Velocity Techniques: Jungle Package | RECOIL OFFGRID

Whether you say “time is a flat circle” or “what’s outdated is new once more,” what we jokingly discuss with as tactical trend developments are certainly an actual factor. Identical to the World Struggle On Terror pulled everybody’s consideration towards micro chest rigs and CQB, its sundown has redirected the main target of many ready residents again towards conventional infantry capabilities. This consists of primary patrolling, reconnaissance, and the power to hold extra tools. On one hand, it’s controversial that the market is solely bored by the limitless permutations of tiny chest harnesses and wishes different choices. However it holds official advantage for folk to broaden their horizons past the laser-focus on door entry and room clearing. Particularly for the reason that overwhelming majority of issues that could possibly be confronted by American civilians will not be solvable by kicking in a door and sweeping by way of a constructing with a hearth staff, and package, they could or could not have.

In contrast, transferring overland on foot with sufficient tools to be self-sustainable for hours or days doesn’t require a four-man stack, evening imaginative and prescient, or short-barreled firearms. In actual fact, primary patrolling abilities don’t require a gun or capturing to be concerned in any respect. You could be trekking to a pre-planned bugout location, making your method again to get assist for an injured beloved one, or simply attempting to get a greater have a look at a nasty scenario in some location that your automobile can’t get to.

We’re massive proponents of the philosophy that utility drives tools choice, and any foot motion over a large distance requires totally different gear than storming a constructing stuffed with armed dangerous guys. That is the place extra conventional load-bearing tools (LBE) is available in. These sorts of harnesses are additionally known as belt package (to not be confused with battle belts) or jungle rigs — as a result of they often emulate the belt-and-suspenders setups utilized by grunts through the Vietnam Struggle. The unique military-issued stuff consisted of a canvas or nylon belt with an connected set of padded suspenders. Later iterations from the ’80s and ’90s included a nylon mesh vest that connected to the belt instead of easy Y-suspenders to extend carriage capability.

Fashionable variations have reverted again to the streamlined suspenders and make use of MOLLE/PALS-style webbing to supply higher modularity. There aren’t practically as many gear makers producing a lot of these rigs, however one — Velocity Techniques — produced their jungle rig based mostly on a request from particular operations models for a contemporary LBE setup higher suited to long-range patrols than plate carriers or chest rigs. Velocity despatched us one among their full Jungle Rigs to assist us look at not solely the evolution of those sorts of LBE setups, but in addition the idea itself and its use for the ready citizen.

Supply

Velocity Techniques: Velsyst.com

Larger Than a Constructing

The beauty of the Jungle Rig is simply how a lot it could actually carry — and the way simply. The mixture of belt and suspenders helps you to carry loads of gear and distribute the burden between hips and shoulders higher than a backpack, rucksack, stand-alone battle belt, or a chest rig. The Velocity Techniques Jungle Rig comes as a set, with a number of pouch configurations out there. It may be had with 4 rifle pouches that maintain three 30-round magazines every, two canteen pouches, and both two general-purpose pouches or a single massive butt pack.

Each of those choices are additionally out there with 7.62mm rifle pouches that maintain two 20-round magazines every. The load-carriage belt has two rows of MOLLE/PALS webbing on a light-weight nylon mesh base with a number of air flow to maintain warmth, moisture, and weight to a minimal. The suspenders are light-weight efficiency material in an H-configuration that attaches to the belt at six totally different factors round your waist for max help. The MOLLE belt additionally consists of slits positioned all through with the intention to weave your base belt over the webbing to accommodate holsters or different non-MOLLE equipment.

That’s a complete of twelve 30-round magazines, two canteens, and loads of cargo house left over for no matter else you need to carry — rations, medical tools, fire-starers, chem lights, a hammock, sleeping mat … your wants and creativeness are the restrict. Don’t assume you’ll want to carry 360 rounds of 5.56mm on your AR? Swap a few the magazine pouches for no matter different MOLLE pouches you’ve mendacity round to make room for extra meals, water, or survival gear. As a facet be aware, setups just like the Jungle Rig is perhaps an important alternative for the ladies in your life, if their construct makes chest-mounted load carriage troublesome or smaller shoulders make heavy rucks uncomfortable. No matter who’s sporting it, this rig is a good answer for when your preparedness downside is greater than one constructing or requires multiple or two rooms’ price of ammo. 

What a setup just like the Jungle Rig doesn’t account for is armor. You may actually put on a plate provider or mushy armor, then don the Jungle Rig excessive of it. However even commandos and different mild raid forces with a “direct motion” mission don’t at all times put on armor for long-range overland patrols. We’ve heard of models packing plate carriers of their ruck, patrolling “slick” after which armoring up at an goal rally level earlier than initiating an assault on their goal. Likewise, in case you’re sporting a pack on prime of the Jungle Rig, that may be a great way to have armor as an possibility with out sporting it for a multi-mile trek over tough terrain. After all, relying on what the scenario is, you won’t want armor in any respect. By which case, the Jungle Rig is a vastly superior load carriage answer to attempting to make use of a plate provider with no plates as LBE. (That concept would possibly make you chuckle, however we’ve seen it!) 

Too A lot of a Good Factor

Gear behaves like a liquid — it’ll take the form of its container. The larger your backpack, the extra stuff you set it in. Regardless of what number of occasions we inform ourselves to pack the necessities or journey mild, half-filled pouches and packs demand to be full of that final little little bit of “simply in case” gear, yet one more survival meal, or just a few extra additional batteries for the flashlight. On this method, the Jungle Rig allows you to carry a vital quantity of drugs in comparison with most chest rigs. This leads us to maybe the one actual “con” we are able to discover with the Velocity Jungle Rig. The included pouches all embody polymer loops on the again in order that the shoulder harness straps may be looped by way of them. That is nice … in case you use them.

However in case you want to reap the benefits of the modularity of the MOLLE/PALS load-bearing belt through the use of different pouches, you’ll have to determine a strategy to rig the straps in place, as there are not any hardpoints to mount the shoulder harness on to the belt itself. We used a double rifle magazine pouch from Wilde Customized Gear on the entrance left quarter of the belt. This allow us to have our first two rifle reloads out there for quick entry, whereas having three extra mags within the included Velocity flap pouch on the other facet.

This labored properly for us from an ammo administration standpoint however required us to regulate the pouch in order that the highest row of MOLLE slots on the again of the pouch rode above the belt, to offer an attachment level for the harness. Whereas it’s not a deal breaker, it’s price noting that this rig is certainly designed for use as packaged, and adaptation would require extra adaptation to mildew it to your wants, if the OEM configuration winds up not being perfect.

All in all, the Velocity Techniques Jungle Rig is a completely modernized tackle legacy navy patrolling harnesses. The streamlined construct, use of recent supplies, and elevated modularity of MOLLE webbing catapults this Vietnam-era load bearing idea into the twenty first century, for no matter your wants could also be.

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Editor’s Be aware: This text has been modified from its authentic print model for the online.

Written by Tom Marshall