The modern plate carrier is substantially more compact and user-friendly compared to the body armor of the 90s-early 2000s. I believe it was the Paraclete HPV and LBT 6094s that set the example for the profile of the modern carrier. Before, you were seeing a lot of IBAs and LBVs over body armor which made load bearing pretty clunky. So now we get into the two most common modern plate carrier setups: the "universal" setup and the placard setup. In general, both setups share this similarity: 3 mags up front. The types of magazine pouches used on universal setup varies; you can double stack the mags to have 6 up front (at the cost of reducing ease of going prone) or single stack the mags up front, in either cases, it can be an open top or a close top flap. I've observed over time that there is generally a preference towards open open magazines (that can be backed up with kydex inserts) for a quick magazine draw and reindexing. As for the placard setup, most placards now are open top with some sort of insert for quick magazine draw and reindexing. So why use one setup over another? The universal setup is great and a standard go-to for most people because usually, it is less expensive than setting up a placard setup. The placard setup, however, allows the user to remove their placard and run it as an independent chest rig on the fly or switch it for a different configuration placard for other usages. So the universal setup means you're restricted to a single front flap, meaning if you want to go from 7.62 to 5.56 and vice versa, you're going to have to switch the front magazine pouches (which can be tedious). However, with the placard setup, you have to be mindful that interfacing issues arise. Example: Using a D3CR Micro on a Crye AVS. So I found that without an Axl Adapter or some kinda of placard stabilizing system, when you directly interface the placard with a plate carrier via swift clips and velcro, often times, the placard does not have enough velcro surface area to make it feel 100% stable. Buyers have to be mindful of this because placard setups are instantly more expensive to work at their fullest, but for those who value quickly changing out their front setups, it's a worthy investment.
So what about different pouches and other gear you may need for your carrier? So this depends on your mission set and role. How much gear are you carrying? What are you carrying? Can you reduce your weight further with what you are doing? So in terms of GP pouches and IFAKs, I've also observed that more people are moving their pouches to the front (at the fanny pack area) for good practical reason; when bulk is added to your sides via GP pouches, the carrier can be cumbersome to use. HOWEVER, running a GP pouch up front can be a double edged sword; the pouch can flop a bit while you move and you are adding extra weight up front. My tip to everyone here: do not add extra pouches on your kit if your mission set does not necessitate extra gear and don't even put the pouches on your kit for looks, in this case, utility trumps all. As for radios (for my JTAC boys), a popular method to run radios is to run the JPC MBITR or Ferro Concepts Wingman pouch in order to keep the radios up front. Traditionally, radios were run externally towards the rear on the non-dominant side cummerbund, however, like running a GP on the sides, it can add bulk and make the kit more cumbersome to run. Running the radio in a JPC MBITR or Ferro Concepts Wingman can be a double edged sword as well, in that the radios are now digging towards your sides, thus making it more uncomfortable to run your radio; plate carriers such as the AVS resolve this by allowing the radio to be run on the harness, reducing the radio dig to your sides. Despite this, I still prefer to run the radios with the JPC MBITRs/Wingman because I'm still reducing mass and bulk on my sides while maintaining a proper mission profile. Magazines.... well, this comes down to personal preference and ergonomics. The standard method of running mags on the side is to run a closed top single double stack on the non-dominant reload side towards the front, giving the user 5 mags total (3 up front, 2 on sides). In order to reduce this bulk, the user can also run a single stack open top magazine pouch and run an extra magazine on their 1st line belt setup.
Back Panels and Backpacks? So back panels and backpacks also depends on mission set and utility. Rule of thumb is, if you're not running that much kit now and your mission does not require the extra gear, don't bother getting a backpanel or tactical bag, your money can be better spent elsewhere. Back panels typically serve this purpose: to carry extra ordnance (such as smoke and flashbang grenades), to carry extra tools (such as bolt cutters, cable ties, etc) and hydration. Zip-On Panels typically serve that purpose excellently, however, as stated before, only get a zip on panel if your mission set necessitates the extra gear. As for backpacks (not 3 Day assault packs or rucks, think AVS1000 and Haley Flatpack)... people like to mount them directly to the back of carriers, but I believe they're at the fullest when they're run independently. So to my understanding, they're great for EOD guys and guys who have to carry explosives and charges. You want to be able to quickly deploy the bag in order to access the extra gear.I also do not recommend mounting the back to the carrier because in my experience, it has caused back sag and adds extra fixed burden to the carrier. PTTs and Comms Stuff? This section is pretty straightforward, so best keep it short. (also radio pouch discussion was in previous section). So as for PTT and Comms stuff, single comm dudes have it relatively easy, just one PTT and one radio, simple as pie. But for dual comm dudes, two PTTs and two radios add extra bulk and weight. Typically we mount the PTTs up front at the admin area for quick access, but I have seen pictures of guys running PTTs on the shoulder straps, front flap or cummerbund. So when you're scouting out a PTT, you not only have to worry about the connector end it has (standard NATO or Kenwood for Baofengs), you have to worry about its profile and size as well. In general, go for the U94 profile PTTs because they are lower profile and impede less of your rifle shouldering. Peltor PTTs are very rugged, but they're incredibly large. Other setups? I'm not going to go into great detail about setting up a gunner setup or other types of setups because I'm making this post with the assumption that most people are setting up their rigs to shoot 5.56 or 7.62. But for intent and purpose: -Gunner Setups: For my SAW boys, I believe the best setup for gunners is to run two SAW pouches at the dominant and non-dominant hand sides of the cummerbund towards the front so that you're weighed down as minimally as possible while keeping your front fairly slick. The old setup we lovingly called "tits" where two SAW pouches were placed up front weighs the user down too much and adds too much front bulk weight. So what carrier should I get? It depends on your mission set, as I stated before. If you're anticipating carrying a lot of gear during long missions without weighing yourself down, get a Crye AVS or Crye SPC. These carriers are comfortable and made for long term load bearing while being fully modular to the user's needs. Are you an police officer who needs quick armor to throw on? Look into a Ferro Slickster or Crye JPC 2.0, put your bear essentials on it while also being able to maintain your modularity of kit. Are you a responsible civilian who needs a quick setup for your weekend warrior memes? Ferro Slickster/Crye JPC 2.0 There are plenty of other carrier options out there that are just as viable as I listed above, but that's just another thread for another time.
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