Chest rigs are mad-popular right now, which is dope because the people who actually need/use them have options and a market full of competition to give them better products. But for the regular guy, justifying owning one is a little more difficult.

A chest rig, so you know, is a little (usually a little bigger than your hand placed on your chest nip-to-nip) cloth pack held onto your body with straps. It serves as a platform for (most commonly) spare magazines for guns, medical supplies, navigational equipment, tools, snacks, and almost anything else you can imagine a person would need in various situations where having those items in reach at all times is critical to success.

I am skeptical of people who own body armor, ballistic helmets, and night vision/thermals who aren’t LE/MIL, alphabet bois, assassins, or specific types of hunters.

Some people want to own this stuff “just in case” or “just because” or “because I can”, but to me it seems more and more like a waste of money and time for people who will, realistically, get less use out of body armor and a helmet than they will out of their concealed carry gun — gods forbid they ever have to use it since they probably don’t train ever (meaningfully).

I have owned a couple plate carriers, but never got much use out of them except for armed security work and spooky stuff like that. When I saw my first chest rig, I was interested and bought the Haley one immediately because I could wear it independently or click it onto my Mayflower APC, to have a fair bit of modularity for different scenarios. I’ve since gotten rid of my plate carrier, plates, and that Haley rig.

But I got another one — and let me tell you, it comes in handy.

WHAT: Spiritus Systems Micro Fight Chassis MK3 chest rig. Placard-style, which means it has buckles on the top and sides so you can click it onto many different plate carriers.

1. Size: 5×9 inches.
2. Weight: Weighs less than a pound empty, just over a pound in its most accessorized (but still empty) variant.
3. Construction: Some tough cordura-type material that all military gear is made of. It’s stitched perfectly and the first impression (and lasting one) is of a well-made product.
4. Color: Ten choices, from Multicam and MC Black to Woodland and MC Alpine (that’s what I got, mainly because it was in stock).
5. Options: It’s a modular system, which means there’s a whole suite of existing accessories so you can adjust the piss out of the rig to match the needs of your mission.
6. Cost:
   1. $75 for just the chassis, which is pretty much worthless without at least the rifle or pistol inserts if you’re just getting it to put on a plate carrier. It doesn’t come with the shoulder or back straps for standalone use.
   2. Around $185 for a basic pistol/rifle kit.
   3. For $380, you can get (this is what I have) enough accessories for high- and low-profile, multi-caliber flexibility.

WHEN: When you need mission-critical gear in reach.

WHERE: On your chest, in a backpack, or over a shoulder — we’ll get to that.

HOW: You use the inside, outside, front, or back velcro to secure whatever inserts/flaps/sections/hanging pouches you need, then you go. Adjust the straps when you first get it and tape up the extra. Leave a little wiggle room in case you get fat (or wear it over a jacket or something).

PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Here are some ways I justify and implement this kit:

1. Boom-boom go bag: just the essentials and stays in my backpack while at work or in my day bag (backpack, tote, duffel) while I’m out and about daily. I carry this ALL THE TIME — 90 percent of my use of this kit. Easy to sling over a shoulder or clip around the waist and reload from. It contains a few spare mags, multi-tool, ear pro, last-ditch tourniquet, and E/E kit. This requires the full flap, pistol mag inserts, and the back strap.
2. Rifle just-in-case bag: the same as the pistol go bag, but for a “truck gun” — in this case, my .300 BLK SBR. The only adaptation is the pistol mag inserts swapped for a 5.56 rifle mag insert.
   
3. Pistol and rifle carry: I changed the full flap for the half flap and put in one of the inserts for pistol mags. I also put on the shoulder straps and moved the back strap to the bottom. I’ve rarely used this in this setup, I just wanted to show y’all the versatility of this lil kit. I keep it like this when I’m driving a long distance. This can also be used hunting boar, in an area with dangerous predators, or in places with thick bramble. Some pistol mags, some rifle mags, some essentials.
4. Full rifle kitterino: I added the S.A.C.K. for more storage, swapped the front pistol insert for a 5.56 rifle mag insert, and removed the half flap. This is the “heavy” kit for rifle. I’ve never used it in this configuration, but this can be considered a more robust “truck gun” setup.
5. Big gaym hunter: Swapped the 5.56 rifle mag inserts for 7.62 inserts and added some gloves, spare loose bullets, and mission critical snacks. Same as before, but for a heavy rifle. I have hunted like this and it makes up probably 10 percent of my usage of this kit.

So there are some ways I use this rad bit of kit that may not have an obvious civilian use. Not that I need to justify anything SINCE I’M A GROWN MAN, but yeah. Most of these setups can be used in competition and training too, if you do the right type.

#YOLO

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Yo, I got this for free/I bought it to do what’s called T&E — testing and evaluation. It means I got this thing, am not bound by any agreement to be nice in my review, and I get to beat the piss out of it and treat it rough-like. My opinion is mine and based off of my time with the gear/gun/product/service.

This post originally appeared on SJT and is reposted here with permission from Jordan Garcia.

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