Compared to a Plate Carrier, Chest rigs are lightweight and efficient for carrying essential gear. But how do you fit everything while keeping it compact? We will try to show you some tips today!

💡 Chest Rigs are more mobile & flexible at the cost of BB protection and a bit of MOLLE space.

What should you fit on a Chest Rig?

In general, a chest rig is made to fit all you need for a standard gameday. If you plan to go on a MILSIM or a game where you don’t get to the base too often, consider adding a Battle Belt or a backpack for extra carrying capacity. For the game day, consider fitting the chest rig with:

• Spare magazines for your primary
• Pistol magazines
• Admin or Universal Pouch
• Radio Pouch
• PTT Button

Getting a chest rig is like living in a one-bedroom apartment. You can have all the amenities you need in comfort; you just cannot go crazy and buy a sauna in there. Fitting food, medkit or water can be challenging.

1. Universal Chest Rig Setup

Running a Modular chest rig gives you the great option of messing around. Need an extra pouch? Throw it on. Need to change from AR to SMG? Change your inserts, etc. But if you want to have the most balanced setup, consider the following:

• 1x Insert for your primary gun’s mags
• 1x Insert for SMG/Pistol mags (for your secondary)
• 1x Radio pouch mounted to the side of the chest rig
• 1x Admin pouch on the front.
• Optional: 1x Pistol Magazine pouch for the other side of the rig

If you need 6 AR mags or 10 SMG mags, you can also double on the inserts for your primary gun and just run 1 magazine on the side of the rig. This is assuming you use the NOVRITSCH Modular Chest Rig. With other rigs, make sure to fit all the pouches mentioned.

If you want to run a radio, the shoulder strap is a great place to put your PTT button. This way, you don’t have to attach it to your uniform every time you go out and play.

﹗Don’t stack your pouches too much – it will create issues when you go prone. Try to keep it lean.

2. AK Chest Rig Setup

AK mags are bigger. That is cool but creates a few problems along the way. There is a lot of proprietary rigs for AK users, which do look cool especially if you run a historical setup. However, if you’re looking at modern gear, keep in mind you need bigger inserts/pouches for AK mags.

Most chest rigs that can fit 3 AR15-style magazines can only really fit two AK-style magazines due to the design of the AK magazines’ locking lips, so be aware of that. AK magazines will easily fit into DMR-style magazine inserts

Most modern chest rigs will only fit two DMR/AK style magazines per insert, unlike our new Modular Chest rig that can fit three DMR/AK magazines in one row of inserts.

How do Special Forces use Chest Rigs?

Special forces and military also uses chest rig – surprise surprise. When you look at the picture below, you can notice a few things they do:

• Use shoulder strap for PTT attachment
• Run pouches for both primary and backup magazines
• Attach a radio
• And even have a hydration pack (see operator on the right)

Moreover, focus on what they don’t do: they don’t double-stack their mag pouches. It’s the same reason we mentioned earlier.

💡 Special forces keep their chest rigs compact for reasons also valid for airsoft. Don’t carry what you don’t need.

NOVRITSCH Modular Chest Rig: A Worthy Option

Taking all what was mentioned (and a ton of other gear knowledge), we created the Modular Chest Rig. Best choice for those looking for adaptability without compromising on efficiency. The design focuses on modular elements, allowing users to customize pouch configurations for various loadouts, from M4 and AK to DMR or SMG platforms.