I’ve been using various carriers for years, but at the start of 2014 I received a new and unique system: the Tasmanian Tiger Trojan.

The Trojan has a lot to offer as a rifle carrier, and after a few months of using it I can see myself retiring some of my older packs.

At its core: the Trojan is an ultra-flexible rifle carrier, that can be adapted for different distinct uses.

There are two primary parts to the Trojan: an assault pack, and a rifle scabbard.

The assault pack has a large interior compartment with included camera-case-style velcro dividers and 8 interior pockets. On the outside of the pack, you have a large flat zip pocket on the front, and four small compression straps at each corner. There’s a rubberized handle on the very top of the pack, and a velcro section for attaching whatever patches your mission or vanity requires.

External elasticized water bottle holders and drinking tube vents on each side round it out as a proper hiking pack. This uses the same carrying system and shape-able internal aluminum frame as the Mission Pack, which has excellent shoulder straps and a small hip belt. I’m a thin waisted guy, so I appreciate the elasticized strap retention, which I’ve always preferred over the velcro-rolls common on other straps.

The scabbard has molle up and down both sides, a reinforced end, and a butt cover that attaches via velcro and buckles. A set of 4 molle binding straps snap the scabbard in between the assault pack’s carrying system and it’s main pouch. The molle straps mean you can move the scabbard up or down, and even remove it entirely.

When you remove the scabbard, you can zip up the assault pack to remove the dead space, and make sure the load of the main pouch is against your back where it belongs.

The scabbard itself has its own set of shoulder straps that are hidden when inside the main pack. They also attach via molle, and while they’re only flat strapping, they do have a functional chest strap and allow you to carry the rifle scabbard alone. There’s also a molle threaded handstrap on the scabbard, which I opted to transfer over to the side of the assault pack.

If there was one thing I could change about this pack: I would add a second one of those hand-grips onto the other side of the assault pack. I like having handles when tossing packs like this into the back of a vehicle.

But the flexibility really starts to shine when you look at all the different ways to use all these different carriers and straps.
For one trip, we took a .308 rifle alone in the scabbard, but attached a small utility pouch on the outside that held all the ammo Jess and I would shoot that day.

I took the Trojan pack without a scabbard to Shot Show this year, and used its interior dividers and pockets as a great camera and sound bag.

I can carry my mags, lunch, spotting scope, and a folding stock Vz58 in the completed trojan without needing to use the butt-cover. The scabbard is deep enough to cover the entire rifle, but if I want to keep it accessible: I can insert the gun with the stock unfolded and retrieve it without unshouldering the pack.

I’ve also taken the flat molle carry straps and attached them to an old unused shotgun scabbard. Suddenly this thing that was collecting dust in my gear closet is a great way to carry my Russian M44 carbine in the bush.

I have a wide variety of guns, and take them to all kinds of different places. I know the Trojan is going to see a lot of use this summer because its flexibility means that I can quickly and easily make it the right solution for a given trip.

If you want to see some footage of the pack in action, I also put together a youtube video:

Take a look at the side by side photos. From left to right you’ve got a LAR-15 10 round pistol magazine, a 30-round Magpul M3 Pmag, a 40-rounder Pmag, then the massive 10-round Mka 1919 magazine, and lastly the standard 5-round Mka 1919 magazine.

The 5 rounders fit beautifully into my Tasmanian Tiger single-mag shingles. These soft pouches are made for AR-15 magazines, but I’ve fit all kinds of off-size magazines in there before including Vz58 .223 magazines and now the fat Mka 1919s.

The 10 rounders present a different problem though. Even HGSGI Tacos, the Holy Grail of mag carriers, struggle in the face of a full-size Mka 1919 magazine.

But I’m kind of guy who’s got an overflowing gear closet, and the determination to make something work. My solution?

The Tasmanian Tiger Communication pouches  I originally bought for my  Garmin Rhino GPS set can be retrofit to take the Mka 1919 mags. Tasmanian Tiger designed these to be as adjustable as possible to fit a wide range of radios .

These are quite cleverly made: essentially two strips of material with hook-and-loop panels control the depth and width of the pouch, while a double bungie-snap reaches over, and can be adjusted by length to go over or around different antennas.

After some strategic sizing, and stretching the included bungie retainer to its max, I’ve got a pouch that can keep a Mka 1919 ten rounder in place. I used an extra malice clip in addition to the integral molle mount to make sure nothing is flopping about, and so far things seem good.

This setup has survived stairs, sprints, and burpees, but we will have to see if it continues to hold firm through range trips and the competition itself.

The big 10 rounders I bought actually required a bit of gunsmithing before they’d even lock into the gun properly. So they’ve certainly been an unusual experience. But they’re a huge part of what makes the Mka 1919 such a fun solution.

Astonishingly, some custom shops in the US make 23 round magazines. I can imagine that going prone with one of those behemoth isn’t an easy transition.

Next I have to figure out how I want to tape, label, and separate my magazines into slug and target loads. Stay tuned!

At the core of this is the war-belt, also known as a battle-belt. This padded belt traditionally integrated into a soldier’s load bearing system. It carries rifle magazines, first aid kits, and all manner of necessary equipment when on patrol overseas or in any number of dangerous environments. However, the war-belt has found a life independent from the drop-loads, chest-rigs, plate-carriers, and assault-packs involved in a complete system.

I have two distinct setups built from Tasmanian Tiger’s Warrior Belt: one for the specific applications of 3-Gun, and one built to maximize flexibility outdoors between all kinds of firearms.

The first setup is an adaptive (not dynamic) war-belt. It’s one of the least tactical but most flexible pieces of equipment I own. Because of that: it sees more use than any of my other soft-cloth gear.

Without changing anything I can take it to the indoor range for pistol drills, wear it out into the wilderness for a hike with the shotgun, or throw it in the back of the jeep with a new rifle that is about to be zeroed.

As part of this focus on flexibility I’ve chosen soft cloth Tasmanian Tiger magazine pouches. Two rifle, two pistol. The mag pouches use an elastic retainer and can fit P-mags, M-14 mags, both calibers of Vz-58 magazines or even AK-47 mags if needed. They may not be designed for everything I force into them, but they’ll hold anything I might want to take to the range on a given day.

In the same vein, I use the adjustable MKII Holster, which I can fit and wrap around any pistol from a walther .22 to a .357 revolver. It can hold any handgun in my safe, regardless of lights, lasers, sights or magazines I might choose.

This means the holster is not a duty carry setup. It does not have serpa retention or other speed releases. But in the name of flexibility it can securely hold any sidearm or accommodate radios, GPS units, laser rangefinders and other similarly sized equipment.

I’ve attached a OSOE shotgun panel for 12 rounds of shotshells, and a TT dump pouch. Personally, I find a good dump pouch makes a world of difference to my shooting. It’s a space for loose ammo, a pocket for your cold-weather gloves, or a bin for empties and trash.

I try to promote responsible range care, and nothing encourages you keep your shooting area clean like having a bag on you to put spent shells and empty boxes. Plus the standard empty-magazine-storage helps make sure you’re not tossing your precious p-mags in the dirt.

I keep the belt on this quite loose around my waist, and often wear it in conjunction with a set of suspenders (the updated MkII Warrior Belt includes these). This means that the load-out can be used by anyone else of similar body size, and that I don’t have to resize any straps between shooting indoors in a T-shirt and out on a mountainside with insulating layers.

This belt is built for the kind of shooting situations that I experience on a regular basis, and because of that it sees regular use.

My second build is part of my introduction to 3 Gun: holds your pistol and munitions. Nothing else.

War-belts are made up of 3 components: an inner belt that fastens around the waist, a padded outer belt with molle attachment points, and the actual load bearing parts attached to the molle. For my 3-gun setup I replaced the standard inner belt with a tight Ferro Concepts belt.

This offers two advantages: the upgraded raptor clip, and the ability to weave the 2″ belt through the war-belt panels. This way I can use both molle and belt mounted magazine carriers. I buckle this setup in the rear, to maximize the real estate right in front of me.

I use a Fobus hoslster, as its one of the few Israeli holsters designed to fit the Israeli Jericho 941. I’ve found the best stability for this actually involves placing the entire paddle over the war-belt, rather than threading it into molle or 2″ belt sections.

This will hold 3 rifle magazines of different capacities at an even height, and a 5 pistol magazines right up front. I’m currently working on a shotgun solution. Hopefully I’ll have an update on that soon. 

The way I’ve setup my warrior belt, it would be out of place on a battlefield. But that hasn’t stopped me from using it at every opportunity.

Sometimes equipment gets so caught up on being combat-ready, or built for SHTF, or loaded down with tactical-extras, that it can get left behind in the closet for just regular shooting. When I spend money on gear, my goal is to never let it rust in the closet. This war-belt certainly doesn’t run that risk.

As part of the CTAR-21 build I decided to change to a simpler, more flexible sling system.

Essentially, it is a quiet, easily adjustable 2 point sling that still allows for off-shoulder firing.

I chose the Vickers sling from Blue Force Gear because of its simplicity and quick adjustment feature. Lots of smart guys I trust have been recommending this sling for years, so I’ll keep it brief.

The quality materials and the ability to compress or extend the sling at a moment’s notice were major factors in my decision. I like the unpadded version, as this gives me the longest workable length of material and means that I can create the tightest total loop.

For the Tavor, I use a mash hook with a “silencer” cover and buckle on the front-left mount, and a paracord loop tied into the rear right mount. The mash hook fits tightly around the Israeli front mount, while the standard buckle serves as a breakaway for quick removal. My mash-hook and buckle assembly come from Urban ERT, but there are several quality manufacturers for this sort of hardware.

Directly behind that is the Vickers trademark pull that allows adjustment of sling length. This means that while walking, the rifle can be carried tight and close, but quickly and easily loosened off for shooting. Being able to fine tune the length of the sling is also handy when your body size changes between environments, like when wearing a t-shirt to the range compared to a heavy coat into the mountains or armour-plates and kit overseas.

The rear knot is a standard figure-eight for climbing, but any solid knot of reasonable size will do as a stop. Putting the sling on the right side means that you can transition shoulders without strangling yourself. I felt that the 550 paracord from Agilite Tactical was uniquely suited to this task, being made in Israel.

I have seen other Tavor owners use a full loop through the rear of the rifle, so that the sling can slide freely to either side. I am not a fan of this, as it invites unintentional activation of the bolt release.

My Israeli TAR-21 does not have any QD points, but a similar system could easily be adapted for an American SAR-21.

After years of trying many other slings, and a full 12 months with this setup: this is the best way for me to carry and shoot the Tavor.