There ya go! Gotta start somewhere...
My belt is setup with the assumption that I won’t be wearing a plate carrier (primarily range/training use). If I do have a PC on then great, I have 2 extra mags.Just saw this thread so I’ll have to post a pic tomorrow but wanted to ask... you guys have 2 rifle mags on your belt, how many do you have on your chest rig/plate carrier?
I have one on the belt and 3 on my chest. Just looking to get different opinions from you guys.
Running 6 mags on my chest rigJust saw this thread so I’ll have to post a pic tomorrow but wanted to ask... you guys have 2 rifle mags on your belt, how many do you have on your chest rig/plate carrier?
I have one on the belt and 3 on my chest. Just looking to get different opinions from you guys.
If you talk to some real operators most of them try to get as much off the pc as possible and onto the hips. They do not want all the weight on their shoulders. Much more comfortable over a long haul to have weight on your hips.
"Real operators"?
View attachment 230832
I have always hated that word for soldiers, sailors, and Marines.
If you have the 'right' PC, the cummerbund will distribute some, but not all, of the weight. Of course the issue with the PC isn't the accouterments, but the armor. Two or three mags, an IFAK, and a pistol doesn't weigh that much.
You are right, though, it's a balance of how much weight, and how to distribute. I usually wear the belt for the range and classes, and the PC for things that go bump in the night. I also wear the PC for workouts as a weight vest.
By real operators, current and past SF group guys. Just showing them my plate carrier with level 3 soft armor and level 4 ceramic plates and mags attached, they all said get it all off the carrier. First if you get hit and need it off you do not lose all your gear. Second the weight on the front of the carrier pulls you over and wears you out fast. If you are going to run mags on the carrier put them horizontal on the back. Easily took half the weight off my carrier. But I had a full load of 6 mags plus ifak and small pouch on my carrier. You all can do what you want but I will follow the advice of the guys I know have been to the sandbox and did stuff most of america would rather not know about.
I thought this would be a cool way to showcase some belt setups guys! I’ve only seen one other pic besides the one I posted...
Not busting chops, lol, but I am a card-carrying, certified BTDT. Any "operator" that tells you definitively he has 'the perfect set up' either hasn't been doing it long enough or has too many static operations.
It is an evolving art, figuring out gear, gear distribution, weight distribution, etc. I am not saying you (or your "operators") are wrong, and I agree with most of it. Mission drives the gear. For us non-"operators" (civilians), yeah, dressing out like you are going to need 8+ rifle mags, 3+ pistol mags, like an extended patrol is ridiculous, and you should always shave weight and configure to your mission.
By the way, I found another picture of an operator:
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Completely agree. They do as well. Like I said one good friend has given several suggestions. Like get it off the front at least and move it to the rear in horizontal holders. Still easy to get to but makes the weight feel better was one suggestion. Other was to put it on a belt. Current trend is to get it off the chest. Also looking at head gear and trying to reduce neck fatigue is high on their list. My next purchase will be a helmet and NV.
As far as 6 mags and 2 pistol mags like I said it is in my vehicle with me all the time. If SHTF and I am stranded with a long walk home I want all the ammo I can carry. Also have a decent back pack in there as well I can move stuff to if needed. All about what you think you need immediately, what you can store in a back pack or similar and what you feel you can replace or acquire during the "event." Also forgot I have a radio pouch for a small UHF/VHF radio on the belt. Most of it is all light except for the ammo and the plates.
With a chest rig, battle belt, and a backpack plus the rifle it would be a long and painful walk home for me. But I would do it to get to my wife and dogs. LOL
Debating whether to keep the battle belt or just move everything to my PC. Every time I come to a decision I change my mind.
I think the real question is.
At what point do you get to play dress up?
Meaning, if you got the time to get dressed up, what are you going to put on?
For me, I CCH so a battle belt is a range toy
My next layer of dress is a slick PC.
After that, my imagination fails me
I think the real question is.
At what point do you get to play dress up?
Meaning, if you got the time to get dressed up, what are you going to put on?
For me, I CCH so a battle belt is a range toy
My next layer of dress is a slick PC.
After that, my imagination fails me
The Maxpedition Rolly-poly has been around for a long time. They have multiple sizes and versions, very well built as you would expect from them. I love the compact nature when not in use.I only see one identifiable dump pouch and that is Chuckman's, possibly the HSGI looking one is one, now that i look at it and see a drain hole. The other two.... no idea. Could be anything, mystery pouch A. Unless these rigs are never used... Once you use them they look like Chuckmans. If the gear looks perfect it is probably never used.
this is counter-intuitive to me and the very opposite of backpacking concept. For example, with backpacks, you secure tents and other heavy items at the top where they are supported by your shoulder. I can definitely attest to the fact that this weight distribution is favorable with human physiology.If you talk to some real operators most of them try to get as much off the pc as possible and onto the hips. They do not want all the weight on their shoulders. Much more comfortable over a long haul to have weight on your hips.
this is counter-intuitive to me and the very opposite of backpacking concept. For example, with backpacks, you secure tents and other heavy items at the top where they are supported by your shoulder. I can definitely attest to the fact that this weight distribution is favorable with human physiology.
That being said, backpacks dont secure weight 'directly at the hip' the way a belt does (but they do have waist straps to help displace some load across waist and to mitigate torsional forces). My mind is also terrible at abstracting physical engineering principles, so im admittedly far from a subject matter expert.
this is counter-intuitive to me and the very opposite of backpacking concept. For example, with backpacks, you secure tents and other heavy items at the top where they are supported by your shoulder. I can definitely attest to the fact that this weight distribution is favorable with human physiology.
That being said, backpacks dont secure weight 'directly at the hip' the way a belt does (but they do have waist straps to help displace some load across waist and to mitigate torsional forces). My mind is also terrible at abstracting physical engineering principles, so im admittedly far from a subject matter expert.
Like I said above, mission drives gear. I don't like the battle belt and the PC because to me there too much weight and redundancy. To me, I prefer the PC over the battle belt. That said, if I am on a day-long patrol and not a kinetic operation, I would not run the kitted-up belt, add a MAP or med bag to the back of the PC, and drive on. If I am on a kinetic operation, kicking in doors or a raid, my PC would be slicker and I would likely have more on the belt.
If I have to move 120 pounds of gear over the mountains over the course of a few days, I would reconfigure everything differently.
In civilian applications, it's all a moot point: aside from a class or on the range, when would you ever be kitted up for an extended time?