REVIEW: High Ground Gear - The Chest Rig

Here you can see the lightest Chest Rig in the world. At least that's what High Ground Gear confidently claims about its product, which also carries the modest name "The Chest Rig." And so the images went around the world, revealing - almost nothing. In the picture above, you can actually only see pockets mounted on the High Ground Rig, but not the armor itself. SPARTANAT has taken a look at "The Chest Rig" for you. (All images clickable for enlargement.)

This is it, the minimalist Chest Rig, consisting of a detachable harness and a panel of MOLLE fabric onto which the pockets are directly attached. It looks a bit like the AirLite from the JPC by Crye has turned into a whole armor. At the ends of the straps of the harness, there are Velcro fasteners so that the straps can be practically shortened. The shoulder straps can be worn in an H or X configuration. One side of the Rig is in Multicam,...

... the other in Coyote. The Rig is reversible and can be worn on both sides. However, in our specimen, the Velcro straps that fix the ITW fasteners between the frame and panel are sewn on the Coyote side.

Also on the Coyote side are the attachment points for the shoulder straps, which can be adjusted to lie ideally wide. We wouldn't wear the Rig reversed (in Multicam) for this reason, as the shoulder strap holder and Velcro straps for the panel would rub against the body. But if The Chest Rig is worn over a Plate Carrier or PACA, that doesn't matter. Then Multicam is also equally effective.

This is what the configured piece looks like now when we turn it around. Since the pockets and their MOLLE webbing are all Khaki, we can clearly see the grid-like panel onto which the pockets are attached. It consists solely of well-sewn MOLLE webbing in Coyote and Multicam, nothing else. By the way, we chose the pockets less for their tactical utility, but for their loop system. We wanted to test how easy or difficult it is to loop the pockets or how they then feel when worn.

On the left, a small Utility Pouch from London Bridge Trading: soft MOLLE webbing, easy to loop, easy to secure. Next to it, an MBITR pouch attached with MALICE Clips: we cursed the most with these things. But that's more about MALICE than The Chest Rig. The lower end presses when in motion. On the right, a Four-Shingle from TAG: it was the easiest to loop and the most comfortable to secure. The MOLLE webbing is (like that of LBT) very soft.

A Canteen Pouch in Eagle Style, but from Pantac: these strips are very stiff and much harder to loop. However, when worn, you don't notice any difference compared to the very comfortable soft-looped pouches. Especially in the previous image, you can see how The Chest Rig's MOLLE complements the TAG Pouch's MOLLE to form a complete panel. The only problem is the MALICE clip, otherwise surprisingly, you don't feel any problem areas when wearing it.

The end piece of The Chest Rig: you can clearly see the high-quality ITW Buckles. Two of these are detachable and are probably meant for the front of a Plate Carrier, where the panel of The Chest Rig can be attached as a Low Vis Rig. The seams are all excellently executed.

CONCLUSION: We were initially admittedly skeptical about The Chest Rig. Yes, the attempt to be minimalist at all costs worked spectacularly in photographs, but can you really have a satisfying wearing experience with a panel that consists only of two sewn-together MOLLE loops? - The test proves High Ground right. It works just fine, we just weren't entirely happy with MALICE Clips. Otherwise, The Chest Rig, which weighs barely a kilo, has become a magnificent rig. It just doesn't look as cool now. With pockets, "The" looks like a completely normal rig. And that's what it should be: it passed the test with flying colors.

The Chest Rig is available directly from High Ground for $79.95.