Gearing Up - Part 2 Gear Vests

Hybrid Pack

Chest Rig - Main Pockets

Chest Rig - Back Pocket

Survival Vest - Front

Survival Vest - Back

Hybrid SAR Pack

Light SAR Vest

Water Bottles

Gear Vests. For many this is THE option, when having to bug-out or get home. The nice thing about gear vests is that everything has a pocket or pouch. Very organized. Sometimes a little bulky, however, with the weight spread around the vest, even a modest 20 - 25 pound load feels lighter than it is. 

Gear vests and chest rigs can be made to work for different jobs or missions. The SAR vest and SAR Pack are for Search & Rescue missions and are packed for such. So, when called out and the type of mission is known, a person could be ready to leave for the search base in minutes. 

Survival vests are the same. Pre-load with your survival gear, food and water bottle, good-to-go!! Sorry that the pics uploaded sideways, can't seem to be able to correct them. If, you tilt your head to the left the pictures look okay. :-)

Not sure what happened with the coding for the page either, I could not get the text to start at the top of the page. I guess you wanted to look at the pictures first anyways.

The chest rig I picked up for around $20, and have modified its use form the one it was designed for. I believe this particular chest rig was for 6x 30 round M-4 magazines and 2x canteens. I have this one set up for fishing. I carry my small tackle box and some odds and sods, just the basics. A multi-plier, fire starter kit, battle dressing, knife, extra sox, light nylon poncho, flashlight, and a ziploc to hold my fishing license. Nothing fancy.

If you have minor sewing abilities you can build your own gear vest from scratch. That way each pocket and pouch will fit your gear, perfectly. You can add as many or as few pocket or pouches as you need. And the vest will fit you. For most vests I would recommend having an adjustable vest instead of a fitted/tailored vest so you can adapt for the seasons. Many of us live where there is at least a 60 degree temperature range from the hottest days of summer (+30C) to the coldest days of winter (-30C). So, your personal clothing will have to change to be compatible with the weather, altitude or season.

So, for those of you who hate wearing a backpack, a good gear vest may be just the ticket.

Keep your gear ready and organized!

Mountainman.