Plate carriers

[browna6]

Was looking to possibly buy used, but if I can buy new for a decent quality and price I will. Any plate carrier recommendations?

[T6e9a]

What sort of build are you? Larger more filled out? Thinner? About average?

I'm along the thinner lines and I like the Emerson JPC that I have. I have tried a number of other carriers and most are just too big and bulky.

Also how much gear do you plan to run? Molle "estate" can be another factor in what you are looking for.

[browna6]

I'm looking for a decent amount of estate because I plan to use it in milsims.  But by lean I mean muscular, I play football in college.  Therefore sometimes big sizes are too big or small sizes are too narrow .

[T6e9a]

I don't think there is such a thing as a plate carrier that is "too narrow". But most carriers are pretty widely adjustable for the majority of body types.

As for using it for s milsim, there are a number on this board that have done so with a $25 chest rig and a hydro carrier.

[Gimpalong]

Almost all new plate carriers are sold in sizes that are based off of the plate size. So a "small" plate carrier is one designed to hold a small SAPI plate, a "medium" is designed to hold a medium sized SAPI plate, etc. You can look up the different sizes of SAPI plates online to get an idea of the size.

Now if you're buying a reproduction plate carrier, like the Emerson JPC for example, it's pretty likely that the carrier will be sized for a medium plate.

The key to picking a PC is to know exactly what you need to carry and then select the carrier based on that. You shouldn't look to fill every piece of PALS webbing; just carry what you need.

[Cats]

If you buy a "real steel" carrier built to mil-spec by a real military company, your carrier will outlive any airsoft carriers in my experience. Khaki, black, and ranger green are unpopular colors these days, so you can get better used and sometimes new prices on those colors.


Here's a few popular, well built, medium (10"x12"ESAPI plates) and affordable carriers for your consideration:

 
http://lbxtactical.lbtinc.com/0300c
LBX is an airsoft focused off-shoot of LBT, LBT makes decent real steel gear and their airsoft stuff is very comparable to their real stuff.

 
https://www.tacticalassaultgearstore.com/gear/plate-carriers/crye-precision-jpc-jumpable-plate-carrier.html
Crye's JPC is famous for it's skeletal cummerbund which provide better airflow and weight reduction. Their quality and customer service is legendary.

 
http://www.ar500armor.com/banshee-plate-carrier.html
Shellback Tactical (SBT) is an off-shoot Tactical Assault Gear (TAG). TAG's  products last forever, SBT's quality is very comparable to TAG and the Banshee Plate Carrier has become one of the most well known budget carriers on the market. [EDIT: TAG has a new PC called the Vangard, can find it for around $200 on ebay and such, looks nice]

 
http://atstacticalgear.com/ats-aegis-plate-carrier-v2/
Nice carrier by ATS. ATS is a real steel company, but their quality is more on par with LBX. The mesh interior makes for good airflow.


If you want to go the used gear route, higher end carriers by Tyr, First Spear, Velocity Systems, Eagle Industries, MSA, and Paraclete can all be had in the $100 to $200 range. Just be careful, if it's been used over-seas on deployment it will show heavy wear from daily use. Older model carries tend to focus more on PALS/MOLLE space rather than airflow and comfort; newer model carries are more “high speed”. Like Gimpalong stated, don’t buy a carrier just because it has a ton of pouch space; the better you get the less gear you actually need to play.

[browna6]

Thank you, I'll be on the lookout for those.

[Lewa nuva 21]

Thank you, I'll be on the lookout for those.

I got a shellback for sale if ya want

Sent from my 2PQ93 using Tapatalk