Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1034474
Cummerbund – well, it is a skeletal cummerbund made of 1-inch webbing sewn on Husar Skin so it has fully working MOLLE for pouches and such. Of course, it can be changed with different versions like those made fully Cordura laminate, standard with zippers (zippers allow user to take of the vest without lifting a front flap), laminated cordura with zipper, sin- gle 50 mm band or low profile (made of wide rubber band with magazine pouches between layers). It's all that can be noticed on outer side of it. Interesting what's beneath. Noble Plate Carrie has a skeletal base made of Husar Skin that can be clearly noticed. Main reason of such solution is to lower the weight and increase air flow between carrier and the body. I must admit it works well, but it works brilliantly as a storage for any kind of dirt and other things. In my case those were river silt, duckweed, mud, sand and other things some- how connected to them. Of course, there are also six comfort pads inside, three on front and three on back. Those are made of foam and mesh and are kept in place by Velcro panels. Last but not least – quick release system. Classical design based on a wire in red plastic with a grip that can be either on left or right side. Grip itself is not a loop as you might think but like a cushion. It isn't hard to reach. Designers intent was to make it slim to avoid getting stuck on other gear or objects. There's also an additional Velcro strap to secure it in place, in size that doesn't make it hard to pull. Great thing that the cush- ion has a hi-vis side (bright orange). QR system is based on two wires in plastic tubing that hold shoulder straps and cum- merbund. Shoulder straps have eyelets on ends and so does cummerbund (one eyelet on each band). Loops from very thin string (that are sewn to the nylon part of the back panel) go through those eyelets and then the wire through those loops locking everything in place. Everything seems easy until you try to do the same with cummerbund. In the middle of the pan- el is a small piece of vertical band with shockcord. That part is responsible for cummerbund being elastic in horizontal plane. So, user must somehow place that shockcord and then put those small loops (that are sew to each band of cummerbund in this case) through eyelets and then put a wire through them with a shockcord still in place. You did that? Great, now repeat that five times more. Good luck. Oh, and I almost forgot, the middle band of cummerbund must be additionally connected with a band that limits expansion of the shockcord. Excess of the QR wire can be stuffed inside a plate pouch and we have a plastic cord-lock so the length of the cummerbund can be ad- justed(but still, plate must lay on you body, no space between body and plate). www.fragoutmag.com