Arm Thy Neighbor: The Type 81 Chest Rig

If there’s one GIANT takeaway from the COVID-19 pandemic, its that a whole lot of people are waking up to the reality that no, tomorrow may not be promised. At least not the same way we lived yesterday. Its a different world today than three weeks ago, and while a lot of you out there reading this did your own due diligence over the years, Charlie Mike-ing it up (continuing movement) on your own preparedness, we know a hell of a lot of people went to sleep on or about NOV 2016.

But, it is what it is.

Like I’ve said in other posts, a lot of hard lessons may be about to be re-learned here in the the land of plenty. Although its going to suck, I pray it won’t be as bad as it could be. But that said for now your role should be getting your neighbors and extended family up to speed. Whether that’s food, water, building materials, or whatever else, you also have to have a way to protect it. And with that said those same lessons are familiar to anyone who’s lived in the third world- even down to things like weapons and equipment.

Scout’s Arm-Thy-Neighbor Starter Kit. AKM with 5 mags, Ranger RD-7, Tritium Compass, Type 81 Chest Rig, and a 45lb kettlebell.

The prepper movement is synonymous with guns. Honestly that’s the prerequisite for most folks to get into preparedness, and I know a lot of people that have spent tons of money on gear for themselves. But what about others? Its easy for us to say “well damn son, you shoulda had….” but that doesn’t solve anything and the reality is that a large portion of people out there who are just waking up to smell the ovaltine are gonna be in need of basic equipment. And if you have a piece of gear to hand off to that Johnny-come-Lately, it’ll do much to build loyalty. Its just as important a morale builder as being able to provide your people with a hot meal. One of the frequent memes I’ve seen in the prepper movement over the years has been the need to arm the neighbors. And ok, that’s a worthy notion, but how do you plan on also equipping them?

UW Gear AK Swamp Fox up top, Type 81 bottom. While I no doubt favor my friend John’s design over the older Chinese rig, I can pick up several of the Type 81 rigs to hand out to people in need of gear.

There’s a lot of directions that can go, but the broad answer needs to be keeping it simple, stupid. You need to understand that you’re not arming and equipping soldiers. They’re people with only very basic levels of training at best, and the more simple you keep their gear for them, the better its going to function. One of the most enduring designs out there is the Chinese Type 81 Chest Rig. The chest rig is named after the Chinese Type 81, which was the Chinese primary combat weapon in 7.62×39 for many years until its replacement, the QBZ 95. Its a heavy weight cotton duck material, similar to Carhart. We used to call them the jihadi starter kit, because it seemed like every insurgent wore them, but the point is they’re absolutely bomb-proof. I prefer the Type 81 over the older Type 56 because it has 4 magazine pockets rather than 3. It’s cheap, usually under $25 bucks, and endlessly modifiable if you have even basic sewing skills. And while its designed for the AK-pattern magazine, you can stuff a roll of gauze in the bottom of the magazine pouch and double stack AR magazines in each pouch. While its not going to win any awards, its cheap and it works.

Is there better stuff out there? Sure. But the old pattern chest rigs endure for a reason. I’ve got mountains of spare kit for my people, but I keep using the same basic designs because of one reason- they work.

 

 

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About the Author: NC Scout

NC Scout is the nom de guerre of a former Infantry Scout and Sergeant in one of the Army’s best Reconnaissance Units. He has combat tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He teaches a series of courses focusing on small unit skills rarely if ever taught anywhere else in the prepping and survival field, including his RTO Course which focuses on small unit communications. In his free time he is an avid hunter, bushcrafter, writer, long range shooter, prepper, amateur radio operator and Libertarian activist. He can be contacted at [email protected] or via his blog at brushbeater.wordpress.com .

5 Comments

  1. Matt Bracken March 25, 2020 at 18:29

    I remember in the 1980s when H-Harness Load Bearing Equipment was standard U.S. military issue even for USN frogmen (yes, SEALs), a lot of the Vietnam era guys, (and guys who paid attention to them), out of their own pockets had parachute riggers fabricate chest rigs for them. This is many years before modern post-9-11 “tacticool.” 100% true story. What works, works.

    OTOH, those of us who used the regular LBE as an SOP carried four of the 3X 30 round standard issue mag carriers on the web belt in front. Even more cloth bandoleers of 5.56 ammo in stripper clips on our backs. 12X30 rounds in mags = 360 rounds of 5.56. Often, user choice, a duplexed mag in the rifle. So, at least 390 rounds in mags ready to fire. More ammo in bandoleer stripper clips.

    What is the point of this rant? SEALs in Vietnam did not generally want to make contact, but, if contact happened, they wanted to lay down massive firepower, and this was usually at close range, to either win totally or peel off and escape.

    Post 9-11, I see all kinds of high-speed contractor/operators with maybe six mags on their chest, one in the rifle, and THAT’S IT. Call it 210 rounds, TOTAL, ready to go. IMHO, this is because there is always a “higher” that’s going to finish the fight fast. The cavalry is on overwatch, the Predators, the QRF.

    SEALs on DA missions in Vietnam believed nobody was coming for them unless they could at least fight back to an LZ or river pickup. 210 rounds goes very fast against a well-armed enemy. Since I was a tadpole, I always considered 400 rounds ready to go about right. In post SHTF, nobody is coming to help you. No helo, no QRF, no Predator on overwatch.

    Yes, chest rigs are awesome. Just make sure that if you’re heading to what might be a gunfight, be prepared to fight your way through it or out of it ON YOUR OWN. IMHO, 400 rounds in mags is bare minimum. If for no other reason than you can lay down so much initial fire that your enemy thinks, “HOLY SHIT! WE JUST RAN INTO A PLATOON!” and runs away. And if they don’t run away, you had better be ready for a LONG fight.

    This is what the old Vietnam SEALs communicated to us 1980s tadpoles.

    FWIW.

    • NC Scout March 25, 2020 at 22:32

      I agree completely on those notes- and 400 rounds, ironically enough, is the round count that Suvrov noted in ‘Spetsnaz’ as well.

      What I will say to the contrary (barely), is that if arming neighbors or those on neighborhood security details, I DON’T want to give them a lot of ammo. Scared people tend to shoot a lot, and ammo is a finite resource. If they’re patrolling, that’s a different story. But that also takes a while to train up to- and I would not take a person on a patrol without a substantial amount of bush living time. Hence why I run the Scout Course the way I do.

      That said I’m a big fan of the simplicity of the setup. But one thing I left off the list is the role of the patrol pack- not a ruck (that’s what carry into and out of an AO, but you know this) but the smaller patrol pack. It bears your re-supply on a patrol. Ethan Becker’s design is top notch for woodland warfighting.

  2. Anonymous March 25, 2020 at 18:48

    5

  3. […] buddy TX2Guns over at The Tactical Hermit sent in his take on chest rigs after linking to my last post on the topic of gear for low or untrained people. . He knows his stuff, having been on the two way range a time or two. Read and heed. – […]

  4. Anonymous August 7, 2020 at 20:47

    4

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