Sell me on one or the other.

Think 4x rifle mags, 2x pistol mags, flashlight.


Simple, low profile.  Which would be easiest to wear for long periods of time while carrying out every day activities?   While retaining reasonable capabilities, accessibility, etc.

I've used  both and like both, I guess it will depend on what you're doing and your mission.

For your desired loadout my vote goes to chest rig. With that many loaded mags you risk getting lopsided to your support hand side of a belt. I tried a battlebelt loadout with 3x3 and found it to be somewhat awkward. I now run 2x2 with an IFAK on the back, pistol/holster and knife on my dominant side.

I prefer the plate carrier more as it supports the weight more evenly and allows you to flex at the waist better, which will most likely come in handy for every day tasks.

None of us can answer this for you.  We don't know what you consider to be everyday activities, we don't know what conditions you will be performing these everyday activities in, we don't know what type of other gear, clothing or PPE you might be wearing to perform these activities, we don't know your body shape, we don't know what you will find comfortable, we don't know what specific belt or harness rigs you are considering.


But here are some things to consider:

- shitting and pissing are on everybody's list of everyday activities and a chest rig generally gets in the way less than a belt.
- sitting down such as when eating is an everyday activity.  Think about the chairs that you sit in every day and consider whether there is room for a belt and pouches.
- the thing about sitting goes double for sitting in vehicles.  You not only need to think about having room while sitting but you also have to think about getting in and out.  With vehicles you also need to consider room for seat belts or safety harnesses that a chest rig might interfere with.  
- For many activities, removing the gear is the only viable option so consider which one is easier to get on and off

Good points.

Sitting in a vehicle is a big one.  I am heavily leaning towards a chest rig but didn't want to bias any advice.  To my mind the battle belt add unnecessary bulk and if the weight is going on my chest why would I drop the load itself down to my waist.

I have a lockable compartment in my truck that will fit an AR pistol.  I am thinking of putting together a slim and light rig to accompany it.

Everything said about sitting in a car, taking a dump etc is true.

I find that with pistol, pistol mags, BOK anything more than one rifle mag is to much.

A chest rig works with your CCW or a battle belt.  A battle belt obviously doesn't.

With your load, I'd be looking at a chest rig.  My battle belt is 2x2 and it feels perfectly balanced.  I wanted to go 3x3 but I don't think I'd like it as much.  I also wanted it to fill a first line role, and if I've run my 3th mag dry (1 in rifle/pistol and 2 on the belt) using 1st line stuff..well....that's a bad day.

I don't have a lot of experience with chest rigs and belts, but I recently competed in a 5K run and gun.  I bought a Tactical Tailor Mini-mav for it, and couldn't be more pleased with how it performed.  Very comfortable while moving.  Low enough profile to not get in the way shooting, moving, or going prone.  With the pouches I have, it carried all the gear I needed.  I used a triple magna mag pouch and an accessory pouch.  It allowed me to carry 3 30 round rifle mags, 3 pistol mags, and in the utility pouch, I carried a headlamp, some 550 cord, a few zip ties, spare batteries.  

It rides high enough to not get in the way of my belt mounted holster too, even while seated.

At the finish line-


Close-up of the rig during test fitting-

The often repeated mantra : "The Mission drives the gear..." is appropriate in this case.

IMHO, if you want to run four rifle mags, get a chest rig.

As others have stated, one to two rifle mags is about the norm for a belt. You could run three, but even if you are big (and have more belt room), that
is still getting a little crowded. Getting four on a belt is just going to over-complicate things.

I have three set-ups:

1) a battle belt w/ blow-out kit, tourniquet, dump pouch, two rifle and two pistol mag carriers, and a holster. I wear this during range sessions
and most training classes. I could wear this all day while doing training, outdoor work/activities, etc and be good to go.

2) an OSOE 'Micro-Rig' chest rig with hydration bladder. I wear this in conjunction with the battle belt for higher-speed carbine classes and such where
have more than a couple of magazines on your person is required.

3) the 'hyper-alloy combat chassis...' a molle plate carrier with plates, mag pouches, drop leg tactical holster, etc. The whole nine yards.

This is for shoot houses and those other courses requiring armor.

One instructor (former SF) told me that a lot of Tier One guys train with minimal stuff when just working on shooting proficiency. He likened it to a football team
practicing just in shorts and helmets.

Have some variety (budget permitting) in your gear, but starting with a basic belt and chest-rig setup will cover 99% of what you need.


Go over to the Tactical Gear forum and get a look at what others are using for belt and chest rig solutions.

Chest rig.

You have more room to arrange the necessary equipment in a more accessible area. Mags can be single stacked, rifle in front and pistol on non dominant side. Flashlight can be placed anywhere. This makes for a nice low profile setup and is more comfortable over long periods of time.

Belts are great but there is limited space and can be uncomfortable in tight spaces. The major upside is you can throw on a belt a lot faster and over a wider verity of base layers than a FLC and rear pouches are accessible by slipping the belt around your waist.

Drop to two rifle mags. Run a belt. Faster everything. Cooler in hot weather. Easier to wear all the time. Two second donning or doffing.

TAG's Gladiator Chest Rig w/bib...it has a reservoir for a camelbak bladder too.

For now until I find a chest rig I like I am using a military web belt.

For Humvee or drizzled shitz's, I unbuckle.

I like them both i have a haley rig and this belt setup. Look at it this way you already need a belt so one that has an inner and outer is fast to get off if needed for me it lets me use a chest mounted shotshell caddy. The chest rig is nice for some of us because we have limited space around our waste. i pick on some of my friends because they can carry more around there waste. But my gear is set up where i can use both at one time if needed. With the tacos u can just pull the strings tight with one rifle mag in each pouch if you need a slimmer setup. I also have my holster on a qd so i can swith holsters depending on what im doing and what gun i intend on using

I have a few different setups I train with; PCs, chest rigs, belts. Hands down, my favorite piece of kit is my ATS War Belt. It is padded, has a lot of real estate for MOLLE/MALICE pouches, and has never sagged, shifted around or ridden up on me. And I don't even need suspenders. For reference, I am a large mammal at 6'1", about 240 lbs, with a 40" waist. On the belt, I can fit 3 pistol mags, 3 rifle mags, trauma kit, safariland holster, and a multi-tool without the belt feeling uncomfortable or crowded whatsoever. Given the choice, I would run the belt as my first choice...often in conjunction with a PC.

Can you sit in a vehicle for long periods of time with that setup?

For me, the belt is much faster for reloads. However, over the years I've become more of a minimalist. Unless you're running plates, in my experience, I don't see an advantage to a chest rig given your size of kit. Everything I need I can fit on my belt.

I started off with a battle belt, but found that it would interfere with certain postures.

Then moved to a really lightweight chest harness system, and found it a pain to put on and off, would slide around, and again sometimes bothered my in certain postures.

I realized that in order to be comfortable in crouching positions, I needed the magazines a little higher up on my chest above my waist.

I finally moved to a RRV tactical vest, and haven't looked back.  It holds me magazines exactly where I need them.  It's also very modular and the front chest piece can be folded down if I want more airflow.  I have a back piece as well, but never use it, because I prefer to keep the airflow and have it cinched up.  The back straps can be used either criss cross or vertical, I find that vertical is easier to put on and off.  I also have a dump pouch in the back which definitely comes in handy.

For your load out I'd go with a Haley Strategic rig variation...

On the belt, when running and gunning at my last carbine course (I would sprint to each stage), I learned anything more than 1x Rifle Mag and 2x Pistol Mags, IFAK, Dump Pouch, Multi-tool/Flashlight Pouch, and Holster w/ G19 would be too much.  Mobility is a survival multiplier and having unbalanced gear on your waist will inhibit your movement.  My chest rig held 3x Rifle Mags and a secondary IFAK in a "dangler" pouch; the dangler pouch was removed in the middle of the class due to the amount of movement while sprinting and the secondary IFAK was slimmed down and placed in one of the upright vertical pockets.

I know you didn't ask about how each setup works while sprinting but an unbalanced setup is still awkward when stationary or doing mundane tasks.

My setup:

 What belt is that ?? Thanks WD

Looks like the HSGI

Not cheap but they're solid.

NoVAR got it, it's a HSGI suregrip.  I'm thinking of going with an inner/outer belt system but this has been working so well for me I can't justify replacing it.