Post by laxrider04 on Oct 20, 2007 22:46:10 GMT -5
I had the guys at Spyops order me one of these since I was interested in picking up a Rhodesian style chest rig. After having it for a couple weeks and playing a few skirmishes in it I figured I'd write up a review.
I bought the vest because I wanted something lighter than my UTG plate carrier. The UTG is nice and it has a tremendous amount of MOLLE real estate for any pouch you could possibly think of. The only problem was that I ended up carrying WAY too much crap. When it was at it's worst, I had two hydration bladders one for my actual hydration pack and another as a "holster" for my TM M3 shorty shotgun. I was carrying two extra m203 shells, 8 m16 mags, two pistol mags, plus my radio. That's not to mention my Blackhawk drop leg SERPA holster and a 3x double m16 mag carrier on my legs. Add my dump pouch and you can begin to see how bad this would suck in the summer heat.
Needless to say it was time to get rid of some shit. I'm now only carrying 8 85 round m16 mags, 1 pistol mag, and I still have my 203's on my vest. The biggest difference was I got rid of all of my leg platforms and have everything attached to my vest including my SERPA holster. This got rid of my web pistol belt which allowed even easier movement.
So with that long winded explanation as to what I had, now it's on to what I was getting into.
For those of you who are considering a Rhodesian style rig this is definitely a great way to go. Especially considering the Eagle rig is about 30 or 40 bucks more you can invest those savings into pouches.
I am definitely a fan of the STRIKE mounting system. It doesn't have the space in between the webbing that MOLLE does so the pouches have a tighter fit to the vest. It's a bit more difficult trying to weave the straps in, but as I said, it's a more secure fit. The vest's back straps even have a single row of webbing on them so you can attach stuff back there (that's where I have my radio pouch)
The vest is a lot lighter than my UTG and with the open back on it, it dissipates a lot more heat. This is especially nice since I'm not exactly a small dude and I heat up pretty quick.
If you are concerned about not being able to carry as many mags you can also op for the Enhanced Recon Chest rig which has room for 8 m16 mags built into the vest as well as the same front STRIKE webbing for the ability to add even more mag pouches.
All in all this is a fantastic rig and well worth the money that I spent on it.
I'll throw up some pics of it tomorrow!
I bought the vest because I wanted something lighter than my UTG plate carrier. The UTG is nice and it has a tremendous amount of MOLLE real estate for any pouch you could possibly think of. The only problem was that I ended up carrying WAY too much crap. When it was at it's worst, I had two hydration bladders one for my actual hydration pack and another as a "holster" for my TM M3 shorty shotgun. I was carrying two extra m203 shells, 8 m16 mags, two pistol mags, plus my radio. That's not to mention my Blackhawk drop leg SERPA holster and a 3x double m16 mag carrier on my legs. Add my dump pouch and you can begin to see how bad this would suck in the summer heat.
Needless to say it was time to get rid of some shit. I'm now only carrying 8 85 round m16 mags, 1 pistol mag, and I still have my 203's on my vest. The biggest difference was I got rid of all of my leg platforms and have everything attached to my vest including my SERPA holster. This got rid of my web pistol belt which allowed even easier movement.
So with that long winded explanation as to what I had, now it's on to what I was getting into.
For those of you who are considering a Rhodesian style rig this is definitely a great way to go. Especially considering the Eagle rig is about 30 or 40 bucks more you can invest those savings into pouches.
I am definitely a fan of the STRIKE mounting system. It doesn't have the space in between the webbing that MOLLE does so the pouches have a tighter fit to the vest. It's a bit more difficult trying to weave the straps in, but as I said, it's a more secure fit. The vest's back straps even have a single row of webbing on them so you can attach stuff back there (that's where I have my radio pouch)
The vest is a lot lighter than my UTG and with the open back on it, it dissipates a lot more heat. This is especially nice since I'm not exactly a small dude and I heat up pretty quick.
If you are concerned about not being able to carry as many mags you can also op for the Enhanced Recon Chest rig which has room for 8 m16 mags built into the vest as well as the same front STRIKE webbing for the ability to add even more mag pouches.
All in all this is a fantastic rig and well worth the money that I spent on it.
I'll throw up some pics of it tomorrow!