The Torpedo Room of the Guerrilla: Chest Rigs, by GuerrillaLogistician

Reference – 18A

Six days ago, you were on the run for your life. Your family is now safe, but all you can think of is protecting them from the monsters that shot your neighbors over some political beliefs. All that food, all those supplies, and even a reinforced basement couldn’t keep the black and red-wearing mob from overrunning your neighborhood. If only your neighbors had been a little more on the ball, but their idea of prepping was to go to the gun range and be able to grill meat. They didn’t have much meat to grill after the power went out, but that concern ended as mobs from the city moved out to control and take whatever they could. Thanks to doing a little area study, you had been smart enough to have bug-out bags and enough supplies to get out of the way of the angry mob.

Your neighbor, however, was shot in the leg, and with the hospital being run and controlled by socialists, where could you go? All the medical supplies in the world didn’t help you if you weren’t a surgeon; the only thing that got you anywhere was that somebody on HF had replied to your pleas for help. Luckily, your neighbor’s gunshot wound wasn’t a massive bleeder, but it still took almost 12 hours to get any help for him, and he wasn’t looking too well when someone calling himself Teddy took him away. There had been a whole vetting process where you went to the location and picked up instructions that you had to burn. They told you never to use any radios and to make sure everything was shut off from that point on, and that’s precisely what you did. It took three stops and six hours to meet anyone face to face, and then you were escorted to another location where your neighbor was taken away. The vetting process was very intense until someone recognized you. You met him at a previous training course many years ago, and you stayed in touch via phone and online for several years.

When he recognized you, all the hesitation was lessened, and he had gotten you lined up to help fight and defend the area. His family had taken your family in, and while the food wasn’t plentiful, the water was safe to drink, and the many chores to be done kept both your family and you very occupied. They had started a crash course with you on several topics, with the plan that you would soon join your old friend and his small team. Unfortunately, when you left the house, you didn’t have a lot of time, and in the process, you left your fancy plate carrier that you’d never used, along with some AR500 plates, in the attic. Your friend said plates were great, but a lot of the things you did require you not to have a lot of weight, and he had talked to some guys and scribbled out what you needed along with a little blue stamp from someone in charge on a printout. You had already been by the armor who had gauged your weapon to verify there weren’t any significant issues, which he said you should come back after you had shot another two thousand rounds just to be careful. You’d come to the group with several rifles in the car and ammo, which they wanted you to keep anyway.

With the slip in hand, you were off to meet the supply guy. He operated out of an older but guarded barn as the daily farm life operated around it. Everyone at the farm wore civilian clothes, from Carhartt to your generic mossy oak T-shirts. No one outwardly looked like they were strapped with anything beyond a fixed blade. Once in a blue moon, you would see somebody off in the tree line coming in and out, staying under the cover of the trees as they moved up to the small buildings. Those guys had looked like the photos you’d seen from South America of the guerrilla fighters and drug cartels. Walking into the barn, you saw a guy sitting near a table with a rebar and sheet metal door behind him.

“Paul sent me with this list and said you could get me what I needed,” you said to the skinny guy in overalls sitting at the table with some papers and a small laptop.

The man took your paper from your hand and looked it over, grunting and shaking his head. “Paul’s a good dude, but the army fucked up his head,” the supply guy said, “let me go grab you a few things. I’ll be right back.” After a few minutes and some rummaging, he came back with an armload of tactical gear. Putting it on the table, he opened his little notebook and started writing something down, and then he turned his computer on and started typing.

You had seen the gear Paul wanted you to have, and he had shown exactly what kind of kit he was running. He had a lovely Wendigo Works Split front chest rig with specific pouches he wanted you to have as well. You could tell this wasn’t it at all. Along with the rig, an old mil issue belt with what looked like steel canteens was placed next to your chest rig. “Hey, excuse me, I don’t think that’s exactly what I am supposed to have,” you told the supply guy. “I’m not trying to be difficult, but Paul said specifically he wanted everything as uniform as possible,” you added, trying to soften the complaint because you knew somebody was giving you this stuff for free.

“Look, you know how I said Paul is a good guy?” the supply guy replied. He watches you as you nod an affirmative, not wanting to say anything. “When his group came in, I had stuff they already purchased set aside and a few other little items, but he’s still living in an army supply world and not reality,” he continued. “In a perfect world, everybody would be right-handed, the same physical size, and every piece of equipment would be brand new with perfect uniform setups for all,” he went on. “I can’t keep half of these guys in pants that even remotely fit them because they’ve lost so much damn weight over the last six months,” he said to you with a little bit of frustration in his voice. “You can walk away empty-handed.” “You can talk to Paul, and he can come up here; tell him to talk to Mikey, which is me.” “Then I can tell him I don’t have what he wants and talk to the logistician guy who gets us stuff, which won’t go well for him.” “….or you can thank me for even having anything for you”, he added gruffly.

“Hey, I’m sorry… I’m friends with Paul; he told me to be very forward about this, but I’m happy with whatever you can give me,” you replied, trying to calm things down.

Mikey sighed and finished typing, “Look, brother, welcome to the real fight. I’m not mad at you, but Paul’s gotta get with the fucking program. This isn’t the big army; the logistics and procurement guys work their asses off to get them enough supplies to make a difference.”

“Yeah, I’m real sorry he is kind of pushy sometimes and a little bit hard-headed,” you say in a very calming voice.

“You’re telling me you should have seen him when he found out there was no laundry service and he had to clean his own clothes,” Mikey laughed, “at least he’s a damn good fighter, or someone would have run him off for being such a fucking knucklehead.”

This article is a little bit about what chest rigs are available now and a little bit about the one-size-fits-all mentality. For those of you who were involved in GWOT, many of us got very comfortable with heavy plates and lots of magazine pouches. This made a lot of sense when it came to the conflict that we were involved in. With thousands of vehicles running around the battlefield along with armored multidimensional fighting inside urban areas and ancient fortress-like buildings of Afghanistan, these were almost a requirement to survive. The reality is, although you won’t always need plates, sometimes you will need speed and to be quiet depending on the operation you are tasked with or develop yourself. I am not saying that armor isn’t a good thing, and I would highly recommend you pick up plates if you have the money. However, you also need to know what cover is, versus concealment, a basic principle anyone in this sphere of influence should understand quite readily. If you don’t know, find some property, go to a range where you can shoot things, and try to see what is bulletproof and what isn’t.

Let’s get down to the brass tacks of the conversation, though. Body armor has been around for much longer than people realize, and it’s also been in the military hands for a long time. Depending on the conflict, nations involved give us a diverse list of what the common soldier was issued. From almost nothing to make-shift body armor, all the way to high-tech composites, each conflict, from logistics train, environment, and terrain, plays a role in what people did and didn’t wear for gear. If you look back to Vietnam, flak vests were a huge item because of the large amount of shrapnel injuries that had been sustained. During that time and past it, the Russians were looking into plates made from various materials, from titanium down the list to synthetics. Hell, even during World War One and the horrible trench warfare, people were trying to make bulletproof steel plating that could be worn. The reality is that most of this is cumbersome and very restrictive, not to mention extremely hot. With modern technologies and different materials, things have improved much, but they’re still not always the best choice, especially if you’re doing surveillance.

Sometimes, you may not want to wear anything outwardly visible to the naked eye. Other times, you will have to cachet your gear for a quick strike against the enemy, and the reality is you don’t have enough space to throw everybody’s gear in a bag, sneak it into a location, and hide it along with all the plates you would like to have. The reality is that much of this stuff we will discuss is best used for reconnaissance and ambushing the enemy. So, while I know most of you have plate carriers and plates, you may also want to invest in a chest rig. The worst thing you will have is an extra set of gear that you can hand out to somebody. While I can’t tell you precisely what you will feel most comfortable in, what fits your budget, or what will be perfect in any situation you have, I can give you a rundown of what I have experienced and worked with.

Starting, I want to say that a lot of equipment in the surplus market nowadays is still very serviceable. I have helped several people get gear together and set up things at the best prices we could find. Sometimes, things like the weapons platform you use can make things a little more complicated. Also, one of the problems with the GWOT gear was the lack of noise discipline built in compared to previous designs. Anything you buy needs to be walked in, tested, and moved in not only for fit and function but also to see if you have a lot of clinking going on between the gear. Before the Russian-Ukraine war, I had an opportunity to acquire and run some of the Russian equipment. Many of their chest rigs and systems were designed to fight previous conflicts in Chechnya and others where they supported one side or the other. Like their American counterparts, the Russians had everything from Molle strapped vests and pouches to belt and harness systems reminiscent of our conflict in Vietnam. Some of this gear was great and worked almost as well with AR-15s, but that supply line is closed for now, which means other nations’ surplus has come on the market. While I am going to review things I have recently seen this doesn’t mean this topic is exhaustive, so look around and look at this as more of a guide to chest rigs.

Preference comes into play here, and I want you guys to realize how important your comfort is to your ability to fight. If things weigh too much, dig into your body or there a pain in the ass, you’ll end up not using them as much as you should or will entirely do something less functional. Case in point, most of the North Vietnamese carried multiple bundles strapped around their body because they were easy to put on and take off. Likewise, many Russians preferred the belt system over some of their more unique designs. I like a split chest rig for operating in the prone, where if I’d spent all day kicking doors in, I would rather have a plate carrier and a more center-line setup. Realistically, in any conflict where you aren’t in an extensive military organization, your kit will be what you have with you or what a friend can give you. Sometimes you will be that friend giving equipment to other people, so don’t always think of this as a one-and-done process, although I don’t want you going and buying a whole bunch of dumb gear just to become your friend’s biggest geardo. Although I’m sure some of you are already that way, I hate to say I probably fall into that position as well. I recommend you have equipment that you will be comfortable wearing for a long duration, that is easy to move in, and is rugged enough for the situation at hand.

Type 81

I swear to God, if there is any universal kit on the planet, it is the Type 81. It has this long-standing use by the Chinese and tons of guerrilla forces worldwide. The original design was produced in the 1950s and little has changed much since. One of the iconic things about this rig is the use of a particular super-secret squirrel design that is quieter than any Velcro you’ve ever been around. All joking aside, the old toggle and loop system really does work well and is quiet, but it can be fumbly without practice. This product is pretty good for $30 and is about as cheap as you want to get on your chest rig. I recommend spray painting this to suit your needs or using beeswax to impregnate the canvas to keep your magazines semi-protected from rain and mildew. What is nice about this rig is that you can put any magazine style into it. The only thing you will need to do for M4 magazines is throw in some gauze rolls underneath the Magazines to lift them high enough to be functional. I have even seen people wrap up spare socks in plastic bags that have been duct tape just in case, along with the four mentioned medical gauze.

These chest rigs are simple and effective, and if you have a guy on a budget, they’re worth getting over having nothing at all or saving forever for something that might be unobtainable. This isn’t my first recommendation, and if you have the money, anything else is probably better, but these things are far more effective than people give them credit for; they require you to maintain them a little bit more than the new modern Cordura which doesn’t have the problem with mildew and moisture collection. The beeswax technique is straightforward and has been used for centuries to protect canvas. A quick search on YouTube will teach you the most effective way to do this so you don’t have big chunks of wax breaking off your equipment while still having the protection needed.

One of the unique things about this is that it has a wholly covered magazine pouch, which the Chinese and Insurgency groups use to protect AK magazines from debris getting into the top of them. If you are going to be running around in the woods and you have your magazine bullet side up, this is almost as important as keeping your weapon lubricated. I have seen several times where people hitting the ground in open-top plate carriers and pouches have later caused issues with their guns. These used to be sold, and fully loaded magazines are still inside. Many of the magazines were wrapped in plastic bags to protect them, and I assume these things spent decades in storage from the musty smell of an old supply crate. The ones Brushbeater sold luckily don’t have that sitting on the shelf for decades smell and look fresh off the factory floor. Shockingly, these are still used and sold because they are simple, effective, and combat-capable.

SCOUT RIG

Let’s discuss something purposely built by NCScout for the common man. The new scout rig comes with your typical four-magazine setup but adds two spare utility pouches to your outermost magazine slots. This is an upgrade from your type 81 style setup, which shrinks the overall width of the kit and makes it reasonably easy for you to go prone in. He designed this to be simple, effective, and a one-piece solution instead of buying components and attaching them later.

As you can see, this sits lower on your chest than most plate carriers but still keeps them effectively in the same position you would have on a plate carrier for easy access. I believe the first run of these will be in M81-style camouflage, but I expect Multicam and other colors to come in time. One of the features you will miss if you aren’t looking is how the straps are designed. Looking closely, you’ll see some stretchy material outside the shoulder straps. For those of you who run gooseneck antennas or headset cables up through your gear, this prevents a lot of the issues of loose wires getting hung up on items or getting in the way of your shooting. One of the things we had to do in the military was bypass this issue by running Ranger bands zipties etc, around our shoulder straps. Which could be annoying or chafing, and this mitigates that issue and keeps your wiring out of the way of your rifle, and mitigates wait-a-minute vines looking to stop your movement. I haven’t seen this setup on any other chest rig personally, so I am not sure if Scout designed this idea or if he got it from someplace else, but it is genius.

Lastly, even with all the built-in punches, Scout has left spots for items like radios or other utility pouches, along with Molle across the front of the two center-line magazine pouches. If your mission profile changes later, there is room to modify this kit and stretch its longevity out, unlike some of the higher price choices on this list.

Sitting at the $110 mark, you get four magazines and two small utility pouches sewn together onto a chest rig for one-third the price. From what I have done for others who wanted chest rigs, we haven’t easily gotten below the $180 mark for anything close to this design. I’m not saying it’s impossible, especially with surplus materials available, but it seems rarer than a rule of thumb. Overall, this setup is functional and economical and would work great, along with a belt holding some of your first-line gear you don’t want on your chest rig, such as a canteen and a knife, etc. This would be the entry-level setup I would recommend if you had a little cash saved.

UW Gear

I will say this as someone who doesn’t physically own any UW gear products: I have been loaned the gear and seen a lot floating around. If, by chance, you can get on his waiting list for something custom like the Minuteman or Swamp Fox, I highly recommend it. I will say that the wait time is very long unless you go through Brushbeater, a store with UW Gear’s minimalist AR chest rig. This is one of your best bare bones go out and see whats going on style setups. It is light, comfortable, and sits at the center of your chest with nice, broad but thin shoulder straps. This lets you properly get a rifle into your shoulder without dealing with the padding you usually would on a plate carrier.

At about $180, this is probably one of the cheapest things UW gear produces, but it also is very costly for entry-level gear focusing on scouting, and possibly hasty ambushes. Although it is probably best suited to carry just enough to scout and report than anything else. Years ago, I had made an AK variant of this with high-speed gear and their pouches.

My setup cost me about $250; although a fine piece of gear and much lighter than a plate carrier, its lack of integral sewn pouches made my kit a little floppy. If I were to rebuild this kit for myself again using high-speed gear, I would probably be around the 300-plus mark. I suspect these things won’t last too long on the shelf, and he did have a run of these in the old night desert camo pattern for those of you who like that specific kind of drip.

https://uwgearinc.com/

https://brushbeater.store/products/uw-gear-minimalist-ar-chest-rig?variant=47195039727931

Wendigo Works Split Front Chest Rig

Honestly, I fell in love with this setup because of my inability to get UW gear promptly. I had gone to a scout course and saw UW’s swamp fox, and I fell in love with the setup. I believe patriot man was wearing it at the time, and the ease of putting it on, taking it off and dealing with equipment going prone made complete sense. Not to mention, I’m a big fan of Francis Marion, and if you don’t know him and you’re reading American Partisan, I highly recommend you look into his history; just be warned, there is probably some embellishment about this guy. Also, the child version of me enjoyed Leslie Nielsen in Swamp Fox, produced by none other than Disney before they had turned almost anti-American. If you see this floating around, it is also worth a watch; although it isn’t comedic, it is more patriotic.

Before I get too distracted, let’s continue talking about this chest rig. The upside is this is an awesomely comfortable piece of equipment. The downside is you’ll pay more for it than you would many of the other choices here. The first speer split front design seems a little odd and is cumbersome until you get used to it. Unlike buckles, however, it keeps most of your gear tighter to your center line, which is nice.

What Wendigo Works did with the laser-cut shoulder straps and chess system allows you to build your setup. While mine is far from perfect, I opted to go for some older M81 double mag pouches, a pouch to run my AR152, which needs a whole article on its own. This left me space for other pouches. Generally, I run a SIGINT TinySA ultra pouch that also has space for another radio, but it depends on what I’m doing that day. Also, I like to take that pouch off so it is not photographed here and run it on my backpack when I’m just messing around with signals intelligence in the civilian world.

Overall, this is probably one of my favorite kits, and much like the scout rig, the slots in the shoulder straps keep the signal stick and cables out of my way while giving me a very stable shooting position in my shoulder pocket. This kit probably cost me about $180 when I was done with the base chest rig, originally costing 140 dollars. There’s a sale going on right now, so if you want to pick one of these up, it’s $120.00, saving you enough to buy two of the same magazine pouches. You could opt for different pouches you like, which gives you more versatility. You could also build the Scout Rig, but it would cost more.

Overall, this is my go-to kit right now due to its lightweight, breathable design, and sturdy construction; sadly, more people don’t buy this because of the cost. Like the UW Gear, there is a quality and price dynamic, and you need to decide if this is worth it or a cheaper option will do better.

Conclusion

Like most topics when it comes to weapons there’s no right answer for everyone. The kit you use will be primarily based on your location, climate, terrain features, and current taskings. Overall, though, most of us will probably be running the lightest amount of kit we can, not only for mobility’s sake but also for concealability. Nothing screams shoot me in the face more than wearing your kit around in the back of a pickup truck as you Crest a hill that has now become a checkpoint. Likewise, light, easily concealable rigs allow you to carry just enough while not being overly burdensome. This dynamic has been discussed in several guerilla manuals where the focus on mobility and terrain knowledge trumps that of more capable units.

Overall, if I had to buy something right away, I would probably go for the scout rig, and if I knew I was going to have to either hand out equipment or store something for a long time, a backup type 81 wouldn’t be a wrong second purchase as well. As you can see from the article, I am very partial to the Wendigo works Rig personally, but this selection is up to you. Just like Paul, I shouldn’t be telling you exactly what to buy. We may not buy the best item on the planet for every situation, but all these selections and anything similar you find on the market can be acceptable. Just make sure it’s something that you can wear for long durations and not be uncomfortable; even sitting around the house with it might be something you want to try. However, you might have to explain the odd accessory to your wife.

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