Looking for any advice on this. I hope this is not a repeat thread. I could not find much as far as this goes.
After researching what my needs are for some courses and range time etc. I have come up with the following as a “loadout” of mag and gear carriers. Any thoughts from the many respectable opinions on here?
I have done a lot of reading and this is it:
Belt: Eagle duty belt
Padded Belt: ATS
Mag pouches: Tactical Tailor or HSGI
Holster: Safariland 6004 (Already have this)
Chest harness: BCM with 2 single 30 rd mag pouches from hsgi or tactical tailor to add to it.
I used the BCM chest rig for a while and it does the job. I had 2 single HSGI pistol tacos on the left and it covered all of the requirements for classes. I recently upgraded to a PC due to class requirements and needing to train with one on as a result. I tried on the HSGI padded belt and really liked it as far as fit and function but a battle belt just wasn’t for me as it was important to maintain my belt mounted gear as close to EDC as possible. As long as the gear you picked out will work for all of your requirements present and future then go for it.
really leaning towards the HSGI belt now. May even just go with a new PC for work, and take to range so I keep consistent when training and shooting. I can get a new PC for the price of the BCM harness.
First and foremost, ditch the Eagle Duty Belt. There will inevitably be someone who will disagree based on their experience with the type. All I have to say to anyone who defends 2" SRBs is… I have yet to see a 45-55mm female Cobra buckle break in half because it got stepped on. Avoid all plastic Side Release Buckles around 2" in width regardless of manufacturer. Personally I try to avoid plastic SRBs in general, but that can get heavy and costly so they do have their applications. For this, though, a couple bucks worth of 2" webbing and a 2" steel triglide will do you a lot more good and last you a billion times longer than any plastic buckle of that size could ever hope to. If youre interested in this, various types of wide (1.75-2") webbing (in various colors/patterns if thats important to you) can be sourced from here:
Though those guys arent very good about listing each webbing’s exact type and/or class, so Id go with Black Type 27 4088 near the bottom of this page, (although these guys do have a $25 minimum for online purchases, which kind of defeats the purpose of making your own, unless the added durability of a non-plastic buckle is really important to you):
Total cost: ~$8 for an infinitely adjustable and far more reliable belt. Id take up the rest of the $25 order with Paracord, Cordura or type 7 4088 webbing. Never can have enough of those three things.
If you have money to blow and think that threading webbing through a metal ring sounds too difficult or pedestrian for you, 215 Gear’s Ultimate Rigger’s Belt is the best 1.75-2" belt I have ever used. I wear it daily now, actually. And Ive got a bunch of more practical “everyday” belts. Its just simple and absolutely bombproof.
Highly recommend EssTacs KYWI pouches. Have not tried HSGIs TACOs, but I know theyve received excellent praise. Both are available through SKDTac.com. Consider whether or not you will ever want this belt system to be capable of carrying soft armor inserts. Other than that I have no complaints regarding your gear. Have a good one.