WillBrink
04-04-10, 08:00
Jeff C reviews the BCM 03 MSF Chest Harness:
A little background on the BCM 03 MSF Chest Harness.
Let me start off by saying I didn't invent the 2 piece chest rig with yoke and hydro carrier. The original design goes back to the late 70's / early 80's. The South African M83 battle vest is probably the original 2 piece chest rig that featured a yoke and hydration carrier.
I have been using 2 piece chest rigs since 2000 for both work and training classes. My first 2 piece chest rig was a S.O.E. chest rig with hydro carrier that I wore over my body armor for SWAT. The picture in my avatar (pic taken in Feb of 2002) shows me wearing the 2 piece chest rig over my body armor. This was before body armor carriers covered in PALS webbing was readily available on the civilian / law enforcement market.
Since 2000 I have used numerous different 2 piece chest rigs (South African M83 Battle Vest, Tactical Tailor 2 piece MAV with X-Harness and hydro carrier, several different S.O.E. split front chest rigs with hydro carriers, SO Tech Hellcats, TAG Split Front Chest Rigs, Eagle Ind. Load Bearing Air Rescue Vest and Enhanced Load Bearing Vest, London Bridge Trading, Arktis and several other 2 piece chest rig designs). I have spent a small fortune on tactical gear over the years.
The main complaint I had with all of the designs I used over the years was most 2 piece chest rigs were either too large and/or too cumbersome for my needs. Most of the designs listed above were geared toward military users. The designs were overkill for what I wanted and needed in a chest rig. At 5'06" / 150 lbs some of these chest rigs were too large for me, and others would fit but I had the adjustment straps cinched down as tight they would go.
My original chest rig design dates back to around 2004. It was based on my needs for work and from my experiences with several other chest rig designs. There was a void in the market. I wanted a low profile 2 piece chest rig with yoke and hydro carrier that carried the gear that I needed without a lot of stuff that I didn't need. I'm a Police Detective and I take a lot of training classes. I don't need an MBITR pouch or grenade pouches or smoke pouches or the ability to carry 8 to 14 carbine mags, etc. There wasn't much available in the way of low profile 2 piece chest rigs, and attaching a yoke and hydro carrier to a 1 piece chest rig is a chore to get into or out of.
In 2004/2005 I posted the concept for my design on another forum (unpadded yoke, detachable hydro carrier, each side of the two piece chest rig would be 6 PALS channels (12 total PALS channels), capable of carrying 4 to 6 carbine magazines). After I posted the design concept and features I was contacted by a gear company who wanted to put that chest rig design (and a plate carrier design I had) into production. That company never followed through and the chest rig and plate carrier was never made.
Diz and I have been friends and have shared info on-line for approximately the last 8 years. Diz is a great dude and produces some of the best custom gear I have seen. Diz and I had several on-line conversations about different gear set ups over the years. It was due to this background that I went to Diz to build my custom chest rigs in early 2008 when he started building custom gear full time. Diz built two chest rigs based on my specs, a tan (for training) chest rig that carried 6 mags, and a black (for work) chest rig that looked almost identical but carried 4 mags, a radio, and a pistol. Diz named those chest rig the USMC03 chest rig. Unfortunately Diz got out of the gear building business and moved onto other things.
I like the two piece chest rig design because they are comfortable, versatile, quick and easy to don and doff.
This is a lengthy and pic heavy review, so continued at:
BCM 03 MSF Chest Harness Review (http://www.optimalswat.com/content.php?r=205-Gear-Review-BCM-03-MSF-Chest-Harness)
A little background on the BCM 03 MSF Chest Harness.
Let me start off by saying I didn't invent the 2 piece chest rig with yoke and hydro carrier. The original design goes back to the late 70's / early 80's. The South African M83 battle vest is probably the original 2 piece chest rig that featured a yoke and hydration carrier.
I have been using 2 piece chest rigs since 2000 for both work and training classes. My first 2 piece chest rig was a S.O.E. chest rig with hydro carrier that I wore over my body armor for SWAT. The picture in my avatar (pic taken in Feb of 2002) shows me wearing the 2 piece chest rig over my body armor. This was before body armor carriers covered in PALS webbing was readily available on the civilian / law enforcement market.
Since 2000 I have used numerous different 2 piece chest rigs (South African M83 Battle Vest, Tactical Tailor 2 piece MAV with X-Harness and hydro carrier, several different S.O.E. split front chest rigs with hydro carriers, SO Tech Hellcats, TAG Split Front Chest Rigs, Eagle Ind. Load Bearing Air Rescue Vest and Enhanced Load Bearing Vest, London Bridge Trading, Arktis and several other 2 piece chest rig designs). I have spent a small fortune on tactical gear over the years.
The main complaint I had with all of the designs I used over the years was most 2 piece chest rigs were either too large and/or too cumbersome for my needs. Most of the designs listed above were geared toward military users. The designs were overkill for what I wanted and needed in a chest rig. At 5'06" / 150 lbs some of these chest rigs were too large for me, and others would fit but I had the adjustment straps cinched down as tight they would go.
My original chest rig design dates back to around 2004. It was based on my needs for work and from my experiences with several other chest rig designs. There was a void in the market. I wanted a low profile 2 piece chest rig with yoke and hydro carrier that carried the gear that I needed without a lot of stuff that I didn't need. I'm a Police Detective and I take a lot of training classes. I don't need an MBITR pouch or grenade pouches or smoke pouches or the ability to carry 8 to 14 carbine mags, etc. There wasn't much available in the way of low profile 2 piece chest rigs, and attaching a yoke and hydro carrier to a 1 piece chest rig is a chore to get into or out of.
In 2004/2005 I posted the concept for my design on another forum (unpadded yoke, detachable hydro carrier, each side of the two piece chest rig would be 6 PALS channels (12 total PALS channels), capable of carrying 4 to 6 carbine magazines). After I posted the design concept and features I was contacted by a gear company who wanted to put that chest rig design (and a plate carrier design I had) into production. That company never followed through and the chest rig and plate carrier was never made.
Diz and I have been friends and have shared info on-line for approximately the last 8 years. Diz is a great dude and produces some of the best custom gear I have seen. Diz and I had several on-line conversations about different gear set ups over the years. It was due to this background that I went to Diz to build my custom chest rigs in early 2008 when he started building custom gear full time. Diz built two chest rigs based on my specs, a tan (for training) chest rig that carried 6 mags, and a black (for work) chest rig that looked almost identical but carried 4 mags, a radio, and a pistol. Diz named those chest rig the USMC03 chest rig. Unfortunately Diz got out of the gear building business and moved onto other things.
I like the two piece chest rig design because they are comfortable, versatile, quick and easy to don and doff.
This is a lengthy and pic heavy review, so continued at:
BCM 03 MSF Chest Harness Review (http://www.optimalswat.com/content.php?r=205-Gear-Review-BCM-03-MSF-Chest-Harness)