobes are great because of the sleek design. It won’t get snagged on anything and it’s quick and easy to use. I mount it on the back over to the right a bit.

Remember, the most important thing about short to medium range loadouts is that they are made for a short to medium range. Stay light. Stay fast. Stay aggressive.

London Bridge Trading (LBT) Standard Three Day Assault Pack (Slick)

I’ve been a customer of London Bridge Trading Company’s gear for many years. They are located in Virginia Beach, Virginia and supply many of the area military units based out of the Norfolk and Little Creek, Virginia area as well as military and police units everywhere. LBT gear is bomb proof and made to take hard use under the most extreme conditions.

Recently I was looking to add a couple of packs to my line up to be used as a ready bag and another for outdoor adventures. I decided that I wanted a slick pack, as packs covered with molle webbing usually turn into gypsy camps with a bunch of pouches and junk hanging off of them getting caught on everything or not fitting under a seat on a plane or train when traveling.

The pack itself is a very simple design with four pockets, the main compartment, in the main compartment there is also a sleeve for a water bladder or frame board (also available on the website for about $20.00. I personally use the pack frame board in mine for extra stability.) an exterior pocket with a slash pocket on the outside of it. All packs come with a detachable waist belt and sternum strap, compression straps on the sides for cinching down the load, a drain hole in the bottom, a strip of webbing on the bottom for attaching a bedroll, all zippers are YYK and they are available in a number of colors and camo patterns. The standard price for an LBT Standard Three Day Assault pack is $213.00 but if you get on their email list or check the website around just about any holiday you can catch them on sale for right around $100.00.

Below are the features of the pack from the website:

General Features:

Mid-sized patrol pack, capable of carrying three plus day’s worth of gear, MRE’s,

cleaning utilities etc.

Adjustable padded shoulder straps
Front accessory pocket
Back padding provided by 3/8” closed cell inner core
Removable waist strap, used for equalizing the load across the combatants hips
Interior pocket for hydration pouch or internal frame for structural rigidity (Not included)
Heavy duty reinforced carry handle
Two adjustable cinch straps on each side pack; good for spare barrels, sleeping mats, SMAW rockets etc.
Overall dimensions approx: 14” L x 8” W x 20” H

I’m really pleased with these packs they carry comfortably and hold everything you need for a few days in the woods or traveling. If you grab one during a sale they are probably about the best pack you can get for the money (just a note they can go pretty fast during the sales).

Author – Art Dorst is the owner of A. Dorst Consulting & Training Services and is a Senior Consultant for LaSorsa & Associates. He served in the U.S. Navy and Army National Guard. He is also a retired municipal Police Officer, NRA Instructor, and is currently a security provider/trainer.

LBT 6094 Modular Plate Carrier | An active duty Army Ranger review

An active duty Army Ranger reviews the LBT 6094 Modular Plate Carrier

“Its hands down the greatest plate carrier ever conceived!” – (a very salty senior Ranger NCO)

It is perhaps the most renowned plate carrier in existence. It is simple, durable and well thought out. So much in fact, that many of the Rangers I have worked with (including myself), have purchased one out-of-pocket. I am referring to the London Bridge Trading Company 6094 Modular Plate Carrier.

Throughout my time in 1/75 I have been issued 3 different carriers from 2 different manufacturers that all seemed to fall short. One was extremely uncomfortable. The next had its own instruction manual and required PhD level research and hours of time just to set it up correctly. The third was a low vis carrier, and while it was great, it could not be used for all applications. Every time we would be issued a new carrier, I still found myself falling back into my LBT 6094.

The LBT 6094 has stood the test of time. It has been in use for years with some of the top units in the world, and has a great reputation within the U.S. SOF community. The LBT 6094 is manufactured using 500 denier Dupont Cordura fabric, and is extremely durable. Mine has lasted me over 4 years and has endured endless abuse. Many times, with durable carriers, it seems you have to sacrifice comfort for durability. With the LBT 6094, this is not the case. It is the most comfortable carrier I have ever used and countless users preach the same. Part of this is due to the way the shoulder straps lay over your shoulders. They managed to get the angle just right so that your load is not bearing down on pressure points which is a life saver when wearing a plate carrier for long periods of time.

The other big thing that many people tend to forget is that the material on the inside of your plate carrier can make or break your comfort. The inside of the LBT 6094 is a slick nylon material with a thin inner layer of padding that essentially eliminates friction and dries extremely quickly. The cummerbund is a simple design connected with shock cord in the back like many other carriers. It allows for side plates and soft armor if that is what you are required/choosing to run.

On the inside of the cummerbund they have padded the lower part so side plates no longer dig into your pelvis, (or muffin tops for you heavier guys.) It also has 2 internal radio pouches. This was great for me and even though I only ran one MBITR radio on my left side. I still made use of the other radio pouch by putting a kydex wedge into it so it could hold an extra mag for my weak side mag change. On each side, front and back there are Velcro taps for running hydration hoses or communications cables to keep your setup nice and neat. The LBT 6094 also has a kangaroo pouch for running mags internal if that’s your thing and the ability to add a grg pouch on the chest for baseball cards (not sports related,) maps etc.

The only downside I have found is that they do not sell this carrier in a size small. I run small plates and while they fit in a medium carrier, it would be nice to have a more snug plate fit. As a matter of fact, my friend who wears large plates can fit them into the medium carrier. Even with this small deficiency, it is still the most comfortable carrier I have ever worn. The LBT 6094 Modular Plate Carrier retails on their website for $442.92. London Bridge Trading Company runs sales quite often especially during the 4th of July. I purchased my LBT 6094 for about $250 during one of those sales. To end it, if you are looking for a plate carrier that is proven, works and isn’t overly complicated, try out an LBT 6094 Modular Plate Carrier and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Author – Tim M. is an Army Ranger who has served in Afghanistan and is currently a K9 handler for ARSOF. In his free time he enjoys shooting, working out and hitting the trails with the dog.