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Coaxsher: A Surprise Contender in the Tactical Chest Rig Market
Everybody loves a good chest rig, and there are many great options for the shooting/hunting/outdoor sports community, ranging from high end to budget knockoff.
However, a brand that doesn’t get a lot of play in the tactical community is Coaxsher — for one very obvious reason. Most Coaxsher chest harnesses are completely devoid of any MOLLE webbing, and for many, this is a dealbreaker. The tactical community loves MOLLE so much, Molly Pitcher is starting to get jealous.
The absence of ubiquitous MOLLE attachment points hasn’t stopped Coaxsher from making a strong presence and and dedicated following in a sister community — Emergency Services. Scrutinize any Search and Rescue team preparing to head off into the backcountry and almost everyone’s got a Coaxsher chest rig.
I’d like to take a moment and suggest that the Coaxsher chest harness line — specifically, the DR-1 Commander dual radio chest harness could also serve quite effectively as a tactical chest rig.
Let’s take a look at the DR-1:
It’s designed to carry pens, radios, a GPS, and miscellaneous backcountry/survival items. But what if we use it for something else?
A pair of AR mags fit very nicely into the two main radio pouches, and an extra ten rounder can be secured with a velcro flap in the smaller third pouch. The slight left cant of the radio pouches puts the magazines within easy reach for left-handed reloads. (Unfortunately, Coaxsher doesn’t yet offer a left handed model with radio pouches canted to the right).
The interior pocket is ridiculously spacious for a relatively low profile chest rig. On the Coaxure website, it states that an “iPad mini with protective case fits into the large main compartment.” This also means that it is roomy enough to accommodate a large handgun — here it is pictured with the hefty Taurus 627 Tracker .357 revolver with a 4″ barrel and weapon light:
The main pouch is lined with two smaller internal pockets, and has ambidextrous zippers for quick access from either side. The ability to carry a handgun in your chest rig can be a useful option — especially if you’re also carrying a large backpack with a bulky lumbar belt that might interfere with your regular waist carry system.
On this note, all Coaxsher chest rigs are designed to be paired with a backpack, and the strap design ensures that it won’t compete with your backpack straps for space. Some chest rigs might be uncomfortable to wear under a backpack for long periods of time — this one definitely is not, as I can attest from days in the back country wearing a full pack and a full Coaxsher harness. It’s a working system.
I have one of my Coaxsher chest rigs set up to be a grab-and-go companion for my rifle. Below is everything I had inside at the time of writing:
- Two 30 round magazines with 55 grain Hornady hollow point American Gunners and Winchester Varmint X polymer tipped rounds
- One 10 round magazine with 64 grain Winchester Deer Season rounds (in case I was in a situation where I needed to use my rifle to hunt)
- 15 random Federal American Eagle FMJ rounds on stripper clips
- A pack of (very affordably priced!) field dressing gloves, again, in case of hunting
- A small rifle cleaning and maintenance kit
- A tourniquet
- A Quickclot Advanced Clotting Sponge
- A trauma kit with chest seals, gauze, and bandages
- And lastly, Repel 40% deet, because what’s the point of excelling in the field if you come down with Lyme’s disease later?
It’s a small selection of gear designed to compliment my primary rifle, and the Coaxsher radio harness does a great job keeping it all at hand comfortably and portably.
The harness itself is extremely light, and the strap design does an excellent job distributing the weight around the shoulders and torso. This means that even with all the gear pictured above, I forget I often forget I’m wearing the rig. There’s no pressure points or neck/shoulder strain after long duration wearing. Its ergonomics are about as perfect as can be hoped for, and its bottom-heavy trapezoidal shape is an arm-liberating alternative to other chest rigs with a horizontal rectangular profile.
One important modification is required before using the Coaxsher harnesses for tactical or hunting purposes: the harnesses have four high-viz reflector squares in front, and one in the back. While great for Search And Rescue, reflective squares won’t do you any favors during cover and concealment — it’s highly recommended that these reflective squares be removed or covered up with tape, as you see I’ve done in the pictures above.
The Coaxsher harnesses are incredibly sturdy, with durable stitching and tough nylon, able to stand up to any abuse. What they lack in modular customization they make up in an abundance of research and optimization that went into their design. Sometimes it’s nice to have a modular setup that you can change every week, but other times, it’s nice to have something that’s perfect right off the shelf. The DR-1 may not be the right solution for everyone, but if it checks the boxes for your particular needs, you’ll never have to worry about fiddling with it, and it’ll hold up for many years of hard use.
The DR-1 is currently on sale at Coaxshur.com for $49.95 (Regular MSRP $59.95), making it a very affordable option compared to other chest rigs on the market. It can be ordered in two chest sizes; Regular (Fits up to 47″), and XL (48″ or larger).
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