The Adaptive Chest Rig System (ACRS™): Designed by End Users, for End Users

As former Royal Marines Commandos, we’ve spent years operating in some of the most challenging environments in the world. From mountains and deserts to urban terrain, we learned quickly that your kit can make or break your performance. Too often, we found ourselves dealing with equipment that fell short,  rigs that were difficult to adjust, straps that snagged, buckles that failed, or systems that simply didn’t adapt to the mission at hand.

The Adaptive Chest Rig System (ACRS™) is our answer to those shortfalls. It’s been designed from the ground up by end-users, for end-users. Every feature has been tested against the frustrations we experienced in the field. The result is a modular system that can scale up or down to meet any mission requirement, whether you’re conducting direct action, long-range reconnaissance, or even civilian tasks like hiking and adventure training.

The Chest Rig Base: Simplicity Meets Modularity

At the heart of the ACRS™ is the chest rig base, which comes standard as a micro chest rig or chest panel paired with shoulder straps and an H-harness. This core setup provides the foundation for all other components in the system.

It includes all the necessary clips and buckles to assemble the rig. The side straps from the H-harness connect via 25mm field repair buckles into I adapters, which then allow quick-release buckles to be attached to the front panel. Because these are removable, the user has options: run the system with standard 25mm buckles for simplicity or use the quick-release option for faster donning and doffing.

The front panel is fully MOLLE compatible, giving the end user total freedom to attach legacy pouches and configure the rig exactly to their needs. Whether you’re carrying extra magazines, med pouches, or utility pouches, this flexibility ensures the rig adapts to your mission, not the other way around.

Shoulder Straps and H-Harness: Comfort and Control

The ACRS™ shoulder straps are designed for comfort, adjustability, and utility. They loop back onto themselves through a clip on the H-harness and are secured with Velcro, allowing for micro-adjustments to shoulder height. This is a small but crucial detail, as proper fit directly impacts comfort during long patrols or strenuous operations.

The straps feature both vertical and horizontal MOLLE, along with small routing holes, making it easy to attach PTTs, radios, and manage cables. Each system comes standard with Velcro one-wrap cable management, which eliminates the common problem of wires snagging or dangling.

The side straps use a forward adjustment system, allowing the user to quickly fine-tune the fit on the move. This solves one of the biggest frustrations with traditional rigs: complicated and awkward adjustment systems that are impossible to fix under stress.

Extender Wings: Scaling the Rig Up

For missions requiring extra capacity, the extender wings can be added to the base rig. These are three MOLLE rows wide and clip into the system using the same 25mm buckle and quick-release buckle system as the I adapters.

This modularity allows the end user to rapidly attach or remove the wings depending on mission requirements. For instance, a long-range reconnaissance patrol might require radios, additional medical equipment, or other sustainment pouches. For a short, sharp direct action task, you may strip the wings off entirely to keep the rig minimal and streamlined.

The beauty of the extender wings is their speed and ease of use. Simply clip them on, clip them off, no fuss, no wasted time. It’s adaptability in its purest form.

Plate Bag System: From Chest Rig to Fighting Rig

A chest rig is excellent for load carriage, but sometimes you need frontal ballistic protection. That’s why we designed the plate bag system, which transforms the rig into a plate carrier.

The system works by inserting your desired plate into our stretch fabric plate bag, which accommodates multiple plate sizes. The bag features hook and loop Velcro strips that interface with the chest panel’s unique plate fitment system.

By lifting the front panel, two side adjustment wings are exposed. These un-Velcro to reveal the plate pocket at the rear of the system. The plate bag fits snugly into this pocket, secured by Velcro and cinched down from both sides. This ensures the plate is locked in securely in all directions, eliminating bounce or slippage.   

The result? A chest rig that can transition from lightweight reconnaissance to a full direct-action fighting rig with frontal protection in minutes.

The MDLR™ Placard System: Mission-Ready Magazines

The MDLR™5.56mm triple magazine placard is another critical element of the ACRS™. Designed with both speed and versatility in mind, it holds three mags securely while offering room for expansion.

The placard’s frontage is wrapped with elastic, enabling the quick stowage of small items such as tourniquets, multitools, flashlights, or knives. It also allows users to stack magazines, increasing load carriage capacity when required.

On the front of the placard are three double MOLLE slots, giving further space for add-ons like admin pouches or EUD panels.

A key feature of the placard is its ride height adjustment system. Users can change the mounting hardware from G-hooks to QASM buckles, and adjust the ride height to ensure perfect integration not only with the ACRS™ chest rig but also with any other industry-standard placard-accepting systems, including plate carriers.

This means you’re not locked into one platform; your gear moves with you, regardless of system.

The EUD Bridge: Digital Integration

Modern operations often require electronic navigation and mission management tools. The ACRS™ accommodates this need with the EUD bridge.

This panel is six MOLLE rows wide by four rows deep, providing a stable mounting platform for electronic devices such as the Juggernaut case or S&S Precision NavBoard.

By giving operators a dedicated platform for EUD devices, the ACRS™ ensures digital tools are integrated seamlessly into the rig, without compromising access to ammunition, comms, or other mission essentials.

Why the ACRS™ Stands Apart

The Adaptive Chest Rig System isn’t just another rig on the market. It’s the product of hard-earned operational experience combined with a relentless focus on user adaptability.

Where traditional rigs force you into a fixed configuration, the ACRS™ allows you to:

• Scale up or down: From a minimal micro rig to a full fighting system with plates, radios, and sustainment gear.
  

• Customise endlessly: MOLLE compatibility means you’re not restricted to proprietary pouches.
  

• Adapt rapidly: Clip-on wings, interchangeable buckles, and modular placards make reconfiguration fast and simple.
  

• Stay comfortable and efficient: Micro adjustments, forward-adjusting straps, and smart cable management keep you effective in the field.
  

This system has been designed with one goal in mind: to give the end user maximum flexibility and control. Whether you’re a soldier, law enforcement professional, or a civilian adventurer, the ACRS™ adapts to your mission.

Conclusion

The Adaptive Chest Rig System is more than just kit; it’s a philosophy. Built by end users who know the frustrations of poorly designed gear, it provides a mission-driven solution that adapts to every scenario. From direct action to long-range reconnaissance, from minimal setups to fully protected fighting rigs, the ACRS™ empowers you to configure your loadout exactly as you need it.

As Royal Marines Commandos, we learned that adaptability is the key to survival and success. With the ACRS™, we’ve applied that same mindset to kit design. This system is designed by end users, for end users, because when your life depends on your equipment, compromise isn’t an option.

The ACRS™ is still very much a work in progress. We’ve made huge strides in refining the design and testing every component, but we’re committed to making sure it’s as close to perfect as possible before release.

There are still small discrepancies we’re ironing out; the kind of details that make the difference between “good enough” and “outstanding.” These tweaks take time, but we believe that getting it right is more important than rushing it out.

A release date will be announced as soon as we’re confident the system meets the standard we set for ourselves and for you. As Royal Marines, we were never satisfied with kit that was “just okay,” and we’re holding this project to that same standard.