lamarbrog
14 November 2011, 20:13
I've had this thing about 6 weeks now. I've taken it to the range a few times... And even with this little bit of experience with it, I feel like I'm ready to pass some initial judgement on it.
Overall rating: 4/10
Positives: Construction quality is good. The color (coyote) is nice. The magazine pouches can hold 2 magazines with little difficulty if you need extra ammo without enough warning to attach extra pouches.
Negatives:
If you aren't using the bungees, which are extremely stiff, the pouches are so loose that magazine just flop around.
The adjustments on this rig are a textbook example of a design that is just poorly thought out and poorly executed. They are so far around the back of the rig that I am beginning to think I have torn something in my right shoulder from attempting to fasten it up. (I can only lift about 30 pounds on a pectoral fly with my right arm before I have sharp, excruciating pain, which began immediately following the last time I used this rig... it has always been a strain, but I think I stretched just a little too far last time I put it on. I probably got in too much of a hurry, because after fiddling with buckles behind your back while over-extending one arm and contorting the other, you eventually get frustrated after a few minutes of this nonsense.)
At about 5'10"-5'11" and 185 pounds, I don't consider myself to be too wormy (I am actually slightly over the max weight according to the army weight chart I have seen)... but when I crank this vest down to the tightest possible adjustment, it is still too loose. Maybe it needs plates under it... that wasn't advertised, and if I wanted something that required a plate carrier be run under it, I would have just gotten a plate carrier and mounted pouches to it.
The adjustments, once tightened down to their maximum smallness so I can experience the joy of a sloppy fit, has a tendency to loosen making it fit even worse.
When you do tighten the rig down all the way, and even if it stays... you have to come up with some creative method of stowing the straps. Otherwise, you have 6" diameter loops of webbing hanging all over you. No snag hazard there.
There are buckles along the fronts of the shoulder straps which could conceivably be used for donning and doffing. However, these buckles don't actually release anything if you have the bib in use, which I do. So, in practice, they don't really benefit me, and the one on the left side has a tendency to snag the magazine under it slightly.
Not being one to complain without offering a suggestion... here is what would fix this piece. (You'll also notice in this picture that the bottom left buckle is not attached the same way as the others. [bash])
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i190/Lamarbrog/DSCN1009.jpg
You see that area of fabric with webbing the left and right of the magazine row? That's the problem- that area needs to just go away. This would make the overall size smaller, so it would have some glimmer of hope of fitting someone who isn't morbidly obese. (Looking at how big this can adjust... the thing must be made with 300lb "operators" with soft and hard armor on with extreme cold weather gear in mind... it is HUGE... it would never need to be this big...)
Removing this area would also bring the buckles farther forward so someone with the arms of a human instead of a chimpanzee can actually reach them.
The buckles on the front need to be moved up to above the bib, or omitted entirely. I'd like to have detachment points there... but currently they aren't detaching anything, and I'd rather just not have them. The preferred outcome would be on top of the shoulders like they are on the "Banshee" Rifle plate Carrier.
I really think the whole thing is kind of sad... it had the potential of being a good chest rig... and it probably would have cost very little extra, if anything at all, to make it what it should be.
If they made an improved version with these modifications, I'd buy one in a heartbeat. I paid $140 for this, on sale... I'd gladly pay the $175 MSRP to have one that is actually right... This rig is a bit disappointing at best both on design and quality control on account of the buckle installed incorrectly.
Overall rating: 4/10
Positives: Construction quality is good. The color (coyote) is nice. The magazine pouches can hold 2 magazines with little difficulty if you need extra ammo without enough warning to attach extra pouches.
Negatives:
If you aren't using the bungees, which are extremely stiff, the pouches are so loose that magazine just flop around.
The adjustments on this rig are a textbook example of a design that is just poorly thought out and poorly executed. They are so far around the back of the rig that I am beginning to think I have torn something in my right shoulder from attempting to fasten it up. (I can only lift about 30 pounds on a pectoral fly with my right arm before I have sharp, excruciating pain, which began immediately following the last time I used this rig... it has always been a strain, but I think I stretched just a little too far last time I put it on. I probably got in too much of a hurry, because after fiddling with buckles behind your back while over-extending one arm and contorting the other, you eventually get frustrated after a few minutes of this nonsense.)
At about 5'10"-5'11" and 185 pounds, I don't consider myself to be too wormy (I am actually slightly over the max weight according to the army weight chart I have seen)... but when I crank this vest down to the tightest possible adjustment, it is still too loose. Maybe it needs plates under it... that wasn't advertised, and if I wanted something that required a plate carrier be run under it, I would have just gotten a plate carrier and mounted pouches to it.
The adjustments, once tightened down to their maximum smallness so I can experience the joy of a sloppy fit, has a tendency to loosen making it fit even worse.
When you do tighten the rig down all the way, and even if it stays... you have to come up with some creative method of stowing the straps. Otherwise, you have 6" diameter loops of webbing hanging all over you. No snag hazard there.
There are buckles along the fronts of the shoulder straps which could conceivably be used for donning and doffing. However, these buckles don't actually release anything if you have the bib in use, which I do. So, in practice, they don't really benefit me, and the one on the left side has a tendency to snag the magazine under it slightly.
Not being one to complain without offering a suggestion... here is what would fix this piece. (You'll also notice in this picture that the bottom left buckle is not attached the same way as the others. [bash])
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i190/Lamarbrog/DSCN1009.jpg
You see that area of fabric with webbing the left and right of the magazine row? That's the problem- that area needs to just go away. This would make the overall size smaller, so it would have some glimmer of hope of fitting someone who isn't morbidly obese. (Looking at how big this can adjust... the thing must be made with 300lb "operators" with soft and hard armor on with extreme cold weather gear in mind... it is HUGE... it would never need to be this big...)
Removing this area would also bring the buckles farther forward so someone with the arms of a human instead of a chimpanzee can actually reach them.
The buckles on the front need to be moved up to above the bib, or omitted entirely. I'd like to have detachment points there... but currently they aren't detaching anything, and I'd rather just not have them. The preferred outcome would be on top of the shoulders like they are on the "Banshee" Rifle plate Carrier.
I really think the whole thing is kind of sad... it had the potential of being a good chest rig... and it probably would have cost very little extra, if anything at all, to make it what it should be.
If they made an improved version with these modifications, I'd buy one in a heartbeat. I paid $140 for this, on sale... I'd gladly pay the $175 MSRP to have one that is actually right... This rig is a bit disappointing at best both on design and quality control on account of the buckle installed incorrectly.