Gear Pr0n: Overstuffed WarBelt and Chest Rig

Gear Pr0n: The OD War Belt

War Belts are increasingly popular because they efficiently put all the bare essentials close at hand. I like this set-up. Here we see a Safariland kydex drop holster. It has an accommodation for a tactical light mounted to the pistol and the leg platform drops the pistol slightly off the hip for an improved draw without putting all the weight on the leg. Low-slung holsters look cool, but can fatigue your leg much more quickly. There's a small pouch mounted to the platform, I'm guessing for the light if it is removed. Behind the holster, we see three more utility pouches. One is obviously the hunter's blow-out kit because it's marked with a red cross. The other pouches hold other accessories, probably a flashlight for the vertical one.

On the other side, the hunter has placed two spare carbine mag pouches with open tops and a Maxpedition Rolly-Poly as a dump bag. Below the carbine mag pouches, he has taken the unorthodox choice of a pistol pouch drop-leg extension. I don't like this, but it's certainly a valid choice. Note the addition of a black pouch, which I would bet carries his multi-tool. He also has a so-called "morale patch" that says "Regular Guy."

Here's a view of it all at once. War belts typically come in two pieces, an inner belt -- here a nylon duty belt with a quick release buckle -- and an outer belt, or sheath really. The outer belt typically has two or three rows of MOLLE webbing as attachment points. The whole thing fits snuggly around the waist.

Sometimes Less is More

Here's a little something unusual and elegant: an AR15 chambered in 9mm, tricked out with the usual MagPul furniture. But note the red dot sight for Close Quarters work, and the sound suppressor to keep the action quiet. But I love how it's been paired with a bare bones war belt featuring a set of HSGI TACO pouches for the spare magazines and a SureFire combat light. This is serious -- but minimalist -- kit for hunting a known threat in tight spaces.