I know Viktos as a clothing brand. I love their jeans. They make my favorite jacket, and I’m currently wearing a pair of their boots as I type this. Viktos is a high-end, often expensive, clothing brand that targets the firearms world, police, and military. So imagine my shock when I scrolled across a Viktos post showing off their newest chest rig. The Taculus, as it’s called, appeared to be a minimalist rig for modern rifle platforms.
Sweet! I clicked the link. The rig was a nice surprise, but the budget-friendly price of 75 dollars was the real surprise. That makes the Taculus about half the price of the boots I’m wearing. While Viktos doesn’t have a lot of experience in the load-bearing gear world, I had a fair bit of faith in the company after using their other products.
I knew I had to have one. They graciously sent me one for testing and review, and I’ve been putting the Taculus through its paces.
The Taculus is a straight-up minimalist rig.
You aren’t packing that Fallujah-ready loadout with the Tacaulus. This thing packs three magazines, with some room on each magazine pouch to extend. What’s great is that you can pack either AK or AR magazines in the Tacaulus. AKs don’t seem to get the same love as ARs, so it’s always nice to see another option pop up.
The mag pouches are lined with non-slip PVC inserts to keep things locked in place until you need them. The outside of each pouch has a few ladders worth of laser-cut MOLLE to tack another mag pouch or grenade pouch if you are a real OG. Personally, I wish someone made a MOLLE pouch that would perfectly fit a roll of M&M minis.
Sitting low on the rig is a dangling pouch the same width as the rig. It is perfectly placed to toss your medical gear into. It’s small but usable for IFAK tasks. Four straps help you carry it all, with two over the shoulders and two around the pack connecting to the big padded back section.
You can also drop the straps and run the Taculus on a plate carrier as a magazine shingle. The velcro MOLLE at the rear is covered and protected until needed. The Taculus comes in black or Multicam black, and since I like the drip, I went with Multicam black.
Strapping Up with the Viktos Taculus
It’s fairly easy to adjust the Taculus to fit everyone from pencil-thin rogues to battle hippos. It comes sized for the rogues, but as a battle hippo, I adjusted it to perfectly fit my large, less lithe frame. The sizing mechanism is a bit ingenious. A dangler at the front makes big adjustments to complement the small adjustments you make via the straps.
These danglers make it so that you don’t have to deal with tons of slack strap. The included strap holders keep things neat and locked in place. It’s quite nice. Plus, no hanging straps mean nothing to get caught on. 1st Sergeant would be pleased.
All of the straps meet at the big padded portion in the back. It’s an absolutely lovely addition. The Taculus provides plenty of support for three AR or even three fully loaded AK mags. The weight of three mags isn’t much, and this big padded portion seems almost unneeded. Yet, it’s super comfy and provides a tremendous amount of support. Hell, I’d load up 40-rounders for the AR portion and still feel comfy. I hate to use the term overkill in the face of superior comfort, but that’s the only word I can think of.
Tossing on the Taculus is easy, even with it adjusted and tightened down. The magnetic buckles are oh-so-nice. They snap off and on with a tug, yet don’t move unless you want them to. This is a great touch and not something I expected to see on a budget carrier.
Lights, Chest Rig, Action
One of the best parts of testing stuff like the Taculus is that I get to combine training with gear testing. It doesn’t feel like work at that point. With the Taculus mounted and ready, I hit the range dry. I started by keeping things simple and focused. I worked reloads in the standing, squared to the target.
The Taculus mag pouches eat up a good bit of the AR magazine, but there is still more than enough to grip and rip for a reload. I never grabbed the rig and mag at the same time, and I didn’t have to change focus from my target to the mags to get one free.
From there, I moved into multiple positions. The minimalist design does allow for a tight and low-to-the-ground prone position. The magazines are set high enough for decently easy retrieval.
The rig itself never gets in the way when taking low kneeling, double knee, or working behind cover. After a little dry practice, I filled the mags and started some retention testing. I ran sprints and did box jumps and exercises like mountain climbers and tire flips. I got nice and sweaty, but the Taculus kept the mags in place without even one slipping.
The Taculus knows when to hold ’em and when to let me have them to reload my gun. I might not do Kenny Roger’s reference very well, but the Taculus holds magazines damn well. When adjusted properly, it doesn’t move either, and I never had pinching or pain due to the straps.
Minimalist gear doesn’t often come with tons of comfort, but these Viktos rigs don’t disappoint.
The New Guy
Never did I expect Viktos to make a chest rig. It just didn’t seem like their deal. What’s surprising is that a company can enter a market and make an impression, and do so for less than 100 bucks. That’s a fairly impressive accomplishment. The Viktos Taculus is the standard chest rig, and they also produce one called the Low Key, which looks perfect for hikes and jobs while armed.
Check out Viktos and send ’em some love. If you are in the market for a minimalist rig, then they have you covered.
