Load Bearing Vest

Cheaper Than Dirt currently has MOLLE vests which allow you to mix and match whatever pouches you want. The vest itself is going for $39.99 but you'll have to add pouches. Since you want to be able to carry mags for 5.56mm or 7.62mm, this looks like a good way to go.

One other alternative is a chest mag pouch setup, although I doubt you'll find any that take both kinds of mags.

Galls has the BlackHawk Omega 1 TacVest on clearance for $49.99, at present it's only available in OD Green.

I bough one in Green and one in Black and like the way they fit and function.

Galls page

Roger at Custom Tactical Creations (Has a website with intensive display of pictures) can make a vest that's very well respected quality-wise for your exact needs, but he will be pricey. Otherwise, a rifle vest from CQB SOlutions, Tactical Tailor, Eagle, Blackhawk will suit your needs fine, although I wouldn't plan on carrying a ton of magazines. That's another thing that makes you bulky. Vests usually handle 2 ARmags per pouch and one ak or 308 mag per pouch. Most also come with internal hydration pouches, but I would still keep the flexibility of the HAWG, as the feel of the bladder in the pouch is awkward to me.

Chris I would highly recomend the CQB Solutions Operator Tac Vest. I think you will find it has everything you are looking for.

- hydro system compatable
- BOTH SHOULDERS ARE COMPLETLY CLEAR OF POUCHES!
- light and comfy. No extra crap to get in the way
- has 6 mag ouches and two locations above for adding other pouches
- will hold ar15 or ak47 mags. Also works with magpuls on the AR mags

Made in the USA and available in OD or Black. I love mine and have had very good feedback from customers!

The open shoulders are getting really hard to find and one of the reasons I use the CQB Solutions vest.

I just received some gear from Roger at CTC and agree is equipment is top notch! He would be more then capable of building a custom vest for you.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Eagle Industries, Spec Ops Tech, and CQB solutions offer quality products MADE IN THE USA! Blackhawk is cheaper but rates low scores from operators, of which I am not one. I don't have a vest, but I have other products from all manufacturers listed, and they are listed in the order I'd choose them.

"Man cannot live by .308, nor by .223 alone"

Is that from the Shooter's Bible?

Ahem...please excuse my ignorance, but what is a load-bearing vest? I get the image of an outcropping from a building resting on top of your shoulders/vest - don't move or the building will collapse! And if the vest doesn't bear a load (carry gear) - then why would you wear it? Why would one wear a non-load-bearing vest? If it's got no pockets, what good is it?

Holy cow - that Lightfighter site has some SERIOUS JBT/Mall ninja gear. The mind boggles.

Ahem...please excuse my ignorance, but what is a load-bearing vest?

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A load bearing vest is built in such a way that the weight is evenly distributed across the shoulders and waist, with minimal shifting. This makes it easier to carry a couple days worth of gear, yet not have to deal with a full sized pack.

Ya know Chris, after thinking about it and re-reading your post, I think you really just want a tactical vest, not a load bearing vest. Load bearing vests are for carrying more gear than you want on your body for those classes. YMMV.

You want a chest mag carrier, like the Tactical Tailor Modular Assault Vest. A SOTech Hellcat would work but the intergral mag pouches are designed for AR-15 mags.

I second www.lightfighter.com as a source. The discussion board at www.lightfighter.net is excellent as it will give you access to individuals with real world experience in using this gear.

Greetings Chris,

I ended up choosing Blackhawk Industries Urban Assault Vest in Woodland Camo. It meets all of the needs that you specified rather well.

A few additional points to consider; I would avoid vests made with mesh, while cooler than a vest made with solid fabric panels they are less durable in the long run.

Go with vests that use Fastex buckles rather than zippers.

If you are interested in the Molle system, avoid the first generation and go with the second. The first generation Molle gear had a habit of fasteners breaking, this was supposedly fixed in the second generation of the system.

Regards

I have been giving some thought about the IDEA of using something like a tac vest. In the carbine classes I have taken in the past I carried one double mag pouch for my handgun (Bladetech), three carbine mag pouches (Bladetech), a dump pouch (3-Gun Gear), and a handgun (1911 in Bladetech holster) on my belt. This is too much stuff on my belt not to mention the fact that the stuff jabs and pokes you when you shoot from positions or get in and out of a vehicle. It also prevents you from getting in your pants pockets. I also was constantly faced with the fact that I couldn't carry enough loaded mags or ammo. I would have one mag in my carbine, three on my belt, one in each pants pocket and one full mag in my dump pouch. And of course along with all this gear I had on a Cammalback which never bothered me at all through four, 5 day classes. I thought about the fact that I could carry more gear, more comfortable using a tac vest. But that is as far as it has gone for me. I can't decide if I would ever use the thing if I bought one, I can't decide what features I need etc.
Another interesting thought on vests. One guy in my last class was a cop who carried an AR in the trunk per his departments SOPs. He was already carrying enough regular police gear without adding mag pouches for his carbine. So, with the carbine in the trunk, he had a tac vest lying on top of it. So, if he responded to a call where he knew he was going to use his carbine, he could very quickly slip into his tac vest and have all of his gear with him rather than just counting on solving the problem with the single mag in the carbine. Sounds like a good idea for us civilians; keep the tac vest loaded and ready to go. If we break out the carbine to investigate a noise or whatever, we could have a loaded tac vest with all needed gear sitting there ready to put on in a couple seconds.
I am not real big on the whole SHTF thing. But, the vest would be nice in these classes and in the back of my mind, I admit the idea of having some kind of crisis where I need to use my carbine to defend my life exists. If I needed to defend my life, my carbine would be my first choice if given the opportunity to use whatever I had. And having the vest loaded with mags, flashlight, handgun or at least handgun mags, possibly some type of less than lethal stuff if the opportunity presented itself.
Of course outside of the class range, the odds are a million to one that you would never use the vest as a civilian. But, as has been said many times, it is better to have and not need, than need and not have. Making having easy and quick means that if you ever need it, you got it.

If I might...

High Speed Gear is comeing out with a design called the Wasatch. It will hold either 7.62 or AR mags, at last description, and will have pockets for armor plates. MOLLE compatible, etc. No hydration pocket to speak of, but you can easily wear a camelbak.

However, if things go as planned, I will be marketing my own MOLLE compatible vest that will have an included hydration pocket. Since it's still in the prototype stage, I can't say a lot more about it, other than it will be "open" (not a jacket-like tac vest) and of tactical-grade mesh for breatheability, will have an integrated hydration pocket on the back, be completely MOLLE compatible and will have ammo pouches designed that will accommodate AR/AK/FAL-sized mags, all int he same pouch.

It's going to be made by a well-known manufacturer in the gear community. No final price set, but the basic vest shell (no pouches) should be VERY competitive with other vests currently on the market. of course, it will be available as a complete system, as well, for those who want it that way or don't have their own MOLLE pouches.

Several actively serving military folks saw the prototype (before I did, darn it!) and, according to the factory, "they drooled" so I am getting the clean prototype this week. At least one military unit is expressing an interest in it. It will be available in Khaki (standard) and OD/BLACK (non-stocked colors, but available on special order).

Anyone want to be notified on this as the project progresses, shoot me an email at Practical Tactical

I tend to have the same mindset as 444. I'm not into the whole SHTF thing, but I like being prepared to a certain extent. I've also been considering a vest for a while, for the same reasons he's mentioned. I finally took the plunge and decided on the Eagle TAC-V1-N-A. I've special ordered it in tan, and it should arrive in 12-16 weeks. They said it would be 8-12, but I just recieved my custom tan Hybrid Sniper Rifle Cover that I ordered in March or April, so I'm giving them some leeway. It seems that someone's uncle has been making full use of the tan material they recieve.

I order all my stuff in tan. It looks less menacing when lying around the house. One of my shooting buddies called me the Khaki Warrior. It was amusing, although I'm more Khaki than Warrior.

buzz_knox - Why a chest rig?

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I posed a similar question at www.lightfighter.net, and was advised to get a chest rig because a vest will interfere with carrying a sidearm in the usual CC positions. Vests are most compatible with drop/thigh holsters. You would end up having some conflicts in training because most don't carry a CCW on their thigh or low on the belt.

There are some chest rigs that can be almost as versatile as a vest. Thus, you can get the best of both worlds. The SOTech Hellcat (although it's internal mag pouches are AR15 only) or TT MAV come to mind.

The SOTech Hellcat (although it's internal mag pouches are AR15 only) or TT MAV come to mind.

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High Speed Gear, out of N. Carolina, is making a chest rig called the Wasatch, which (at last report) will accommodate any 5.56 or 7.62 mag in it's internal pouches. Also, it has pouches for ballistic armor plates, front and rear.

The piece is being produced for a military unit at the moment, but once that order is filled, I expect to receive some in.

I use an Eagle Tac-V right now and also have an ARKTIS vest that I like pretty well. Arktis pouches are adjustable for AK, AR, G3, FAL mags...comes in handy

I'll be getting an SOE vests for myself soon and definately investing in some of Gene's wares from High Speed!

cops991.com

my team designed these:


http://cops911.com/product.asp?id=10276

Robert is a wizard with balistic nylon

I'm not trying to discourage you, but have you ever considered trying with the plain-jane "H" or "Y" harness?

I've worn the MOLLE vest, the older LBV, and the harness, and personally
I like the harnes myself. You can attach a buttpack to it and if you go into the prone you aren't laying on your mags.

Just a thought...

ANM

I also use a H-Harness when it's better to use it. I still keep a vest so I can use which ever works the best or both. It just all depends on your needs. Handy thing about a vest is you can carry more magazines on the vest and then have items on the belt that are more towards what is carried in the buttpack or binioculars or whatever works. There is no absolute when it comes to setting your gear and equipment up, except whatever works for each individual person the best.

I use a Tactical Tailor MAV, with three ,3 ar-15 magazine carriers, two small utility pouches and a saw pouch. I can put two m-14 magazines in each pouch or three mini-14 magazines in each pouch. the main advantage of PALS/MOLLE is the ability to place the pouches where you want, not necessarily the ability to move them around or replace them in the field.


I'd stay away from blackhawk unless you get their STRIKE stuff, as some of it is less than durable, and made overseas.



Tactical tailor has the MAV and a bunch of pockets for it. Lightfighter carries everything TT makes.

This is my favorite, the Tactical Tailor TAC 1A Rifle Vest.

We just introduced the MESA Assault Vest, built exclusively for Practical Tactical by High Speed Gear, Inc.

This MOLLE-compatible vest will work with any compatible pouch, has an integrated hydration pocket on the outside of the vest (instead of inside, where it's pressed against your body), has lightly padded shoulders and waist. It's a modernized version of the South African Pattern 83 vest.

We will be marketing ammo pouches that will carry 3 M-16 magazines OR two 7.62x51 magazines OR 2 AK mags, however these won't be out for a couple of months (most likely).

While the upper chest area has the ability to carry pouches, being modular one doesn't need to put anything there, so your shoulder/shooting 'pocket' can remain unencumbered.

I've worn this thing kitted with about 20-25 pounds worth of "stuff", and it was very comfortable, and since it's made of tactical grade mesh instead of solid material, not overly warm (remember, this is Phoenix, so I wanted a vest that would breathe). It's design also allows for full range of motion.

I will admit to being biased since we designed and are marketing this, but I do think it's one of the best modular vests for the price on the market today.

www.practicaltactical.net/html/mesa_vest.html

I like harness systems as well as MOLLE systems because usually, I'm not carrying enough gear to warrant all those permanently attached pouches which come on the typical assault vest styles.

Get LBE to fit your needs, not one that will simply hold the most.