I just ordered mine from OP tactical last night. I got the ATS in multicam with Eagle duty belt/2 ar mag short holders/3 pistol pouches/med kit/misc pouch/flashlight/multitool/ and I got a used 6004 dropleg for my xd9 service

EDIT: Well I got a email from OP Tactical saying they are out of everything(about 15 items) on my order except for the eagle duty belt. I told them to cancel the whole thing. Looks like its back to the drawing board for a good gear company. I wish SKD carried these brands

Anyone give an idea on the sizing for the ATS WAR Belt? Sizing states

M (30-34), L (34-38)


So if I wear a 34 pants should I go with the Large??

Thanks

I think it would be better to be a bit shorter than a bit longer. The reasoning is the actual belt will be what goes all the way around were as the war belt should stop before it gets all the way to the front. At least thats how Im ordering it

EDIT:
Here is waht blackstone says about it
Medium War Belt (30"-34") use with a 34"-38" inner belt
Large War Belt (34"-38") use with a 38"-42" inner belt
X-Large War Belt (38"-42") use with a 42"-46" inner belt

good point, I don't want the padded belt to touch ends before I even have it tight... Thanks!

Here is my setup, inspired by quite a few others on this site. Very comfortable, and doesn't ride up or sag. I don't like the holster and have a blade-tech on order with the offset mount.
ATS war belt
ATS inner pistol belt
Eagle FB mag pouches
TT modular light holster

I am considering a dump pouch and backup light pouch but am not sure at this point. I want to keep this as minimal and light as possible.http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/3361/dsc01292qmo.jpg

I wear a 32" - 33" pants, and originally went with medium.  The available real estate started at about 2 o'clock.  I traded it for a large (see my pic on page 1). The ends of the belt are approximately 1" from touching. If your waist is 1" larger than mine, than a L will fit you fine.  2 pistol mags and 2 rifle mags hog up 40% of your real estate alone.

Awesome...I was just going to change my order to a medium, versus the large but I will stay with the large!

Saved you some cash ;)  i wish i read this thread before i made my purchases lol

FYI:  Size Large ATS Warbelt = 38" long and 34" of PALS

my mistake I was looking at the ICE belt. I placed my order with Blackstonetactical tonight. I had a webpage error and recieved a call from them making sure everything was ok. Pretty damn good customer service and I hadnt even got my order in yet. Im glad I looked them over again and decided to place it there.

These things run small IMO. I have a 36" waist and I ordered the Large which says 34-38 and I have about 5"-6" between the ends of the belt material and 10"-12" between the first molle slots on each side of the belt. Not sure if this much gap is supposed to be how it fits, but this is just an FYI on sizing if you are considering ordering one.

i'll have another option posted for everyone by weeks end.

We are dying to know

Agreed they run small.



And just so you know, those are the actual measurements - I measured the belt I have here.

review posted. give me a few to set it up, and i'll post some first line pictures here

Thanks...nice

Blackstone Tactical has awesome customer services.  Charles is a great guy.

Dude!  wehre did you get that "Regular Guy" tab?  I suddenly have an extreme desire for one!

I'm seeing them at TT; dunno if that's where he got his, though.

 

ya, sory, never saw the question, it was eather TT or optac, a buch of places have them.

made another upgrade:

HSG mini leg pannel, takes up less space, same amount of mags, gained access to cargo pocket too.

Heineken,

I checked out pictures of the mini panel at http://www.skdtac.com/HSGI_Mini_Drop_Leg_Panel_Modular_p/hsg.308.htm and one of the pictures shows a looped piece of velcro tucked inside the center compartment. It's at the end of the clip nylon.

What is this for and do you feel a bunch against your leg there because of it?

Also, I couldn't find any dimensions for the mini panel and was wondering do you think I could fit a pouch for three 30rd AR mags on it securely?

Thanks

The platform:

- ATS Warbelt
- ATS Warbelt Insert Belt
- ATS Suspenders

Comments: The ATS line has its plusses and minuses, some of which have been discussed here and in calicojack's review. I have not personally experienced any of the reported problems, but some have, so I suppose they do exist with some configurations. Notice I run no subloads, so I have pretty much no sag at all with this belt combo; the suspenders probably aren't really required, but they add virtually no bulk or weight, and they are unnoticeable underneath armor, so I see them as reinforcement. I wear mine fairly tight, right around the hips.

On the left:



- ATS Triple Triple Mag Pouch
- TT Knife Pouch
- ATS Dump Pouch

Comments: Shown with 3 PMAGs (90 rnds), 3 XD-40 mags (30 rnds), I'll have 160 rounds total with this setup (shown, plus 30 in primary and 10 in secondary). This is intended mainly for range and SHTF use, and I don't envision myself getting into any fights anymore since I got out last December...

The ATS Triple Triple is an interesting pouch. On the plus side, it puts everything exactly where I want it. On the minus side, I've found myself accidentally grabbing a pistol mag when going for a rifle mag on occasion; I vastly prefer open-topped pistol mag pouches for speedy reloads, but I do not want to accidentally grab a pistol mag when going for a rifle mag, so I kept the mag pouch covers on. This slows my reloads with pistol quite a bit, but I want to be sure I am grabbing the right mag here... Trade-off. I intend to fiddle with this a bit and see if I can learn to get at the rifle mags reliably with the mag pouch covers off. It shouldn't be too hard to figure out.

The good thing is that unlike many other shingle-type pouches, the ATS one is cut low for the rifle mags, and gives more surface to grab. I use a beer-can grip, so this matters to me. All in all, while there is an issue with the accidental grabbing of pistol mag (more to do with where your hand goes when grabbing for a mag; mine typically slaps the pouch and then pulls up), I can probably retrain myself out of this. It's a problem, but the fact that everything is where I want it makes up for it - just something to be aware of and train on.

I am thinking about moving the light pouch to the front of the mag pouch, and moving everything else back one column. Tinkering.

On the right:



- TT Small Utility Pouch (gloves)
- TT Knife Pouch (Gerber)
- Blade Tech DOH Holster w/ XD-40 4"
- TT Accessory Pouch 1H

Comments: If I change anything on this rig now it will likely be the TT Accessory pouch. It looks like it interferes with the pistol in the pics, but when worn the curve of my waist actually pulls the pistol grip away from my body and the pouch does not interfere with the draw at all. This setup actually works pretty well, I am just not sure that I want the pouch there. I want the ability to carry some small stuff, but I also only want to have the necessary stuff on this belt. Still debating it.

For those times when I want to armor up or increase my sustainability in a fight, I've got these:



Beez BCS NIJ Carrier w/ level 2 soft armor and Impac ST plates (I've got some level 4 stand alone plates I can throw in for when I think warranted; this is for SHTF mainly). This is a very light armor setup that will give good protection on everything short of rifle calibres, yet maintain a mostly concealable profile.



TT Mini-MAV w/ 3 PMAGs for a little extra ammo at almost no extra bulk - very slick, and hardly notice it on.

I can go just belt, belt plus armor, or belt plus armor plus mini-MAV and have a basic load. I am leaning towards the "slick" thing nowadays since I'm no longer worried about smelly bearded people, and with this setup I have options. I like options. I know, I invaded this thread with some second line, but I plan on using this as a system, so this is just for context.

I might put up some pics later on with all of this worn separately and together if anyone wants.

I'm actually glad you posted your setup.  I want to have a WarBelt (1st line) and a Chest Rig (2nd line) that works together and doesn't interfere with one another.

@fisterkev ... I love the "look" of your 1st Line, but IMHO, you're running it way too heavy (in terms of ammo load).  You should be running a more robust 2nd Line (since that is your primary "fighting" load) and reduce the number of mags on the 1st Line.  Also, while it seems like a lot of fellows are successfully running open-top kydex holsters, I am quite leery of such a rig on a 1st Line.  Running your pistol w/o some positive for of retention seems like a recipe for disaster to me.

@Halfbreed_83 ... I know this is getting a little bit away from the intent of this thread, but here you go:  a good, integrated 1st/2nd Line system.

That would be the traditional way of doing things, and the way I did them when I was still in. But now... You can think of this as more of a traditional LBE-type load - remember those? Where basic load (6 mags) was on a belt? When you look back at those it occurs to you that having 3 primaries on a belt is not that heavy of a load. I used to go with one primary and 2 secondaries, and the rest in chest rig, but this load actually works better for me for what I want to do with it now. Default mode is simply the warbelt setup, which I can add to if necessary. What do I need a large loadout of mags for if it's just for screwing off at the range, or SHTF - where I will be avoiding fights? The option for more is there with the Mini-MAV, but it's just an option, not strictly necessary.

Also, having the three mags at the waist makes them much, much easier to get at than having them on the chest. It's a more natural reload position.

Were I still in, I know I'd still be wearing armor, and I know I'd be looking for a fight, not looking to avoid them, and I'd still have a traditional loadout - chest rig with normal loadout as main fighting load, and warbelt with a single mag and pistol mags - as a backup. But I'm not in anymore, and have different requirements now, and have really departed from the traditional 1st line / 2nd line concept a bit. Not completely, but a bit... Here, my 1st line is my primary setup, with 2nd line just augmenting it. I know, backwards - a hard thought to get past for those used to the traditional way of thinking.

As for the holster - I mentioned elsewhere that I am considering replacing it with something else. Retention is variable via tension screws; too tight and it retains very well, but is difficult to draw, too loose and it draws like a dream but retention is not good. I love the draw with it, but do worry about the retention, so there's a good chance I will end up replacing it.

If I didn't plan on being in one then I wouldn't wear anything.

My experience has shown me that it is not necessary to carry hundreds of rounds for most situations, especially if you've got a good supply nearby (vehicle, pack, etc). I'd rather go light, and 3 mags is likely to be enough for most SHTF situations. If it isn't then I have probably made some other error far larger than not bringing enough ammo, and it won't matter anyway.

But as I said, I've got the option to go bigger with the Mini-MAV, so I don't really get the question. I'm carrying too much, or too little?

ETA: This is not an original idea, of course. I got it mostly from looking at LF's various warbelt threads (I'm mikefox over there); some people there who know their stuff seemed to like this config, and after thinking about it it seemed like it fit my needs, so I figured I'd try it. I haven't run it through anything yet (just put it together), but just dicking around with it and testing it seems to work pretty well.

Plus pics (apologies for poor quality pics):



Warbelt worn, by itself. You can see that there's actually not too much bulk to the ammo. Weight is hardly noticeable. The pistol is at roughly 4 o'clockish, but it's there... And yes, that is the beginning of a beer belly you see (newest acquisition since getting out of mil.



With armor. The armor does not interfere with draw of either pistol or mags, one reason I wanted the concealment cut in the Beez.



With Mini-MAV. Still pretty low profile, and doesn't impede movement much at all. Main thing I hated about wearing armor all the time was how it impedes mobility - no two ways around it. This one minimizes that... Of course, I really like the way it stops bullets, which is why I still included it in my setup.

Oh, and these were taken with the aid of a mirror, so right is left, and left is right...

I did move a couple of things around (moved the light to the right side - not ideal, I'd prefer it on the left so I can easily grab it with weapon in hand, but it was getting in the way of the last mag, so it moved; also moved the TT Accessory pouch to center back - less accessible, but the stuff in there isn't needed for an immediate fight anyway), but I think I'm pretty much set for now. Is this a setup I'd wear if I were still running around some foreign country wearing ACUs? No. But I think it'll work just fine in Texas.

RIF

NICE, i realy like the set up and thinking behind it.  Looks functional and super clean.  very very nice!

Here is my 1st line, just got my belts and threw my pouches on. I have a 34 inch waist and the sizes worked out.

ATS Belt (Large)
Blackhawk Inner belt (Large)
ATS Suspenders

Left to Right

TT Compas Pouch
TT Single 5.56 Shingle
HSGI Pistol Pouches
Spec-Ops OP-ORDER LOGISTICS POUCH (Love this pouch) used as med/EE pouch

Strike Force Fire Starter
Kindling (cotton Balls)
Trioxane
Tourniquet
Israeli Dressing
Misc. First Aid Items
Signaling Mirror
Aquamira Water Purification Tablets


Serpa Holster  with MOLLE Adpater (XD 9)
BK&T Brute Knife (I only have this on the belt when I am going camping (this weekend)
Gerber Multi Tool
Surefire Flashlight




I am going to give the ATS suspenders a chance this weekend when I am out in the woods, I have some HSGI suspenders that I have used before but want to see how the ATS works out..


My second line is an Esstac Trim Boar Split front...(once it gets here in the mail)

Lots & Lots of Pictures:





Consists of:
1 Eagle M4 pouch with kydex insert & double single stack mag w/ kydex insert.
1 Bladetech AR mag pouch.
1 Maxpedition dump pouch
1 Bladetech holster
1 Strider knife for cutting people.
1 Box-cutter razor for cutting things.  
1 OSOE multi tool pouch
1 Surefire E2E
1 TAD battery pouch
1 Leatherman Wave

All of the above save knife and battery pouch are on Tek-Loks.  The belt is an OSOE Cobra that I bought for work, but repurposed for this.  Belt pad is a Blackhawk.  I wanted an Eagle, but couldn't find any in stock that were in my color and size.  So far, the Blackhawk is working well, though.


Looks a little crowded when laid out on the table, but everything spaces out nicely when worn.


The Eagle pouch gives me both my pistol and AR ready magazines, and while somewhat bulky, is far enough forward as to not interfere with my arms nor cause me too much difficulty in the prone position.  The Tek-Lok positions it slightly lower then the Blade-Tech pouch, which is kind of nice as well.


Because of the spread when worn, the fully deployed dump sack has plenty of room and does not interfere with my magazines.  It's also Tek-Lok'd, so I can reposition it behind me relatively easily without having to remove everything else from the belt.


I have a plethora of Tek-Lok'd holsters for assorted hand guns and magazines, allowing me to change firearms or scale up or down pretty quickly.  With an extra AR pouch on the belt and an HSGI drop leg mag carrier, I can comfortably accomodate 6 AR mags and 10 single stack 1911 mags or 6 double stack magazines.  It rides pretty comfortably and doesn't sag, but it's more then I'd usually be inclined to haul around.

So that's my belt.  Fairly light weight, comfortable to run around in, and plenty of capacity.  Anything else I'd want to carry would go in a chest rig or a pack, with the possible exception of a water bottle carrier of some kind, for when I do not wish to have a Camelback on.

I am low speed high drag, and my days of playing soldier are long behind me.

Thanks!

Thanks to all posting.  Giving me some good ideas.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p313/madcatjoe/Guns%20and%20Gear/SANY1298.jpg
-Joe

Nice rifle and rig!

where is the belt?

If u had to run a mile or a block for that matter could you??

I guess my comment to Heineken would be if you have to lower your belt so much so as to not intefere with your "chest rig" is it really a chest rig?? I know how one wears a chest rig is purely subjective... but generally if a chest rig is interfering with your belt setup I would re-think the chest rig setup... just my 2 cents

ok

please forgive my ignorance

what do you use the bag for on the belt?  I see alot of guys with Maxpedition bags/pouches.

I have a dump pouch and a low-profile GP pouch on my belt.  The dump pouch is for stashing stuff.  Partially-full mags that you don't want to ditch, mainly.  The GP pouch is for some trauma supplies in case bad things happen (to supplement the chest rig's Bleeder pouch when worn in conjunction) and hold some smaller doo-dads.  Spare batteries, pens, chem lights.  Shit like that.

Pretty much as said above.  Basically, for retaining the mag when doing a reload.  When things are busy, you drop the empties in the dump sack and reload from the belt.  It's a lot easier and less time consuming then placing the empties back in pouches, and also keeps you from reaching for an unloaded or partially loaded mag.  When things quiet down, you take the empties out of the dump sack, reload or top off, and put them back into the appropriate pouches.

This approach sure beats running around the field trying to find the empty mags you discarded, particularly in training.  Also sucks to have a quiet moment to reload, but no magazines to reload with.  It gets real tedious hand loading your rifle because you tossed your mags an hour ago.

I keep Twinkies and Ho-hos in mine.

5.11 belt I got on closeout for 8 bucks
5.11 pouches
Fast mag
random pistol pouches
Holster I made
Thats about it.

With my HSS plate carrier

Pretty smart question if you ask me.



During range/tng times, I use the bag for mags, headset, gloves, hat, water bottle, food, etc.



During zombie hunting times, I am one scrounging mofo. If I see something I can use, I'll take it. Like ammo, mags, water, food, gear, etc.



Some people hate them, and I've caught my share of grief about it.



But its usefulness out weighs the hassle.



ETA:



I like like King Dons better than Ho Hos.

Where did you get that weapon shoulder stop?  Need that badly.

So F5.



When are we gonna see some pics of your new set up?

Came with the kit, major selling point to me.

During Operation Javelin Thrust, I mainly kept Gatorade and granola bars in mine, I admit.  Didn't see too much action on permanent guard duty at the armory.

Just ordered a 5.11 Tactical VTAC LBE Belt, they are on closeout on their website

What I'm fiddling with .