As long as firearms have been around, there's been a need to conveniently haul and distribute ammo to soldiers — as the old adage goes, "Ammo wins wars".
The Bandolier has seen usage all the way back to the days of black powder rifles. It could be seen adorned with brass on cavalry soldiers in the 19th century to action heroes with a sash of shotgun shells, to even 40mm grenade shells from the 70s onward.
Our bandolier takes particular inspiration from those in Vietnam. Soldiers would be issued ammo with STANAG compatible stripper clips in the "disposable" M3 bandoliers that could be folded up in a rucksack, slung over a shoulder, or tossed to a squadmate.
While "disposable", this genius method of supply distribution reduced the need for more magazines - a hot commodity in Vietnam, to be procured or pre-loaded.
Infantrymen preferred to load their own magazines to avoid issues with a fully topped off AR mag not locking in with the bolt closed, and other common jams.
We were curious what a "Modernized" version of these ideas would look like: A shoulder-slung, easily transportable, compact supply carrier that can take a larger variety of magazines. It seemed like a genius idea we hadn't seen enough of on the market, so we began development all the way back in 2021.
The result is the Eighty-Four Bandolier.
It has 4 mag cells that can carry 2 STANAGs each, for 8 total magazines or 240 extra rounds. Need to stow it away? fold it up into a brick and secure it with the included shock cord. Now you can throw it in your bug out bag, range bag, or throw it in your center console.
You can sling it over your shoulder for a grab and go situation or use the extra chest webbing to strap it around your abdomen for less movement when the action gets a little faster paced. You can even add a second stabilizer strap if you want, too.
Each side has an elastic loop to carry tourniquets or other important medical equipment like gauze. You can never have enough gauze, ask any medic.
The pouches have flaps with velcro closures to protect your mags or whatever else you're putting inside. Elastic retention keeps everything in the pouch and each cell has a drainage hole in case you're deep in the jungle or deeper in a puddle. You can run it open-top for quick access and close it up for storage or transport.
The process of modernizing a design that was so simple is a balancing act. Change too little and there’s no benefit to the end user. Change too much and you might ruin what made the original useful, including how easily made & accessible it was.
The bandolier isn't quite the master of none that most "micro rigs" on the market are — instead, we focused on making it a true successor to the original bandoliers first. The Idea itself was genius; it just needed some modernization to accommodate how most people are running their rifles.
Specs
Care Guide
To wash, detach the two stabilizer straps, if attached, then wash on a cold cycle with mild detergent. Never use bleach, hot water, or fabric softener. Remove and drip-dry.
30 Day Returns
Made in Nicaragua
Includes bandolier, shock cord, and 2x stabilizing back straps
Eighty Four Bandolier
As long as firearms have been around, there's been a need to conveniently haul and distribute ammo to soldiers — as the old adage goes, "Ammo wins wars".
The Bandolier has seen usage all the way back to the days of black powder rifles. It could be seen adorned with brass on cavalry soldiers in the 19th century to action heroes with a sash of shotgun shells, to even 40mm grenade shells from the 70s onward.
Our bandolier takes particular inspiration from those in Vietnam. Soldiers would be issued ammo with STANAG compatible stripper clips in the "disposable" M3 bandoliers that could be folded up in a rucksack, slung over a shoulder, or tossed to a squadmate.
While "disposable", this genius method of supply distribution reduced the need for more magazines - a hot commodity in Vietnam, to be procured or pre-loaded.
Infantrymen preferred to load their own magazines to avoid issues with a fully topped off AR mag not locking in with the bolt closed, and other common jams.
We were curious what a "Modernized" version of these ideas would look like: A shoulder-slung, easily transportable, compact supply carrier that can take a larger variety of magazines. It seemed like a genius idea we hadn't seen enough of on the market, so we began development all the way back in 2021.
The result is the Eighty-Four Bandoleer.
Click or tap the icons below to explore
It has 4 mag cells that can carry 2 STANAGs each, for 8 total magazines or 240 extra rounds.
Need to stow it away? fold it up into a brick and secure it with the included shock cord. Now you can throw it in your bug out bag, range bag, or throw it in your center console.
You can sling it over your shoulder for a grab and go situation or use the extra chest webbing to strap it around your abdomen for less movement when the action gets a little faster paced.
You can even add a second stabilizer strap if you want, too - they're easy to latch on with the specialized quick-detach buckle design we chose.
Each side has an elastic loop to carry tourniquets or other important medical equipment like gauze. You can never have enough gauze, ask any medic.
The pouches have flaps with velcro closures to protect your mags or whatever else you're putting inside. Elastic retention keeps everything in the pouch and each cell has a drainage hole in case you're deep in the jungle or deeper in a puddle.
You can run it open-top for quick access and close it up for storage or transport.
Heavy bar tacks, reinforced closures, and slick Cordura nylon keep your equipment secure even in the most adverse conditions.
We chose single layer 1000D Cordura for a hard-wearing package that will last years and be slightly water-resistant as a bonus. The two back straps are entirely replaceable as is the included shock-cord for "field serviceability".
In general, we've designed our bandoleer to be used with G.I. Style STANAG magazines such as those from Surefeed, DuraMag, Brownells, and original Colt magazines.
For additional clarification we've added more information on compatibility below.
You can help expand this 'verified compatible' list by submitting your results to help@kommandostore.com
We primarily use aluminum G.I. style magazines in our rifles, so this is primarily what we designed this around — PMAGs as always are going to be a tighter fit and might require some "breaking in" by fully loading the rig and letting it sit for a while.
Thicker polymer mags for 5.56 like those used in the Steyr AUG may have additional issues with fit in the magazine cells. Galil magazines may be too tall for the closure of our bandoleer.
For longer pistol caliber carbine magazines such as those in the MP5, Glock "extended" or "stick mag" type in B&T and Colt style platforms, they can fit in the bandoleer, use the top closure and will fit 2 per cell.
Not going to fit — standard capacity AK mags are going to be too tall and .308 magazines are going to be too wide.
5.45 AK magazines (less common) will fit but may have trouble closing the top flap. Even in this case, you're only likely to fit one magazine per cell compared to two STANAGs.
The process of modernizing a design that was so simple is a balancing act. Change too little and there’s no benefit to the end user. Change too much and you might ruin what made the original useful, including how easily made & accessible it was.
The bandolier isn't quite the master of none that most "micro rigs" on the market are — instead, we focused on making it a true successor to the original bandoliers first.
Simple & Adjustable
The main shoudler strap features a tri-glide adjuster to accommodate a variety of different applications and can be the sole "mounting point" of the bandoleer if you don't want to use the stabilizing straps. It also makes it easy to throw on over bulky plate carriers and helmets.
Catch!
Adding on to the folding stowability of originals, we added a shock cord that allows you to tidy up the rig. We like folding it in half "Taco" style to achieve a sturdy brick.
Elastic Retention
Originals were sized specifically for boxes of stripper clips, but with the variation of different equipment we wanted to put in the mag cells, elastic was the clear winner for a relatively snag-free and easy way to keep objects of all shapes retained.
We also added auxiliary elastic loops for tourniquets on each side.
Stabilizing Straps
Completely removable back straps allow it to be more than just a shoulder-bandolier. The included stabilizing straps can turn our bandolier into a capable chest-rig-like configuration in a pinch.
In bandolier configuration, it keeps it "locked in" to your body so it won't bounce around while running.
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Decent construction but still leaves something to be desired in the makeshift chest rig role, but for a quick bundle to toss in the car for a range day, it checks every box
Great construction and excellent layout, Makes for great mag storage.
The buckles don't seem to wrap around cleanly if you want to store as a brick, but you can finagle it with some finesse. Looking forward to taking it out to the range to see how it does as an ersatz chest rig.
I mainly use the bandolier to hold screws, pliers and a few other tools when working around the house. It holds pretty well, the extra loops on the side are great for larger tools like a larger wrench but it may fall out due to it being elastic. Overall great piece of kit!
As a proud husband of woman who weighs a little over 600 pounds, the need for a snack or two is always something we plan on during outings. While I haven't tried stanags in this yet, its the perfect size for 16oz sharp cheddar bricks from Kroger (the misses loves her cheese). I can fit eight of those bad boys in this and still have space for wheat thins or her glucose test strips. LOVE YOU MICHELLE.
