Both in my non-traditional policing experience and in hunting, I have searched high and low for a good way to pack a large pistol while wearing a backpack or carrying a slung rifle.
Carrying a sidearm in a belt holster (regular or crossdraw) gets in the way of the rifle and the backpack waist belt. A vertical crossdraw shoulder rig is only a little better. A tie-down thigh rig like the SWAT and SpecOp operators wear gets the pistol away from other gear, but often presents a moving target when trying to draw under high stress conditions and seems to bang the weapon into everything you pass.
Then I discovered the “Alaska” rig. This system carries the handgun laterally across your chest and can be moved around to position the hand cannon like a shoulder rig or lower down in a crossdraw position near the belt line.
A Cobbled-Together Solution
Several custom leather firms build a version of the Alaska rig, including a friction-fit holster for big bore revolvers, which are fast on the draw but require two hands to re-holster. Cops and many hunters prefer semi-auto handguns, but for some reason, the Alaska-rig builders all make their semi-auto versions with an antiquated wraparound safety strap which binds under your hand during a fast draw, forcing you to use two hands to draw. To circumvent this, I cobbled together a hybrid rig using the Alaska chest harness combined with a plastic Safariland ALS holster.
A number of non-traditional police assignments would find the hybrid chest rig a great way to move the pistol to a place that doesn’t interfere with other gear.
Backcountry cops — especially those wearing a backpack, or riding a horse, or driving an ATV — will find the hybrid rig secure, fast and out-of-the-way.
I once rode with Yellowstone park rangers on snowmobile patrol and they had mostly home-made rigs. The chest rig is perfect for cops who must wear snow suits or heavy parkas. By simply letting the straps out, you can go from carrying inside for weather protection to an outside position for maximum speed.
The WWII pilot’s holster carried a 1911 nearly vertical along the left side of the chest, simply a straight up and down forerunner of the modern chest rig. My first field test involved a remodeled WWII design on a long ATV trip over rugged mountain terrain. It made the 1911 very comfortable and didn’t interfere with riding or carrying a pack while tramping about in bear country, but needed the third “back” strap to keep the pistol from flapping.
The hybrid chest rig allows fast one-hand draws, is easy to re-holster and locks the pistol instantly in place. I have the Safariland model 6378 holster mounted on a quick-detach plate, so it takes only a second to switch my 10mm Nighthawk to a belt slide or paddle for normal strong-side carry.
I hope to see a chest rig on the market in the near future. Most cops will never need one, but those who do should consider an Alaska rig.
