First Impressions: Unobtainium Gear DR Integrated Placard (DRIP)

If you’re looking for a chest rig you’ve got options. Lots of them. The market for expandable placards is pretty vast. It could be considered the default option for trying to build the perfect rig. Unobtainium Gear’s DR Integrated Placard (DRIP) is a good starting point.

My first introduction to Unobtainium Gear, designed and made in Richmond, VA, was with what they are now calling the DR Chest Rig. Mostly elastic and a minimalist design, its simplicity was what got my attention. Although there are many elastic chest rigs, this one took the liberty of adding two elastic side wings. These side wings are more open than a traditional pouch which aids in the minimalism of the rig.

This rig eventually led me to purchase their DR Integrated Placard or DRIP. It takes what I liked about the DR Chest Rig and enhances it into an expandable placard that can be mounted to a plate carrier or be a standalone rig. Other improvements include MOLLE attachments to the front of each magazine pouch, the option to add First Spear Tubes, and a Velcro back to expand to the sides or bottom.

With all of those additions you get from the DRIP, I think the best one is the optional SLEDS inserts which appear to be two laser-cut Tegris panels that will sandwich the magazine in along with the elastic to create solid retention and easy re-indexing of the mags. There will also be a small area behind the MOLLE to insert smaller items like a multi-tool, chemlight, or Sharpie.

I’m excited to create a great chest rig with the DRIP as my base component. Stick around and see how it works in my overall chest rig system.

AJ Manglona

Sgt, USMC (Ret.)