4 Top Tips Using Virtus – By Virtus Instructors To British Army

Our VIRTUS Soldier System has been issued in the past years to 10,000s of British Army soldiers in a growing number of units deployed all over the world. The SOURCE Virtus UK Instructors Team is lead by Phil and Al, former Royal Marine soldiers. They visit the units, instruct, and are always approachable for questions. Of course, they also relay feedback to our developers.

Members of the SOURCE Virtus instructors team in the UK have traveled from the UK to Israel, Cyprus, Estonia, and other places, and covered nearly 20 thousand miles visiting Units around the UK. One week they present to an audience of 500, the next they could be crawling through a swamp trialing equipment.

Experience Shows: Follow These 4 Tips

Virtus looks quite complex as there are so many components – but it’s actually pretty simple to use. Having said that, it is a completely new kit, and especially the use of the Dynamic Weight Distribution (DWD) needs to be explored and takes a bit of getting used to. Our instructors compiled 4 top tips from experience that will help get the most from VIRTUS:

Tip 1: MOLLE Belt

Wear the MOLLE Belt on the hips and securely fastened to provide increased comfort, stability and support to the lower back, to enable load to be transferred to the hips. Make sure the belt is correctly routed to prevent the buckle from slipping undone.

Tip 2: Scaling the Vest

When scaling the Virtus Scalable Tactical Vest (STV) from a Body Armour Vest to a Plate Carrier make sure the Soft Armour Filler (SAF) is removed. Leaving the SAF in will negate the benefit of reduced weight and thermal load, and folding the sides will seriously damage the SAF by creasing it – creating a critical vulnerability.

Tip 3: The Pack

Put the tactical backpack on properly! Done correctly the pack will sit properly giving better stability and comfort. It is not complex, it is just different to what users are used to. Fit the sternum strap first, then tighten the shoulder straps.

Tip 4: The DWD

Learn how to use the DWD. The DWD is not magic and does not make the load lighter but it does allow you to carry weight more efficiently and with greater comfort by varying the load distribution. For the DWD to work you need a tight MOLLE belt – use it like you would a civvy walking rucksack on top of the hips. Being able to vary the load distribution is proven to delay the onset of fatigue and improve cognitive performance. The advantage of the DWD is when you need maximum agility you can just put it in Assault mode.

For questions and comments related to Virtus don’t hesitate to contact us but please understand that it is not possible to discuss Virtus details by email. If you are serving in the British Army, please make use of your official communications channels.