In this article, we’re taking a look at the Blackhawk STRIKE Commando Recon Chest Harness. Blackhawk has been a player in the tactical gear game since the 1990’s when it was founded by a former Navy SEAL. During his deployments, Mike Noell was less than satisfied with some of the gear he was using in the field. As the story goes, when a backpack he was wearing came apart in a minefield, he vowed to start a company to make gear the right way, and that’s just what he did; Blackhawk Industries was born.
The company has developed a wide array of gear, including packs, holsters, and various chest rigs, vests, and plate carriers—as you will see when you read on.
This rig will hold ceramic ballistic plates sized 10.5 x 13.25 inches. It’s worthy to note that the rig I have has a solid back that will accept a back plate, whereas the current offering on the Blackhawk website just offers crossed straps for the back of the rig to secure it to the user. They do offer the back panel on their site as a separate purchase item. In addition, the rig does not come with any ceramic plates, those are also sold separately. I’ve taken to referring to mine as a “rig” or carrier, rather than a “harness” because of that back panel being installed. It just seems more appropriate to refer to it as a rig because mine doesn’t have the exposed straps that make me think of a harness.
The straps that secure this gear to the body have closed cell foam padding, and are very comfortable. The entire vest is covered in Blackhawk’s STRIKE loops, which are compatible with the military’s MOLLE straps, so all manner of gear can be attached. MOLLE (pronounced “Molly”) stands for Modular Lightweight Load-Carrying Equipment. Rows of heavy PALS (Pouch Attachment Ladder System) are sewn into packs, rigs, and gear so that MOLLE-compatible pouches and other gear can be attached.
To put it simply, the straps on the back of your pouches (canteen pouches, first aid kit, ammo pouches, whatever) are woven through the PALS system on the rig or pack that you’re attaching them to, then snapped into place. It makes for a very secure mounting system, although it can take a bit of time to attach various gear, especially larger pieces like an ammo pouch shingle that has multiple MOLLE straps. Once in place, though, it tends to stay put.
The Blackhawk rig in review today is covered in these PALS loops, so the options for mounting various pouches onto the vest are practically endless. PALS loops adorn the front, back, and sides of the rig.
At the moment, I have the rig configured for the AK platform, with a magazine pouch shingle on the front, lower center. The pouches will each hold two 30-roundAK-47 magazines (or three 30-round AR/M-4 magazines). There are three pouches total, so there are six 30-round AK mags (or nine AR mags). Six AK magazines get surprisingly heavy when toted around for a while (and the older I get, the heavier they seem).
The mags are secured with hook and loop material and also a plastic buckle system. One can leave the buckles undone and rely solely on the hook and loop if he wishes and still be assured that the magazines will be secure. The buckle just adds more security but is probably unnecessary for any use except the roughest. But hey, some like it rough, so that option is always welcome.
I also have a shingle from London Bridge Trading that holds three pistol magazines affixed to the center, upper chest of the carrier. Normally, these hold the magazines for my Glock 19X. Note that these magazine carriers do not come standard with the Blackhawk carrier, you have to purchase them separately. I have gear from various manufacturers that I can use because it’s all MOLLE-compatible.
There are heavy D-Rings and elastic webbing for securing other items to the shoulder straps, which could also be useful for securing wires for comms headsets and such.
Inside the front of the carrier are a nylon pouch on the bottom and a T-shaped nylon piece above for securing ceramic plates if desired. If a plate is not in use, the nylon mesh pouch could secure other items such as paperwork, etc.
If the user does not wish to use the upper chest portion of the vest, such as when a plate is not being utilized, it can be folded down and secured with straps that are in place, making it more of a minimalist rig.
On top of the rear panel, in the center of the shoulders, there is a drag handle that is extremely sturdy and well built and will no doubt stand up to the rigors of dragging a downed operator out of danger. It also serves as a convenient carry handle for carrying the rig around the range or loading it into a vehicle or storage.
The sides of the unit feature panels that also have PALS, and are secured via three adjustable straps and buckles per side. The buckles make getting in and out fairly easy. Typically, I just undo the buckles on one side and don/doff the vest by grabbing the shoulder straps, lifting them, and stepping out of the open side.
A quick-release ring is located on the left shoulder strap. Should the user need to ditch the gear in a hurry, he just grabs that ring and pulls, and the entire rig will fall away. In full disclosure, I have never done this, as I do not want the “fun” task of having to try to figure out how to reassemble the rig after such a maneuver. If you ever feel up to this, give it a try and let us know how it turned out for you.
My Commando Recon Chest Harness is in Coyote Brown color, and it blends well with all of the seasons where I live. Certainly in the fall, the brown blends perfectly with the browns and dull colors of the woods. Even in the summer, the brown goes well with the ground cover of dead leaves and does not stand out badly, even in the green undergrowth. It’s a good overall color for any gear, and even my rifle wears a coat of paint in Coyote.
Overall, the rig is made from very heavy-duty nylon and is put together to take extreme abuse. The stitching is heavy and reinforced in key areas, so this thing is not going to come apart and should last at least a lifetime, if not longer. I have another piece of Blackhawk gear, a chest rig that was used by a friend in Iraq. It fared very well, holding up just fine. And it appeared to be used fairly heavily.
Wearing the Blackhawk carrier distributes the weight of the magazines well, making the heavy load seem not as heavy. The padding on the straps and body of the rig helps a lot with that so that the straps do not dig into the wearer’s body. I do plan to add a dump pouch and a few other essentials to the rig, and there is plenty of room to do that easily. This rig is up to carrying a substantial load, and the limits rest on how much the wearer feels comfortable carrying. Suffice to say that this carrier will carry more weight than this old man cares to.
Overall, this piece of gear is extremely well made with extra reinforcing at key points and padding that aims to keep the user comfortable and performing at his peak. The design is well thought out by experienced operators, and it shows. It is of the utmost practical nature.
The modular nature guarantees that you can attach virtually any sort of pouches or attachments that the user could ever wish for. It can be set up to accommodate any weapons system known to man, including the M-1A, M-16/M-4/AR-15, AK-47, FN-FAL, MP-5…there’s just no end to what you can use it for. Pistols as well. And it can be changed up at will, so you’re not locked into whatever decision you make at the time. Want to run a SAW M-249 today? No problem! M-14 tomorrow? No worries!
Want to run an M-1A with this harness? No problem! It will do it!
At the time of this writing, the Commando Recon Chest Harness retails for $132.95. For the quality that you get, as well as the versatility, that represents a solid value and I highly recommend this carrier.
