Chicom Chest Rig

Chicom Chest Rig
Produced	1950s-????
Manufacturer(s)	Various
Material(s)	Canvas
Evolved into	Unknown
Service
Used by	Peoples Liberation Army Viet Cong People's Army of Vietnam Soviet Army Mujahideen
Wars	Vietnam War Soviet–Afghan War

The Chicom Chest Rig, or Chicom for short, is a chest rig of Chinese origin.

Overview

Created for the Peoples Liberation Army sometime in the 1950s. The name is derived from the words Chinese Communist, however, Chicom is also used to refer to other gear from communist China.

Variants

Type 56 AK Chest Rig

The most commonly found variant. Has three magazine pockets in the center with two sets of smaller pouches on either side. One of the smaller pouches would be rubberized for containing an oiler bottle. Introduced alongside the Type 56 rifle.

Type 56 SKS Chest Rig

Has 10 pockets for SKS stripper clips. Meant for the Type 56 SKS.

Type 63 SKS Chest Rig

Has 5 large pockets for SKS magazines and two smaller pouches on either side. Meant for the Type 63 SKS.

Type 81 Chest Rig

Type 79 Chest Rig

History

The first major appearance of the Chicom was during the Vietnam war utilized by the Viet Cong and People's Army of Vietnam. US special operators then stole or copied the design to better blend in or use enemy weaponry.

During the Soviet–Afghan War, many Soviet soldiers utilized the Chicom chest rig. This caused the Soviet Union to develop and manufacturer its own version know as the First Pattern Lifchik.

The Chicom chest rig also went on to inspire designs from other countries such as South Africa and Rhodesia.