Recce Rig Onward Research | Chest Rig vs Micro Rigs 

Hop literally stole this Rig off of me because he wanted one. If that's not a fairly good endorsement.... I'm not sure what is.

Appreciate the review and feedback!

Hey nice chest rig, I should steal that from you.

I’ve been using the onward rig since it came out I’ve spent over a month in The field using it. The biggest pro is I can actually carry all the crap the army requires me to carry on it without much bulk. The down side is my reloads are slower. With that said the beat way to perform a fast retention reload with this rig is to grab both magazines at the same time pull the front magazine out all the way and the rear magazine out halfway. Perform your reload then with the space made by the rear magazine sticking out and holding up the flap, wedge the empty magazine behind the full one. Your reloads will be slower than with something like a haley rig with mp2 inserts but the trade off is carrying everything you need on your person.

One thing is worth mentioning when speaking on dangler pouches on micro rigs. You can get extremely similar functionality out of a cheap fanny pack with the added benefit of it being able to be shifted to one side or the back when going prone.

Flannel Father's Rig looks incomplete without the Flannel or Splinter Camo Sling

the PTT setup is actually nice. I like the idea of not having to run the comtacs for coms, but still having the ability to quickly switch back to them without having to change out your ppt

Another SOLID video man, interested in the other rigs you’re trying out. I was looking into giving the Barrel & Hatchet Ghost rig a go as I didn’t think I’d have the need for the 4X2 mag shingle like this. Thanks for the review man!

Great video as always! You post very informative, educational and most importantly entertaining content. Always looking forward to yours and Hops videos!

Hope you get more financial backing, and if you do that it doesn't TFBTV you into obsequiousness and you are able to maintain your warhammer 40k model painting-level hyperfocus. No better source on gear than someone autistically and compulsively trying to min/max it in the desert, and I genuinely mean all of this completely sincerely. Appreciate your content. People are going to learn from this channel if they allow themselves to do so

Thanks for all the work you do man! Great review as usual!

I run $25 chinese military surplus type 81 rig that holds 5 mags (AR15 OR M14). Still one of the most comfortable and efficient systems ive ever used.

I have had a few chest rigs and most of them were of good quality. I still go with a carrier for several reasons. The fit is more what I am after and for the real estate options . I keep the front slim and only use 3 mag covered pouches for ease of crawling prone and my gear not get hung up or fall out. I also still retain the option of using my plates for immediate home defense and vehicle use. I have 1 chest rig as a backup to keep in my rover.

I like my Mayflower UW gen3 a lot, and it’s very well built and adds a lot of use for the price. It really isn’t bulky in the prone with 4 rifle mags in place unless you load it full of stuff and throw pistol mags in the front which would add bulk to any rig setup. The only issue I find with it is that it doesn’t come with a cumberbund with molle on it for adding larger GP pouches or water bottles/ larger radios, or medical. It’s also nice that you can also ditch the harness and swiftclip them onto a slick plate carrier like the LV119 or AC1 if need be.

I got a condor MCR6 or something for under $40. Its got 6 mag pouches and that's about it. I love it. Super close to the body and no place to put any of those cringy patches. No pistol pouches, no radio pouch, but most importantly- no velcro. It's completely minimalist and I couldnt be happier.

I have a Blue Force gear ten speed chest rig which isn't all that big but I've fit the 4 mags in the stock elastic pouches with kydex inserts, 2 additional mags, IFAK, knife, canteen pouch for nods, then sewed on a dangler for compass, map markers, etc. You can make a lot out of something small and it cost me like $200 and it's killer

My wishlist for this -3 mag pouches instead of 4 -Straighten the top buckle to 90 degrees to better use with the side strap stabilizers on a plate carrier. -Larger opening for the map pouch, as big as a mayflower rig -Straps from the mayflower rig Keep the same -I’m cool with 2 molle rows. I can have a radio on one side, smoke on the other, GPS and compass can go in a dangler -No internal radio pouches, to make it easier to run with a plate carrier

I've been using a Crye Airlite for a few months now and it's served me quite well. Ironically for mag pouches I've been using some OCP USGI double stack M4 mag pouches, which is like buying a Lambo but getting your tires from Walmart. On something like a chest rig, I'm a huge fan of flaps as opposed to open top retention magazines. In the mountains or whatever place I'm larping, I'm more likely to be prone or low crawling, and not losing my shit is more important than a speed reload during a 300m+ engagement

Hoping they make a heavy version of this soon. I use a mayflower rig for my 5.56 and while it has associated 7.62 inserts it's kind of a PITD to try and quick swap between the two. I wouldn't mind a more simplistic closed top triple or quad shingle for SR25 mags. I've been eyeballing the new SRMP setup from Haley but I calculated it on their website and it's about 650 for a full on dedicated setup. Very baller to be sure, but maybe a bit more than I need.

I just got a cheap and slick condor rig. Gonna put it to work and see how it handles. Technically speaking, it fits the perfect role for me. Holds 6 mags flush (no double stacking) with molle in front. Only paid $13 out of pocket (used a $25 gift card). I’ll be back to let y’all know if it’s even worth considering.

Sorry I'm a little late to the party, but when I was in the Marine Corps we were issued eagle industries double stack molle mag pouches for our (I'm showing my age here MTV "modular tactical vest"). We just called it PPE (prevents proper engagement). Seriously the thing I was like wearing a bank vault or being shoved inside of a stove pipe, but I digress. What we did to speed up our reload, and add retention and ease of access to our magazines is exactly the same thing that you do with the front velcro and the flap. We folded both of them in, we found it held two magazines in the pouch, and in doing that it gave us plenty of retention.

Had one but only two rows of Molle per side left me wanting a little more. Got a peacekeeper mk5 and I’m very happy with it.

No lies here. If we want to find out what works best for us we will most definitely have a box of rigs. Ultimately, I've pretty much ended up mish-mashing parts together and customizing for my needs. I usually ask Austin at A&A Tactical about the latest soft goods tech before venturing out and spending money now. The industries are blending and it helps to know people who religiously watch those trends in material tech.

I’ve been playing with slick plate carriers and battle belts to keep light and ease of swapping top clothes for weather changes. That’s if I have to hoof it. For vehicles and fixed location situations I have chest rigs that go over the slick plate carriers.

Hub City Outdoors makes a great chest rig with three stack mag pouches and 3x3 Molle webbing on each side of the magazines.

dog licks rig. Thats all the reviewing I need

The Esstac Boar series is a split front design so you can open it up if you go prone especially if your going to be spending a lot of time prone , like in an over watch scenario. Also you can convert the mag carrier from 556 to 762 by swapping the the magazine retainer portion. Surprised you didn’t have this in the mix

I like the surplus 6 magazine bandolier pouches. $13 on Amazon. Basically a cheap micro rig/man purse. I usually carry four mags and a med kit, or two mags, med kit, and radio.

I like micro rigs. Specifically the micro rigs without the pouch in front. My solution for the lack of carrying capacity was to use a plate carrier cumberbund in lieu of the sternum strap.

My hsgi panel chest rig with 4 double mags looks very similar minus the extra molle room on the left and right. Honestly if i need more big gp pouches or capacity why not go the lbe or belt kit route as you can carry more gear more efficiently. Once i start overloading a chest rig i feel like i’m losing the benefits of a chestrig. Of course mission dependent.

Good thoughts as always. Thank you!

Definitely going to pick one up whenever they’re back in stock. I have a D3CRM but have been looking for something that I can kinda carry the whole kitchen sink with me if I want/need to. Also is that the JAKL I spotted? If so I hope you have a review coming in the future I’ve been eyeing them for a little while but just haven’t be overly convinced about dropping the money yet! As always great video man

My rig is a set of P08 webbing gear covered in Blanco. thanks for the straight forward reviews and I'm sorry Hop liberated the rig.

Man after this solid ass review I’ll wait for V2. No way they can’t address the issues you pointed out.

I think the elastic is more of a stabilizer for side to side movement, and to hug the mags to the back of the pouch to keep them tight to you.

Awesome video guys! 🔥🔥🔥

I relate heavily to the “you’re gonna end up buying a lot and selling off what you don’t need through testing” part of the video. I am currently in that stage 😂

Beez Grid rig. 4-6 magazine slots, padded harness, and pull-forward straps. Very good option

To me, I take my full kit into account. I run a micro rig but I do so with a battle belt. My micro rig has 3 slots for my rifle mags but I carry 3 on my belt and obviously one in the rifle. That is 7 Rifle mags. I also have two spaces for my pistol magazines on my chest rig although I put a Multi Tool in one of those and I have two more pistol mags on my belt with one in the gun. I do run a Dangler which is generally set up for medical supplies. I do have expander wings that I use primarily for my radio but I don't use them unless I am running comms. The prone position can be tricky with a chest rig but it also can be with a plate carrier. There are gives and takes with any set up. There also is more than one way to skin a cat. Good job on the video as it was solid.

Micro for vehicle, low profile, and PSD work. Patrols in tough terrain is a different setup altogether imo. Assault work allows additional equipment to be mounted on the belt line, pockets, and plate carrier allowing the use of compatible chest rigs to meet the obj requirements.

kydex inserts can really help with mag retention as well.

Please tell us more about RECCE! No other channels are talking about this!

Stitching system, love it.

I really like the Spiritus Alpha 34 split rig. Three Spud pouches and a medium gp pouch would work fine for me. Not looking to carry crap loads of larp gear. Just 4 mags, water, and admin stuff.

I rock a Chinese Type 56 AK rig. You can easily use M4 mags with it if you cut some foam and put it in the bottom of the pouch to raise the mags up. You could replace the foam with something more useful like a change of socks, bandana, roll of gauze, packs of skittles, etc. It only holds 3 mags, but with one in the gun and one on your belt you get 5 mags in a very light and low profile setup. You can easily throw more in a pack if necessary. Best of all, it cost me less than $30. Its not sexy, but old school is cool right? If you can sew then the possibilities are endless. You can sew on a dangler pouch, add more mag pouches, elastic keepers, buckles, etc. I added quick release buckles to mine.

Great video as always

Onward Research ROCKS!!!

"Stitching system AKA Sewing machine" That had me dying LOL

My brief experiences in the Infantry and being over seas has taught me that 8 mags is not "too much." I've been in situations were I was forced to start bounding or relocate right in the middle of reloads and lost magazines. If I would have only brought 2-3 mags on me I would have been fucked. Real combat environments tend to be a lot different from shooting at stationary targets that don't shoot back or move around on the range.

I’m a support guy, not an assaulter, but I spend a LOT of time in the field, so take this for what it’s worth…. Even with the plates taken out, a paired down plate carrier is still kind of the move. Put the things on it you use every time. Put your IFAK in a fanny pack, it’s the only solution that lets you go prone and ride in a vehicle comfortably. I also stuff in a multitool and 16oz water bottle. When it comes to your belt, stick to just your pistol (or not), two happy mags. 2L or 3L water bladder on the back panel. Everything else goes in a backpack.

I have a rig very similar to the Platatac Mk5 and i find it too bulky to wear with a med-large ruck. to that end i've gone back to the good old fashioned chicom style rig for now until i can afford to build a custom rig (also i'm in the process of changing camo patterns from MARPAT to RG, so i'm buying a bunch of new equipment). TLDR the Platatac style rigs are great for vehicle dismount patrolling and 24-48hr stuff, but for long distance rucking you'll need something a bit lower profile EDIT: the elastic on the double mag pouches is to prevent the mags from clanging around and making noise

Great job!

I spy with my little eye at 7:05 Pencott Badlands camouflage. One of my favorites I wish was more readily available in the US. Works great in Southern California.

Came for the discussion and got pumped for the PSA Jakl review.

21:00 4 mags also dont wrap around a plate well, they hang out a couple more inches wider than your plate. 3 mags fit perfect. I prefer the Mayflower hybrid to this.

Looking at what you have on it and want to use it for you might be interested in smocks (jackets with a lot of pouches). A lot of different ones out there and the expensive ones cost about the same as the expensive chestrigs.

It seems like the market is starting to come full circle, everyone's going to be running Eagle RRV's again this time next year, you get one plate in the front, and plenty of room for mags, pouches, admin pouches etc. It's also very comfortable to wear with a backpack, and it's excellent when doing vehicle work.

My general go to is the classic Alice Vietnam era mag carrier and the James reeves pick denim fanny pack. Wouldn’t mind updating the pockets though. But prone the mags are off to the side and can open them up pretty quick if needed.

thanks for your videos, keep it up!

Full disclosure, I've never even seen a micro rig in person and I'm only halfway through the video. But a USGI FLC seems like the best budget option. It's mostly mesh so it's very breathable above the belt thing and of course molle all around. The UDP ones are $10 on ebay and there's Coyote and BDU ones although they're quite a bit more expensive since they're more rare (the coyote ones are like $80). Edit: can also easily be worn over a slick plate carrier.

16:30 I know this is an older video but if you don't want to change radios and the radio is too short, you can stuff some old socks or some foam in the bottom of the pouch to cause the radio to not sit so low.

Sew a piece of velcro onto the back of that flap, then another down inside of the pouch, then bend the flap back and attach it. That should solve the problem of it popping back up.

SADF Pattern 83 chest rig is the 🐐

Awesome and informative video, as usual. Would love a tactical pants/clothing video.

Great review

Agreed on these flaps. Instead they should've put the flaps on velcro, attached to the inside, to allow the user to modify the lenght of the flap. This is how it was solved in my old Tasmanian Tiger chest rig Mk 2. I can easily switch between mag pouch being tailored for stanags, single or double, but also AK mags ALSO single or double,. All it takes is 30 seconds to re-attach the flaps to the velcro inside the pouch. Also, they could use some stiff sewn-ins, to maintain the shape when empty. That said, recently, after 6 years with chest rig I switched to Small Combi Rig, also by Tasmanian Tiger. No regrets so far.

When I was on tanks I used the TAPS (obviously, having a good chest rig wasn't a priority in the least). Going from slick to fully kitted body armor was a valuable capability, whether that's me sticking out of the turret when SOP dictates the TC and loader wearing an IOTV, or on the rare occasion I'm in a truck and I can still go slick in there. I'm with cav scouts now. While I personally direct attach, we have dismounts that have a small variety of weapons, and a micro rig hybrid system would be very beneficial in this case. You could keep the common pouches (ie. admin and IFAK) on the cummerbund and then put a placard on for whatever weapon you have, and if you had money to spare, combine this with different belts. And if you dismount with no armor, have a placard-compatible chest rig, again with common pouches and then transfer the guts from your body armor. Obviously this is extremely military specific. You're not running around in SHTF/WROL/TNP/WTFBBQ like a Battlefield lobby and change loadouts in the middle of a battle.

I get the flap 100%. I also see how the retention is annoying. I find that I like it so my 1 mag doesnt bounce as much.. As I said single mag.. so thats in a double mag pouch and might be a little of a hallway issue. When it comes to the 4 vs 3 mag pannel I am yet to see if thats an issue since I have ran only three mags front. I am not as concerned since the IOTV I wear is kind of lame with the plates and general bulkyness

Or if your el cheapo like me, just use a type56 AK chest rig and just remove the weird small side pockets and sew on some molle panels and add a couple of surplus USGI side pouches, if you want to have it act like a placard too, just add buckles to the straps and glue a velcro panel on the backside. Also add some metal grommets to the bottom to let water drain. Bingo Bango, like $60 and some time on a sewing machine and you have a good rig.

I've gone back and forth between an old Eagle Rhodesion chest rig and a Chicom Rig for chest rigs. Mainly using a plate carrier these days, but in the hot sun on long hikes the chest rig is a lot less torturous. These new micro rigs are interesting, but the Onwards Research rig seems more my speed. I can always carry less stuff and have extra storage.

Return to tradition, rock the ALICE

Geeat vids, fuuny, informing.

I can't wait to see that JAKL review

I love the irony that I watch these videos of in depth reviews and practical usage religiously taking mental notes as if I'm going to be running around my mountains and deserts knowing full well I'm in my nice office making espresso shots on my Flair Classic and about to burn through emails and contracts in a tie...

3+1 is not even close to enough ammo for any mission. 6 is the standard but I’ve carried up to 10 on patrols before

The mag retention needs to be noted even some mags are rather chonky like G36 and the Sig 550 family. Aug mags can be a little bit fat too. I'd rather the extra room cos when it comes to say shoving other things in it comes in handy. The tabs however yeah little to long for me

cut some hard foam and stuff them into the bottom of the mag pouches so that you wont have to cut off the velcro flaps. downside is that it'll make your mags taller depending on how much foam you cut. it can also add some extra protection to the magazines and less noise when the rig is being banged into something. by the way... I love your content and video narratives.

Iv been running a condor tan rig for like 3 years. It works 🤷‍♀️

Right on time.

Thr condor 7 pouch is good for me. Perfect size for my 4 +1 mag count, a canteen, a gp pouch, medic pouch (use 1 mag as canteen) and cut the radio pouch. Boom I have a decent rig.

I still try to figure this out... Risky Chisky, Garand thumb, Hop, you... As a long range guy using bolt action it look like i dont have the same requirement (obviously). I need to practice more to find my way with the belt, the chest rig and the backpack.

Split rig seems like a better option all around. An Arbor Arms Combat Wombat Placard on a BCS wing or similar seems like a good jack of all trades option.

Having four mag pouches is one of the reasons I chose this chest rig.

Looks like ideal setup would be SS thing 2 and direct action molle velcro panel, you can put there 3 double mag pouches. Then you have 3x3 molle on sides of thing 2 and 6 mags up front

i use a early style blackhawk commando rig rip off(had no idea when i bought it) that i pid 40 bucks for. surprisingly nice for the price. sucker is CHONKY though.

ATS low profile chest harness runs great.

Have you seen the Sewjourn gear SAW rig? It’s exactly that you want. 2x3 mag pouches with adjustable Velcro contact, and 3x3 sized GP pouches on the sides.

Good luck getting a hold of the Onward Research RECCE Rig. It’s always sold out

Ever used the tracer tactical stout rigs? Seems decent for solo chest rig to plate carrier placard quick swapping solution. So then you don’t have to buy bunch of GP pouches for chest rig and plate carrier separately

Get a USAF DF Rig, does all of the above, easily customised & cheap.

you should check out the tracer tactical SCOUT rig next.

"Giant pile of these things..." I felt that.

hsgi Wasatch, weesatch or the blackhawk tactical ISSACK load carrier. All mine are combat proven mini racks that hold tacticool stuff and 3 mags won't cut it.

Yeah dude, my chest rig went to far down the road lol. I'm using the spiritus expander wings for the radio, left side is for a upright GP pouch for monocular and lens cleaner and wipes. The right side has an rts ifak, dangler with fire stuff, water purificarion, multi tool and chem lights and head lamp, map pouch has a rat5 sticking out the top, instead of the H harness I'm running a hayle flat pack with 1 sof armor 3A panel and 1 level 4 plate on a trafer tactical plate bag, I have extra pistol mags and rifle mags, a water bladder 1 liter, 2 smokes and 1 poncho with a lot of paracord. I swapped the side buckles with a lunar conceps male and female qd. Ahh and carabiners with gloves and electrical tape hanging on the sides of the dangler pouch lmaoo!

I'd recommend Beez Combat LE AR.... made to order 3-6 mags covered I'm molle similar to a TAPs rig but beez has an optional cummerbund instead of a simple waist strap

Micro rigs are good for vehicle crews in cases of emergency dismount or active shooter response. In terms of gruntwork they can’t even hold enough to reliably break contact

As a guy who is limited in what he can do, I've found I like my recce rig a lot. Before I'd grab my rifle, and a day bag with a spare mag in it and some food/water and go hiking by myself.

Good video!

was the FDE pack you were wearing in the video clips a Mystery Ranch 2 day?

Barrel and Hatchet TG Ghost rig is 3 double stack mags