Requesting Gear Review - HSGI Warlord V3 or V4

[fletchsd]

I'm looking for a good review of the HSGI Warlord V3 or V4.  Info on ideal pouch placements, and any other usage tips would be appreciated from anyone using this vest as their current load carriage platform.  There are scattered mentions of it in other threads, but they do not go into the detail I am hoping for.

Cheers.

 

[Farmboy]

A number of guys are running the V-3 and V-2 rig.  Most that I know of go with two pistol mag pouches, two frag pouches, one smoke and a utility pouch, on the V-3.

On the V-2, because it comes with pistol mag pouches and nalgene pouches and that is really needed to add is frag and smoke pouches.  These can attach to the outside of the nalgene pouches.

Very few go with the V-4 as adding the mag pouches on just ups the price compared to the 2 or 3.

Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[RCR Grunt]

Look here for a quick review of my Warlord V2.  I can go into further details if you wish through PM's.

http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/69701.0.html

 

[PhilB]

What you have to ask yourself is what are you going to be doing in theater? How are you going to be operating? Things have changed in Afghanistan. When I deployed on 1-08 I, like most other guys, bought chest rigs along the lines of the Warlord/Weesatch/Eagle plate carrier etc. This type of rig is what was used extensively on previous tours, including by me on 1-06. Fast forward to theater and life sucks. We are not mounted at all, we are doing very minimal urban stuff, it is all dismounted patrolling through grape fields and desert. For dismounted patrolling (I dont mean drive somewhere, dismount, cordon and search, then remount, I mean full blown dismounted patrols like what is going on in Panjwai west right now) a heavy chest rig is not ideal. Although all your pouches are easily accessible there is a huge strain put on your back from humping long distances with all of your ammo on your chest. A lot of guys packed their chest rigs away and bought new rigs more like webbing (for some inane reason we were not allowed to use issued 82 pattern webbing. I ended up using a blackhawk modular LBE, a lot of guys bought split front MAV's and had them riding very low on the hips. This type of set up is not ideal for vehicles but distributes the weight much better for patrolling. So ask yourself, what am I going to be doing. 

 

[Jarnhamar]

Great post PhilB

Also consider that your chain of command might have specific guidelines for a chest rig.
Ours are

A strap/handle across the back (like on the tacvest)  for vehicle extractions
a pouch for medical supplies on the vest (med stuff in a dop-leg pouch doesn't count)
pouches for atleast 2 frag grenades and a smoke one
back piece required-no crossed straps

 

[MikeL]

for some inane reason we were not allowed to use issued 82 pattern webbing.

Not allowed to use issued kit? wow that's a first.  Must have been just your Coy; I saw a Sgt or WO in C Coy wearing the 82 pat webbing over there.


I wore the V3 on my tour; last time I'll use a chest rig. Webbing would diffently be better. Atleast I was lucky(or unlucky) to be carrying a radio everytime I went on patrol, so the weight on my front an back was evened out.

After tour I sold the rig an I'am now going with a SO Tech Hellcat MK3 set up like webbing.

 

[Loachman]

back piece required-no crossed straps

Why?

 

[medaid]

A strap/handle across the back (like on the tacvest)  for vehicle extractions
a pouch for medical supplies on the vest (med stuff in a dop-leg pouch doesn't count)
pouches for atleast 2 frag grenades and a smoke one
back piece required-no crossed straps

Now THAT is a really nice set of guidelines a many many good rigs fit into that category.

 

[PhilB]

Not allowed to use issued kit? wow that's a first.  Must have been just your Coy; I saw a Sgt or WO in C Coy wearing the 82 pat webbing over there.

I was shocked when were told to! I think it must have just been an issue with the B Coy Sgt Maj, good guy otherwise. I really like chest rigs, and they worked great on my first tour. If you are going to be mounted most of the time, conducting predominantly urban ops, or doing a lot of static cordons (i.e. PRT FP Coy, NSE convoy guys, tankers, etc) a chest rig is perfect. All of your shit is easily accessible, even while mounted, nothing is around your sides so you get a bit more room in the back of the LAV, and you are smaller, making easier to go through tiny haji doors. If you are going to be dismounted a lot (i.e. most of the BG and OMLT) then chest rigs just suck the life out of you. Like skeletor said a really good option is a split front chest rig than can be worn low over the hips. That way the rig can be raised up if you have a need for a chest rig, or dropped down for dismounted stuff. Good rigs that fit the profile would be the TT 2 piece MAV (you can find it a Daves Army surplus), the CP Gear KISS rig (avail at CP Gear), the ICE tactical 2 piece rig (OneShot tactical and/or ICE) and the Sotec Split front hellcats. There are lots of other rigs than would fit the bill but all of the ones listed above are great quality and most are available from Canadian distributors.

 

[fletchsd]

Great answers so far.  Thanks.

As my primary dismounted load carriage system, I'm currently using an ICE tactical battle belt with suspenders with 4 double mag pouches, 2 grenade, 1 utility, 1 smoke, 1 medpouch and a rolypoly.  Its great, like everyone has been saying, for long dismounted ops, and I use it as though it were upgraded 82 pattern webbing without the buttpack.
As the task at hand changes I am hoping to simply be able to put the modular pouches onto the Warlord as I see fit.  As an infantry CSM myself, I have the opportunity now to set the standard for my soldiers, and I want to make an educated decision.  I believe having the map pouch on the front would be a good idea as a CSM, but it is perhaps unnecessary for a rifleman.  Good point from PhilB that it totally depends on your job.  Any ideas on this vest in different roles within the Coy?
A couple more questions:
So, why the back panel vs crossed straps rule? 
Would the HSGI hydration pouch on the back count as this?  I hear it really helps redistribute the weight from the front at least.
Are there any other essentials you would like to see for a Coy standard?

Cheers

 

[Jarnhamar]

I double checked and I was wrong, we don't have a requirement for a backpiece, we can use crossed straps. The guy who told me must have just been misiformed.

A camel back will help with the chest rig pulling forward I'd imagine.
Not sure what someone would want as far as a standard gos, chest rigs are pretty varied in design and function.

 

[fletchsd]

Farmboy,
Thanks for the specifics on the versions the guy are getting.  I couple of questions about the pouch options.  Are there any specific grenade/smoke/utility pouches  that work best for this setup or (HSGI or other)?  Any type in particular that you have been getting good feedback from?

 

[Fusaki]

Having used an Eagle Rhodesian Recon Vest (a modular chest rig), the issued TV, the old issued LBV, and the old 82 Pattern Webbing, I have this to say to anyone interested in getting a chest rig:  A Tactical Tailor 2 Piece MAV looks to me like a very sensible choice.

The Eagle RRV was awsome, except for the fact that it didn't open in the front (doing up the side releases behind the armpits is a *****) and the bib was totally unnecessary. There is no doubt about it, modular is the way to go.

The guys wearing Warlords looked way too overloaded. Maybe RCR Grunt will post that pic of himself (you know the one I'm talking about) where he's all decked out.

A 2 Piece Mav though, is very flexible. It can be worn high like a chest rig for mounted ops, or as PhilB said:

a lot of guys bought split front MAV's and had them riding very low on the hips. This type of set up is not ideal for vehicles but distributes the weight much better for patrolling.

It also has 4 rows and 20 channels of MOLLE (22, if you include a center adaptor) which is enough room to mount more gear then you could carry. I wouldn't suggest loading a MAV to it's capacity, but the flexibility is there. As well, I own a number of TT pouches and while the quality isn't as good as Eagle, it's not bad and IMHO a decent value.

Just my .02. If I could do it again, I'd go for a 2 Piece MAV.

 

[Jarnhamar]

I agree about the TT pockets. Quality really isn't there. I'm happy with my Mini Modular EOD pouches, just awesome. That is except for the $68 price tag.....for  stupid pocket.

The Eagle Rhodesian Recon Vest, is it just a bear bones vest where you throw on mag pouches grenade pouches and pockets etc..?

 

[COBRA-6]

Anyone interested in chest rigs should check out the S.O. Tech Falcon!

 

[Infanteer]

Right now I'm running two rigs.

I've got a Eagle Rhodesian.  I find the lower, main row is good for all the soldier stuff (ammo, first aid, frags, etc) while the little big is where I stuck a HSGI mini-drop panel or whatever the hell those things are called.  It's a nice place to stick all my "commander" crap that we're always accessing.  The suspension on this rig is top-notch and sucks a relatively large frontage (covering alot of my torso) right to my body with minimal encumbrance.

The other one, which I was playing with before and I'm going to revisit after some discussion here, is a SOTECH Mk III Hellcat with the add on back piece.  I might get a CP-Gear or MAV X-Harness to replace the somewhat bulky SOTECH one, but I really like the "alternate" setup of what can be described as "Belt Order" or "Webbing".  Obviously, with the internal mag pouches there is a lot more realestate for other things.

As guys have commented - different strokes for different folks (and different missions).  A versatile rig like a MAV or a MOFOCR with a harness to swap in and out might be the best decision as not only can you swap out the modular pouches to suite your task, but you can configure the actual rig differently to suite your mission.

 

[Jarnhamar]

I think I would consider makingmy next vest the Eagle Rhodesian one, it looks pretty solid.

Have a question. Does anyone know where I could pic kup more 'bungie mag tie downs' (for lack of a better word)?

It's the bungie looking things on the side of this HSGI Wasatch-opposed to the solid mag flap or cover that's in the center. My rig came with2 of the bungie ones "for tying down radiosand such" and 4 of the flaps. Playing with it I think I prefer just using the bungie cords.  I'll see what I can make on my own but dies anyone know of a company that actually sells the bungie mag inserts??
[I checked HSGI and theydidn't seem to have them as an option to buy]

 

[fletchsd]

I think these may be what you are looking for.
http://02bfb2f.netsolstores.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=106

 

[Fusaki]

Flawed and fletched,

I highly suggest you guys check out the lightfighter.net forums. If you want to know about firearms, chest rigs, and have politically incorrect conversations, lightfighter is the place to be.  That said, take it all with a grain of salt, and temper the advice given there with your own knowledge of how we work. The "Big Fish" in that pond seem to be primarily from the SOF, PMC, and SWAT community. What works for them might not be what works for your role overseas or mine.

I think I would consider makingmy next vest the Eagle Rhodesian one, it looks pretty solid.

It is solid, but I can't emphasize enough how much I wish I had gone for a front-opening chest rig or vest like the 2 Piece MAV, MOFOCR, ect. Maybe for guys who only leave the FOB for short duration DA hits, a solid front chest rig is fine. But if you're living outside the wire and could potentially expect to be donning your gear under fire, hooking up the the clips that go behind the armpits is a total PITA.

 

[R711]

If your wondering were to get the bungies for the HSGI rig's, SKDTAC sells them as a sole distrubtor. I have them and they rock,I have also found that they can work with the ESSTAC shingles. As for the SOTECH falcon, you have to keep in mind it was devloped for the 502 BLUE FALCONS in the US as per specific mission requirements. That being said, the rig works out really well in the end. Unless you are a C-9 or C-6 gunner. I would recommend using (dare I say) Blackhawk MLCS H Harness or the actual MLCS from Eagle. This rig will more even balance the load of the ammo across the sides, espec for when you have to go prone.
There are many options, such as mission req ie, LAV crewman, Vechicle dvr, infantry on the ground , tanker etc.. This forum and Lightfighter are both good ref for finding out what why and need for a proper set up. But as said above take it with a grain of salt as the mission set up for most of them is US Army specific.
R711 OUT