By the Pine Tree Rangers
INTRO
The basis of every minuteman is protection of community stability. For this to work, the minute man must have an adequate fighting load to protect himself, his family and his community. Today we will be talking on three types of budgetary fighting rigs, Belt Rigs, Chest Rigs and Plate Carriers.
PLATE CARRIERS
The Plate Carrier is a very popular option among military SF, infantry and guntubers. They do have their options, just most are not budgetary. Brands like Crye Precision, Tactical Tailor and Spiritus Systems have great, durable and comfortable plate carriers, but you will have to fork out a substantial amount of money to grab one. We would recommend you stay away from these if on a budget. We do however recommend Condor. Condor is an extremely budget option that will stand up for 4-6 months before you must replace it. Overall, plate carriers are a good option for minuteman on a medium sized budget.
CHEST RIGS
The Chest Rig is very popular among both military and civilians. The chest rig is everywhere but you get what you pay for. Amazon copies, eBay copies and chinesium are all horrible options for long term use. We recommend finding a TAP rig. This US army surplus rig is affordable and highly durable. The TAP rig can be added to a plate carrier via buckles or have the harness changed out to fit a multitude of brands. The TAP is simple. It has a frontal MOLLE panel with mag pouches behind with radio pouches on each far side. There is space for additional mag pouches, canteen pouches, general purpose and IFAK pouches. In the end, the TAP is a great option for anyone on a decent budget.
BELT RIGS
The Belt Rig has been around since before WW2. It is a STAPLE of the minuteman community. Variations of the belt rig include the ALICE system, the SMERSH rig and the PLCE rig. For us the ALICE system is the most affordable for the minuteman. The ALICE system can be found almost anywhere, even right here at Piedmont Regional Outfitters. The ALICE system consists of a set of suspenders, pistol/waist belt, 2 mag pouches, 2 canteen pouches and a buttpack or other sustainment pack. We recommend running this system with a 200 round SAW pouch with a backpack/patrol pack on top. This system is not too comfortable with a ruck but can and will work. This system, minus the suspenders can be attached to an LBV88 vest.
OVERVIEW
For us, all of these are great options but they should be chosen by user preference. If you choose any of these, please do the research before buying. Money doesn't grow on trees. We mainly recommend the Belt Rig. It has been proven in combat time and time again, all over the world, in all climates.
Thank you for reading, please consider buying from the Piedmont Regional Outfitter guys, they allowed us to start posting informationals here and not just on Instagram.
Thank you to "The Sicilian." He has answered many questions we have asked and helped teach us many things.