PhilB
Sr. Member
- Reaction score
- 59
- Points
- 330
Hi guys, well as we all know tacvest bashing is both a fun and enjoyable sport. However, it has been done to death. We all know its a POS, we all know that there are MANY better options out there etc etc etc. On Archer Roto 1 I used a tactical tailor MAV, good piece of kit, but at home in my unit I have to use the tac vest. As a result I have done what we all do best, adapted and overcome. Here is what I have done to improve my tacvest;
1. Mag Carriage - The ability to only carry 4 mags is my largest bone of contention. To rectify the problem I bought a Dropzone modular panel. This basically converts the side pouch attachment area into a PALS modular panel and thus allows you to attach any pouches you desire. I next bought 2 triple HSGI mag pouches in CADPAT. I mounted these using TT 90 cant adaptors so the mag pouches were horizontal. This mod allows me to carry 9 mags, here is what it looks like:
Here is the mag pouches open:
Here is a close up of the panel:
2. My next major issue is carrying water. With all of the other things we need to carry and the pouch options avail on the tacvest a camelbak is one of the only viable options. I personally dislike carrying a normal camelbak over the vest. I find the shoulder straps slip around and make it un-comfortable. The obvious solution is to purchase one of the many after market camelbak carriers. My issue with these is that they are designed to carry the bladder only. When rucking, carrying an assault pack, radio, etc I attach my camelbak to whatever else I am carrying. This works with a normal camelbak but a bladder alone is to prone to bursting without its cover. To remedy both issues I had a custom carrier built. It attaches to the vest via shoulder straps, and zap straps, and is sized to fit a 3L Camelbak Hotshot complete. This is a great option because it easily and comfortably carries the camelbak and you can easily slip it out and attach it to a ruck.
Here it is open:
3. Finally my last major issue is the way the vest adjusts. I think that the metal buckles the vest comes with are completely useless. They do not stay tight and as a result the entire vest ends up sagging.
***NOTE*** this is a permanent mod***NOTE***
I took my vest into a seamstress and had her remove the standard buckles. I had her attach metal tri-glide buckles in their place. Then all I had to do was attach another tri-glide on each strap and loop it back over, much like a standard C7 sling. This mod does not loosen or come undone, additionally it is simply to adjust or unthread the buckles unlike the standard ones. Here is what it looks like:
All of these mods make the tacvest somewhat more usable. I still feel that scrapping the vest completely and going with an off the shelf modular system would be the best option for us but, then I'm only a Cpl! If we are going to be saddled with an inferior piece of crap then these mods make it a bit better. Hope this helps. I will answer any questions as best I can.
1. Mag Carriage - The ability to only carry 4 mags is my largest bone of contention. To rectify the problem I bought a Dropzone modular panel. This basically converts the side pouch attachment area into a PALS modular panel and thus allows you to attach any pouches you desire. I next bought 2 triple HSGI mag pouches in CADPAT. I mounted these using TT 90 cant adaptors so the mag pouches were horizontal. This mod allows me to carry 9 mags, here is what it looks like:
Here is the mag pouches open:
Here is a close up of the panel:
2. My next major issue is carrying water. With all of the other things we need to carry and the pouch options avail on the tacvest a camelbak is one of the only viable options. I personally dislike carrying a normal camelbak over the vest. I find the shoulder straps slip around and make it un-comfortable. The obvious solution is to purchase one of the many after market camelbak carriers. My issue with these is that they are designed to carry the bladder only. When rucking, carrying an assault pack, radio, etc I attach my camelbak to whatever else I am carrying. This works with a normal camelbak but a bladder alone is to prone to bursting without its cover. To remedy both issues I had a custom carrier built. It attaches to the vest via shoulder straps, and zap straps, and is sized to fit a 3L Camelbak Hotshot complete. This is a great option because it easily and comfortably carries the camelbak and you can easily slip it out and attach it to a ruck.
Here it is open:
3. Finally my last major issue is the way the vest adjusts. I think that the metal buckles the vest comes with are completely useless. They do not stay tight and as a result the entire vest ends up sagging.
***NOTE*** this is a permanent mod***NOTE***
I took my vest into a seamstress and had her remove the standard buckles. I had her attach metal tri-glide buckles in their place. Then all I had to do was attach another tri-glide on each strap and loop it back over, much like a standard C7 sling. This mod does not loosen or come undone, additionally it is simply to adjust or unthread the buckles unlike the standard ones. Here is what it looks like:
All of these mods make the tacvest somewhat more usable. I still feel that scrapping the vest completely and going with an off the shelf modular system would be the best option for us but, then I'm only a Cpl! If we are going to be saddled with an inferior piece of crap then these mods make it a bit better. Hope this helps. I will answer any questions as best I can.
