REVIEW // Voodoo Tactical Hayden Plate Carrier

For the past couple of weeks, I have been testing out the Hayden Plate Carrier which was sent to us, from our friends from Voodoo Tactical Europe. The Hayden PC is a slim version of the Voodoo Tactical Heavy Armor Carrier. According to them it maintains the same level of quality as the other version. For now I cannot compare the two vests, but I will give you my honest opinion about the Hayden version.

I’ve reviewed other Voodoo Tactical Europe products in the past for other publications and they left me with a great impression on their products. Because of that, I kind of expect this plate carrier to maintain a high quality standard.

The Voodoo Tactical Hayden Plate Carrier is made out of 600D Cordura. On the front, it has four rows of velcro which are sown like webbing, that allows you to add an admin pouch or a small med pouch if you want, below the velcro rows you have five rows of MOLLE webbing,

Enough molle to carry up to four single M4 magazine pouches. If you use double M4 pouches you can carry 6 magazines just on the front of the vest. The vest itself is mostly single stitched however the MOLLE webbing is double stitched to to increase durability.

In the lower front you have two flaps you can lift to adjust the cummerbund to better fit your waist, both the front flaps and the cummerbund are held in place with velcro.

Inside the vest, there is soft padding to increase comfort when wearing the vest for extended periods of time, and breathable mesh so your body does not overheat.

Their are inside pockets, both in the front and on the back for 10×12″ ballistic plates or equivalent.

On the top, the shoulder straps are 1 inch wide extra padding to help with comfort. The straps are also easily adjustable to better fit you. On the bottom, the cummerbund is thin to better adjust to your waist and to help maintain the plate carrier’s light weight. It has 3 row of MOLLE and it is non-elastic but easily adjustable with velcro under the front flaps as mentioned before.

On the back portion of the Hayden Plate Carrier, there is a thick 2 inch webbing drag handle that is secured with velcro to maintain a low profile until needed. Below the drag handle you have seven rows of MOLLE to attach any pouches you might need,

If you are thinking about using a hydration pouch, there is no need to worry with that as the Hayden comes with it’s own removable hydration pouch that also functions as a backpack due to the extra storage space it has. The hydration pouch/backpack secures to the Plate Carrier with adjustable webbing straps and heavy duty plastic buckles.

The carrier also has two separate compartments, the main compartment has a mesh divider inside where the water bladder goes (not included with the Voodoo Tactical Hayden Plate Carrier) and lots of extra space for ammo, food, first aid kit or extra clothing and on the top you have a elastic loop to keep the the hose from the water bladder in place,

On the exterior portion of the main compartment, you have a large velcro rectangle for your patches. The second compartment sits at the end of the hydration pouch/backpack and it is large enough to store your radio, extra batteries, a flashlight, a multi-tool and other small items you might need.

Overall, I have to say that once again Voodoo Tactical Europe surprised me with a high quality product that is comfortable to use, even in high paced/high stress situations. Considering the build quality with the added bonus that it comes with it’s own hydration pouch/backpack makes it really cost effective.

In my personal opinion if your looking for a good quality built lightweight plate carrier, you should really consider the Hayden Plate Carrier, it is available in Black,Coyote Brown and O.D. Green for €109.95.