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Posted: 2/3/2012 7:33:56 PM EDT
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I've just started accumulating some gear. I've used the PC about 4 times on hikes and while shooting in the desert. I've formed some opinions but don't necessarily know where to go from here.
I would like some opinions on the rig as is and what would be the next logical purchases or any changes I should make that I haven't already discovered for myself. currently I have an eagle plate carrier with cummerbund, HSGI small radio pouch, ATS medium pouch (serving as my IFAK), Esstac triple M4 pouch, esstac single M4 pouch (x2) Here is what I know right now: 1) I don't have a war belt at this time. I do not like the fixed blade as is and I think the belt would be a better solution. Until I get a war belt, what's the best way to carry the fixed blade? 2) I am lacking pistol mag pouches. I'll get some when funds allow but again, I think they would be more practical on a war belt. 3) I am currently using a HSGI small radio pouch on the right side as an admin pouch. I would like to add a MSM admin pouch on the chest above the PMAGs. Eventually when I get comms, the radio can go in the HSGI pouch or in a better pouch and in a better place if need be. 4) I don't seem to have any issues with the IFAK where it is under my left arm. Any concerns with this? 5) I've got blood type and 'NKA' patches that are waiting to be sew on the IFAK I would love some feedback on anything and everything but go easy on me 
UPDATED gear pic on pg 2 
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I hate dangley shit. it falls off, makes noise, gets in the way, hangs up on things etc. slick as possible is the way to go.
put the ear pro in the pouch, that thing will dick-helicopter when youre running and probably fall off. the small gerber knife should go in the pouch too you already have a fixed blade. are you using the grimlock for something? whats with the 550 on the knife? could that go in the pouch on your right side? that knife is nice but try sitting in a car with it on. now imagine you have to use it to cut off your seatbelt while youre hanging upside down after an accident. or rolling on the ground with someone trying to kill you. i think a better spot would be behind the magazine pouches, centerline so you can reach it with either hand. next, what are you carrying in your IFAK that makes it that bulky? there are lots of threads that talk about what to carry but in all honesty you dont need much. I suspect you have more than just trauma and self aid stuff in there but maybe im wrong. you might be able to cut weight and bulk. do you find yourself a bit lopsided? can you reach your IFAK with both hands? now where is your water? If you are planning on shooting, needing a radio, and carrying an IFAK you have to plan on water too. a good fire fight and breaking contact as well as bleeding from a leg or arm wound and youll dehydrate very quick. my opinion. but thats some concentrated 3 tour experience. post back with your thoughts or other questions |
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What's the point of the knife? What's the point of two knives (the little black one in the PALS). You'll have to bend over at some point and that nice long handle will jab you in your thigh. Lastly, if you did draw it and then sheathed it you'd probably stab your junk.
On a related note, why by all this cool guy gear that you obviously saw on a cool guy but didn't follow said cool guy's path? I haven't seen a knife that big on a cool guy since John Rambo. Otherwise if it works for you then its great. I looks functional and you can reach your own trauma kit if you need it. |
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Choosing how to carry your gear is as about as personal as choosing your woman. That said, here are my thoughts:
1. Do you need that many rifle mags? 2. How many pistol mags are you thinking of attaching? 3. Ditch the knife and ear pro and any other things that dangle I'm probably in the minority, but I prefer to run a minimalist set up on my body. I am either in or very near my vehicle 95% of the time. I hope this helps give you a better idea of just one way to put your gear together. One thing I've learned is to always keep my mind open from seeing how others set their kit up. So far, I've ran just like this for the last several months. You MUST test out your gear - even your bug-out-bag, etc. You will be able to fine tune it and make it work better for you. Things that work in theory or work for others may or may not work for you. Here is what I run in Afghanistan on a daily basis: AK-47 with MI rail, flashlight, Attero Arms Bravo optic mount, MOE vertical grip, Echo93 sling attachement plate OSOE Micro Rig w/ 2 rifle & pistol mags each (IFAK in the utility pouch / Kershaw Blur, MOI weapon card & LOA in the kangaroo pouch) Pistol belt w/ OSOE Slide holster, triple mag pouch with 1 pistol mag, flashlight and multi-tool, utility pouch for various odds and ends (keys and cellphone) 
What it looks like all put together: 
In the vehicle front seat: Mag pouch with 3 AK mags, 3 Flashbangs and 2 chemlights in slot 
In the vehicle rear seat: Bug Out Bag with Passport, LOA, money, birth certificate, two changes of clothes, extra mag each for rifle/pistol, pen flare, distraction device, smoke, chem lights, trauma / blowout kit Plate Carrier & Kevlar 
In the vehicle rear (not pictured): Water 2-ton floor jack 4-way lug wrench with proper end marked for my lug size 2 tow straps |
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"5) I've got blood type and 'NKA' patches that are waiting to be sew on the IFAK"
The NKDA patch makes a bit of sense, but blood type patches are utterly useless. Don't waste your time and money on them. Otherwise, your IFAK seems bulky, but I can't comment further without seeing the contents. |
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Quoted: "5) I've got blood type and 'NKA' patches that are waiting to be sew on the IFAK" The NKDA patch makes a bit of sense, but blood type patches are utterly useless. Don't waste your time and money on them. Otherwise, your IFAK seems bulky, but I can't comment further without seeing the contents. I'm curious - why are blood type patches useless? Wouldn't it be easier if you had a patch on you that had your blood type if you needed a transfusion, but were unconscious? |
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"5) I've got blood type and 'NKA' patches that are waiting to be sew on the IFAK" The NKDA patch makes a bit of sense, but blood type patches are utterly useless. Don't waste your time and money on them. Otherwise, your IFAK seems bulky, but I can't comment further without seeing the contents. I'm curious - why are blood type patches useless? Wouldn't it be easier if you had a patch on you that had your blood type if you needed a transfusion, but were unconscious? Because no one is going to give you a transfusion based on information taken from a Velcro patch. They will determine blood type via a field test before transfusion. |
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"5) I've got blood type and 'NKA' patches that are waiting to be sew on the IFAK" The NKDA patch makes a bit of sense, but blood type patches are utterly useless. Don't waste your time and money on them. Otherwise, your IFAK seems bulky, but I can't comment further without seeing the contents. I'm curious - why are blood type patches useless? Wouldn't it be easier if you had a patch on you that had your blood type if you needed a transfusion, but were unconscious? Because no one is going to give you a transfusion based on information taken from a Velcro patch. They will determine blood type via a field test before transfusion. Because no one is going to give you a transfusion based on information taken from a Velcro patch. They will determine blood type via a field test before transfusion This is 100% true. Medical personnel will NEVER give you blood based on a patch. You will always be typed first, it takes only a few seconds. Not everything you see on MOH is real. Brad- Your gear isn't THAT bad. The knife can go, as can the earplugs and grimlock , those will fit in a pocket. Get some training, some carbine courses and your issues will fix themselves. Thats not a bad rig for starters though. |
| Rig looks pretty good. Keep in mind that putting a pouch over the mags may hinder drawing the mags. Like everybody else said, get rid of the knife. All together. A good folder in your pocket is more useful then a 6" pig sticker. Need a hydration pouch. Running and gunning makes you real thirsty. Try not to stack pouches on the front of your rig. Going prone is pointless when your midsection is resting on a mountain of pouches. Are you a righty or lefty? If you are a righty, you might want to switch the mag pouch next to the radio pouch over to your left side. Now that your right side is a little more clear, a good single point will come in handy. Trying to manipulate a two point over armor gets kind of irksome. When I was in Afghanistan I had a single point on my rig. When we did dismounted patrols I clipped my rifle onto the sling and did my thing. It is much easier to move the weapon around on a one point. Just some observations. For the little bits and pieces like ear pro, I used a grenade pouch and put all that stuff in there. Small and out of the way, and nothing was dangling around just begging to get snagged. Do some shooting drills and see what works for you. |
| Without knowing the purpose of your rig I would run 2 or 3 rifle mags, 2 pistol mags, go with a smaller med pouch with only the most important items in it, drop the knives completely, and keep the grimlock. Just make sure the grimlock is not in a place where it will affect shouldering your rifle. |
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As it stands now, the purpose of the rig is to make the OP feel better in ways known only to him, thus far everyone has hit the "lowhanging" fruit as it were.
The questions remain of WHY was the rig set up this way to begin with? What is the OP seeking to accomplish... What is his intent? Why isnt this dirty? Has the OP really put this configuration through its paces? Rather than critique gear, I think the OP should consider all of the exigent circumstances in his situation that led him down this path |
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Rig looks pretty good. Keep in mind that putting a pouch over the mags may hinder drawing the mags. Like everybody else said, get rid of the knife. All together. A good folder in your pocket is more useful then a 6" pig sticker. Need a hydration pouch.recommendation? Running and gunning makes you real thirsty. Try not to stack pouches on the front of your rig. Going prone is pointless when your midsection is resting on a mountain of pouches.noted Are you a righty or lefty? If you are a righty, you might want to switch the mag pouch next to the radio pouch over to your left side. doneNow that your right side is a little more clear, a good single point will come in handy.Gear Sector ASP-V and magpul ASAP? Trying to manipulate a two point over armor gets kind of irksome. When I was in Afghanistan I had a single point on my rig. When we did dismounted patrols I clipped my rifle onto the sling and did my thing. It is much easier to move the weapon around on a one point. Just some observations. For the little bits and pieces like ear pro, I used a grenade pouch and put all that stuff in there. Small and out of the way, and nothing was dangling around just begging to get snagged. Do some shooting drills and see what works for you. Quoted:
that knife is nice but try sitting in a car with it on. now imagine you have to use it to cut off your seatbelt while youre hanging upside down after an accident. or rolling on the ground with someone trying to kill you. i think a better spot would be behind the magazine pouches, centerline so you can reach it with either hand. how would I go about attaching the knife behind the mags? I never considered the knife to be too large (4" blade) but I have no real world experience to base that assumption on. Quoted:
Check out the HSGI shoulder pads for your plate carrier. It's like Dr. Scholls for your shoulders. I'll definitely do that. <snip> Because no one is going to give you a transfusion based on information taken from a Velcro patch. They will determine blood type via a field test before transfusion. good to know! thanks for that pro tip. I've already got the patch and my neighbor is a seamstress, is there any reason to NOT just get it sewn on? Quoted:
The questions remain of WHY was the rig set up this way to begin with? What is the OP seeking to accomplish... What is his intent? Why isnt this dirty? Rather than critique gear, I think the OP should consider all of the exigent circumstances in his situation that led him down this path It's just a general purpose chest rig. You know, for SHTF, seems like a bit much for 3 gun, zombies, to look cool, cuz I had some money to spend. I try not to take myself too seriously 
Bottom Line: I've removed the fixed blade but I'm interested in mounting it behind the rifle mags for the time being until I get a warbelt. I've removed the folder and ear pro from the chest and put them in the HSGI radio pouch. I've moved one mag pouch from the right side over to the left side for easier access. Truth be told, the ATS pouch is huge. I ordered it from SKD and they didn't have dimensions listed so I was winging it  I will probably buy an HSGI blowout pouch. Should I sell the ATS on the EE? if I keep it, what could it be used for?
Hydration: what is everyone using? how are they attached? to sound even more HSLD, can you wear an assault pack or ruck with a hydration system hooked to the back of the plate carrier? I'll post some updated pictures soon. Thanks for all of the constructive criticism, I'm trying to be humble and receptive to the suggestions from the SMEs
ETA: grimlock is there to control a camelbak hose whenever I get one |
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Grimlocs are junk
Remove the earpro carrier or put it in a pouch where it wont get torn off or bounce around Seriously, have you not sat down wearing that thing? And if you did, how did you not get poked in the dick by your knife? take that off and put it somewhere not likely to poke you in the genitals/sensitive places. ETA guess that was all already covered. But anyway, bottom line, since its not like you're gonna be wearing this in downtown Mosul, wear it how you feel like wearing it dude. Hell, get some nickname name tape made up like "Jackal" or "Blowfish" or whatever. Have fun with your gear if thats what you're getting it for. |
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about attaching the knife
its stupid easy. take off your magazine pouches and pick the middle of your vest or whatever side you want, i like mine a little to the right but whatever. now you can use zip ties or 550 cord to attach the knife to the molle webbing on your vest. then you just remove the malice clips from the back of the magazine pouche that would lay over the knife. since youre using a shingle the 2 missing clips wont effect it much. or you can weave 550 through the vest webbing, sheath holes and the corresponding webbing on the back of the magazine pouch. thats what i do. I like redundancy and overlapping systems. i would cut off the 550 on the handle as it may fuck with your magazine reload. simplified. look at your rig in the first pic. now imagine its behind the magpouch and rightside up. honestly thats not a bad knife, the sheath makes it look bigger, behind the mag pouches you will barely see it. a good fixed blade is nice to have and if youre only carrying one knife it makes sense. about your hydration CAMELBAK is what i use. they have great systems. look in the military section. the ArmorBak they make is nice and its what i use. it allows you to take your bladder off if you want to run an assault pack. there are a lot of good systems. if had the money and was doing it again i would consider a modular set up. where by using 4 female clips on the back of your vest you can attach a hydration system OR a pack with a hydration system. i think SKD has a system for the PIG. not sure. bottom line is you need water. you can also just get a canteen pouch and a canteen. it worked for hundreds of years. I say go ahead and put the blood patch on. theres really no reason not to as long as youre 100% sure its correct. i like to think worse case. what if you dont have a hospital or a field test kit? maybe all you have is medic with very basic gear who can give you a direct transfusion but you didnt sew your patch on and passed out from blood loss. granted that is an extreme case and it wont happen to you ever. but it has happened to people before and theres a reason those patches and various SOPs were made. now disclaimer. again, thats older military SOP and most people now with blood types look like posers. but hey, you never know. |
| I wouldnt ditch the knives totally. I carry a fixed blade for close encounters of the weapon retention kind on my weak side and a folder for utility work but it does need to move. As for hydration you cant go wrong with a canteen/pouch or if you want to streamline go with a camelbak of some sort. You can always take it off and attach it to you pack should you feel the need. But in the end its up to you. These are just my views |
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that looks like a nice knife, BTW. i would just out it behind one of the mag pouches or on the shoulder strap and go out and shoot and move in the rig and see what works and what don't. I have set up rigs before and they look great, but once you get out moving and getting in/out of vehicles, it all gets moved around. just let the necessity determine alot of your placement.
ps~ let me know if you wanna sell that knife, lol good luck |
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Everybody has hit on the big points. I won't rag on you for wanting a fixed blade - buddy of mine carrier one of those cruciform daggers on him 24/7 after some Iraqis kidnapped a dude off base at night 
And to further play devils advocate on the knife front... http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b248/NickHugelarge/cowboy2.jpg I think everyone is suggesting for the OP to ditch his knife off of the PC - especially in the method he has it attached. Once the OP wears it a while, he will probably figure out wear his gear needs to go for his purposes. I think it's ok to run a fixed blade on your belt if your mission requires it or you just need that warm and fuzzy of having a fixed blade knife. I would run one on my belt, too...probably. But I have a 29 inch waist and only have so much real estate to work with. Now that I think about it, I'd really love to have my old USMC Ka-Bar here. |
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Everybody has hit on the big points. I won't rag on you for wanting a fixed blade - buddy of mine carrier one of those cruciform daggers on him 24/7 after some Iraqis kidnapped a dude off base at night
And to further play devils advocate on the knife front... http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b248/NickHugelarge/cowboy2.jpg I think everyone is suggesting for the OP to ditch his knife off of the PC - especially in the method he has it attached. Once the OP wears it a while, he will probably figure out wear his gear needs to go for his purposes. I think it's ok to run a fixed blade on your belt if your mission requires it or you just need that warm and fuzzy of having a fixed blade knife. I would run one on my belt, too...probably. But I have a 29 inch waist and only have so much real estate to work with. Now that I think about it, I'd really love to have my old USMC Ka-Bar here. This. I didn't mean to suggest not carrying a knife at all. I meant to carry something on a belt or a folder in your weak side pocket. I specifically was stating to drop it from your vest. |
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Grimlocs are junkRemove the earpro carrier or put it in a pouch where it wont get torn off or bounce around Seriously, have you not sat down wearing that thing? And if you did, how did you not get poked in the dick by your knife? take that off and put it somewhere not likely to poke you in the genitals/sensitive places. ETA guess that was all already covered. But anyway, bottom line, since its not like you're gonna be wearing this in downtown Mosul, wear it how you feel like wearing it dude. Hell, get some nickname name tape made up like "Jackal" or "Blowfish" or whatever. Have fun with your gear if thats what you're getting it for.  How so.............not life line dependable but have their place here and there dont ya think??
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Grimlocs are junkRemove the earpro carrier or put it in a pouch where it wont get torn off or bounce around Seriously, have you not sat down wearing that thing? And if you did, how did you not get poked in the dick by your knife? take that off and put it somewhere not likely to poke you in the genitals/sensitive places. ETA guess that was all already covered. But anyway, bottom line, since its not like you're gonna be wearing this in downtown Mosul, wear it how you feel like wearing it dude. Hell, get some nickname name tape made up like "Jackal" or "Blowfish" or whatever. Have fun with your gear if thats what you're getting it for. How so.............not life line dependable but have their place here and there dont ya think??I agree. You never know if you might need it to hang something off of. I don't typically use my dump pouch, but I keep it on my belt just in case I come across something I need to put in it. |
Hey Brad. As a previous poster stated, you can paracord or you might consider modding your sheath to take a Molle-Lok LINK
I see nothing "wrong" (except the knife for safety reasons) with your set-up. Bottom line: you're the one who has to hump it. With that said, totally agree with the guy who said to train in your kit after you set it up. You'll quickly figure out what needs to go where and what needs to go bye-bye. |
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alright guys, here's how it sits now. I moved the knife centerline behind the esstac triple, moved one mag pouch from right to left for better manipulation with the reload hand, Ditched the ATD medium pouch, and streamlined the chest area
Hopefully my wife lets me spend a little tax refund money and I'm going to pick up a small eagle clamshell pouch for an IFAK, some sort of hydration carrier, some padded shoulder straps, and then a double pistol pouch. Thanks for all in input guys! 
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OP, that's for sure a better way to run it in lieu of the way you had it. Take a look at the way Officer960 mounted his and then look at yours one more time. Notice anything different? His knife is mounted as far AWAY from his magazines as possible.
Not to sound ke a Know-It-All...but you dont need anything to be in the area of your magazines when trying to reload in a stressful situation. Mr. Murphy is out there lurking and just waiting for a chance to make his presence known - usually at the most inopportune time. Three hard and fast rules I live buy when carrying my load out: 1. Nothing is ever mounted upside down on anything. 2. Magazines are secured facing the correct way for the fastest possible reload (in other words, they are facing bullets front). 3. Nothing is mounted inside or near my magazines Looks like you are on the right path and keeping an open mind. Now go get dirty with that sucker and see how you like it! Keep us posted. |
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Officer960: are you left handed or do you do a cross draw type thing to draw the knife? How do you like those pistol mags? Are they a pain when going prone? They seem large in that picture. Nope, I'm a righty but I like to keep my primary hand free (on a weapon if at all possible) and let my support hand do all the fetching. The knife is set up in such a way that the angled portion of the handle matches perfectly with my support hand thumb, setting me up for a slash or stab. If immediate slashing, etc. are not my goal I can transition it over to my primary hand for prying and such. The pistol mags do stick out a bit as you stated. If I'm going prone I bring my left knee up to the side which lifts my diaphragm, and coincidentally also the pistol mags up off the deck enough that they're not smashing into my innards. Again, you'll have to experiment with your gear once you land on a layout and expect to make some changes. What looks cool, or workable may be absolute shit when you're under stress or in odd positions. |
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