Lets see pics of your Rigs/Plate carriers...

[mrvash]

How many of you have BDU pants or 'tactical' shirts to go with your chest rig/plate carrier? I just got my chest rig,under armor shirt and Wellco weather proof/tactical boots in and I'm thinking of getting some BDU cargo pants and knee pads to finish it all off. What brand of knee pads should I go with?

[badicedog]

Originally Posted by mrvash

How many of you have BDU pants or 'tactical' shirts to go with your chest rig/plate carrier? I just got my chest rig,under armor shirt and Wellco weather proof/tactical boots in and I'm thinking of getting some BDU cargo pants and knee pads to finish it all off. What brand of knee pads should I go with?

Crye Precision makes some of the best pants/shirts...They are very pricy though.

[650bail]

I have an ABB extreme vest with level III soft armour and a Soft trauma chest pad can this armor be transplanted into a plate carrier/chest rig type setup or do I have to wear it underneath? Thanks

[rareair]

Measure the soft armor. Measure the plate carrier pockets. Most are 8x11" so they should be interchangeable

[brando]

Not having proper IIIa rated soft armor underneath plates is the number one mistake folks make (including a lot of troops about 5-7 years ago) when setting up a plate carrier. First and foremost, you need to know whether the rating of your plate is based on standalone or in-conjunction performance. In the past some haven't been too clear and be careful for plates using non-NIJ standard ratings like 3++.

Many armor manufacturers sell IIIa panels cut to fit plate profiles - this is what you want to look for in most cases. There are, however, certain plate carriers that provide a bit more coverage than the plate itself, so keep an eye out for panels that match the cut of the carrier in that case.

Last but not least, make sure you orient them properly - most will have a label that says something akin to "Strike Face" which means you lay the opposite side against your body.

Oh and in case anyone wonders what the point of these IIIa panels is: plates can fragment, shatter or otherwise spall on impact and the panels catch this last bit of lethal crap that's against your skin. It's the last line of defense.

Annnnd one more thing, Kevlar is common but thick and cheap (and very insulating). Dyneema/Aramid/Goldflex are lightweight options for a price.

[650bail]

Thanks for the nfo.

[Bigbird19]

How do/can you mount the surefire v70 holster do a molle platform?

[Bowser]

Originally Posted by Bigbird19

How do/can you mount the surefire v70 holster do a molle platform?

csmgear used to make an attachment, but I can't find it on their site anymore.

[jesse3533]

Originally Posted by fd15k

Many folks got carabiners attached to the webbing. What's the purpose ?

Originally Posted by themailman

Eagle Pc

I used it to hang my helmet by the chin strap from the carabiner, so you don't have to carry it w/ your hands.

[xibunkrlilkidsx]

Originally Posted by 707electrician

Do any of you guys know where I can find some MOLLE mag pouches that will hold 20rnd pmags or am I going to have to buy some 10/30's?

tactical tailor.

getting cash together to get my rig built up.

Tactical tailor modualr palte carrier
Cumberbun upgrade.
triple 20rd mag holder
triple 30rd mag holder
and triple pistol.

than some sort of bleeder, quick strip med kit and a general purpose pouch

[247Nino]

Waiting on VTG armor for plates. Waiting on a LWH to pop up.


Very close to what I used to wear...

[Calgunner217]

Eagle Industries Maritime CIRAS with Ceradyne Level III plates, and BALCS IIIA.

[tacticalcity]

Pic is a little fuzzy...

[tacticalcity]

I don't own this one any more, BDS ABU (Air Force Battle Uniform) Chest Rig...

[jesse3533]

Originally Posted by C.W.M.V.

I just got one of these

Great quality and setup. If the US army would issue gear this nice I wouldn't have dropped so much coin at Tactical Tailor!
I still need to pick up something thats AK specific, but this will do for everything else.

is that an ISR? (head mounted radio) If so where did you pick it up? I used to use those things overseas and they were super cozy and functional.

[luckystrike]

how many people here run dump pouches for mags?

[brando]

I started running a dump pouch in 2005 after training away some bad habits. The Rolly Poly style pouches are handy because you can easily stow them when you don't intend to use it.

For everyone here with tactical rigs, make sure you take the time to run and gun scenarios with them to test them out. Too many people put together their gear the way that makes sense to tthem only to find out in the real world the configuration is sub-optimal or a downright fail. A weekend carbine class is a decent place to try it out.

Some things I see people screw up most often is running plate carriers or armor carriers (RAV/CIRAS) with the shoulder straps too low, allowing the plates to sag or they run a chest rig too low only to find it's difficult to access mags while in the prone. I ran leg rigs for a while in Iraq until I realized only the lowest profile configurations worked best for me. Some added too much weight to my leg whie running or were very awkward when rolling around in e dirt or snow.

Bottom line - test, refine and test again!

[luckystrike]

cool, I need to pick one up at somepoint. when you were deployed did you have one of those cleaning kits with bicycle cable type cleaning rods like the otis? I have one and cant figureout if I want to keep it in my pack or on my vest.

[Nicoman]

I was wondering what the difference between a chest rig and a tactical vest is. Also do you guys rock your chest rigs or tactical vest at the range or are most of you in the service? Sorry if this is the wrong forum to ask this or just a ridiculous question

[Omega13device]

Originally Posted by nicoman

I was wondering what the difference between a chest rig and a tactical vest is. Also do you guys rock your chest rigs or tactical vest at the range or are most of you in the service? Sorry if this is the wrong forum to ask this or just a ridiculous question

Not a ridiculous question...some guys are LE or military, others just use their gear for carbine classes. If it looks brand new and clean that's a good sign that they're probably not LE/mil...

Regarding chest rig vs. vest...both are methods for carrying mags and other gear. Chest rigs are a more modern solution and have the advantage of being more configurable and providing more ventilation so they're more comfortable to wear in hot weather.

[patriot_man]

Running a slick carrier such as a PACA or Eagle LVAC or LBT with a chest carrier is just as effective as a MOLLE Vest and may even provide greater range of motion as well as customization. Also there is the weight saving option. When protection is not needed you can ditch the armor carrier and just wear the chest rig while on a plate carrier, running without plates and a lot of crap hanging off of it may make it sag.

[rero360]

Here is my setup so far, I still need to add an Ares Armor pack, USGG Infidel warbelt, med pouch, Blade tech holster, and two pistol mag pouches and of course the soft armor panels and plates.

[Rebellious]

[brando]

When it comes to carrying ammo, remember that "Less is more". I see a lot of guys running 6-10 AR mags, which is an infantry basic load plus. Obviously, it's ultimately up to you, but a lot of people get a false impression of what they need for home defense or contingencies in their neighborhoods. Running that much ammo leads to bulk and weight that can be a real hindrance when you start moving around - especially if you're not training for that regularly. Unless of course your METL includes point defense during the zombie apocalypse which would likely lead to a rather sustained firefight, to say the least.

[762.DEFENSE]

Originally Posted by Rebellious

Love it!

[rareair]

Originally Posted by rero360

Good choice on the anti-bacterial soap mounted on the Right-side hip

[rero360]

Originally Posted by rareair

Good choice on the anti-bacterial soap mounted on the Right-side hip

Haha, yeah, its like the only mirror in the house so its what I used. can't forget the shaving cream on the other hip as well, for those tactical hygiene moments.

[badicedog]

My humble contribution to the awesome thread! lol
Crye JPC w/ custom TAG Rifle/Pistol Mag pouches. Stand alone LV 4 Plates.

[Iskra]

Originally Posted by Rebellious

Love the tactical Halligan

[chris]

Originally Posted by brando

It's funny, when I started out in the Army in 1988 we all had one rig - an LBE. Naturally, we all modified them as needed (when we could). I ran mine pretty high, sort of like a chest rig and replaced the buckles with 550 chord. Then a little later I was introduced to a few other rigs in SF, namely a modified version of the LBV that was starting to get issued Army-wide at the time, and mesh-based vest. Neither were particularly good though. Towards the end of '95 I was running a lightweight chest rig that layed over RBA, but still something really simple.

Flashforward to 2000, I return to the Army and things hadn't changed a whole lot. For the most part the LBE was gone, but the LBV was still fairly common along with the mesh vest. The big addition was attachment systems (PALS/MOLLE). And the SPEARS setup seemed pretty revolutionary. Modularity was catching on.

Now in barely five years, by 2005 things had changed significantly. On the SOF side we deployed with several different rigs. I had a stripped down plate carrier, a low profile IIIa vest, a full sized RAV carrier and a lightweight chest rig. All of which I used based on mission requirements. For example, going up and down mountains or doing a lot of foot work in a more permissible environment called for the lightweight chest rig over the IIIa vest or the plate carrier. The streets of Mosul called for the RAV and any time where extra mobility was preferred over protection, the plate carrier would come out again.

Most importantly, all of this stuff trickles down from the SOF community to the conventional Army. From TTPs to equipment. This was most evident to me when I came across a 2nd ID gunner running a para-SAW or seeing a 24th Stryker BDE guy with a 203 on his M4. Both of those used to be the domain of SF/Ranger Regt, but they trickled down out of the proving grounds to Army wide fielding.

So I guess there's nothing like a war to cause our gear to evolve rapidly.

yep it has done exactly that.

i just got my Banshee PC from Shellback tactical and some mag pouches. no pics yet. i still have my OIF kit at home and have used it for years. thought to upgrade to a PC and i tried it on not a bad fit but it's small compared to my IBA. i will come back and post some pics of both kits together when i get my PC kit up to speed.

Originally Posted by brando

I started running a dump pouch in 2005 after training away some bad habits. The Rolly Poly style pouches are handy because you can easily stow them when you don't intend to use it.

For everyone here with tactical rigs, make sure you take the time to run and gun scenarios with them to test them out. Too many people put together their gear the way that makes sense to tthem only to find out in the real world the configuration is sub-optimal or a downright fail. A weekend carbine class is a decent place to try it out.

Some things I see people screw up most often is running plate carriers or armor carriers (RAV/CIRAS) with the shoulder straps too low, allowing the plates to sag or they run a chest rig too low only to find it's difficult to access mags while in the prone. I ran leg rigs for a while in Iraq until I realized only the lowest profile configurations worked best for me. Some added too much weight to my leg whie running or were very awkward when rolling around in e dirt or snow.

Bottom line - test, refine and test again!

i love my dump pouch for mags. did'nt have one in Iraq then got one after i got home much better that using your cargo pocket. the rollup ones are great mine is from TAG so i won't have to buy another one for my PC kit it comes off my other kit pretty easy.

i refined my gear during many days and hours on the ODA range with one of the guys (free ammo hell yeah!) it worked out pretty good. but with PC's it appears that most have their mag pouches in the center as i have mine on my OIF gear is slightly to the left. easy for me to get to. so i will have to adjust to the PC setup at my next class. since my lame a** unit does'nt train like i want to.

[Big D]

Originally Posted by brando

When it comes to carrying ammo, remember that "Less is more". I see a lot of guys running 6-10 AR mags, which is an infantry basic load plus. Obviously, it's ultimately up to you, but a lot of people get a false impression of what they need for home defense or contingencies in their neighborhoods. Running that much ammo leads to bulk and weight that can be a real hindrance when you start moving around - especially if you're not training for that regularly. Unless of course your METL includes point defense during the zombie apocalypse which would likely lead to a rather sustained firefight, to say the least.

Remember A lot of us are in CA. So 6-10 magazines means 60-100 rds, not 180-300 rds.

[Jeffu]

[Plisk]

Originally Posted by Calgunner217

Eagle Industries Maritime CIRAS with Ceradyne Level III plates, and BALCS IIIA.

A bit of constructive criticism. Move the US Flag patch onto your Admin pouch. I found back when I use to run a Maritime CIRAS, placing a patch that large on the pull-cord created a obstruction because it's bigger then it.

Originally Posted by Rebellious

Love it. Love all of it.

[chris]

here's my current setup. still tweaking it. i will see how it is when i use it in my next class next month.

so far i have

Banshee Plate Carrier.
MOLLE Triple Shingle w/ bungee
MOLLE Shingle Pistol Enhanced Mag Pouch w/ bungee (i have this one in front of the mag pouch. both are triple shingle mag.)
MOLLE Universal Pistol Mag Enhanced (love this thing.) instructors have tripped out when i stick a magizine to it.
MOLLE Upright Utility Pouch (i have had this for years. great for NVG's, batteries, gloves and so on.)
MOLLE Surefire Flashlight Pouch (2 Cell) bought two more for my other gerber and a flashlight. these have worked out well on my IBA from Iraq.
MOLLE Medical Pouch (on it's way)
Dump Pouch not shown. it's on my other kit. i don't think i need to get another one since this one comes off pretty easy from my other kit.
and a duty knife i aquired in Iraq.
MOLLE Padded Patrol Belt ( i noticed some of you are using this type of belts with your plate carriers.
duty knife i aquired in Iraq.
Serpa holster.
two double stack M16/M4 mag pouches that had lying around.

i have used different patterns with this as you can see. not really worried about it all matching at this time.

[whoreable]

[tomd1584]

Eagle carrier
medium SAPI's
BFG dapper pouch cut down to hold 2 M4 mags
triple BFG 10-speed

[ArmedDefense]

Originally Posted by Rebellious

Purpose of no stock?

[Secret]

Originally Posted by ArmedDefense

Purpose of no stock?

Thats an AR pistol

[valleyoperator]

for typical range day or movement drills
no armor or chest rig yet, so i slapped on some stuff i had around over the years.

114_1912.jpg
114_1913.jpg

Battle Belt: two Fast Mags, utility pouch, rolled up dump pouch
MOLLE Hydration Bladder
left leg thigh rig with open top pouches
ear protection
Kel Tec SU-16CA w/ Bushnell TRS 25

sorry for the quality :/

[Calgunner217]

Yeah, I played with different configurations. Thought I would just leave the flag the same way I got it. It's a hand me down from NSW.

Originally Posted by Plisk

A bit of constructive criticism. Move the US Flag patch onto your Admin pouch. I found back when I use to run a Maritime CIRAS, placing a patch that large on the pull-cord created a obstruction because it's bigger then it.



Love it. Love all of it.