There have been a few questions about different chest rigs…..just a few.

I am going to break it down as much as I can, with examples and some picture, by the different parts of the chest rig. Remember that I do not make any money from any of these places and I am basing all of this on my own experiences with every item mentioned in the last 13 plus years and not on what I have heard or read about. If I know of an item that I feel that needs to be mentioned and have not used it I will state that I have not used it. Otherwise I have owned every item mentioned and worked with it. I have been involved in some design ideas and some R&D with several of the manufactures yet I do not make any money from any of these places. I mention this because too many people on the Web who are supposed to be SME’s tell people about the superior products that company X makes and then get some kind of money, products, support, or whatever from them. Meaning that it may be a good product but the bias makes them overinflate their opinion and sometimes make them not talk about a better product. I am not naming anyone in specific but over the years I have seen this done by a lot of people. Just think about that next time you post that So-in-So SME says that this is the best Widget out there and he is blasted all over their website, posters and what-not……Do you think that they did that for free? Food for thought. I am not going to do that.

*NOTE: Most Pictures are just pulled from Google because I no longer own them and wanted to give examples.

Now on to the chest rigs…


Shoulder Straps:


This is one of the most important parts to me. If they are too big then it will not work in a low vis situation. If they are too thin then they can’t support a large load. There are about as many different types of straps as there are chest rig types.

1. Basic X Straps- This is your basic straps that just cross in the back. Nothing fancy just there to hold up the rig. These are good for a light rig and a low viz rig that you do not want bulky stuff in the way. If worn with armor they do have a tendency to ride up in the back and bother your neck.

a. Example 1: OSOE PALS Micro Rig



b. Example 2: Tactical Tailor Mini MAV


2. Modified X Strap – This is just simple modification of the basic X Strap by adding a “keeper” of some type to the back of the straps to keep them in place. These work great to hold them in place and it prevents the pinching of on the back of the neck when wearing armor. Down side is that it usually plastic and they can break and can rub.
a. Example: Tactical Tailor MAV


b. HSGI Modified Straps for the Denali (uses slots to keep in place)

3. H Harness – These seem to be very popular now days. It is a spin-off of the old LBE H Harness. These work well with armor, prevent all riding up on the neck, neck and support a load well. Down side is that they can rub the back of your arms and arm pits on some rigs.
a. Example 1: Mayflower UW Chest rig


b. Example 2: Blue Force Gear (BFG) 10 Speed


4. Combination H and X Harness: A few Chest rigs give you parts that allow you to run it as an X harness or add in a strap to make it an H Harness. This system gives you the versatility to have both.
a. Example 1: Eagle Industries Rhodesian Rig


b. Example 2: Tactical Assault Gear (TAG) Intrepid Chest Rig


5. Padded H Harness - This is just as it sounds. Same H Harness but it is padded to support extra weight. These cane support and distribute weight really well. Down side is that they can be bulky and make adding a pack or ruck kind of a pain.
a. Example 1: ATS Modular Padded H Harness


b. Example 2: EssTac Padded Harness for the Boar Series Chest Rig


6. Padded X Harness: This is the solid back strap that is shaped like the X Straps. Using the same principle as the X Harness this method prevents all riding up the neck when used over armor and with the lower angle on the arm straps also prevents rubbing in the armpits. Some are heavily padded to support large loads and some are thin to allow comfortable use with packs and armor. Unfortunately there are not many options out there for these. I prefer this method over the others.
a. Example 1: Tactical Tailor (TT) MAV X Harness (the Gold Standard in my opinion)


b. Example 2: Beez Combat Systems (BCS) Padded Harness


c. Example 3: Universal X Harness - My design and made by a friend ( I will go into this at a later part of the lesson)



7. Items not included: There are a few features that are not included but that I think are important. One is that I feel that Quick Release (QR) buckles are a must for easy off and on. I also like the ability to do minor adjustments while wearing the rig. The only one that I have found that you can do that is the Beez Combat Systems “Pull-Forward” design. It allows you to tighten the rear straps by pulling the loose ends to your front on each side. I added some bungee cord loops to mine and it is a great way to be able to adjust your rig from no armor to armor without taking a bunch of tape or elastic keepers off.


8. Waist Straps: Not going into this too much so I thought I would put it under the shoulder straps section. Not too many different types out there. Some are sewn on one side and some have QR buckles on both sides. One feature that I like is that some are putting elastic or a bungee section on one side to give it some give when moving around. I only can think of one rig that has it as an option and it is the BCS Chest Rigs.