HPG Forum This forum is primarily for questions, answers, reviews, and comments about Hill People Gear. Those topics will be in the HPG forum. There is some limited discussion of topics that don't "fit" on other forums. You'll find those discussions under "general". For general outdoor discussions, please visit either Kifaru or 24 Hour Campfire forums, which is where the Hill People hang out online themselves. Foul or abusive posts and posters will not be tolerated. To participate, you will have to register.  | SearchForum HomeAggregated Forum | | | | | | | | | |  | | Previous |
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The Chest Rig was originally conceived as a way to carry a concealed pistol while on the trail or in various outdoor pursuits such as boating. It was important that it remain on the wearer even when a pack was removed. Heck, I sleep in mine.
It was designed in such a way that the pistol (originally a full size 1911) took up much of the "main pocket" area using a spandura separator. This created an optical illusion -- it simply doesn't look like the pouch has anything to do with a concealed pistol. As time went on, it became clear that a small chest pouch was very handy for stashing a few other trail necessities.
The real revelation occurred when I used some p-cord to tie my chest rig to the d-rings of my shoulder straps. All of a sudden, the chest rig weighed nothing and there was no limit to how much you could put in it or how big it could be. When I handed the design over to Kifaru, they took this concept and ran with it, producing the Kifaru Koala which is large enough to carry all of your possibles plus a pistol. This increased weight necessitated something with more holding power than velcro, and the perimeter zipper was introduced.
I don't personally make use of all of the space available with the Kifaru Koala, but many folks will. Here's my personal chest rig packing list:
- 5" 1911
- 2 spare magazines
- garmin foretrex 101 gps
- Canon powershot SX120 camera
- trioxane bar
- 2 lighters
- 4.75" blade sheath knife
- multi tool
- lexan spoon
- zipper pull thermometer
- whistle
- empty platypus bladder
- water purification tabs
- headlamp
- a couple of maps
- AMK survival blanket
It's not all I'd want for a day hike, but it's not a bad complement of items for a stroll away from camp, or a nature walk with the kids, or to have over your life preserver in case you get separated from your boat. All of that together, including loaded pistol, weighs 7 pounds. That's right at the limit of comfort for carry by itself. When it's docked to a pack, you don't even feel it. When I sleep in it at night, I strip out the camera and the headlamp is worn on my head.
Over the year since I built the first chest rig, I've used it extensively for mountain biking, cross country skiing, backpacking, and hiking. I've also used it a fair amount for boating and lift served skiing. I have yet to wear it on a motorcycle trip, but I expect it to perform well in that role too.
We are fortunate in this matter that your conduct will be your marker and, thus, your reputation. The conduct of others on this forum has been, and will continue to be, their marker, and thus, their reputation. In the west, a person invests in one's reputation carefully. - 112Papa |
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| Re: Chest Rig / Kifaru Koala |
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Evan,
Let me be the first to congratulate you (via your new forum anyway) on bringing your chest rig idea to market, especially in conjunction with a company fine company like Kifaru!
I'm looking forward to testing this and future Hill People Gear in the backcountry.
All the best,
Allen
P.S. - I'd add to this...nice work on the website. Very nice! |
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| Re: Chest Rig / Kifaru Koala |
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Evan,
Let me be the second to congratulate you on your accomplishments. The website looks great, and your ivision for quality, usable gear leaves me with little doubt that Hill People Gear will do very well.
Jason |
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| Re: Chest Rig / Kifaru Koala |
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| Evan, linked over here from Kifaru. Good looking site, and I suspect it will be a success in times ahead, given your knowledge base and civil manner. Looking forward to another great place to meet and discuss our hobby/way of life, as well as looking forward to whatever gear you guys might bring to life. This Koala idea gets more intriguing each time I look at it, and I will likely end up getting one soon. So goes the addiction! Good luck with the site, and your business. |
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| Re: Chest Rig / Kifaru Koala |
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Evan,
congratulation it is a great design ! I am wondering how much weight can you comfortably carry in it ?
Thnx and again congrats.
M |
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| Re: Chest Rig / Kifaru Koala |
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Thanks all for the well wishes!
There are two aspects to total weight. First is how much weight is comfortable when the rig is docked to a host pack, and second is how comfortable it is when not docked to a host pack. For me, the whole point is having something that you'll always have on even when you take the host pack off. I like to sleep in mine for example. Because of that, I like to carry an amount that is comfortable when undocked. There isn't really much of a limit to how much weight is comfortable when it is docked.
A couple of other things to make note of. The version that I carry daily is an earlier prototype -- not the version Kifaru is selling. Mine is smaller, thinner, and lighter. Weight of mine is 1 pound empty versus 2 pounds empty for the K version. I also use an H harness with a ventilated mesh back instead of the X harness that comes on the Kifaru version. I find the H harness more comfortable than the X harness, as does most everyone who has tried both. Patrick Smith finds the X harness more comfortable, so that's the way Kifaru sells it. My comments may not apply equally to the Kifaru version.
Having said all of that, I try to go no more than 6 pounds all up including pistol and pack itself for comfortable undocked carry. In fact, I recently went through and weighed everything and made some changes to try to get back down closer to 6 pounds. Right now my big sticking points are sheath knife and camera. That's a full pound right there, but I don't want to move either of them out of the chest rig. That's the only place the camera is readily accessible. On the sheath knife, it really adds a huge comfort and safety zone to have a tool that capable with me at all times. Take a stroll away from camp, and I've got the bare essentials with me to comfortably spend the night out. I could make do without the sheath knife, but...
We are fortunate in this matter that your conduct will be your marker and, thus, your reputation. The conduct of others on this forum has been, and will continue to be, their marker, and thus, their reputation. In the west, a person invests in one's reputation carefully. - 112Papa |
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| Re: Chest Rig / Kifaru Koala |
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Evan, I'd like to say congratulations also. Having followed your posting at Kifaru, and after reading your comments here on your new site, I'd say we probably have a very similar view on gear and ideals. I look forward to your new gear designs and ideas.
Best of Luck,
Ozark |
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| Re: Chest Rig / Kifaru Koala |
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| Nicely done. Waiting on mine and looking forward to it. Where do you stash your knife when packing it? Is it with the handgun? I hadn't thought of putting a larger blade there but that would a most excellent place to do so now that you mention it. |
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| Re: Chest Rig / Kifaru Koala |
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CCH, thanks for your support in the form of a purchase ;-)
Both the prototype I wear and the Kifaru Koala have a full width front pocket that can be accessed very easily. Great place for a sheath knife as well navigation equipment.
We are fortunate in this matter that your conduct will be your marker and, thus, your reputation. The conduct of others on this forum has been, and will continue to be, their marker, and thus, their reputation. In the west, a person invests in one's reputation carefully. - 112Papa |
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| Re: Chest Rig / Kifaru Koala |
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| So the knife just lays in the pouch? It's not attached? Just trying to visualize. I wonder how far out they are on production? I got my order in the moment they sent me the opportunity and got on the pre-order list right away as well so I think I'm pretty far up the line. I get this sort of stuff so seldom that I'm chomping at the bit to try it out. Next time I see you, I'll have to get it autographed. :) |
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| Re: Chest Rig / Kifaru Koala |
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CCH - It just lays in the pouch in its sheath, not attached. Of course with the Kifaru version with the pals on the front, you could pull a Rambo and lash your knife to the outside for instant access. That would definitely impress your Boy Scouts ;-)
We are fortunate in this matter that your conduct will be your marker and, thus, your reputation. The conduct of others on this forum has been, and will continue to be, their marker, and thus, their reputation. In the west, a person invests in one's reputation carefully. - 112Papa |
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| Re: Chest Rig / Kifaru Koala |
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| Boy Scouts are a thing of the past, so no need to impress. Ironically, I used to carry my Becker Necker attached inverted and attached to my shoulder strap with a Tek-Lok, handy yet out of the way. The Scoutmaster only noticed it on one trip to say that I was losing whatever I was carrying (I wasn't). :D |
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| Re: Chest Rig / Kifaru Koala |
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there may or may not be pictures around of a certain badger type person rolling with a knife on the front of his prototype koala in the Steens last weekend.....I guess once a boy scout always a boy scout. ;)
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| Re: Chest Rig / Kifaru Koala |
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Evan:
Congrats on what looks like a very nice piece of kit.
Quick question for you. I am an alpine climber and the ability to have something like this attached to my pack for approaches very much appeals to me (camera, nav items, comms, firearm - when in bear country, etc). Having said that there are times when I need to have my front completely clean. It looks to me from the pictures that I have seen that it would be possible to flip the Koala over your head and have it rest on your back by simply unhooking the side fastex (or whatever they are) side buckles and, well, flipping it over your head. If you needed your front clean for a while, I suppose you could use the side buckles to secure the pack to your backpack. Have you or Kifaru tried this?
Would also love to see a super light weight version of this too (dynema 4 oz??), but I won't be holding my breath (probably a market demand of 1...).
Many thanks.
Cheers! |
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| Re: Chest Rig / Kifaru Koala |
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Cheater5, thanks for the congratulations. I'll answer your question about back carry in a bit.
I'm going to take your post as fortuitous timing to talk about a new development at HPG. Some time ago we decided to produce our own chest rig (the "HPG Kit Bag") to address the shortcomings of the Kifaru Koala. The Koala makes a good EDC bag if you're comfortable with off body pistol carry (we don't prefer off body), but it's too big and heavy for chest carry.
So we went back to the original design that was submitted to Kifaru and tweaked it again. We used the rectangular aspect ratio (the original was a trapezoid) and perimeter zipper from the Koala but otherwise stuck with the original design intent. Kifaru will be compensated for these features just as we're compensated for the Koala. Just yesterday we received a sample of the HPG Kit Bag from an OEM production facility that looks very promising -- a little company you may have heard of by the name of Eagle Industries. We haven't gotten to the point of talking about per unit pricing or timing, let alone locked in a production run, but they nailed the product dead on. Here are the ways in which the HPG Kit Bag differs from the Kifaru Koala:
- 500d cordura instead of 1000d
- no PALS webbing
- 11.5 x 7 x 2 instead of 12 x 8 x 5
- comfortable mesh backed H harness instead of neck pinching X harness
- better pack docking system that interfaces with more types of packs and allows for a natural hang without twisting
- simplified (but useful) internal organization
- color matched #8 zippers sewn inside out for abrasion resistance. #8 zippers are also stronger than #10 according to YKK.
- closed cell foam insert with cutouts next to the body for comfort and structure without too much heat build up
- 1 pound empty weight instead of 2 pounds empty weight
- no velcro panel or loop holsters in the pistol compartment to add weight and impede your draw
Just to elaborate on the size difference a bit; The HPG kit bag is sized such that if you stuff it full, it will weigh about 7 pounds all up. You really don't want more on your chest. It's big enough to carry the load I mention earlier in the thread but not much more. The slim 2" depth is less obtrusive for concealment purposes, allows you to draw a bow, see your feet, and generally forget that it is there. The 11.5" width is plenty for most pistols, and better clears the inside dimension of shoulder straps when worn with a pack. The 7" height is again plenty for most pistols and keeps the bottom edge from resting on your diaphragm when docked to a pack. The other features are important improvements, but the size difference is the biggest. All in all, we're extremely excited about this product. It's exactly what it should be and nothing it shouldn't.
No, we don't have a ballpark price or timeline. Based on Eagle's responsiveness to date (3 weeks from initial contact to sample completion), we're cautiously optimistic that the timeline will be short. The price will simply be what it will be. Eagle stuff is made in the USA to highest quality standards. We'll have to base our price on their price to us. Our price will include both the harness and the pack docking system as those are both integral and essential to the Kit Bag.
Stay tuned to the HPG website for pricing and timing announcements, as well as pictures.
Back to Cheater5's question -- Neither the Koala nor the Kit Bag are designed in such a way that you can unclip the lower straps to throw the rig over your head. Even the much smaller Kit Bag couldn't be comfortable resting on your neck. If you were wearing it without a pack, it wouldn't stay on if you unclipped the lower straps and threw it over your head. If you're wearing a pack and using either one docked, you've got some options. You could actually take the harness off altogether and just have it docked to the pack. When needing to clear your chest, you could unclip and clip it elsewhere for the time being. This would be easier to do with the HPG Kit Bag because it uses Grimlocs for the docking system which you can clip just about anywhere you need to particularly on a temporary basis. So, you may be able to rig a solution for your needs.
We are fortunate in this matter that your conduct will be your marker and, thus, your reputation. The conduct of others on this forum has been, and will continue to be, their marker, and thus, their reputation. In the west, a person invests in one's reputation carefully. - 112Papa |
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| Re: Chest Rig / Kifaru Koala |
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Hallelujah!!!!
I've seen the various prototypes, so I'm curious, will the final version will have some external slot pockets or any hippieflage? |
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| Re: Chest Rig / Kifaru Koala |
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| The front is a slick front with a zipper pocket with slot pockets inside it. |
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| Re: Chest Rig / Kifaru Koala |
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| Re: Chest Rig / Kifaru Koala |
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Fantastic!!!! I love the concept of the Koala but it just seems huge. I wear chest rigs for SAR work and they can become very uncomfortable fast if they are too big or too heavy. I can't wait to see the Eagle version and give it a test drive in the SAR world. We sometimes have to carry concealed for safety (Animals and human animals). Traditional radio chest rigs don't accommodate a gun very well, and open carry can get you in trouble from a PR stand point with the public.
Nice job! |
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| Re: Chest Rig / Kifaru Koala |
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Pictures of the new HPG Kit Bag are now up on the home page of the website.
We are fortunate in this matter that your conduct will be your marker and, thus, your reputation. The conduct of others on this forum has been, and will continue to be, their marker, and thus, their reputation. In the west, a person invests in one's reputation carefully. - 112Papa |
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