Plate Carrier Member Survey / Review.

[Jerseymike]

Big fan of the crye jpc. Ultra slim shoulder straps, really easy to shoulder yiur rifle, very simple design, can use as a low pro rig or load the crap out of it. Integrated ar mag pouches and an integrated small admin up top. Using and it for several months now on call outs and training. No complaints.

[Turnkey11]

First Spear Siege vs Siege-R...




Just got the Siege-R in the mail today and immediately stripped my Siege for comparison. I don't have any fancy scale to measure weight savings, and I cannot feel a difference by hand, but I can tell by wearing it that it is both lower profile and more user friendly (don't have to mess with Velcro at all.) My soft armor fit perfectly in the old Siege, however in the Siege-R I received the back panel is bunching up quite a bit. Im gonna walk a few miles in it tonight to see if everything settles or if my back just gets used to the bumps. The internal cummerbund is gone, which Ive always hated in these types of vests anyways, and instead of Velcro keeping the side wings together there is some rubberized friction stuff that keeps the wings from sliding around. Getting it on is a breeze, you slide one tube together then the other side. No more holding the middle flap up and getting your Velcro lined up and sandwiching it with the front flap of Velcro. I expected the Tubes to stick out a bit but after wearing with armor they are completely unobtrusive. The plates fit directly behind the material with the 6/12 molle cuts; to install pouches the plates will have to come out because there is no room for hands once the plates are installed. The Velcro on this vest is pretty much limited to the flap retaining the plates, the access for the soft armor, and the shoulder straps; all of which are the same as they were on the old Siege vest. The Velcro for ID patches on the front and back is great if you need those things, I don't and I will probably cut it off. Im gonna run it slick for a while as well, Ill be fitting a couple chest rigs over it tonight and maybe do a little running as well. My old Siege vest is getting shipped off to a new home tomorrow and I can say I will not be missing it at all. More pics to follow tomorrow, losing sunlight already.

[uncreative1]

-What plate carrier do you currently use?
PIG plate carrier with molle cumberbund

-How did you choose this make/model?
I've researched all the threads here on carriers and chose it based on my needs as well as the good reviews on it. This is my first carrier so I read up on it as much as I could. I needed a carrier that easy to don and doff quickly and allowed me to get to my belt without being in the way.

-Likes/Dislikes? Strengths/weaknesses?
It's easy to throw on in a hurry, the split flap lets me keep one side open. It's fairly low profile the padding between your body and the plates is spot on and not too padded. The whole carrier is easily adjusted to get a proper fit.
The price was a little steep but after buying it I have no regrets.

[Cmm46]

-What plate carrier do you currently use?
Mayflower APC

-How did you choose this make/model?
I liked the reviews. It's low profile. I like how the cumberbund attaches by velcro in the back and how the elastic helps keep the plates from coming up.

-Likes/Dislikes? Strengths/weaknesses?
Not easy to adjust on the fly. Im a cop but im not always wearing a vest in my current assignment. I need to have it set up to fit over my soft armor but easily adjustable if I'm not wearing my vest.

[ra2bach]

hey, what's up with the price on the Banshee? list price is up to $199 now???

I thought these were supposed to be a "budget" alternative...

[bruin]

-What plate carrier do you currently use?

Mayflower Low-Profile Armor Carrier


-How did you choose this make/model?

I used to wear a Tyr BPC, but I wanted something lower profile and slim with soft armor only. I didn't want to deal with a separate concealment vest and PC with plates. I also shifted my load to belt carry and no longer needed pouches/MOLLE on the armor carrier.


-Likes/Dislikes? Strengths/weaknesses?

I like the flexibility to wear it concealed or over a shirt, soft armor only or with plates. Fit is very good and the carrier has a wide range of sizing adjustments. The wide c-bund elastic makes the carrier conform well around my torso and allows some flex during twisting and movement. The close fit also lets my torso bear some of the weight, so the shoulder straps are comfortable without pads. The plate riser straps are a nice touch; on the Tyr I had to jam spacers at the bottom to get the plates to ride high in their pockets. Stitching and construction are first-rate, typical of Mayflower. I also like the option to attach a chest rig via SwiftClips.

The biggest weakness - it's HOT. The carrier is worn tight against the body with zero breathability. I plan to add pontoons of some kind to create air channels for ventilation. For concealment cut soft armor inserts, the only practical source is Velocity (unless you can find Paraclete ones). On Multicam carriers it would be nice for Mayflower to use color-matched velcro hook on the c-bund, though I can see how this adds cost. The c-bund is made of double elastic layers, which could have been factory-sewn into pockets like the BFG Ten-Speed LMAC side closures.

I'm a civilian and the Mayflower LPAC is excellent for me. Right now I wear it sans plates at the range and during training, and it's unobtrusive and comfortable (other than the heat issue).

[ra2bach]

-What plate carrier do you currently use?

Mayflower Low-Profile Armor Carrier


-How did you choose this make/model?

I used to wear a Tyr BPC, but I wanted something lower profile and slim with soft armor only. I didn't want to deal with a separate concealment vest and PC with plates. I also shifted my load to belt carry and no longer needed pouches/MOLLE on the armor carrier.


-Likes/Dislikes? Strengths/weaknesses?

I like the flexibility to wear it concealed or over a shirt, soft armor only or with plates. Fit is very good and the carrier has a wide range of sizing adjustments. The wide c-bund elastic makes the carrier conform well around my torso and allows some flex during twisting and movement. The close fit also lets my torso bear some of the weight, so the shoulder straps are comfortable without pads. The plate riser straps are a nice touch; on the Tyr I had to jam spacers at the bottom to get the plates to ride high in their pockets. Stitching and construction are first-rate, typical of Mayflower. I also like the option to attach a chest rig via SwiftClips.

The biggest weakness - it's HOT. The carrier is worn tight against the body with zero breathability. I plan to add pontoons of some kind to create air channels for ventilation. For concealment cut soft armor inserts, the only practical source is Velocity (unless you can find Paraclete ones). On Multicam carriers it would be nice for Mayflower to use color-matched velcro hook on the c-bund, though I can see how this adds cost. The c-bund is made of double elastic layers, which could have been factory-sewn into pockets like the BFG Ten-Speed LMAC side closures.

I'm a civilian and the Mayflower LPAC is excellent for me. Right now I wear it sans plates at the range and during training, and it's unobtrusive and comfortable (other than the heat issue).

is Mayflower aligned with Velocity systems somehow? I see much of their products overlapping if not outright the same, with different brand labels...

[Cmm46]

is Mayflower aligned with Velocity systems somehow? I see much of their products overlapping if not outright the same, with different brand labels...

It's basically the same company. VS is the armor portion and Mayflower is the nylon. They're close by me and guys I work with have gone to them for custom armor/carriers. One stop shopping.

[ra2bach]

It's basically the same company. VS is the armor portion and Mayflower is the nylon. They're close by me and guys I work with have gone to them for custom armor/carriers. One stop shopping.

thanks. that's what I thought...

[Greenhead308]

Mayflower APC here