Paratrooper tracker
Parashooter Gear is a small custom made tactical nylon shop that has done a terrific job of filling some market niches with well made and modern gear. We checked their AK-centric earlier VOLK chest rig which served us well in training. They recently released a latest platform called Pioneer. The premise is easy: a flat multi-compartment panel with laser-cut holes for attaching MOLLE/PALS style pouches on the front, with a soft Velcro panel on the back for a drop-down or hanging pouch. The Pathfinder is out there in three different sizes: 3-, 5- and 7-cell. We decided to separate the difference and review the 5 magazine model. Prices range from $85 to $150 depending on size.
Above: Pathfinder chest rig fully loaded with belly/dump pocket.
After seeing a gentle stream of small and micro chest rigs in the marketplace for the higher a part of the last decade, there was a noticeable shift within the number of recent chest rigs that scale to accommodate more ammo and carry more cargo. There are two basic schools of thought that fit into this dichotomy.
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One concept is that “ounces are kilos and kilos are pain.” Aside from batteries and water, loaded magazines are one among the heaviest things you will likely carry in your inventory. Smaller rigs are also easier to hide when worn, and a big hoodie or windbreaker is usually enough to completely conceal a 2 or 3 mag chest rig rig. Finally, it could actually be fairly argued that the probabilities of a prepared citizen engaging in a protracted gunfight that can require greater than 60-100 rounds are pretty slim. Even if it does, you may carry fewer magazines in your kit and keep more in your property, automobile, or bugout bag.
Above: First Spear Slick Vest with elastic waistband.
This philosophy is countered by the concept a prepared citizen must give you the chance to be more fully self-sufficient for prolonged periods of time during a protracted emergency. While this does not necessarily involve more shooting, larger chest rigs may also carry more other stuff which is quickly available on the move. Loading a 100-pound pack is great in theory, but when you might have to stop, drop a pack, and dig through it for each little gadget or tool in your inventory, it could actually be time consuming and even detrimental to survival. Having more of those gears in your chest not only increases accessibility, but balances out the general weight of your load for ease of movement.
Pathfinder configuration
The 5-link Pathfinder is designed to carry 5 30-round AR magazines, but we have seen wild photos of those platforms with some varieties of AK magazines with no problem. But larger .30 caliber magazines just like the AR-10, FAL, M1A, etc. might be too big to slot in the Pathfinder. Each magazine pouch has 2 columns of laser-cut mounting slots for a complete of 10 rows of webbing on our test sample. The kit comes with two side male side buckles on the highest allowing the Pathfinder to be clipped on to plate carriers or net harnesses that have already got female fittings fitted. For those that wish to use this as a standalone chest rig, there are two loops at each end of the badge and 4 female split buckles are included within the package. The harness you see here was provided by Parashooter for testing purposes, but any standard chest rig harness with the identical size buckles will work. It must also be noted that the magazine pouches haven’t any lively retention and depend on elastic tension. This might be tremendous for many uses, but in case you want an over-the-top bungee, there are small “tabs” built into the highest of every pouch with two holes in each for the bungee cord to go through.
Above: Pathfinder chest rig without drop pocket.
After years of using micro chest rigs with a reduced footprint, we were pleasantly surprised by the quantity of mounting space we had within the Pathfinder. To make one of the best use of the available cargo space, we now have included the next pouches:
1. An Arbor Arms multifunctional XL pouch. The MFP is strictly what the name describes. A big bucket-style pouch with flap closure designed to store every thing that may slot in it. In this case, we filled it Armasight PVS-14 white phosphor night vision monocular with Wilcox dovetail mount i Crye Precision Night Cap.
Above: Arbor Arms XL multifunctional pouch unpacked. Easily stores useful equipment resembling Armasight PVS-14 Night Vision Monocular and Crye Precision Nightcap.
The NightCap is a soft cover alternative to helmet-mounted night vision goggles in situations where you want to use the NVG hands-free but don’t require ballistic protection or helmet impact protection. This is a terrific kit that reduces the load and bulk of an evening vision kit from something that should be rigorously stored in a pack to something that could be rolled up around a PVS unit and tucked right into a chest bag for quick access. The only downside to the Night Hat is that it doesn’t include a mounting cover, but we were capable of get a Wilcox cover from our friends at night vision network.
Above: Arbor Arms XL pouch with night vision optics and headgear.
2. An HSGI Bleeder Blowout Pouch. This slim, vertically oriented first aid kit incorporates a quick-release buckle and hook-and-loop closure options. There is enough space for medical essentials in addition to a pocket for scissors. MOLLE loops on either side of the pouch help to further increase the storage options. On the one hand, we decorated a Gray Man TQ tactical belt hold a tourniquet.
Above: Close-up of an HSGI Bleeder Blowout Pouch with a CAT Tourniquet attached to the side with a Gray Man Tactical Strap.
3. One Unobtanium Gear fragmentation grenade pouch. Designed by Longship Designs and available through Unobtanium Gear, these pouches were originally designed as small, ultra-small pouches for military frag grenades. Since we won’t find any of them, it served as a superb storage place IWA International smoke grenade. These palm-sized signaling aids feature a convenient safety fuse, are waterproof and emit a very good cloud for his or her size. They could be effective in attracting people’s attention and signaling help, or possibly in distraction.
4. Speaking of grenades, we have also added two surplus USGI pouches. These are inexpensive, durable pouches that make great general-purpose pouches for small items resembling compasses, batteries, and fire starters. We got them from a military surplus website for $2.50 each. We don’t spend much time talking about surplus pouches as they’re rarely essentially the most modern or interesting pouch options in any situation, but they exemplify how you may get well-built gear at low prices.
Chest Rig use cases
In addition to increased load-carrying capability, standalone chest rigs are a terrific, scalable equipment option when paired with a plainly armored vest. We used A Slick plate carrier from the First Spear as the bottom of the companion armor for the Pathfinder. Slick might be essentially the most minimalist record carrier we have seen. It’s just a skinny shell of efficient plate storage material. No soft armor, no possibility to connect pouches or plates – just maximum concealment. Without the plates, the carrier is thin enough to roll up right into a ball and tuck into the leg pocket of cargo pants. If you are in a situation where you would like armor but aren’t sure in case you need extra gear, the Slick is a terrific “first line” protection that could be quickly and significantly increased just by wearing the Pathfinder over it. While not as comfortable as a full-size tactical plate carrier, the two-piece system could be utilized in a wider range of situations and layered on the fly, keeping your “stance” discreet but your capabilities solid.
Above: The Pathfinders minimalist approach makes wearing the vest easy to wear in lots of situations.
This base could be distilled even lower. If you do not mount any pouches to the front of the Pathfinder, its flexible magazines – even when loaded – are slim and unobtrusive. Using it only as spare mags while carrying the remaining of your gear within the pack provides much more modularity in creating and recreating a gear pack of your selection when the character of an unexpected crisis changes over time. And with 150 rounds at your fingertips, you might have loads of firepower at hand over to your tribe and party members.
