The 'Heat' Rig

A Cult Hit, Reimagined

Michael Mann's HEAT (1995) immediately gained a cult following on release. Its unique gritty and grounded approach bucked a decades-long trend of formulaic action films, exposing audiences to realistic military and police tactics. A combination of great direction, talented actors, and qualified technical advisors (ex-SAS) made the film's climactic bank heist one of the most memorable scenes of the 90s.

This nearly 15-minute-long sequence made HEAT a cinematic legend. Shot in downtown LA, an easy score quickly escalates into a claustrophobic mess of a shootout. Expert gun-handling, booming on-location audio, and a huge cast of supporting firearms all help to make an unforgettable impression. This short sequence would inspire popular culture and media for generations to come.

The Vest

One of the things that helped HEAT feel authentic were the props. The ex-SAS advisors employed by the production had quite literally been there and done that, and this prowess was reflected in the improvised equipment and tactics featured on screen.

This includes the single most iconic prop of the film, the 'Heat' rig; an improvised vest capable of hiding 8 STANAG magazines underneath a suit jacket. Being inconspicuous was important to the characters in HEAT — to pull of their plan, they needed to waltz into a busy, guarded bank with hundreds of rounds of ammunition and rifles without anyone batting an eye.

The vests were cool and certainly believable, but there's a big problem. You never quite see them get used as much as they're shown off. The Heat rigs magically pop on and off of the characters as convenient, the magazines are perfectly retained since they're stitched on, and many of the shots betray other glaring issues.

We can't blame them; every production has to make some concessions. But in a market ravenous for a working clone of the Heat rig, many copies of this prop fell flat. We wanted to fix that.

 Make no mistake - our rig is an homage to the movie HEAT. It's not meant to compete with other "bank robber" chest rigs on the market. What we set out to do was to make the vest from the movie real and useable. 

The first question most people are going to ask — what kind of magazines fit in the rig?

The movie depicts standard USGI STANAG magazines for the AR-15 platform, and we built our elastic retention system around that. Nearly all standard capacity AR-15 magazines should fit without issue, inducing popular polymer mags from leading brands.

However, we can't guarantee fit of magazines from other platforms. You're welcome to try of course, but we can't provide any guidance there.

Each mag cell features two thick straps of elastic for retention and nylon straps on either end to ensure magazines stay in place. On one end of each mag cell, there's a small hook & loop fastener to access magazines. Simply twist the magazine and pull out, and you're ready to reload.

The heat rig's sizing system is very simple, with two sizes to choose from. If you wish, you can simply go with your US shirt size and you'll likely be set.

The hook and loop straps allow for a large range of adjustment, and adjust similarly to a plate carrier. For best results, start by fitting the rig to your abdomen so that the bottom of the rig slightly overlaps with your belt. From there, either have a friend adjust the shoulders for ride height or use a mirror for reference. With enough trial and error, you'll get a perfect fit.

For fitting underneath a suit, a suit jacket will require an additional 4-7" of room around your abdomen. For best results, measure your abdomen with the rig donned & full of magazines, or take your rig into a suit shop (just don't make a scene, lol)

The last big issue we wanted to address with the rig was quality.

We've seen a few examples of both 'bank robber rigs' and other HEAT-inspired equipment on the market. All are plagued by cheap hardware and even cheaper materials, resulting in a disappointing Halloween costume feel.

Our rig is 100% made in the US with 100% US made materials. From the custom-run structural mesh to the heavy-duty zipper, we ensured that our rig is everything it should be.

Specs:

• Custom, semi-stiff resin finished polyester mesh fabric
• Milspec elastic, webbing, and hook and loop
• Locking YKK Zipper
• 100% US made, 100% US materials