IRT EGER Chest Rig review

This is the old version of the Eger chest rig, originally made by SSO. This version can be spotted on two pictures during Beslan school drama 2004.

Not much later the design was changed, using Velcro and snaps on the pouches, instead of the leather straps, and the two small side pockets for grenades where changed to two-two separate pouches.
However to find this early (or maybe first) version of the Eger rig is almost impossible.

  original rig from Beslan (the one from the original photos above)

This is why I think IRT (Indonesian Repro Technologies) decided to reproduce this exact version.

I'm a big fan of the Smersh, but I wanted a chest rig for smaller missions, or when I have to carry big backpack. I have searched a lot, to find what would be the most suitable for my needs. Earlier I have tried the SSO Lazutchik, but it has some features in the order of the pockets that I don't like. So I decided to get an Eger. I have examined the current version, but nowadays SSO uses a very week and bad quality material, so I did not wanted to risk it. I also like old school type of gear, so when I found it out that IRT is making this rig I started to think to get it from them.
Their price is one reason to think it over more than once, because it is a repro stuff we are talking about.
But anyway, I decided to buy one.

First I had to find the best source for this, I live in Europe but it was a bit cheaper to order it from

www.vectorspecialty.com Canada. 

They are reliable and have great customer service, I can only recommend them. However the Eger rig was not in stock, it was made after my order, and was sent from Indonesia directly from the manufacturer.

Lets see the rig itself

At the first look, it was excellent, it is Avizent, it has good sewing and good quality materials. It looks like the original, except from a few small details.

One is the colour of the mustard yellow straps, the original, is not as bride yellowish as on the IRT, more brown shade. On the original, old type SSO products, they used brown Velcro, not apple green like on the IRT version. The snaps on the original have the SSO logo, IRT has none, which is not a big problem, just to see the full picture I would like to mention.

The biggest problem is the Avizent material. It is Avizent that is true, but half thick as the original. I have compared it with my original backpack and gaiters, and must say IRT type is way way weaker. And this is also true on the black material they used, which is on the original items supposed to be water resistant. For the price of their product, the used material seems to be a bit low quality, and this is the real disappointment about the product.

lower part of the picture is a piece of original Avizent material

The Eger rig is a lightweight rig, at some points it maybe the modernisation of the Liftchik rig used in Afghanistan.

It has three magazine pouches in the front. Those have removable separators inside. They can hold two magazines each, with the separator inside or three when the separator is removed, but this way they are so tight that it is uncomfortable to use.

There are two flare pouches, one on each side, they have also Velcro separators inside, so it is easy to use with or without them. The covers of these pouches are secured with Velcro.

There are two grenade pouches on the sides, securing with leather strap, also with Velcro separators. These pouches have a great size for utility purposes.

The Eger has padded shoulder straps, the padding gives a good comfort if the rig is weighted, the straps are nylon type material, like the one used for seatbelts. They are very strong but slippery. so to keep them in the place after I set them, I have used some electric tape. To be old school I have chosen blue ones, like "elektrichka" ;)

The radio pouch is included to the rig. It is the copy of the old type SSO radio pouch. Not much to say, it is well made.

At the back of the rig there is a map pouch.

The conclusion from the IRT Eger chest rig, is that I can have a really oldschool looking type rig, made from Avizent. It is lightweight, it has place for everything I need, in a comfortable way.
The material is however not as strong as the real one, as I would have expected for the price. But all in all, I like it, and it is surely a unique piece of my gear.

Spetsgruppa VOSTOK in action

 Our team was on a two day Milsim event. Our task was to locate various coordinates, in a war zone without being noticed.

SSO Bergen Backpack

The SSO Bergen is a version of the classic Bergen style rucksacks. An exact same design backpack in flora pattern is adopted for some mountain units by the Russian Army (manufactured by different contractors, but according to the SSO design).

The main pack has a nominal capacity of 60L and the two side pockets provide 10-10L of additional space.

If there is no need the use of the largest capacity of the backpack, it can be adjusted by several possibilities to achieve a more compact form (compression and adjustment straps for the main pack and for the lid). To reduce the size, the side pockets can be removed, which makes the backpack significantly narrower and more similar in look to the civilian trekking backpacks.

A well known feature of the Bergen style rucksacks is also present. The removed side pockets can be zippered together to form a small backpack. In this case the zipper can be secured also by two hook-and-loop fasteners.

The side pockets are fixed to the main pack not only by the zippers, but there is one pair of straps that helps to hold them and reduces the load placed on the zippers.

There are two straps on each side of the main pack, covered by the side pockets that can be used for fixing longish thing (weapons, tents etc.). These things can be supported at the bottom by inserting the end of them into the small pouch.

However, these straps can be used only when the side pockets are removed and although there are straps with similar function on the side pockets, those are much less stable fixing points.

The lid is attached to the pack by two adjustable straps at the back and it is closed with two buckles at the front, which are attached to two long compression straps which are easily adjustable in length by pulling their ends.

There are two compartments inside the lid. The larger one can be accessed from outside and contains the waterproof cover provided for the backpack. The smaller one can be opened from inside and great for holding small objects (keys, pocket knives etc.) or documents. The two lower sides of the lid are rubberized which helps to tighten the lid onto the top of the main pack and it is also useful when rolled-up sleeping mat is carried below the lid.

As further attachment possibilities, there are also 4 steel D-rings fixed to the lid and some slots sewn on the top for additional straps.

The lid covers the top opening of the main pack which can be closed by two strings; one closes the opening when the extension is not used, while the second one closes the extension.

The lower part of the main pack is accessible through a zipper closure which is supported by two straps, as well. At the bottom there are attachment points.

The main pack can be divided by a foldable flap. This can separate a compartment for the sleeping bag or other similar sized objects if necessary.

There is one more pouch inside the main pack. It can hold a radio or a hydration bladder. The opening for the drinking tube is also prepared.

The inner frame is also located at the back of the main pack. The two aluminum lathes can be removed after the opening of the cover flaps.

On the front part of the main pack there are seven rows of MOLLE with seven slots in each row.

At this point I would like to mention the problem which caused the only disappointment. The stitches of the MOLLE straps started to loosen at some point after slight usage.

At the top there are carrying handles at the front and at the back.

The back of the rucksack is well padded and ventilated.

The position of the shoulder straps is adjustable via the well known method, used frequently on different military and civilian backpacks.

Length adjustment for the shoulder pads is possible through steel ladder buckles (same ones, that were used on the US ALICE packs).

There is a sternum strap attached to the shoulder pads. This helps to transfer some of the load from the shoulders to the chest.

The right shoulder pad has a fast release system. The left one however lacks this feature.

The shoulder pads provide some further attachment points.

The hip belt is fixed to the pack below the hip pad with high quality hook-and-loop fastener. It is also attached to the pack through an adjustable strap on each side. These also help to stabilize the pack when moving. The hip belt is closed in the middle with a large buckle.

In conclusion the SSO/Sposn Bergen is a really good backpack which can take huge loads and also very flexible as the size is adjustable in a large range according to the requirements. Except the flaws in case of the MOLLE straps there are no signs of torn stitches and the pack can last long even in case of large loads as well.