REVIEW: Blue Force Gear RACKminus

MOLLEminus is the minimalist line of the US manufacturer Blue Force Gear. "Minus" means less weight. The RACKminus is the Chest Rig from this MOLLEminus line and shines due to its exceptional lightweight and extremely flat profile. SPARTANAT has taken a look at the RACKminus for you (click on all images to enlarge).

There is the RACKminus on the body: from the back (right) the harness is unobtrusive, a classic H solution. From the front, you can already recognize the Chest Rig by its unusually cut shape. Square holes, small slits, that's the MOLLE system. The RACKminus consists of a panel of ULTRAcomp™, a plastic that is very tear-resistant (we did the tear test: no chance) and is cut with lasers. This results in the lightest rig we have ever seen. We have around 250 grams on the scale here, a quarter-liter glass of water.

The shoulders are also made of ULTRAcomp™ and backed with an extremely fine mesh (right), which is breathable and soft.

For the RACKminus, we have the Ten-Speed Triple M4 Mag Pouch, here slaufted on the left and on the right in the rear view. Here we see 78 grams lying here and can use both normal M4 and PMAGs. The pouch is made of innovative plastic on the back and has Blue Force's own MOLLE system "Helium Whisper," which is naturally tailored to MOLLEminus. The front is strict stretch. If it seems too tight for inserting magazines: force helps. Flashbangs can also be parked here or the Ten-Speed Triple M4 Mag Pouch can be used ideally as an admin panel.

The Ten-Speed Triple M4 Mag Pouch from Blue Force Gear is not only the lightest of its kind, but also the flattest. On the left at the RACKminus without magazines and (on the right) then photographed from below Rack and Mag Pouch together. We have never seen anything so thin before.

Putting it to the test: to test the MOLLE system, we slauxted a small LBT Utility Pouch, a Benchmade Nimravus, the Ten-Speed Triple M4 Mag Pouch, and a Pantac Canteen Pouch on the RACKminus. Looks quite different then...

... and from the back it looks like this: Pantac MOLLE is very stiff, must be pushed through, but then sits fine; with Helium Whisper from the Ten-Speed Triple M4 Mag Pouch, there is nothing to talk about, it is the ideal fit. Here, ultra-thin straps meet the ultra-thin rack (0.6mm). The MALICE clip from the knife also went smoothly and fits well. The trickiest part was to push the soft MOLLE of LBT through. But once it's in: no problem.

CONCLUSION: Blue Force Gear demonstrates how modern materials and innovative use of technology lead to an excellent result. Normally, one would immediately think of Crye or Arc'teryx, but this product is no less than the big ones. On the contrary: a great rack with little weight, together with the pouch an absolute minimalist yet firm and sturdy. We were amazed when we got our hands on the RACKminus and are thrilled after being able to test it. Once again, a product that shows that the trend towards light and ultra-light equipment is the way to go. Price and performance are also in a very good ratio to each other.

You can get the RACKminus at Blue Force Gear for $100. Blue Force Gear is sold in Germany by Sniper AS, where the RACKminus is available directly for 98.90 euros, and the SPLITminus for 109.90 euros. The Ten-Speed M4 Mag Pouches are also available there.