This review took me almost 2 years to properly make because I wanted to be sure I wasn't talking out of my ass.
I'll start with the things I love, followed by the things I don't, finishing up with an overall verdict and a few photos in between.
Things I love
How it feels -
Immediately on getting the rig in my hands I was happily surprised with the quality of material and manufacturing that went into it; the fabrics feel nice to the touch but sturdy, every piece of webbing is captive with a one-wrap retainer, and the buckles feel reliable but user friendly.
How it looks -
Every seam and joint is elegantly done with painstaking care, and every possible detail is camo-correct from the harness and back-strap webbing to the loop material under the retention flaps on the mag pouches, which takes considerable time and investment in and of itself.
How it wears -
The harness - a modified version of Parashooter Gear's "minimalist H-harness" - makes this rig really comfortable even fully loaded; wearing it for extended periods never once left me with muscle soreness in my shoulders/traps or hotspots from a wad of webbing in the wrong place, and in my experience it doesn't shift much vertically even under heavy LARPing.
Adjustments are easy but not so easy that it needs constant maintenance during use, other than changing its contents the Recce Rig has been "set it and forget it" for me once I got these...
Custom "S&S" Side pouches from Project Redacted LLC-
Based on the "Slim Ammo Pack", but with a couple of choice modifications to fit my purposes, I commissioned these "Signaling & Sustainment" pouches from Project Redacted after I tried for about a year to find a solution to fit the molle fields on the Recce Rig (more on that later) that would do what I wanted.
They were fantastic to work with, answered all of my annoying questions/requests, and delivered an excellent product that looks and feels perfectly at home on the Recce Rig with the same level of quality craftsmanship.
I can't recommend them enough - you can find Project Redacted at the links above, or hit them up on Instagram - tell 'em I sent ya.
Appreciate the little things -
Could you accomplish the same thing with something much more cost-effective? Absolutely. What separates this from something like a TAPS or a Type 81, and one of my favorite things about the Recce Rig, is the amount of small details baked in to help with personalization and streamlining. There are a metric shitload of attachment points on this thing for cable management or adding gear, but you'd hardly notice until you really go looking for them which is impressive to put it mildly.
- Durability
How has it held up after a couple hundred hours of LARPing?
The only sign of wear is the webbing at the top corners has sagged slightly from the weight of stuff pulling over time, which I wouldnt have even noticed if I didn't have a brand new one to do a side-by-side comparison.
The only noticeable difference between mine (original release) and a newly purchased rig is the label
Things I don't love:
- 2 molle columns on the sides (bruh)
Seriously - the decision to make it 2 molle columns as opposed to 3 still confuses me to this day. I can maybe see where if you're a smaller person that could make the width a bit unwieldy, but missing that 3rd column SEVERELY limits the pouch options available to you which was a big point of frustration for me personally.
- Velcro map pocket
This is a pretty minor nitpicky gripe, but I don't love that the map pocket behind the mag pouches is velcro closure. I would prefer a zipper there for noise reasons, but this is easily solved with aftermarket/diy products.
- Drain holes
Another very minor nitpicky gripe, but putting the drain holes on the sides of the mag pouches has caused cupping when full. Not a huge issue in the rain where I'm at, but if you're somewhere with a lot of mud or sand it could be something to think about.
Overall - 8.5/10
In conclusion - nothing is ever perfect, but the Onward Recce Rig is damn good and I doubt you'd be disappointed if you choose to invest your money in it.
As it ships its an 8.5/10, but with a little bit of time, and some thoughtful additions its easily made into a 10/10.
Thanks for reading if you made it this far, and as always;
Stay Frosty Troopers
- @oper808r