The film Heat is a favorite of gun guys and gals across the county. Michael Mann is legendary for the degree of realism he brings to his films, especially when it comes to guns. In 1995, when the movie came out, chest rigs existed, but they weren’t exactly well-known or common. The film had a set of custom-made chest rigs for the characters to wear under their suits. The Heat chest rig isn’t your normal chest rig by any means.
It’s a vest that wears like a vest and is made from a softer nylon material. The Heat chest rig held eight AR-15 magazines, and in the film, the magazines were sewn in. Over the years, Airsoft variants have existed, and Forgotten Weapons released a god-awful version, which they never fixed or refunded, by the way (Ask me how I know). Inspired by the failures of others, the Kommando Store released its own Heat rig.
They happily sent me one, and I’ve been larping as Neil McCauley ever since. A carry-handle Bushmaster AR completes the look since a Colt 733 seems tough to find.
The Heat Chest Rig – LARP Central
True to the movie, the Heat chest rig holds eight 30-round magazines. The Heat chest rig comes in both medium and large, and the large fits my six-foot-five-inch frame well. The rig itself is adjustable at the shoulders and at the back or both length and width. It’s easy to adjust, and you can make it fit quite well. The rear of the vest is a mesh-like material to keep ya cool.
The Heat Chest rig comes with hook and loop tabs as well as an elastic bit. AR magazines are all roughly the same size, but not really. Polymer and metal magazines are slightly different in size and even length depending on the base plate.
The elastic pad and slightly adjustable hook and loop enclosure allow you to use Magpul mags, Lancers, and standard aluminum pretty easily. The magazines are topped out at 30 rounds, and even the DD-32 magazines are a bit too long to fit correctly. The entire setup feels super high quality. It’s clearly well made, and attention was paid to detail.
To The Range
The Heat chest rig isn’t something I’d use for serious shooting. I’m not going to storm bin Laden’s house wearing the Heat chest rig, but I want it to work well. It might sound silly, but I want to be able to hit the range and provide suppressing fire while my buddy carries our heist score to the car. With previous incarnations, you couldn’t walk at a brisk pace and expect them to retain the magazines. With the Kommando Store variant, the magazines stay locked in place.
You can sprint at full speed, and the magazines remain where you put them. The elastic band and hook and loop enclosure are super easy to defeat, and you can snatch and grab magazines and load your rifle. The Heat chest rig makes it super easy to keep your rifle tapped off in case you need to lay down suppression fire during a brazen daylight bank robbery.
The best way to make sure the rig works is to ensure it’s not too baggy. You need a little resistance to help draw the magazines quickly. If it’s too loose, the whole vest moves when you pull the magazine. Get it nice and tight, and the vest works best. You’ll need to experiment with orientation to make the reloads work. This is the only chest rig I know of that works this way, so it’s not going to work set up like a standard chest rig.
Drop of a Hat These Guys Will Rock and Roll
The Kommando Store Heat chest rig is a rock-solid, well-made piece of gear. It’s a novelty in many ways but a high-quality option. If it were 1995 and I needed to rob a bank or armored car, then the Heat Chest rig would be perfect. It offers a full sustainment load of eight magazines, has excellent retention, and is even comfy to weird with 240 rounds of 5.56 loaded. Check it out at the Kommadno Store, along with all their other awesome stuff.
