Available in early 2023 (with pre-orders beginning ahead of SHOT Show), the Rogue MOLLE Chest Rig Gen 2 by Tactical Tailor is ideal for use in competition, a day out on the range, or looking just for something to carry the essentials.
Made dominantly from 500D, solution-dyed, Cordura the primary feature of the Chest Rig Gen 2 is its 9.25” (W) x 6.5” (H) central platform on which the exterior has three bands of MOLLE nylon webbing. This enables the end-user to attach additional pouches or accessories that they may also need while on the range. Immediately behind the exterior is a full-length hook-and-loop secured (with a nylon tab to assist in opening) kangaroo pouch for storing flat admin items.
The rear of the central platform uses a 8” (W) x 4.75” (H) hook-and-loop attached backer that is removable and has nylon mesh with open-cell foam padding to increase ventilation and minimize abrasion of the overall rig against the torso.
At the shoulder harness, the Chest Rig Gen 2 has 2” wide, unpadded shoulder straps that (combined with slide-release buckles at the front and sides) allow the 1” nylon straps in the back and bottom to maintain a fixed H-style configuration behind the shoulders. At the top of the shoulder straps is a 5.5” (W) x 2” (H) field of hook-and-loop (female) for attaching identification patches. Five nylon bands, and a hook-and-loop tab on each shoulder strap enable for the passage and retention of hydration tubes or communication cables. This minimalist design makes it ideal to integrated the Chest Rig Gen 2 with a backpack or similar pack for a day’s training.
The Chest Rig Gen 2 is available is available in Multicam (featured), Black, Coyote Brown, and M81 Woodland.
Product Evaluation Scores:
- Cost – Excellent (5/5): With its list price of $85.55, the Rogue MOLLE Chest Rig Gen 2 is made almost exclusively of 500D Cordura, a fabric well known for its abrasion resistance. The result was a solid foundational chest rig with plenty of MOLLE space for growth and customization by adding magazine pouches or other accessories. In contrast, the same Micro Fight Chassis Mk4 setup ($138.85) from Spiritus Systems, or the Low Profile Chest Rig ($225.74) from London Bridge Tactical, and the Ten-Speed M4 Chest Rig ($93.95) from Blue Force Gear all illustrate that the Rouge Gen 2 Chest Ris is excellently priced given the materials and design.
- Comfort – Good (4/5): Comfort-wise, perhaps the biggest aspect to the Chest Rig Gen 2 was the wide shoulder harness that distributed the weight of a fully-loaded chest rig evenly and securely over the top of the shoulders. By having the cross section of the H-style shoulder harness be between the upper shoulders, it provided some of the broadest range of motion around the arms and ensured there was a fair degree of space in the rear of the neck so as to avoid abrasion along the exposed skin. The bottom straps also helped to ensure the front weight in the central platform (with mags attached) and other mounted accessories didn’t flop around. However, the shoulder straps were unpadded, and over time fatigue was noted in the upper shoulders and torso where some measure of padding or support could have assisted in mitigating. Added elements, like the hook-and-loop padded backer, helped ensure that the Chest Rig Gen 2 remained comfortable overall and when removed allowed the chest platform to secure to a plate carrier if utilized as a placard.
- Durability – Good (4/5): From a durability aspect; the review of the Chest Rig Gen 2 was divided down into two main elements; the fabric material itself, and the stitching. The majority of material in the Chest Rig Gen 2 was from solution-dyed Cordura with a denier rating of 500D. This meant that the fabric had edge-to-edge color consistency, fiber strength, and resistance to UV (sun) light that would otherwise cause deterioration in lesser fabrics. This denier rating of the fabric, and ability to resist abrasion, was/is standard within the tactical gear market as 500D offered the best balance between flexibility and durability to the overall product. Noted elsewhere throughout the Chest Rig Gen 2, at key stressor points along the shoulder straps, central platform, kangaroo pouch, and MOLLE field was extensive bartack and X-pattern reinforcement stitching to help ensure strength and longevity in the product.
- Functionality – Good (4/5): Functionally, the Chest Rig Gen 2 did a good job at doing what it was intended for. It provided a basic chest rig, with enough carrying capacity for short stints on the firing line, and had enough flexibility to add more pouches if more was needed. So the Chest Rig Gen 2 may be a simple chest rig for carbine, but it had the added ability to transition between pistol or rifle magazine pouches, a radio wing pouch, or even added in some admin pouches for a longer patrol or hike. Whatever the short-term use was, for a light day on the range the Chest Rig Gen 2 was able to be readily utilized, easily donned and then removed. Perhaps the only area of recommended improvement for TT would be to look at taking the hook-and-loop padded backer to the total edges of the rear side to the central platform. This would improve surface area for padding or as a plate carrier placard as the current design left approx. 1” all around unsecured or unpadded.
- Weight – Good (4/5): Weighing in at 13.1 ounces, the Chest Rig Gen 2 was made principally from 500D Cordura nylon with little in the way of excessive hardware to keep the overall weight down. The harness’s design, with a H-style shoulder strap, helped to keep the weight of the mags and MOLLE-attached contents even on the shoulders without pulling on the neck, and avoided chafing exposed skin. In contrast, the Micro Fight Chassis Mk4 setup (15-22 ounces depending on final configuration) from Spiritus Systems, or the Low Profile Chest Rig (24 ounces) from London Bridge Tactical, and the Ten-Speed M4 Chest Rig (11.3 ounces) from Blue Force Gear all illustrate that the Rogue Gen 2 Chest Rig is at good light weight within the current market of alternatives and materials.
Overall Rating – Good (21/25)
Product Link: https://tacticaltailor.com
I am reviewing this product as a courtesy to the manufacturer and via High Ground Media, LLC, so that I can evaluate it and provide my honest feedback. I am not bound by any written, verbal, or implied contract to give positive reviews. All views are my own, and based off my personal experience with the product.
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