HSGI Battle Belt Bridge Now Available

HSGI (High Speed Gear Inc.) released a new platform they call the HSGI Battle Belt Bridge a few days ago. They tell us it's designed to “bridge the gap” of the Sure-Grip Padded Belt, thus substantially increasing the storage capability of available PALS (more often called MOLLE by the uninformed). The new real estate consists of six additional columns of webbing, and it ships with an HSGI Clip and their side-release buckles so it's simple to install and quick to remove.

It's a little like a tactical muffin top. Or cummerbund maybe. But muffin top sounds better.

Now, it's important to take note of what this is and what it's not. It is a specific piece of load bearing equipment that fills a particular niche. It was designed to fulfill a need, and thus will be of interest to people who, well, need it. It is not intended to be a standard piece of kit that everyone could, should or would use. So, yes, while wearing it would not be conducive to uninterrupted respiration if you're forced to go prone under fire while wearing it, that probably won't concern competitive shooters overmuch.

There are other folks who might want to use it for a temporary plus-up. Someone dealing with rioting savages who're out for a violent night of looting, burning, and gratuitous mayhem might want additional flex-cuffs or less-lethal 12-gauge rounds, for instance if ROE (Rules of Engagement) and SOFA (Status Of Forces Agreement) permit. Or perhaps a guy on his way to hit a specific complex of mud huts in Derkaderkastan might feel the need for extra mags and an SSE (Sensitive Site Exploitation) pouch. Who knows? Some of us wear an HSGI Battle Belt in place of a day pack while hiking or instructing. The Bridge could be valuable there too.

We feel the need to clarify that for those who decry it's impracticality, it's solution to a “problem they didn't know existed”, or similar half-witted statements. Although few of them will actually read the article before commenting, so this is a Quixotic measure at best.

But I digress.

It's hard to tell from the video, but it does look like the net gain is six columns, not four, even with the need to secure the belt. If we wind up playing with one we'll let you know.

If you need more information, watch the both videos or find the Battle Belt Bridge on the HSGI website here. It's available in black, coyote, MultiCam, Olive Drab and Wolf Grey and it's only $35.