TFB Review: Wilde Custom Gear Chest Rig and Accessories

The market for tactical nylon gear is expansive. There are so many companies today producing bespoke high-end equipment for a wide variety of needs. It should be fair that, among the wild west of manufacturers all competing for your attention and mighty dollar, one of these companies has risen to the top by focusing on purpose-driven products - Wilde Custom Gear. Driven by user input and quality design and manufacturing, Wilde Custom Gear produces products based on mission needs.

Purpose Driven Gear

Wilde Custom Gear is one of many tactical nylon gear companies today, but John Wilde has taken a slightly different approach. His vision is based on direct user input with a focus on quality and innovation. Wilde Custom Gear is based on time-proven designs. With a wide variety of products to choose from, Wilde Custom Gear has a large selection of products ranging from carriers, chest rigs, and even a vest. WCG has bags, pouches, slings, and all manner of moral swag.

John Wilde is a 24-year veteran of the military and LEO. He found firsthand the importance of equipment being well-designed and made from high-end material. The material used by Wilde Custom Gear is the latest in laser-cut nylon, with a focus on keeping water from absorbing into the material and precision cuts to reduce bulk and weight.

For the purposes of this article, we are focused on the extended chest rig and its perfect size for home-defense and for short-term patrols or missions. The configuration for the tested chest rig is focused on less than 12-hour missions and civil defense of the home.

The Base

The chest rig is the base platform for the defense rig. Like other well-known chest rigs, this configuration is based on a four-magazine base with the ability to run simple communication, support equipment, and signalling accessories. The WCG chest rig is 16 Molle wide, with the entire system being able to open up and accept common “kangaroo” pouch inserts. This makes the storage of maps, signalling panels, and accessory pouches easy to use while providing a pragmatic use of space.

The chest rig can be clipped in using Fast-Tex or with existing harnesses. The standard X harness is the traditional way chest rigs are worn, but WCG offers a hybrid system that provides more support and load distribution.  Finally, there is the administrative panel that can be attached above the chest rig and locks into the shoulder straps. With these options, the user can decide which best fits their needs and provides the needed configuration based on their requirements.

Accessories

When configuring your kit, the user should first assess what their needs or mission is; for civil defense or short missions, the layout should be simple, focused on the most pressing equipment, which should be up front and based on significance, works its way back. On the WCG chest rig, the focus is on defense of the home and community, so rifle magazines are up front with the small accessory pouch mounted to the magazine pouches and a single smoke grenade pouch beside it. This ensures that signalling or obscuring is preset on the right side of the magazine pouches, with the administrative pouch taking up the rest of the space. This allows for small items like a multi-tool, flashlight, or other quick-access administrative needs. To the sides are larger accessory pouches with the ability to store signal accessories, spare batteries, the radio (with the ability to run 2 if needed), navigation, a thermal, and/or magnification devices. Each individual will have to decide what is needed for their needs, but choosing the correct pouches to support their needs is a vital part of planning ahead for contingencies. The pouch layout will assist in not overpacking.

The WCG chest rig is a simple design that follows the proven designs of the past. With the standard straps, the chest rig is far more compatible with various body types, armor platforms, and gun belts of various types. I found the Rear Yolk Back Panel to be extremely comfortable and effective at load distribution. The system is also primed to run a small 1/2 to 1 quart hydration blader on the back if needed.

The Chest Rig Bib is an accessory that allows needed space for a push to talks (PTT), navigational technologies like smart devices or nav-boards to be mounted on the chest but out of the way of magazines or other mission essential gear. The Bib is well-suited for administrative pouches, but I find them a bit cumbersome when mounted that high on the chest.

Magazine pouch layout is based again on user needs. If the simple multi-caliber magazine pouch is not needed, a purpose-driven pouch can be just as easily mounted in place of another type. For our needs, the ability to mount AR15 or AK magazines took priority, and the necessity of not overpacking was important to ensure a close-to-body fit to facilitate fitting into a residential home or vehicle. If larger accessory pouches are needed on the front, WCG offers a unique quad pouch that is 2 magazines wide and 2 magazines deep; this fits 4 magazines in the same space as 2 magazines wide but is fitted for AR15 magazines only.

The accessory pouches and administrative pouches are set up by order of precedence. The administrative pouch is mounted on the front, starting from the left-most magazine pouch, extending to the right. This enables easier access without removing my primary hand from my weapon when accessing the pouch. On the far-right magazine pouch is the smoke grenade pouch. This ensures that I, as a right-handed individual, can access the smoke grenade with my throwing hand, and my support hand will be primed for pulling the pin.

The support pouches are on either end of the chest rig and are the least needed pouches for immediate use to ensure other accessories are readily available based on contingencies. The need to segregate navigation and optics, like thermal, night vision, or magnified optics, radio(s), spare batteries, and signaling devices can be accessed as needed and at will. The individual will have to choose their specifics, but this allows for a smart and utilitarian layout.

Wear and Fitment

The WCG chest rig runs smoothly and flat against the body with no rubbing or hot spots. The flat and fairly wide straps make for a comfortable load with no cutting into the shoulders. For heavier loadouts, the Back Yolk would be critical for comfort, or the individual may need comfort pads. The Back Yolk, while extremely comfortable, has a vertical adjustment that keeps the chest rig too low on the body and easily interferes with a gun belt for my liking. The Back Yolk is extremely useful and, with some adjustment, will be the go-to for long-term wear.

The Bib is useful as well, but like the Back Yolk, the Bib is mission-specific, and the use is best suited for a need with navigation, smart devices, and PTTs. The Bib can be used with the standard straps, so there is good flexibility for the end user to choose what is needed. The Hanger Downer is what many refer to as a “dangler” or, as I call it, the “tactical fupa”. This administrative pouch is commonly used for larger items needed fast, like gloves, medical needs, or snacks, and even small water bottles. The Hanger Downer is well designed and lends itself to great effect. There is a small zipper pouch on the back side, and is very useful for in-ear hearing protection.

The WCG chest rig loaded out runs well, and the straps do not interfere with rifle buttstocks or rucksacks, making this a very low-profile fitment against the body. The width of 16 MOLLE is ideal. While that may seem a bit much, it allows for the proper amount of space for various needs. With the MOLLE channels being laser cut, the old-fashioned MOLLE webbing is not used; the preferred method of laser cutting the MOLLE channels into the fabric directly saves massive time and material to create the same effect.

Conclusion

Wilde Custom Gear has proven to be as innovative as it is traditional. They use combat-proven designs with state-of-the-art materials and manufacturing processes. The gear is well-built and comfortable for long-term wear. Being a premium product, WCG should be a first look for anyone looking for lightweight, quality equipment intended for real-world use. There are many chest rigs to choose from today, but none truly offer the needed space and design with the quality of manufacturing. Wilde Custom Gear is a must-have for any professional or serious civilian needing gear they can trust their life on.