Haley Strategic D3CR-H Chest Rig Review [2023]

When first coming up in the gun world I developed a taste for min-maxing my gear. I wanted to be able to buy the do-all item that accomplished as many tasks as possible without requiring me to purchase something to fill a specialized role. This was driven by a perceived need for “general-purpose” items. These general-purpose items need to accomplish the widest variety of tasks possible with minimal compromise in performance. This idea was more than likely influenced by the prepper mindset of the 2010s gun world. Or perhaps I was a poor college student who needed to stretch dollars. The world may never know. Enter the Haley Strategic Partners D3CR-H.

The Disruptive Environments Chest Rig – Heavy is a simple piece of nylon that fulfills the role of a general-purpose chest rig. Available in a wide array of colors and camo patterns, the D3CR-H is a simple four-mag design. Supporting this are sewn-in magazine pouches, two pistol magazine pouches, and a pair of general-purpose pouches up front. The D3CR-H is intended to carry battle rifle magazines for rifles like the SCAR-H. Did I have a SCAR-H? No. Remember the whole, broke college student bit? But the D3CR-H has a neat hat trick we’ll cover later. 

Construction of the Haley Strategic D3CR-H

Thanks to a strip of molle webbing sewn along the inside of each magazine pouch, users can insert one of the Haley Strategic MP2 inserts in each pouch. This seamlessly converts their battle rifle chest rig to hold four STANAG mags, AK mags, and any other rifle magazine that fits a similar form-factor. The MP2 inserts also offer a fair bit of retention, even with fully loaded magazines. I have shaken the rig upside down without the shock chord retention in place and magazines have stayed put thanks to how the MP2 inserts bite into the molle.

The harness for the D3CR-H is an efficiently designed cross harness as comes standard on all Haley rigs. While functional, it’s not my favorite. I modified this one into an H-harness that works the slightest bit better for my body type. Users can also purchase a conversion directly from HSP for $45. If users have a placard-style plate carrier they can peel off the soft loop backer of the D3CR-H and mount it to their plate carrier. I find the horizontal clips on the carrier an annoyance to deal with in this configuration.

Some Annoyances

This is technically a do-all solution, though it forces the user to do one of two things. They can add retaining clips to their cummerbunds and add another layer of fasteners to their donning and doffing procedure. This is in addition to losing access to several columns of webbing. Or they can let the female end clips on the chest rig dangle around their armpits. I found that to be fairly annoying and it felt like quite the snag hazard. This is the first area I find the D3CR-H lacking. I believe a designated plate carrier placard is be a better solution for this purpose. An excellent example is the 556 Esstac Daedon.

Size Matters

The general-purpose pouches are my second issue with this chest rig. The smaller of the two is the perfect size for a laser range finding monoculars. The second pouch is big enough to tempt users to fill it with a variety of items to support their various rifles. Unfortunately, it often feels too small to accommodate any useful tools or other equipment. By far the most useful thing I have found to stuff inside of the awkwardly-sized pouch is a sparse medical kit. However, that fills it so much it makes the pouch difficult to close. 

These pouches are the real drawback of the D3CR-H. Since they sit on top of the magazines, if you fill them up, they make the chest rig stick out farther than is ideal. Though I’m sure this is just user preference, I find going wide better than extending away from the chest. This goes for the pistol magazine pouches as well.  If you are running a chest rig, it should be to support only your rifle. So I typically relegate these pouches to carrying a multitool and flashlight.

What I Would Change about the Disruptive Environments Chest Rig – Heavy

If I were going to make changes to the D3CR-H I would get rid of the pistol magazine pouches and give users an additional small GP pouch, or two large pouches, There are also a pair of elastic loops on either side of the chest rig that I have never found a good use for, so I would probably remove those as well.

If the horizontal buckles on either side of the rig were split like a field repair style buckle for easy removal, this rig could be more at home on a plate carrier. Though I’m not sure how secure it would be like that. Changing from an X-harness to an H-harness comes down to user preference and body type. Lastly, this rig should include the MP2 inserts from the factory. These inserts are four pieces of injection molded plastic that likely cost very little to produce and add substantial value to this rig.

Hand On Experience with the Haley Strategic D3CR-H

I have used this rig to support AR-15s and AKs in my practice. The MP2 inserts make re-indexing magazines an absolute breeze. This is something I find hard to live without when it comes to using other magazine pouches. I have even used it to carry AICS pattern magazines for my bolt action rifle. I typically only carry one of those magazines and fill in three of the cells with various support gear. A handgun in a retired appendix holster clipped into the webbing, a plate I attach to my tripod and a knife fill the space nicely. 

Using the D3CR-H as a holster is generally a sub-optimal option. But if the need is great enough and users are willing to run one of the retention tabs over the back of their pistol for added security, a mag pouch serves that role well enough. Just be sure to shield your trigger with a Kydex holster or some other mechanism.

Final Thoughts on the Haley Strategic D3CR-H

Overall, for $200, users get a chest rig that will allow them to carry a range of common magazines on the market. This is the closest rig that I have found that achieves the general-purpose goal at a reasonable price level and with decent quality. All it takes is the purchase of a pack of inserts from HSP and the odds are, you can support any magazine-fed rifle you own.

Looking around the market of $200 four-cell multi-platform chest rigs, the only part of this one that stands out is the use of the MP2 inserts. These are a huge advantage when it comes to reindexing quickly. If the D3CR-H shipped with those inserts, it would help to distinguish the rig from the competition and save users a few bucks in the process.

You can check out the Haley Strategic D3CR-H for yourself >>HERE<<