I don’t often do gear reviews (I believe this is my 3rd ever), but I make exceptions when I find something innovative or especially useful. I have been following Rebel SMG on X (@Rebels_Raiders) since he started working on the Vakarian, and the concept intrigued me. A 3-in-1 kit that can be readily converted from plate carrier to micro chest rig to “recce rig” (conventional chest rig) in minutes with just buckles and velcro, and at a mere $240 all told. So as soon as they became available for purchase I bought one to see if it could fit my needs.
I’ve had my Vakarian for 2 months now, I’m only now writing a review after I had the chance to run it for a week while teaching the last Jäger Course in Kentucky. More testing is forthcoming in the next year or so, but I feel that I have enough field time this kit to give it the thorough review that it deserves. Nothing was given to me, I bought (and modified) this equipment with my own money. I was not asked to write this review, I just felt that this piece of gear deserved it.
Context: My Personal Requirements for My Kit
My requirements for my tactical Load-Bearing Equipment (LBE) are as follows:
- Able to use with or without armor without moving pouches around
- Carry at least the following: 5 AR magazines (plus what’s on my belt and assault pack), a radio, IFAK, 1 smoke grenade, and an admin pouch
- Comfortably wear with a backpack and while riding in a vehicle
- Rugged enough to withstand hard field use (crawling across rocks, dragging through dirt, etc.)
I’ve always adopted the stance that there is a time and a place for wearing armor and not. Because of this, I’ve been setting up my equipment such that I have two full sets of kit, one with and one without armor, for the last several years. This imperfect solution has been “good enough” for me, until I went to West NC last October to assist in Hurricane Helene relief efforts.
While there, I wished I had a way to slick down my plate carrier to just wear armor without tediously removing all my pouches, or an easy way to wear a radio and some administrative tools without looking like Rambo. But I couldn’t pack 3 sets of kit, so I just threw my Plate Carrier (PC) into a pelican case and made do with everything else.
The Vakarian solved all of that by being extremely versatile in one package.
What’s in the Box?
• Complete Front and Back Plate Bags
• Retention Cummerbund
• 2 x Adjustable Shoulder pads with pass throughs
• Single stage placard with Laser Cut MOLLE field
• 1 x 5.56 Elastic 3 Mag Insert
• 1 x 7.62 Elastic 2 Mag Insert
• Elastic Torniquet Pouch
• H – Harness
• Standalone Waist Strap
• Ready Rig Conversion Attachment
• Velcro delete panel
The Vakarian comes with literally everything you need to throw stuff on it and go. You don’t need to have any other pouches or accessories unless you want them. This makes it a great option for beginners who don’t know what they want yet and need a base to build on.
My favorite part is how it uses the same cummerbunds in both the PC and chest rig configurations, so I can run the exact same setup with and without armor. No need to move pouches around or move mags from one place to another. Just pull the velcro off of one, clip 4 buckles, re-apply velcro, and you’re fully switched over in 2 minutes. Amazingly simple.
How I Set it Up
- A: 6x Gen3 PMAGs
- B: AR-152
- C: Dual comms PTT
- D: CAATail antenna weaved into the harness (I can’t recommend these antennas enough. Seriously, go buy one. Not an affiliate, just good kit.)
- E: Admin Pouch containing map tools, my compass, a multitool, and a signal whistle
- F: Field prepped EG-18X smoke grenade
- G: IFAK in a pull-out pouch
- NOT SHOWN: one CAT tourniquet in a dangler
Modifications
I have always had the mindset of “if it doesn’t do what I need, I’ll make it.” I modify almost every piece of gear I own. Well, actually my amazing wife does it for me. These modifications don’t reflect negatively on the kit, I’m just not afraid to modify things if they don’t work *just* right for me.
DARC Strap
I add this mod to every plate carrier I’ve used. It’s a very simple method of running tubular nylon (or, in my case, a cut-up 1″ wide ratchet strap) through the back webbing of a carrier to create a longer drag strap that is easier for my teammates to use if I become a casualty. This only works in the PC configuration, I don’t have an equivalent mod for chest rigs yet.
Assault Pack Buckles
I planned to wear a flatpack-style assault pack with my gear, but wanted to avoid extra straps on my shoulders and chest. I also hate MOLLE-on assault packs because I need to be able to access it myself and have the ability to wear a main pack at times. I was going to buy a Shaw Concepts PCP for their buckle-on design, but my wife volunteered to modify a cheap Amazon flatpack to connect in the same way. She added buckles to the front of the PC and the cummerbunds and bam, I saved $285.
Admin Pouch Panel
I need an admin pouch. This was simple enough to add to the PC, but I couldn’t find a good way to attach it to the chest rig. So I added a MOLLE panel to the h-harness on the front. I cut a MOLLE panel with Velcro on the bottom from my old PC. I stuck it behind the shingle and had my wife add Velcro to the backside of the harness to hold it up. This worked perfectly.
The Good
Comfort: This is very comfortable to wear as a chest rig, and as a PC it’s at least better than the PCs that I was issued in the Marine Corps. I don’t have experience with other civilian PC offerings, so I can’t say how this compares to them. I used it during my last Jäger Course earlier this month, which is 5 days long. I had this on my body for the last 48hrs straight, only removing it to add warming layers at night. The most uncomfortable thing about that experience was sleeping with my belt kit on, I barely noticed the Vakarian.
Adjustability: The velcro attachment tabs are extra long, allowing for plenty of adjustability when wearing different amounts of warming layers. During my Jäger Course it was 29 degrees at night and up to 60 degrees during the day, so I was constantly doffing and donning layers. The cummerbund seamlessly adjusted to each layer, which is why I prefer velcro cummerbunds over buckle systems. The shoulder straps also have plenty of play, so between that and the cummerbunds this appears to be a truly “one size fits all” carrier.
3-in-1 Configuration: This is my favorite feature of the Vakarian. Converting it from PC to chest rig takes about 2 minutes (2:15 for me on the first try). Even with my modified setup which requires me to move my admin pouch from one set of MOLLE to another, it only takes 12 minutes total. That is PLENTY acceptable for changes in the field between missions, and I could shorten it even further by simply purchasing a second admin pouch so I don’t need to undo MOLLE webbing. I don’t have a use for a micro chest rig, so I haven’t experimented with that configuration (though it is an option for those who want it).
Plate Compatibility: I use ESAPI Large plates, which fit snugly into the carrier with no trouble. Rebel designed it to take up to 10″x12″ plates, meaning it’s compatible with the vast majority of armor plates on the market. I’ve seen other reviews of people using medium or small plates with no issues because the excess material is naturally folded into the side by the cummerbund.
Modularity: Every component on the Vakarian is designed to be interchangeable with other companies’ products, almost nothing is proprietary. The cummerbunds, shoulder pads, placard and inserts, retention bands, harness, etc. are easily replaced with other components if you feel that the included items don’t quite fit your needs. I saw one person clip a surplus TAPS rig in place of the placard on the front, made possible by the standard 1″ buckles on the plate carrier. Almost any configuration is possible.
Price: The value you get for the money (a mere $240 all told) is incredible. You would only get a fraction of this gear if you bought similar quality stuff from anywhere else, and then it would be a constant search of “what accessories work to get this to do what I actually need”, which translates to even more money spent. With the Vakarian, you get pretty much everything you need in one affordable package deal and be done barring minor upgrades here and there, which is great for those new to tactical gear.
Customer service: There was a QC issue discovered on some of the Vakarians shortly after launch with loose stitching on the elastic retainer bands. Rebel SMG bent over backwards to make sure this got remedied for everyone who was affected by this hiccup. The speed and thoroughness with which he made sure every customer was taken care of was impressive, I doubt you would get better customer service anywhere.
The Bad
I have only a few reservations about the Vakarian, and they all center around the cummerbund.
Elastic Durability Concerns: I am concerned about the elastic cummerbund wearing out over time. I have seen what happens to elastic bands in the field, and they tend to wear out and become loose and baggy after months of use. Even bungee cords do this over time. I have NOT seen this happen to the Vakarian yet, but it is a concern and I will keep an eye on it. Time will tell, fortunately it will be easy enough to replace if that does happen. Every component on the Vakarian is designed to be interchangeable with other products.
No Side-Armor Compatibility: The cummerbund will not accept side armor plates or panels, which prevent its use as a duty plate carrier for anyone whose department/unit SOP mandates side armor. This is a non-factor for most people, but I felt it was worthy of mention. Again, this is easily remedied with replacement cummerbunds.
Open-Bottom Cummerbund Pouches: The elastic cummerbund has three pouches on either side, half of which I used to hold extra magazines. Unfortunately, there are gaps on the bottom of each pouch between the nylon tabs at the center of each pouch. When loaded magazines are inserted, this means that the open tops of magazines are partly exposed to dirt/sand/mud, which could cause stoppages when loading those magazines into a rifle. It also allows the feed lips to dig into my lower torso in certain shooting positions, causing slight discomfort.
No MOLLE Webbing on the Cummerbund: Again, easily fixed with an aftermarket cummerbund, but I’m gonna put this here anyway. If the goal is to make a single piece of kit that you can customize at will and never need to replace components, the ability to add pouches or buckles to the cummerbund would be preferable to the 3-pocket elastic pouches.
Conclusion
Overall, I rate the Vakarian 4/5. It’s extremely comfortable, easy to set up, and highly customizable for a variety of needs. The modularity and ease of conversion from PC to chest rig and vice versa make this the perfect rig for my needs and my team’s style of operating. I recommend the Vakarian as a SOLID beginner rig or even as an upgrade for those wanting a single piece of modular LBE.
In my opinion, the cummerbund really should have just been skeletonized MOLLE webbing with the velcro tabs at either end. This would have fixed literally all of my gripes. I will be replacing the cummerbund for this reason, but not immediately, as I want to see how long it takes for the elastic to wear out. When that happens, I’ll make a note of it in an edit of this post for the record.
All that said, I must commend Rebel SMG for actively listening to what people are saying about his gear and making upgrades prior to the next batch. I had some other minor complaints, but he’s already fixed them in the next release so it’s not fair to bring them up. He’s even planning to release the Vakarian in M81 and Multicam, so you’ll have more color options to choose from.
Rebel’s Raiders is a great small company making good equipment very affordable with the goal of equipping as many good people as possible. He absolutely deserves your business and I look forward to seeing where he goes with the Vakarian moving forward.
Von Steuben Training & Consulting 