The Best Under $100 Chest Rig? You Decide.

As always, I like to begin by explaining my relationship with the company and/or item I'm writing about - the S.O.P. Micro Chest Rig is made by AceTac Gear, a company that I am a dealer for. I have owned a personal S.O.P long before becoming a dealer for them, but there is still an inherent bias from "being in business" with them. That being said, I try to never let that change my opinion on an item, good bad or indifferent. 

Pattern/Materials/Stitching

For starters, the S.O.P. Micro Chest Rig comes in ten different patterns/colorways, they are: multicam, multicam black, multicam arid, multicam tropic, M81 woodland, black, coyote brown, ranger green, Desert Night Camo (DNC), and Wolf Grey. The DNC variant has recently been discontinued, so let's call it nine patterns or colors. Each of the four multicam variants are made from genuine MultiCam licensed fabrics. Depending on the variant you buy, they are either made from 500D Cordura or 1000D Cordura. Cordura (and most fabrics) on their own are tough - even basic cotton can last many years (as shown by the shirts we all wear every day). 200D or 400D cordura is even known to last upwards of a decade, or longer, so the real difference in 500D vs. 1000D would come in the form of the rigidity or stiffness of the material. A more important factor than 500D vs. 1000D is stitching, 9-10 stitches per inch is the industry standard. These (and most/all other) AceTac Gear products have 9-10 stitches per inch, and are double-stitched at all stress points. This inherently leads to a strong, sturdy product. 

It's Ready To Go Out of the Box?

Surprisingly enough, this chest rig does come ready to go right out of the box. For the $90-$95 price tag, you get the following: 

• Chest Rig Chassis/Placard
• Dangler Pouch
• Expander Wing Pouch
• Triple 5.56 Mag Insert

The chest rig can hold three 5.56 mags (capable of swapping to other magazine inserts, such as double AR10, double AK47, and quadruple PCC magazines), two pistol magazines, a radio, a full mid-sized IFAK (either in the dangler or main pouch), then admin type equipment like batteries, notepads, multi-tools, etc. The harness also allows for cable management for whatever radio you are running, if needed. 

The S.O.P. Micro Chest Rig is what I would call, "modular by design" - as mentioned above, it comes entirely with the components to build a complete setup. An ergonomic (yet compact) base, the dangler pouch for medical supplies, admin gear, snackies, etc., the magazine inserts for the rig itself, and more. 

This rig is also what I would call "mission adaptive", meaning it's scalable to fit what you're doing. If you want it less bulky and more streamlined, you can remove the dangler and expander wing and have a bare bones kit. If you want to adapt this kit to your plate carrier, it straps right in to most place carriers on the market (including the LPPC V2). 

Over the time I have had my rig, I have used it fairly regularly at the range but haven't "put it through the paces" by purposefully beating it up or wearing it in a FIELDEX like I would in the Army. It has held up exceptionally well for my civilian usage, but would recommend it to LEO, military, or anyone else in need of a fantastic, ready to go rig for under $100!