Condor Recon Chest Rig Coyote, Brown, 30" - 60"
H**Y
HOT DIGGITY DOG! This rig is GREAT!
I purchased this Chest Rig to augment and/or replace my Plate Carrier with heavy (!) plates installed with an eye towards training without being encumbered with the considerably heavier rigs I own.Now I have another Chest Rig of sorts but it is designed to use the carry straps off my soft-side gun case as well as a smaller waist strap for securing from excessive movement while training, and while it "works" well, let's just say it works and leave it at that, shall we?Also, the Brand X version mag pouches aren't configured to my liking and clumsy to boot. But I digress.This rig was very easy to adjust to my dimensions and have a bit more adjustment available should I find myself needing to don a jacket underneath the rig. So plenty of adjustment is available for most Big Boned Guys and Gals as well as more of the more lilliputian sized folks too. That is unless you are a literal Stick Man or Twiggy Clone from the 60's and 70's.Clasps work great and adjustments easy to make without gnashing your teeth.Magazine wells work fairly well.However, WRT reinstalling a magazine or replacing an expended magazine with a freshly topped off one, the elastic retainer bands can be a bit cumbersome and downright annoying to get past in a testy situation (i.e., combat, realistic training, etc.). To put it mildly, they get in the way and you almost need 2 hands to replace the magazine. Ok. You DO need two hands but you can remove the elastic retainers should you choose to. Just know that your magazines COULD fall out as the pouch holes are pretty generous. Be aware of this.MY recommendation is to eliminate those bands and acquire/use some of the mag pouch retention devices like Haley Strategic sells or some such. They slip into the mag pouch, stay put and your magazines will snap into place smartly and extract without undue effort. But they AIN'T cheap.Additionally, there are a modest number of MOLLE webbing slots to either side of the mag pouches should you need to attach some other gear like MORE mag pouches? Just sayin'. LOLOh, and the rifle mag pouches are designed to carry two-each but with dividers between, for a total of six (6) magazines.Then there are the pistol magazine pouches. You get a total of EIGHT (8)!! That's just, um, GREAT IMHO but actually, maybe four (4) too many. Again IMO. But WTF am I anyway?!? LOLOf course you can fill the excess pistol mag pouches with a flashlights, Multi-tool, or any similar sized gear. The closure flaps can be removed (they velcro in place) and adjusted to allow a bit more or less retention based on the height of whatever you want to place inside. Or they work quite well for any double-stack pistol magazine like Glock, Springfield Armory, S&W, etc. The choice is yours.If there is any downside to this product it is that ALL of the pouches are permanently sewn to the Chest Rig proper. Bummer.You can remove them using a sharp blade and some time and effort, but, um, WHY?!?This isn't a Haley Strategic rig nor does it cost but a FRACTION of one of them, either. But for the money, this rig is G2G.Oh. And there are a few other features like an Admin Pouch behind the rifle magazines, and a couple of other features you should read the description to find out about.All in all, I'm a Happy Camper with this Chest Rig and as soon as I have an opportunity to hit the range and practice with it, I'll check back in here and update my post with my revised report and opinion (s).All in all, this as a BUY IT article of gear for those needing such goodies.EDIT: Alrighty then. Having used this rig several times I have found the mag retention bungee cords to be a PITA when it comes time to replace the mag inside the pouch. I've taken to just dropping them into a Dump Pouch on either side of my hip and putting them back in the individual pouch when time allows or after topping the mags off with more ammo. No biggie. Just a minor inconvenience.Not the pistol mag pouches. Hmm. What to say about them?Well, as mentioned in my original review, each pouch has a velcro closure flap to secure each magazine. I figured the flap could be released and set in behind the mag to allow it to be mostly exposed and yet retained securely. Yeaaahh, that thinking is AFU.IF you want to retain the magazines the flaps MUST be used or they could easily (!!) fall out during vigorous activites. I have yet investigate but I'm hoping that there will be some kind of insert that would not only properly restrain and retain each magazine but also remain INSIDE each pouch as each magazine is removed for use.And trust me when I tell you the pistol mags will NOT fall out if you use the restraining flaps. Hell's Bells....the velcro is Gorilla retention strength and silence is futile when trying to remove a magazine. Damned if you'll have your work cut out for you just to snag a flap and yank it open to retrieve a fresh magazine! And if you are wearing gloves you'll play Hell trying to FIND the flap end, grip it then pull it open to access your next reload.Depending on your "need" to grab a fresh mag (is it an absolute EMERGENCY, a Need It PDQ to continue the next 3-gun stage or just out doing some Mall Ninja practice with all your trusty DELTA SEAL Team Ranger gear) that may be an issue. Or not.Anyway, just wanted to add my updated $0.02 worth now that I've had several opportunities to wear the Rig and use it as it is intended.All in all, STILL a good buy and good Kit.Buy it while it is still inexpensive and legal to own.Overnout for now.
C**N
Very durable material, great functionality, nice shoulder pads.
I bought this rig for the padded shoulder straps. I've had Condor products 20 years ago in a SRT setting. They've been around forever and make good stuff at a great price. The coyote brown has a slight sheen to it. Just dust some other camo spray paint on it if that's a concern. The strap length would easily fit a 250lb man. I'm 180 athletic build and had to tighten the straps a good bit. It could easily be worn over winter gear. The weight distribution is nice! bottom of the rig is about 2in above the belt line allowing you to bend and sit with ease. The top of the rig is below the chest line so it won't rub you raw manuvering. There are 2 admin pouches on the inside of the rig. Small pouches that could hold a map, notes, lighter and small stuff.
O**W
Not bad...not great either
In typical Condor fashion, this is a great piece of kit for the price...as long as you don't expect too much. Fully loaded, it's *very* forward-heavy; that can be mitigated a little by tightening the shoulder straps, but it's still heavy. It's also bulky; prone position is problematic but not impossible with all that ammo lining your abdomen. Finally, the fit is a little off. I have the feeling Condor had some stout people in mind when they designed this. Put it this way: if you DON'T have a huge gut, you'll have trouble getting the waist down to size (and if you do...why do you have a chest rig? Never mind; all bodies are beautiful, blah blah...). It will still fit, but the straps take some experimentation to get the size down.On the plus side, it's got *tons* of little extras; a map/doc pouch, a little side pouch on the right (Condor says it's a holster, and it WILL fit a full frame pistol, but...just no. Waaay too awkward and cramped for a good draw) for what-have-you. I put a compass and my phone in there.I took this out and ran it hard for a day in damp/muddy conditions in central Texas. I didn't notice any rips or fraying, so very high marks on durability. It also cleaned up super quick (just hosed it off).All in all, not terrible and for the money, it's kinda hard to beat. That said, look out for sizing and weight distribution issues.
G**N
Woah I'm impressed
This thing is amazing, even fully loaded not only does it fit well but it takes my mags without a problem.It's fully functional and adjustable. Quality gear I was not expecting at an amazing price.I'm a big guy and It still has room to adjust 🤯6 30 round hex mags6 18 Rd Glock magsRoom for more equipment on either side
S**I
Overbuilt to the HILT!
Not sure exactly what the “air soft only” set is talking about, with this rig. I sliced and diced about a dozen bits and pieces of this thing, to get to my desired (customized) load-out capabilities. I mean, I gutted this thing, cut out mag pouch dividers, removed extra toggles, pulls, and straps, to my liking, for my body, and for my gear. Even with my best blades, removing even the smallest tab, pull, or strap was chore! That is. GOOD thing! If it takes ten minutes to (carefully) cut away one set of stitches with a Cold Steel knife, this thing is NOT going to fall apart during normal use.This rig does run a little big, for the record. I am 6’3” 180 lbs (thin, wide shoulders”) and I had to remove a lot of strap length, and ditch the crossover/collector strap on the back, to suck it up to my frame. Medium/small frames may not get the chest height they want, but more of a belly rig, but then again, this beanpole made it work!So comfortable and functional now, I can’t believe what a great bargain the Condor turned out to be for my recce rig! The rotating connectors are what really let this rig settle onto/into your person, throughout the full range of size adjustments, and are the cornerstone of what makes this chest rig work so well.Note: iFak pouch and shotgun shell carrier are not by Condor, or part of the chest rig (aftermarket). Didn’t realize Condor made a matching iFak pouch, until later. DOH!!
Trustpilot
3 days ago
1 month ago