Blue Force Gear Ten Speed Chest Rig review by Booligan
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Introduction
Ordering
Rig Information
Proper Use
Build Quality
Pros/Cons
Overall
Introduction
I was introduced to Blue Force Gear at SHOT Show 2010, in Las Vegas, and was really impressed with what I saw at their booth. They have several unique products in their lineup, one of which I will be reviewing today, the "Ten Speed Chest Rig"! Their Ten Speed line of products utilize a unique elastic system to serve a variety of purposes, including mag pouches, bandoleers, chest rigs, and a very cool dump/intel collection pouch called the SSE pouch, which weighs in at an astounding 2.5 oz. Today, I'll be talking about their Ten Speed chest rig, specifically the one designed for M4/5.56 magazines.
Ordering:
I was able to borrow one of these rigs directly from Blue Force Gear, in order to review it here on Airsoft Retreat. I fell in love with it at SHOT Show, and knew that I had to get my hands on one, and allow others in the airsoft community to see it, and decide if it's a rig that could find its way into their gear bag. It is available HERE, priced at $79.95. It is available in Multicam, ACU, Black, Ranger Green, and Coyote Brown, the color reviewed today. Blue Force Gear products are covered with a lifetime warranty, so if you have issues with any of their products, drop them a line and they'll get you squared away!
Rig Information:
The Ten Speed Chest Rig is a low profile, compact chest rig that is exceptionally lightweight (8.7 oz!!), and utilizes six AR magazine sized elastic pouches to hold a variety of items. It is adjustable to fit most sized users, and is low profile enough to be worn underneath normal clothing, allowing you to discreetly carry some gear.
From this point on, click all thumbnails to enlarge the pictures.
Front
The main portion of this rig is the front panel, which houses the six elastic pouches that make this rig really unique. The pouches are secured to a Cordura backing, which is looped over to create a large flat pouch, which is very useful for holding maps, intel items, or any other flat item that you can fit inside. The elastic material is quite dense, allowing it to stretch a fair amount without taking damage.
Front panel
Closeup of the elastic pouch
Huge map pouch
The individual pouches are designed to hold a single STANAG magazine, but are flexible enough to hold mags from some other guns, and other non-magazine items as well. I was able to stuff it with AUG, HK33, FAMAS, AK74 and AK47 magazines, but I could not get G36 mags in it at all. If you use a 7.62 style gun, such as an M14, SR25, or SCAR H, Blue Force Gear makes a version of this rig to hold the larger magazines.
Variety of magazines
The elastic design of the pouches allows you to shove all kinds of things in there, from gloves to grenades. Let your creativity run wild with this one. I was able to stick Tornado 'nades, various launchable munitions, radios, and more in my rig. I even was able to use it as a basic holster for a few guns, but I wouldn't recommend it, as it has no top retention, and the gun can fall out pretty easily.
Various other things
The front panel is useless if you can't wear the dang thing, and that is dealt with using a pretty simple system of straps and buckles. The top of the panel is secured using a sturdy H-harness setup, and the bottom has a basic adjustable strap and buckles to keep the rig from flopping around. The shoulder strap is a single piece design, looping around your back, and connecting with the rig with two additional smaller straps. It is quite strong, and resembles seatbelt material it its construction. The back piece has a 6"x2" piece of "loop" sided velcro, allowing you to mount flags, patches, or nametapes.
Velcro piece
As mentioned before, the rig is extremely light, weighing a hair over 0.5 lbs. When you wear it, even with magazines and accessories stowed aboard, it goes by unnoticed, due to the low weight and flexible design. It rides fairly high, making it comfortable for vehicle use, as well as being used with a MOLLE "battle belt", for additional gear storage.
Proper Use:
Adjusting the rig to fit you is accomplished using the sliding adjusters located on the two back straps, as well as the bottom strap. It can be cinched down pretty tight, or opened up to fit bigger users. You can load it up however you would like with whatever will fit, so I won't pretend like there's one "right" way to rock this rig. I personally carry four magazines, one Tornado grenade, and a radio, giving me a pretty well rounded setup for short games, or for recon use. The low profile design doesn't interfere with crawling, or going prone in a hurry.
My usual loadout
Being worn, note radio is subbed out with a pistol
Rear view
I'm not joking when I say it's low profile
Build Quality:
Blue Force Gear is made in the USA, using top grade materials. It is covered with a lifetime warranty, and is tailored towards real operators in real hot zones. It's plenty sturdy for airsoft use, and if you happen to break it somehow, BFG will cover it with their warranty.
The stitching is nice and even, and uses a strong, thick thread. The use of Cordura for the structural elements of the rig add structural integrity to the whole thing. Critical joints are double stitched, and hard plastic buckles and adjusters are used on the webbing. Overall, this thing is a tank, and I doubt I could break it if I tried.
Double stitching
Strong webbing
Reinforced joints
High impact buckles
Mark of quality
Pros:
Incredibly lightweight (8.7 oz)
Lifetime warranty
Extremely low profile design
Comes in a variety of colors and patterns
Cons:
Not the best rig for those who feel they must carry lots of mags
No MOLLE space for adding pouches/hydro carriers/etc
Overall:
If you're looking for a compact, low profile chest rig, the Blue Force Gear Ten Speed chest rig is a fantastic option. It's a really no-frills design, giving you just what you need with no fluff. Minimalist is probably the best way to describe the design. I recommend you check out BFG's other products, as they really are working on some innovative designs for gear. I know that, once I saw some of their products, I was hooked, and this chest rig is no exception!
Many thanks again to Blue Force Gear, and of course, Airsoft Retreat!
