Special Operations Technologies Tomcat Chest Rig
With the global war on terror in full swing, gear manufacturers are working overtime developing new gear for our men and women in uniform. This evolution of gear is not only helping our military do its job better, but it also trickles down to the LE community, and further down the line to the private sector. Instead of having one or two choices for a chest rig, now we have over 2 dozen.
The Special Operations Technologies Tomcat chest rig is a low profile, highly
mobile chest rig designed for troops who spend hours in vehicles. Capable
of holding 12 M4 mags, 6 M14, or 6 AK47 mags in its internal mag pockets,
the Tomcat is more than capable of holding sufficient ammo for the task.
The magazines are held in place by either hook & loop tabs, or on
some of the newer models, buttoned tabs. If that is still not enough
ammo, you can attach any number of magazine pouches to the front of
the Tomcat. The front face of the rig is covered with PALS webbing which
accepts military issue pouches. The back is mesh covered forming a map
pocket. Internal slots hold GI magazines secured by a pistol holster
type thumb break for quick extraction. Thumb break has two snaps to
accept clear magazines and magazines with Magpul or other extraction
devices. Shoulder straps are of wide two inch webbing for wear over
body armor or alone, and affix with three large two inch side-lock buckles
for quick extraction. Removable bib is sold separately.
The Tomcat uses a X-Harness with fast attach buckles to provide an almost
infinite number of adjustbility options. The same Tomcat that fits this
5'6 135lb author, will also fit a 6'4 250lb shooter as well. To me,
this is better than some of the other options out there that have S-M,
and L-XL sizes. Being able to buy 1 piece of equipment for a department,
or a division, and not having to worry about ordering different sizes
for different people makes things easy.
The main things I like about the Tomcat, is its ability to properly fit
me, provide space to attach additional pouches, and most importantly,
the fact that it holds 12 mags out of the box. To me its a pain to buy
a chest rig, then have to spend another $50-100 just to get pouches
to be able to hold your rifle mags. I have used this rig for a Tactical
Response advanced fighting rifle class, and several 3 gun matches. It
has not failed me, and I don't foresee any problems with it. I chose
to put 2 IFAK pouches, 1 Admin pouch, 2 smoke pouches, and a triple
pistol pouch on the pals webbing on my Tomcat.
The Tomcat does have some shortcomings, if you can call it that. The Tomcat
is not a plate carrier, nor is it capable of holding soft armor. Though
I don't think it was ever designed to. Also, if you are a small person,
you can forget about putting 2 mags in the 2 end pouches. Having to
tighten the rig almost all the way up, it puts way to much of an angle
in the end pouches to put 2 mags in it. Bigger people wont have that
problem. It also will not support the use of a rear hydration carrier
without some work being done to the X-harness, or you can buy a shoulder
harness from SO Tech that will support one. I also think it should have
a drag handle on it as well.
All in all this is a great product, that does exactly what it was designed
to do. The fact that its made in the USA, and is under $200 makes this
a very good option for anyone wanting a high quality no nonsense chest
rig.
Features
- 1000 Denier DuPont Cordura Plus fabric, double layered.
- 138 weight bonded nylon parachute harness thread.
- Strength rated nylon webbing and tapes
- American name brand plastic and metal fasteners (Duraflex, ITW Nexus, ACW, etc.).
- Velcro™ and Rip and Grip™ mil spec hook and loop fastener.
- Closed cell foam.
- Heavy weight woven elastic.
- Edges bound by double stitched nylon Type 3 seam tape
- Stress points anchored by double stitching, bar tacks, and box X's.
The Tomcat is available in OD Green, Coyote brown, Multicam, and Black.
MSRP: $180
www.specopstech.com
Tim P.