Husar company from Bielsko-Biała, Southern Poland is a custom tactical gear workshop run by three guys whom didn’t have any Mil/LE service background earlier. One of their products is the Noble Plate Carrier. But all can be described as well thought and useful. It doesn’t mean that they are perfect and without mistakes because few things (in my opinion) could be amended. Now let’s take a closer look on Noble PC.
Husar Noble is not a your usual plate carrier, in a classic way of thinking. It can be described briefly more like heavy plate carrier or even a hybrid between a PC and so-called fully featured integrated vest as it is fully scalable with add-on parts. Those are for example soft inserts, collar and groin protectors and even bicep plates. It also comes with quick release system, typical for ballistic vests. Just to be fully honest with you, some of QR systems can be found even in plate carriers such as JPC 2.0, but they work on totally different basis.
Noble is a modular concept and I don’t mean it has PALS system. Modularity in Noble is based on its design which allows user to change front flap, cummerbund or even back plate panel and, of course, using additional protective addons mentioned earlier in the text. This thing alone makes Noble PC to stand out in the market.
Front is typical for almost every PC. It has a detachable flap which covers Velcro cummerbund. There are few options for front:
- Triple AR/AK magazine kangaroo flap with MOLLE webbing,
- Triple AR/AK kangaroo flap with flat laser cut attachment slots,
- Standard MOLLE flap,
- Low-profile kangaroo flap (Velcro on whole front) with custom magazine insert.
- Skirmish (four AR/AK magazines). Basically it’s center panel Skirmish chest rig, so it can be worn standalone if straps are added.
- Concrete (triple AR/AK magazines). This comes from Concrete chest rig. Standard MOLLE flpa with kangaroo insert. Insert is made of Husar Skin material, similar to. It is mounted inside the kangaroo pouch with Velcro (we can close the compartment if we don’t want to use an insert).
Husar offers also inserts for six pistol magazines or similar. To be honest, they already made version 2.0 of their insert. Why, you may ask. Well, keep on reading and you will know. Insert is laser cut from Husar Skin fabric and has a bungee cord to hold magazines in place with Husar Skin pull-tab. Cool thing is that those pull tabs have laser burnt arrows pointing in which direction pull (something like “WARNING, COFFEE IS HOT!”). You can adjust that bungee with ITW Nexus CSL cord. As mentioned, flap is detachable and can be used as a mini-chestrig after attaching harness and vice versa, Husar chest rigs (Skirmish and Concrete) can be used as flaps.
Above the front flap there is MOLLE webbing with Velcro sewn on top and in for all morale patches. Underneath it is small flat horizontal pocket with Velcro closure (it fits Iphone 6 in Magpul case) with some elastic straps to hold small items such as pens or chemlights. Think tiny admin panel. Apart from that there are vertical webbing straps on both sides of front panel to attach PTTs. There are also Velcro One Wrap ties on the edges of the front panel for comms wire or hydration tubes routing.
The shoulder straps are connected to the front panel with metal G-Hooks. The reason for this is rapid getting off and on the plate carrier from wounded person. You take off the plate carrier, do all the medical stuff you need and after that you can still put a vest on the wounded and keep him secured against fragments. It wouldn’t be possible if QR system would be released or medic just cut those shoulder straps off. Other thing is that if you don’t want putting your vest on overhead, just undo one shoulder strap with G-hook and one half of cummerbund (best effect if those are on the same side 😉 ) and just put it from the side. And it rocks.
My Husar Noble was final prototype version in my favorite Pencott GreenZone camouflage. Loops for G-hooks were made of Husar Skin, green material which is shiny and bit rubber-ish inside and totally matte outside. And due to that rubber thing I had some problems to put a G-hook through a loop. Quite often. Right now, Noble 3.0 has this part made of webbing.
Shoulder straps are of course adjustable but even if someone is even more “compact” than me (well, is it possible?!), excessive part of strap can be cut so it won’t stick out. Cutting can be esthetic as the strap is divided into segments so it is very easy to cut them out. Clean cut and that’s all folks. Of course, there are comfort pads for shoulder straps. These are very comfortable and made, well who would expect, from Husar Skin. Construction of very simple, comfort pads are held in place with Velcro flaps and from the body side is padded with and 3D mesh so even after long hours of use, user will not experience any discomfort. Of course, we have two loops of Velcro on each comfort pad too.
Rear panel is more than interesting. As I mentioned earlier, it can be replaced. The Noble comes with standard MOLLE backpanel, with integrated hydration compartment for a bladder up to 2L (tube can be put outside on left or right, depends on user preferences). Panel is kept in place by four Velcro straps with bottom one additionally keeping a ballistic plate inside. Side Velcros, due to integrated hydration compartment, are sewn onto wide elastic band so you can fill the bladder inside it without a problem. There are also available laser cut MOLLE panel, low-profile (flat, without MOLLE etc.) and medical (variation of laser cut panel but with pouches sewn on). Backplate pouch is partially independent from the back panel as it lacks bottom part that holds the plate inside. Backplate pouch is made from thin rip-stop nylon. It is a base for QR and cummerbund attachment.
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, single 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 somehow 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 cushion has a hi-vis side (bright orange). QR system is based on two wires in plastic tubing that hold shoulder straps and cummerbund. 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 panel 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 adjusted(but still, plate must lay on you body, no space between body and plate).
So, that’s a construction of few parts that are most interesting for the future user. Right now, let’s move to the little things that show us professionalism of the company that are marketing gold. Quit looking for any labels as you won’t find them. Every part with Husar Skin has it’s own label laser engraved into the material with a place for signature of the maker, date and serial number. On one side is a website address with “Made in Poland” writing and on other is Husar logo. Other places to find it are chest compartment pull tab with company’s name under it. That’s all, no more.
Kordek says:
Husar’s Noble Plate Carrier is one of many plate carriers I have used or have had in my hands and so far it is the most comfortable. Guys from Husar are solid and they had no problem in making non-standard version and effect of that is my Noble as it was made to fit Large Swimmer’s Cut plates. Husar needed only one plate to measure everything and they made it perfectly. When it comes to comfort while wearing it – no issues. You can adjust it as you want, not only for big guys but also for those skinny ones. Cool thing is that you can ask them to burn anything into Husar Skin material. That way, Markus and Cader surprised me as they burnt my surname inside of the front panel and an inside joke on the back one.
Frankly, nothing can be perfect and it’s the same with Noble PC. First thing that I don’t like in it are those CLS cord-locks in magazine insert. Well, it’s maybe cool, you can quickly adjust them when you change type of magazines you use… And that’s the issue. How often do you change your main gun that you need to readjust the shockcord? You do it once, tie a knot and that’s all. Moreover, those stoppers can be lost or damaged in more dynamic usage.
When we are at the insert still. Well, I have a version with vertical cuts and those cuts were catching magazines whenever I tried to put them inside. AR magazines didn’t cause that problem often but when it comes to AK ones. Well, forget it. There’s no chance you can put them in with a first try. But that’s a case with that type of cuts because right now the insert has round holes on whole surface. For me, horizontal Velcro with two vertical rubber bands to divide it into 3 compartments would be enough. Anything more can be thrown out.
By the Rabbit’s eye:
Similarly, as Marcin, I have quite a few plate carriers – from Crye JPC to big army issued ones. Husar Noble is clearly an advanced, with all consequences of it – positive and negative.
It is a comfortable PC for sure, even considering its weight (900 grams). Thankfully, comfort pads do their job. In simpler construction you can feel absence of them after few hours. Here we’ve got quite good cummerbund, mesh inserts for plates and adjusting system. Adjustment is very simple and can fit almost everyone.
Shoulder comfort pads. Great thing, seem to be a minor part, but you can clearly notice difference between JPC and Noble, especially after few hours. What’s more, you can attach hydration tube or comm wiring to shoulder comfort pads so everything is in order. QR cushion-style grip cooperating with those comfort pads is also a good thing. It’s not worse than standard loop. Redoing QR – you need some patience here, especially with that eyelet-string loop part. Pesky.
Pulling the cushion out – no problems at all.
Connection of shoulder straps with front panel. I don’t buy it at all. G-Hooks that suppose to ease taking the PC off are not easy to manipulate, especially in dark or when they’ll be dirty or wet (water, oil, blood – whatever). I didn’t have an issue with them so far in Noble but in chest rig that hook undid by itself in few situations.
Front and back panels. Cool, they works although I don’t use hydration compartment as I do not have a bladder that I can fit there. On top of that, I prefer attaching my hydration to the vest. Much easier.
Chest comfort pads. Yeah, they improve comfort noticeably. Theoretically they can be detached or attached. Practically – only attached. Why? Because, for God’s sake, hook side of Velcro is sewn to the vest. Do you understand? Not to the pads, to the vest. So when you detach them, the hook part of Velcro sliding on body. Marvelous! It might be changed in new version – I don’t know, I didn’t check that.
Front flap with kangaroo pouch. It’s cool, as any other flap. Awesome thing is that it is interchangeable with Skirmish chestrig that is 4 magazines wide, so if someone needs more rounds, go for it. Frankly, kangaroo insert (older version) is sh… poorly designed. I had the same problems as Kordek, but I topped them with AR magazines clinging inside. I’ve talked with guys from Husar, but they were unpersuadable. Few months went past and what a surprise, they changed it. So, our problems weren’t the only ones. As my preceding writer I think that it is unnecessarily complexed to make shockcord adjustment that way. You just adjust it, tie a knot and farewell. Why do I need adjustment with a cord lock? No clue here.
Just to sum up. Husar Noble Plate Carrier is cool, comfortable and really well made. It has few flaws (ok, mine has, they should be gone in 3.0 version) but overall grade is positive. Remember that it’s an advanced PC therefore complex and heavy (according to the simple JPC) but comfortable.
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