Patrol Incident Gear - Armo(u)r Kit Bag

[TheFull9]

The Armour Kit Bag

by Patrol Incident Gear

(P.I.G. AKB)

So you've spent hundreds, if not thousands, of your hard earned cash-money on your plate carrier/chest rig/vest, yet when it comes to skirmish day you inevitably end up carrying said rig from your car to the safe zone in a cheap, flimsy holdall, or worse, your actual hand.  Clearly, this is neither ally, gucci nor HSLD.  That's where the AKB from Patrol Incident Gear comes in.
 
P.I.G. is a brand exclusive to SKD Tactical which produces some very clever and original gear designs, intended to fill gaps in the market and perform tasks that other equipment doesn't.  They make a wide range of kit from super low-profile gloves to specifically shortened hydration carriers, chest rigs and plate carriers.  Although unlike most manufacturers such as LBT, BFG, HSGI etc they do not currently produce a full line-up of MOLLE pouches, they aim more towards the type of kit that does something nobody else is doing at the time.
 
The AKB is a prime example of this, much like the 'Helmet Hut' by FirstSpear the original intention behind the bag is to protect the equipment that will eventually protect you, as a person that goes in harms way.  For the manufacturers description and images, click the link below to the SKD product page:
 
http://www.skdtac.com/PIG-Armor-Kit-Bag-AKB-p/pig.519.htm
 
For a complete overview covering all aspects of the bag (plus the optional shoulder straps), here's my video review:
 

Videos are all good of course, but having to hit pause every time you want to look at something in detail isn't much fun, neither is the image quality particularly high even in 1080p, so here's some photos of the notable features of the AKB.  Starting off with the feature you'll appreciate the most if you do run ceramic plates, the ¼" enclosed cell foam trough that encapsulates the bottom end of the AKB.
 

 
When the bag is oriented vertically, the foam creates a padded trough along the bottom of your LBE and also covers the lower half of the front and back (dependent on the height of your carrier of course).  The line in the cordura where the zip finishes indicates the upper edge of the foam.
 
This is the upper area of the front, featuring a velcro enclosure with transparency for your ID and/or personal details, as well as 3 stowage pockets which will happily accommodate magazines, gloves, headgear, holsters and all other kit of a similar size.  You can also see the integrated carrying handles which comprise a single piece of 1" mil-spec webbing that loops all the way underneath the AKB and forms both actual handles, taking in to account this webbing has a whole ton of double/X-reinforced stitching holding it in place, you can rest fully assure that these handles are never going to break.
 

 
One of my gripes is that I'm 6'0" tall with proportionally short arms, yet this bag is so tall that it will intermittently drag along the ground when I walk with my arm straight down by my side.  On the other hand you wouldn't be able to store a PC, belt rig and helmet inside it without having that size.  This brings us along to the optional addition of the P.I.G. Mk1 Shoulder straps, which I would say are well worth the extra investment.  Below you can see the upper attachment points for the shoulder straps as well as the opening to the large stowage pocket on the rear side of the bag, which is ideal for carrying insulating mid-layers, blankets and other such items you're going to want to have on a long haul flight out to somewhere unpleasant you're being sent to.
 

 
The helmet storage system is simple but effective, pictured below holding in my TMC Airframe.  It should comfortably hold any model of Ops-Core, MICH, Mk6/7 or anything else you care to throw in there.  It is located in such as position as to sit your helmet neatly between the shoulder straps of your PC, even with a fair amount of accessories attached.  Though if you do have some particularly expensive NODs or other gear on your lid and want to keep it inside something like the FirstSpear helmet hut, then that whole setup could also be secure in place by the stirrup, since the straps have a good range of adjustment.
 

 
When it comes to actually stowing gear in to the AKB, I have to say it does all fit in very nicely and neatly.  For example, here's a Warrior DCS (equivalent size to a 6094, APC or LMAC) inside with the upper sections of the bag folded down for illustration.
 

 
Next up I added in a Tac Tailor Battle Belt with HSGI Drop-leg and the Airframe.
 

 
In future I'll be organising everything inside slightly differently so that the helmet sits better inside the top of the PC.  As you can see however the bag closes up nicely (even with a bit of room to spare) when holding these 3 primary components.  For those players who do frequently skirmish using a modern military type loadout using some of combination of PC/belt line/helmet, the AKB will serve you very well.
 


The main zip itself is chunky and heavy duty, supplied with nice quiet paracord loops instead of noisy, rattling metal.  Overall constructions quality is excellent, most importantly the stitching is top notch, all the double/triple extra reinforcements you'd expect to see. 500D cordura, webbing, edging ribbon, paracord, ITW plastic hardware; everything's military specification.
 
Whether this particular piece of gear suits you personally is something you'll have to decide, there are also some pretty good chest rigs out there for less money than this bag, no denying that.  You could get a TAG Banshee for less and that's a decent bit of kit for 'softing right there.  If it does fill a gap in your existing load-carriage equipment however then you'll find the AKB will serve you very well indeed.
 

Oink, oink, mofo.

Edited December 26, 2012 by CKinnerley

[Wingmann]

A very interesting bag for sure. I'm currently using a 3-day backpack for the same purpose and even when it fills the gap I'd prefer something designed for the purpose.

 

Thanks!

[TheFull9]

Yep, had similar thoughts myself.  It's just nice to have something that's specifically for that purpose as you say, though I didn't actually have any sort of bag for my LBE before this so it's been a bit step forward.  Also SKD happened to have them in CB under their 'Deal of the Day' which was about 1/3 off when I picked mine up, so that helped the decision making process to say the least.

 

The MC and RG versions do look pretty awesome I must admit.

[uscmCorps]

This was intriguing to me when I first saw SKD listing it, but my only concern is the lack of padding throughout the bag. All my PCs have level III and some have level IV plates. I'd be worried that I might forget what I have inside the bag, or someone else might not realize what's in the bag and drop the entire thing potentially damaging the ceramic plates. Great review though and good pics. It's given me a better idea of the overall sizing relative to the PC itself. SKD's pics make the bag look massive ... which it clearly isn't. It's just big enough to put your armor kit into. Thanks for posting!

[TheFull9]

No worries.  I think there's a way to remedy any concerns with a couple of dollars worth of foam and a knife.

 

The section in the base that comes with the foam supplied has spare room, so you could definitely put another layer of ¼" in there at least.  The stowage pouch on the back runs pretty much the full length of the bag so you can put more foam in there.  Also the bottom edges of the 3 pouches on the front are in line with the upper edge of the foam that forms the trough, so if you put more foam in to those you'll have complete coverage across the whole front and back; with that done I think there will be more than enough protection in the event of a fall to the side as well.  Plus you'll still be able to hide away the shoulder straps if you went with them (speaking generally there).

 

Quick note on the overall dimensions:  H24" x W19" x D5"

 

If anyone does get the shoulder straps then be sure to grab both at the same time whenever you pick up the bag.  The system SKD have used for the attachment of the upper points doesn't like it when you grab the loaded bag by one strap at a time.  If anyone finds a way to permanently attach the upper connection points I'd highly recommend that, particularly if you've got the weight of real armour inside.  You'll still be able to snap open the QR buckles near the base of the straps and stow them in the large rear pocket so it's no great drama if they're fixed on permanently.

[HardcoreCook]

Nice review, very informative!

Might get one myself later on.

How much did it cost you?

[TheFull9]

I got pretty lucky, SKD had the CB version on as their deal of the day shortly after I decided it'd be useful for me.  Unfortunately that's not happening right now so the price at SKD is what it is, then I had whatever the shipping cost was, the price of the shoulder straps and then 20% of all the above in tax for importing it.  Couldn't tell you the exact figure I paid  unfortunately since I never totted it all up, but if you know your local laws with regards to import taxes and fees it should be easy enough to work out.