By itgoesboom from TacticalGearReview.com Forums 7/13/2007

Got the Spec Ops Mout rig that I won in the contest on Monday, and I have been playing with it the last few days. Pictures will be awhile, maybe next week, as I have just been too busy to take any.

So what it is:

A compact chest rig capable of holding 8 30-round AR-15 magazines securely.

What it isn’t:

A full blown tactical vest.

---

This is the epitome of K.I.S.S. and compact design. It’s clearly made to be functional as well as look good, but it also skimps in areas to save weight and bulk.

The rig has 4 magazine pouches, each individually divided into 2 slots, with front tension straps up front that double as attachment points for other pouches. The magazine pouches have a well designed retention straps that go over the tops of the magazines, and close via a simple snap. The straps are looped, and have about 1″ in front of the snap for easy opening.

The rig can be adjusted to be high on the chest, or a bit lower, depending on preferances, and has several quick release adjustments. There are two front straps on the bottom that can attack to other gear to keep the rig secure, and not have it move when magazines are removed. Or you can loop it under a belt, and secure it on itself for the same effect.

There is a back mesh pouch as well that runs along the long side of the rig.

First Thoughts:

I opened the package, and thought this was small! The pictures on Spec Ops website make it look like a full size chest rig, but it is nowhere that large. My wife and I briefly joked that we should put it on our 2 year old daughter, that it looked to be her size. Well, okay, that’s a bit of an exageration, but you get the point. This thing is compact.

I tried it on, and fiddled with the adjustments till it felt comfortable, which only took a couple minutes.

Since the main purpose of this rig is to carry magazines, I grabbed my supply to see how it did.

The test magazines were assorted USGI 30rnd mags, and MagPul Pmags.

The USGI magazines fit well, with just enough play to where they come out easly, but not so much that they would fall out. The retention straps fit over the magazines, and hold them down securely.
The retention strap is tight, and there isn’t much extra available, so Ranger plates or standard Magpuls probably won’t work, which is a shame because the would work well with this rig otherwise. While there is a decent amount of magazine above the pouch to grab, I get the feeling that it would be easier to have some sort of pull on there. 550 cord pulls would likely work great in this situation. Other option is to not worry about the retention strap, and use a pull system anyways.

The PMAGs were another story. While it’s possible to get 8 PMAGS into the rig, it may not be real practical. The two outer pouches (left and right) retention straps aren’t long enough to fit over 2 PMAGs and snap close. Not that it would matter, since they are very secure in there. The middle two pouches did manage to close with the retention straps however.

I tried a series of magazine changes, but kept getting caught up in my sling, which I found was adjusted improperly for this type of setup.

After getting it set properly, mag changes were quick and easy, and I had no further issues getting tangled with the gear. I am finding that having the chest rig a little low is easiest for me.

The shoulder straps are 1″ webbing, so if you are going to run with 8 mags, you might want to add some padding. Probably not an issue if you are running 1/2 full.

Which brings me to how I see this:

While it’s advertised as a 8-magazine carrier, I think I am going to consider it a 4-6 mag carrier, where I can use 8 if I really need to. Since I am not Military, I most likely won’t ever need that many mags at one point.

Using 4 magazines I can still use some of the magpuls, either the standard or the ranger plates, and I can easily strap down the retention strap. Likewise, I can use PMAGS and still use the retention straps. In addition I think that it’s easier to get a solid grip on the mags if there are only 4 in the rig, and it keeps the bulk down.

So, while it works as a 8-magazine carrier, I think it excells as a 4-magazine carrier instead. I think 6 magazines is a good compromise; can’t use the magpuls, but it’s less bulky than 8, and the center two pouches are easier to use with 2-each than the outer most pouches.

Final Run Down:

Plusses:

- Compact design. There is no wasted material anywhere, it’s a very lean design.
- Good quality build, with a strong warranty.
- Fast magazine changes.
- Good adjustment range.
- American Made.
- Securely holds up to 8 magazines.

Cons:

- Retention straps could be slightly longer, which would accomodate PMAGs or magazines with magpuls.
- Bottom half of the snaps could be slightly lower, so as to not interfere with the removal of magazines.
- Rear pouch could really use a method of securing it closed.

Read original blog post