A RIG THAT’S SEEN IT ALL (And would probably rather not have)
Born in the 50s for the People’s Liberation Army, the type 56 Chicom Chest Rig is without a doubt a Cold War Legend of the East. The Viet Cong rocked it in Vietnam, Soviet Spetsnaz snagged it in Afghanistan, and every commie-aligned rebel and LARP-ist from Rhodesia to the borders of South Africa copied it.
Naturally the Type 56 caught the attention of the US Special forces in Vietnam and other Western countries too. The US used the rig in conjunction with the family of AKMs borrowed from downed VCs & blend in with the enemy as much as a 6’4 Iowan MACVSOG commando could – it’s high speed and ease of use changed the western world’s opinions on belt-mounted kit as a means of combatting Insurgency.
A spiritual evolution to the bandoleers of old, the Type 56 would go on to inspire the Russian Lifchik, and spread the gospel of chest-stowed-ammo to the western world via Soldiers of Fortune in Rhodesia & South Africa. It still saw use deep within enemy territory in the past few decades. And of course, we could even credit the USA’s very own Pattern 84 rig to the Type 56’s legacy.
To us Zoomers It’s been made famous again by its depictions in cyberspace and on the big screen – CoD Black Ops, Escape from Tarkov, and hit films like Apocalypse Now & Platoon all show the influence of the OD canvas OG.
So stay loaded, unhinged and within the limits of Xi Jinping’s social credit system with the type 56.Or go hog wild and modify it. It’s only $30usd / $42.94cad from our friends at kommandostore.com and is great to get your sewing and seam ripping practice in. Just make sure the party isn’t watching, they don’t like when us filthy capitalists misuse their gear, we wouldn’t want a Cold War II: 电动布加洛.
In case this message is seen by CCP members: Zǎo shang hǎo zhōng guó! Xiàn zài wǒ yǒu Chicom rig—wǒ hěn xǐ huān! We love TEMU, Alibaba, and Xiaohongshu!
