212 Tactical Designs – Modular Mastery
Chris Tran introduces us to 212 Tactical Designs and the Tactical Belt Clip System
Police officers in this day and age have an ever-growing responsibility towards the citizens we serve. At any given time on any given shift, we are expected to take on many different roles that require different sets of equipment. I work in a large municipality with many different communities and many different job demands, so my equipment load-out, even as a rank-and-file officer is pretty large. Aside from my patrol bag which includes standard patrol equipment such as all of my forms, ticket books, fingerprinting kit, camera, digital voice recorder, traffic vest, etc., I carry a patrol rifle, active-shooter bag, extra ammo and an Individual First Aid Kit (IFAK) on a dropleg.
I also carry an additional equipment bag with my ballistic Kevlar helmet and face shield, my APR, and rifle plates. Sometimes, depending on the political tenor of my municipality, I’m also required to carry another equipment bag with riot gear in it. Now add my patrol partner who is also a rifle officer with about the same load-out as me, and our patrol car trunk is nothing but a sea of Velcro and black nylon.
Needless to say, there isn’t enough space on my duty belt (or me) to carry all of this stuff, so I have to be able to quickly exchange call-specific equipment and have it securely attached to my person, which is where modular dropleg configurations come into play. Most major manufacturers have equipment modularity down to a science; there are great options readily out there. That being said, the universal major weakness across the board is the attachment system. Most droplegs are attached either by hook and loop, triglide buckles, or Fastex fasteners of different configurations. While accessible and modular, hook and loop webbing takes up a lot of space on the belt, and Fastex buckles are prone to breakage under hard use and can be inadvertently released during a fight or due to careless attachment on the run.
Sheriff’s Deputy Ogawa, a 25 year veteran of a SoCal agency was also unsatisfied with the offerings out there, created his own mounting solution and started a company called 212 Tactical Designs. 212 Tactical Designs partnered with well-established company ZAK Tool to create the ZAK Tool 212 Belt Clip System – a stainless steel metal triangle that mates with the pre-existing ZAK Tool Keyring clip – the ZT54 or ZT55. The belt clip system replaces the stock Fastex buckles on dropleg configurations and replaces them with the ZT212 metal triangle. The triangle easily clips on and off of the ZAK Tool belt clip which achieves several different performance objectives:
- Less occupied space on the duty belt
- Free range of motion to move, crouch, sit, and run
- The clip is strong and durable
- Easy to consciously engage and disengage, but difficult to be removed/stripped/defeated by an attacker
- Inexpensive mounting solution
- Easy to retrofit existing gear
I have been testing and using this outstanding modular system for several months now, and have been thoroughly impressed. I have retrofitted all of my dropleg platforms with the 212 Tactical Belt Clip System, and many of my peers at work have followed suit.
212 Tactical Designs has been featured in such publications a Guns & Tactics Magazine, Officer.com, and Tactical-Officer.com with positive reviews. I am more than happy to pile on the positive accolades. This product makes the job of the line officer more streamlined, efficient, and most importantly – safe. All in a sub-$20 package, a blessing for many on a cop’s salary.
212 Tactical Designs has just re-launched a newer version of their website: http://www.212tactical.com
You can also find them of Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/212Tactical
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