View Full Version : Assault Vest
Has anyone used an assault vest as an alternative to carrying a rucksack?
Shambling Shaman
11-10-2008, 19:13
Just got mine yesterday, have not worked out the load out I'm going to use but hoping to do a review on it next week when/if I take my eldest out for there 1st night out in there new hammock...
If you attach the rocket pouches it would be like a 20l day sack? How it sits I do not know, but will like I said try a give a review next week :)
Shambling Shaman
11-10-2008, 19:28
This is mine hoping to dye it
http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q244/rob2nd9th/9ee2_1.jpg
Have taken off the pouches to re-organize the layout
http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q244/rob2nd9th/MorePouches.jpg
http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q244/rob2nd9th/Someofthepouches.jpg
Hoping to use my web-tec medical bag as the main sack??
or two of these
http://www.kifaru.net/images/LPmutant_lg.jpg
Bernie Garland
11-10-2008, 19:30
This is mine hoping to dye it
http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q244/rob2nd9th/9ee2_1.jpg
Have taken off the pouches to re-organize the layout
http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q244/rob2nd9th/MorePouches.jpg
http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q244/rob2nd9th/Someofthepouches.jpg
Hoping to use my web-tec medical bag as the main sack??
or two of these
http://www.kifaru.net/images/LPmutant_lg.jpg
Coulden't see anywhere for me glock :D
Bernie
Shambling Shaman
11-10-2008, 19:39
Coulden't see anywhere for me glock :D
Bernie
:D Its tucked in the back of your trousers - homey
The vest has two internal pockets.
yes i had a bad back injury a few years back ,and rucksacks seemed to just press on the sore bit sods law.i went for a south african battle vest ,everything is fixed to it and the pouches are very large ,the one i have is in a brown colour.i am certain i got this from sass .it was a very good piece of kit, i beleive a lot of paras etc use these
Bernie Garland
11-10-2008, 19:44
:D Its tucked in the back of your trousers - homey
The vest has two internal pockets.
No probs,back of the trousers seems the right place bro.:D
Bernie
Shambling Shaman
11-10-2008, 19:46
yes i had a bad back injury a few years back ,and rucksacks seemed to just press on the sore bit sods law.i went for a south african battle vest ,everything is fixed to it and the pouches are very large ,the one i have is in a brown colour.i am certain i got this from sass .it was a very good piece of kit, i beleive a lot of paras etc use these
I have the Viper type I cut the back pockets to accommodate a 3l water bladder, It worked well but I like the modular idea.
Used to carry one as a "part time professional" :rolleyes: and found it much better than a standard set of webbing except when I had to get prone!
Good for carrying a lot of kit comfortably but a bit to much like work for me these days! Having said that I recently found my old OD arktis chest rig and moght mod it to fit over my rucksac.
Simon
Whilst on the last S.Wales meet one of the guys, Will, had a webbing type set up made up of maxpedition gear and it was really good, he had a PLCE Webbing yoke attached to it for more support. I'm not sure if he also had a bergen though or just a daysack. But I could see how he could of got away with just a daysack or rocket pouches!
I think its a pretty good idea, but having done ice-breaking drills and big river crossings before I guess it could cause a possible problem if you fell in. Where as with a bergen you could slip it on to one shoulder and let it go if you fell.
But thats just being picky!:rolleyes:
korvin karbon
11-10-2008, 21:15
ive tried the SADF kit before, was great, nice big pouches ont he back and the front pockets were far to easy to get to, i eneed up scoffing msot of my snacks LOL. I think a vest would be best if you were in an escape and evasion situation for a few days.
my mate had an assult vest when we used to be in army cadets and he used to go on and on about how briliant it was and as i had PLCE webbing naturaly i had to argue with him lol but i think he was right:rolleyes: it spreads the weight much better and apparently you can wear them all day long without feeling a thing. i dont think you could fit everything in it thow, a sleepingbag would be a problem unless you have some kind of rucksack aswell. a big advantage it has over webbing and rucksacks is that you can get to all your kit without takeing it off.
but i think the biggest put off for me would be being seen wearing it in public:o the ammount off funy looks and abuse from people walking through town would be unbearable.
pete
korvin karbon
11-10-2008, 22:22
but i think the biggest put off for me would be being seen wearing it in public:o the ammount off funy looks and abuse from people walking through town would be unbearable.
pete
true, but i wear a multi pocketed waist coat at work sometimes, ok you do get some funyn looks but when you pull out a spare projector lamp or 5m of CAT5 cable they do appreciate it LOL
Used one for years, army issue, I can get a rucksack on with it aswell but i can live for a week with just what i carry in the vest. Oh and by the way it has an internal dump holster which accomodates a 9mm Glock nicely.
Gray
Thanks guys that's definitely food for thought. One concern which I'm glat Peter_t had also was the funny looks, I have to say I wouldn't be wearing it around town just out on the hills for a day hike. When I'm not wearing a jacket I miss the pockets and having stuff like my binoculars to hand (I dislike wearing them around my neck). With 2 PLCE pouches on the back I reckon it would be equivalent to a 40 - 45 rucksack but with things to hand and evenly distributed about the torso.
phaserrifle
12-10-2008, 17:50
Used to.
I stopped because I was tiring of the nicknames "rambo", "action andrew" and "combat collin" and because it wasn't realy needed. a rucksack suits me just fine and doesn't attract undue attention. of course part of it may have been my tendancy to wear it every waking hour on camp.
I did once carry all my gear to camp in a SWATF vest (which later fell apart) but my most used vest was a knock off south african assault vest I bought of a mate.
I now use a fishing vest if I need more space for on body stuff than my pockets can provide, or use a PLCE utility pouch. the rest of my gear goes into my backpack.
I have just laid out a lot of hard earned cash for a Maxpedition set-up that I hoped would replace my over-large bergen full of gear. I used three pouches that ALMOST made it!
I took a Dutch army water bottle and mug (in an M4 waistpack for the Maxpedition freaks out there) and a Millets water flask (just over a litre and the cap has bulbs in it to turn into a wind-up lantern!) in a zip up flask holder that has enough space for a little survival tin and a space blanket under the flask, all of this was fitted to the waist belt of a sabercat waistpack that had all of the rest of my kit in it and my Dutch bivvy bag slung underneath it.
I tried it out last month and the only problem that i found was that the only thing I couldn't fit in comfortably was sleep kit. It might be a better option during the summer months but last month I had a very chilly night!!
On the good side it did make me think a lot more about what I really needed to take and to leave at home all of the 'just in case' stuff.
If I was going to spend a day in the woods rather than a night then I wouldn't hesitate for a moment to take the belt kit for convenience, just a shame that I can't find a really warm doss bag that's the size of a Coke can!!!
Shambling Shaman
13-10-2008, 07:05
just a shame that I can't find a really warm doss bag that's the size of a Coke can!!!
The holy grail of Bushcraft -
The closes thing I found is the Softie 3 Merlin I use a silk liner and if realy cold
I wear my HH pro wool as PJ's
Its just a shame that I can't find a really warm doss bag that's the size of a Coke can!!!
They do exist. They are fitted to the survival kits of the Euro fighter I believe. They have to dispose of them every six moths because the compression damages the fill. Of course once you let it out of the can you'd never get it back in.......
:rolleyes:
Forest fella
13-10-2008, 08:47
Yeah,I use my old modified All-Arms ARMS Assault vest as a Survival/Hunting vest,And I have a Blackhawk Medic vest as a short-term Survival vest.
I used to have the Viper South African Assualt Vest but sold it to buy plce yoke webbing as it is alot more comfy to wear with a rucksack and you can actually reach all the pouches with dislocating your shoulder lol.
Forest fella
13-10-2008, 12:59
I think Vest's are a Great alternative or addition to your kit,I have got some funny looks well out in my local woods whilst wearing it though,Maybe to Rambo looking,bar the Muscles and Weird face,lol
I think Vest's are a Great alternative or addition to your kit,I have got some funny looks well out in my local woods whilst wearing it though,Maybe to Rambo looking,bar the Muscles and Weird face,lol
Haha yeh I always get asked if I'm from the nearby Army Foundation College. I often look up to see a startled face as I trunch past with my kit.
I think these people give them away free and nobody takes the pi55 when you wear them.
http://www.army.mod.uk/structure/ta/default.aspx
wonder if they do them with a Ray Mears logo ??
ScarletPimpernel
13-10-2008, 19:08
I think these people give them away free and nobody takes the pi55 when you wear them.
They just shoot or throw stones at you instead.
For some years I had a BH Tactical EOD vest. Now it is a BH Modular vest. We tried to carry the whole equipment with the vest, but it is uncomfortable. I removed all the webbing on the back side to save weight. I prefer to combine it with a backpack.
In the Modular vest: knife, goggles, compass, mosquito head net, med pack, gloves, fire starter, spoon, light, whistle, Camelbak and a snack; There is a Nylon cover for the knife etc., so you dont see any of the equipment (and the cover is civilian green).
I like the vest because of the Camelbak (I put it into the top lid of my backpack while walking, or in front of my belly if the backpack is too heavy). And I personally hate jackets or smocks with many pockets. Imho carrying a vest is much more comfortable.
Second reason: one of the pockets makes a great arm-rest for long distance walking.
saddle_tramp
14-10-2008, 14:14
I use an old arktis chest rig for non stationary fishing, but i cut off the shoulder straps, and added a wider belt so effectively its like a huge multi-pocket bum bag.
Minotaur
14-10-2008, 15:56
I do like the webbing style systems.
My Day kit is based around Alice webbing.
I am going to make one of the more modern hip pad belts for it.