Chest Rig 4 Magazine Pouches

I serve in the Norwegian army as team leader of a six-man Recon team. We pride ourselves of being able to operate in the arctic climate of 70 degrees northern latitude.

I have been using the 4-magazine pouch chest rig for about a month of various training. My standard load has been (right to left):

Small utility pocket: Survival equipment (Box of useful things and a small water-heater)

Large utility pouch: holds GPS, binoculars and NVG at the same time if necessary. Also hold small "Jervenduk" (poncho/wind bag) Mission specific items Three Flashbang/40mm Grenade pouches (detachable) on the front of the utility pouch.

Four times two magazines.

Small utility pouch (detachable) on front of the utility pouch: Two smoke hand grenades.

Large utility pouch: Mission specific, when not wearing a Camelbak it holds two standard issue Norwegian water bottles (0, 9 liters).

Small utility pouch: Medic supplies (All you need to treat a severed arm, two gunshot wounds or a sucking chest wound).

On the left shoulder strap I use a single magazine pouch as a radio pouch (ICOM or similar size).

On the left side of the waist strap I have a drop-pouch for empty magazines rolled up until I need it.

When needed I strap on the NBC-mask on the D-rings on the left side of the rig. The pouch hangs just below the hip in just the right position (not too far forward.)

I have found that this chest rig out-performs the standard Norwegian Load bearing vest in all situations so far. My favorite points are: More carrying capacity, better carrying comfort (shoulders and waist), the fact that you can move more freely (I can touch my toes without getting every magazine pushed into my abdomen.) and I can reach the hip-belt of my Recon pack (125 liter backpack) without having to lift the Load bearing vest first (quick on and off)

However, there are a few important points to consider (these are common to all chest rigs, I guess) When operating in the arctic you need good ventilation and access to the inside of your jacket. This is considerably hampered by wearing a chest rig. Also, during prolonged ski-marches you need to take off and on layers of clothing in the shortest possible time. A vest is better suited to this. Also, the chest rig is a bit more troublesome to put on in confined spaces such as a tent or in an OP dug into the ground (you need to get it over your head).

On 6WD motorcycles and in Mercedes Benz Jeeps it works like a dream.

The medic in my team likes the fact that you can remove the chest rig without moving the neck or spine of the injured person (medic clips). This is a great thing compared to a normal load bearing vest.

During MOUT-training, the chest rig worked just fine. In fact, the increased mobility gave me an edge over my team mates who did not wear this rig.

As mentioned before it worked just fine with a 35 kilos (+) backpack with a hip belt. The shoulder straps tended to be pushed toward the neck after a few kilometers, but this did not cause any problems. The shoulder straps of the backpack are (as with other vest) the main problem when firing a rifle. The chest rig did not interfere in any way with the operation of the rifle.

When running, the chest rig sits smugly to your body. I didn't get and sideways movement, and hardly any up and down movement. A great improvement over the current issue vest.

All in all: This chest rig is one of the best designs I have tried and tested.

OB
Second Lieutenant, Norwegian Army