When I say chest rig, what comes to mind? I’m betting depending on your age or time in the firearms world, a lot of different things pop up. When I hear chest rig, I think of these huge old carriers from companies like Blackhawk. They had zero MOLLE and come with built-in mag pouches, holsters, admin pouches, and more. Others likely picture the modern minimalist rigs that are ruling the market. I’m betting most people don’t picture something like the 5.11 Tactical All Missions Rig.
When you say minimalist chest rig, you likely think a few mag pouches, maybe a single admin pouch, and potentially the ability to conceal the kit. That’s pretty standard, right? Well, that’s not the All Missions Rig. From the factory, it’s a big block of loop from hook and loop fame, with a very dynamic set of shoulder panels, and finally a waist strap.
The idea is that this is the skeleton upon which you build your kit. You can go in a multitude of directions. Want to go traditional minimalist? Okay, toss on a 9×9 MOLLE or Hexgrid panel and attach your mag pouches as you see fit. But don’t stop at just gun stuff. The All Missions Rig gains its name because it can go well beyond gun stuff.
The All Mission Rig Gear Sets
5.11 Tactical produces a series of Gear Sets compatible with their All MIssions line of gear. These gear sets include the aforementioned MOLLE panels, as well as a variety of different attachable gear sets. We have the Double Deploy, the Admin, the Utility, and the 2 Banger Gear Sets. Each offers different capabilities.
For example, the Admin Gear set offers a large pouch with tons of internal organization, and the Utility can be made into a mini toolbox for the job site or can covertly carry AR magazines.
While it’s easy to see the All Missions Rig as another gun-friendly chest rig, I think that’s missing the point entirely. The All Missions Rig is at home on the range, or on the pond, or wherever. I’ve considered two particular missions I plan to use the All Missions Rig on.
The first is kayaking. I hate trying to keep things dry and in my pocket or on my waistline while kayaking along. I’d much rather keep my phone, car keys, water bottle, pocket knife, and the like mounted on my chest up high and dry.
Another is my day job, where I work in wildfire mitigation. When on a prescribed fire, we are required to carry various gear. I typically use a big belt, but honestly, I want to transition to an ATV and truck-friendly option. The All Missions Rig seems perfect for mounting a radio, a fire shelter, a multitool, and other small pieces of gear like spare PPE, clear lenses for my glasses, and so on and so forth.
Strapping Up
The shoulder straps on the All Missions Rig are also significantly larger than they seemingly need to be. They provide laser-cut webbing that allows you to mount various pieces of gear to the rear of the pack. Mounting hydration packs and similar items to the rear is rather easy, and that makes it even handier from an All Missions Perspective. Hell, for both my Kayaking and Wildfire setups, I could always use water.
Outside of hydration carriers, you can also attach the 5.11 Tactical AMPC Pack, the little 16-liter backpack. You drop the straps and weave them into the shoulder straps of the All Missions Carrier. This little pack adds a lot of extra room to your chest rig and makes it even more capable from an All Missions perspective.
In the Field
I haven’t decided how exactly the setup for kayaking and it’s the weekend, so I’m doing day job stuff. Sizing it seemed confusing at first, so I consulted the instructions, and Ikea’d my way through it. It has lots of adjustment range, and it’s not tough to make these adjustments. The adjustments aren’t as precise as a set of triglides and rely on a precut ladder. The precut does allow for very small adjustments, so I don’t see any real issues here.
Once adjusted, the extra material is tucked away into the chest rig and presents a clean, 1st Sgt appealing look to it. With everything tucked away, the breakdown is super clean and strap-free.
I went plain jane tactical with the 5.11 Tactical All Missions Rig when I first received it, and my section of 9X9 laster cut MOLLE. From there, I attached a pair of Flex AR pouches and a Flex dual pistol mag pouch.
It’s about as minimalist as you can get. Attaching the MOLLE gear set didn’t take much effort. The hook connects to the loop, and then I slid the two G Hooks into place. From there, I attached the waist strap to the gear set, and I was good to go. I also attached this old-school PCC placard I had, and it also fits perfectly. You can use any variety of placards on the All Missions Rig.
All Missions Compatibility
I rock and rolled with a very minimalist loadout. The massive shoulder straps support the 42 rounds of 9mm and the 64 rounds of 5.56 without any issue. In fact, it felt quite light when you compare the low ammo count with the massive shoulder straps. It’s also quite comfortable, and September in Florida is known for heat. The super small size of the All Missions Rig keeps things surprisingly cool for bumpin’ and jumpin’.
I think the utility Gear Set would be perfect for kayaking, and the MOLLE set with a few pouches perfect for work. I ultimately plan to swap out each kit depending on the day and how I plan to use the kit. Swapping gear sets is easy, so I don’t see a purpose in purchasing two base systems to make it so. I think 5.11 Tactical has a winner for a variety of roles beyond just gun slinging. The tactical world makes excellent adaptive gear, so why shouldn’t that gear be adapted elsewhere?
