Estimated reading time: 9 minutes
Haley Strategic has had its chest rig lineup out for a while, and I figured after running my D3CR™-H for over a year and a half I would take the time to write up a review. Designed to support the .308 platform, the Disruptive Environments™ Chest Rig or D3CR™-H was optimized for confined domains such as vehicle, urban, and even rural settings. While this chest rig can be clipped into an armor platform with a QD system, I have only run it as a stand-alone system utilizing the included detachable X-harness.
Table of contents
D3CR™-H Placard
From the factory, the D3CR™-H comes fully equipped with 4-rifle mag pouches, two pistol mag inserts, and a small and medium utility pouch all sewn together. The 13″ wide, 6 1/4″ tall placard is compatible with SwiftClips™, and it can be attached or stowed in seconds when attached to an armor platform using a quick-release system. When set up as a standalone chest rig, the clips hold the harness well, while being located in areas that do not feel uncomfortable. While clips on other chest rigs or plate carriers have annoyed me by rubbing and being uncomfortable, I don’t even notice these buckles when wearing the D3CR™-H.
All the pouches feature metal grommets crimped into the bottom of the pouch which will help with water drainage and ventilation.
Velcro Cover
The back of the placard employs a velcro cover that holds tight. It is also comfortable when I am just wearing a T-shirt. It serves as a rock-solid retention system for the Haley Strategic Holster Wedge. Utilizing the velcro-backed placard and the Haley Strategic Holster Wedge, I can comfortably carry a suppressed pistol. I use this on all of my pig-hunting adventures. One of the biggest game changers for my hog hunting setup was finding a comfortable chest rig. The main reason I was searching chest rigs to begin with was to find a comfortable way to carry a suppressed pistol. While there are plenty of hip-mounted solutions, getting in and out of vehicles with dropped holsters sucks, especially so for suppressed pistols.
Featuring very fine and grippy velcro over the entire back face of the placard, the D3CR™-H is a great host for dangler or side-mounted pouches. I have used this velcro system to hold both a dangler and a side-mounted radio pouch that my friend @Thrifty_Operator made for me. These extra pouches have never worked loose or slipped from the place I originally stuck them even after running a 5K run and gun.
Rifle Pouches
The rifle magazine pouches accept almost any .308 magazine. While it is possible to cram two 30-round 556 P-mags into each of these pouches, I have had no trouble carrying singles. The built-in elastic bungee does a great job at retaining magazines even when running long distances.
Pistol Pouches
The pistol mag pouches accept 1911, Glock, Sig, M&P, XD, and other standard double or single-stack pistol magazines. It will also fit many handheld lights and multi-tools as well. I have never had an issue with these retaining my pistol mags. My 17-round Glock mags fit just fine. These pouches feature the same great adjustable elastic bungee retainers as the rifle mags. Due to this, my pistol mags have been held safe and tight on all of my outings.
Medium Utility Pouch
Utilizing a medium utility pouch, the D3CR™-H has quite a bit of storage for a low-profile chest rig. The size is approximately 7″ wide, 5″ tall, and 1.5″ deep. This pouch features a sewed-in elastic retention system and a clear pocket on the front flap. The zippers are high quality. They have never slipped out of place while running, nor snagged when trying to access the contents inside.
Small Utility Pouch
The small utility pouch is useful yet simple. It is sewn onto the front face of the rifle magazine pouch. The size is approximately 3″ wide, 5″ tall, and 1.5″ deep. It is simple, yet effective. While this whole D3CR™-H chest rig “intentionally does not include a radio or dedicated full-size medical pouch so no matter the posture, essentials such as communications and medical kits can remain on the end user at all times,” I found that it can fit my Baofeng UV-5R quite well with the antenna sticking upright between where the zippers come together.
Harness
The two shoulder straps are 2″ wide and flexible. This allows the straps to contour to my body well. They also provide enough surface area to comfortably distribute weight evenly. Unlike other systems, the D3CR™-H provides extra material for the strap that extends under the buckle. This keeps it from rubbing on my chest which is much appreciated. Near the buckle are also loop sections that can be utilized for attaching equipment or routing cables.
The bottom of the straps has a similar loop section. This can be used for crossing and retaining the straps into an X-shape in the center of the user’s back. While the straps can be used without being threaded through this portion, it can help keep the left and right straps from sliding around.
Back Strap
When donning this chest rig, after attaching the two shoulder straps, I will then attach the back strap. This strap buckles into both sides of the chest rig and features adjustments on each side to quickly adjust retention on the fly. A neat feature of both the shoulder and back straps is the use of a velcro strap retainer. This allows me to roll up the excess strap material to basically set retention stops. This also doubles as a balled-up pull tab to quickly tighten as needed. While at first, these rolled-up sections annoyed me. However, I found the ability to easily grab them to tighten the rig when out on a run quite helpful.
Another big benefit to this chest rig is how low profile it is. It can refrain from printing when paired with a loose-fitting jacket. Also, due to the thin straps, it is the perfect companion with heavy packs for rucking or backpacking. I have probably hiked 15 miles or so with the D3CR™-H while also carrying a 50+lb 70-liter Osprey pack. The thin straps of this chest rig fit seamlessly to my body. This allows for a comfortable fit under a larger pack where this wouldn’t have been possible with my plate carrier.
Summary of the D3CR™-H
From going on runs, dozens of hunts, a 5K run-and-gun, and even a MILSIM airsoft event, this Haley Strategic D3CR™-H has held up great. It comes set up with all the pouches I was looking for in a chest rig. It offers great versatility and has remained comfortable even when worn for extended periods of time. Even with all of the fixed pockets, users can choose how to set up this chest rig to best fit their needs. It is easy to even add danglers using the rear velcro cover system. This system has allowed me to comfortably carry a suppressed pistol, extra AR10 mags, a radio, and medical with me when hunting which otherwise would have likely stayed back in the vehicle. The MSRP for the Haley Strategic D3CR™-H is $199, and while I paid full price for this chest rig when I purchased it a year and a half ago, I have no regrets.
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