Opinions For A New Plate Carrier

[Rush]

I'm currently in the market for a new plate carrier. I had the Condor Defender prior to this, but found it a bit to big and bulky for my liking. I came to the conclusion that I still wanted to stick with the plate carrier style, but this time, wanted something high quality, durable, light, comfortable (well...as comfortable as a plate carrier can be), and last but not least, Multicam. I have been searching the net, trying to find reviews and information to help narrow down the choices. The search lead me to three choices that fit within my budget, and hit almost all my points.
Mayflower APC
BFG LMAC
Ferro Concepts FCPC
I just can't seem to choose between them and figured I would see what you guys think. I would like to be able to carry a load out of 4-5 M4 Mags, IFAK, Utility Pouch, and Hydration system on the back.
If you have personal experience with any of the items, or you have a buddy that runs one of these, I would love to hear about them. I appreciate your guys input and look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Thanks again

[Slow]

[White_knight]

http://www.skdtac.com/PIG-Plate-Carrier-p/pig.502.htm

The pig plate carrier is my personal pick. and my buddy liked it so much he bought one too. its very comfortable and modular.

heres a write up from military morons

http://www.militarymorons.com/equipm...otective3.html

[m102404]

I have the mayflower apc. Nice rig, very comfy. Has all the bits where you want/need them.

Not flappy or bulky with plates in then.

Good bit of kit. Nothing I find wanting with it.

Skd pig was my third choice.

Lbt 6094 was my tie for first...would have been happy with either

[redzaku]

wait long enough to test the new 5.11 plate carrier?

[Dingo]

The JPC has worked out great for me, but Id also recommend the LBT 6094. Just a heads up, but Im pretty sure the FCPC isn't officially out yet.

[Stealth]

I've decided on the Mayflower APC, the lighter weight sold it for me.

Having said that though the PIG with the elastic c-bund was pretty sweet.

[w1lp33]

"high quality, durable, light, comfortable" -- Banshee Plate Carrier.

http://www.itstactical.com/gearcom/b...aining-plates/
http://www.lapolicegear.com/shellbac...tecarrier.html

I've had mine for a few months now, and I love the shit out of it. Only downside is not a tonne of Molle real estate, but I run it with a war belt, and it's perfect for that, because it rides high making it easy to get at the stuff on my belt.

[Eien]

Would go with Ferro

[Rush]

I think the pig may be a bit too big for my liking, as I would like to run a battle belt as well. Not sure how it fits, is it slim or would be comparable to the defender in size? I could of course be completely wrong on this as I've never seen one up close.
I have looked at the 5.11 but if I'm going to be dropping this much cash, I would rather support a north american company with products made here and not asia. To each their own, but thats just my thoughts.

Anybody used the BFG LMAC? it seems like a nice rig, and one shot seem to be really promoting it, but I haven't seen many people using them, both RS shooters and AS.
I've only seen it in the videos done by Funker530 on youtube.

I absolutely love the look and some of the features the FCPC has, but does anyone know when a bouts it will be released?
...I suppose I could fire Ferro an email too :P

Thanks guys for all your thoughts, its good to see what everyone is using, and the other recommendations are great too.

[Gato]

I've handled Mayflower, some damn good kit right there.

I've seen some SKD Pigs and heard decent reports from a lot of people.

I've seen a bunch of Ferro stuff, as for it's function, I can't say personally, though a buddy of mine was far from thrilled when some of the stitching started to give. Not much originality, appears mainly to be mostly copies of other gear. Aesthetically it leaves a lot to be desired in regards to sloppy looking stitching. The items being referenced was purchase about half a year ago I believe, the end result was the items being doused in lighter fuel and thrown in a bonfire :P

The item you want may, or may not, be better


Personally, for a plate carrier, I run a PANTAC CIRAS Land. Not the most high end piece of kit, but it's never caused me any issues and as long as you put in some form of plate, it doesn't look floppy. FAR from low profile though, that's some bulky assaulter shit right there.
That's just my 2 cents

[Stealth]

Okay I just did about 2 hours of research comparing the SKD PIG, Mayflower and the TAG/Shellback Banshee.

I have the most on-hand experience with the PIG so I'll speak on that first: The SKD PIG is probably the "smallest" profile out of all 3 but only if it's running the elastic cummerbund. With the MOLLE cbund they're all about the same. It's a bit overbuilt for a plate carrier but the ease of adjustment puts it above the rest in that regard. There are quite a few options for the PIG like the elastic cummerbund which slims down the rig significantly but that's at an additional cost. The back venting on the PIG is also superior to the other 2 rigs below but none of the 3 offer the mesh backing

The Shellback looks like the best bang for the buck and I *almost* pulled the trigger on it, but did some due diligence and found out that it's twice the weight of the Mayflower, but probably about the same weight as the PIG or less. Most people will like the front and back velcro for morale patches and to be honest it'll serve 95% of all people looking for a low pro plate carrier. The only thing I noticed is that it doesn't have the internal velcro so you can't really adjust the height of the plate inside the carrier like you can with the PIG. It DOES allow you to run the rig without the MOLLE cummerbund but I noticed that the removable nylon straps aren't bungee so it may not hug you like the bungee cbund hugs you like the PIG.

Now the Mayflower APC is the lightest out of all 3 by a far margin at just over 1lb with no plates, but the angle of the shoulder straps may not work for everyone. While there are no elastic cummerbunds available for the APC, I feel it doesn't need one as the nylon used is only 500D and the whole rig is very lightweight.
I had a tough time finding the right size for me. I'm 6'2" 180lbs and apparently I wear a Small/Medium APC with a Small cummberbund. The whole point of me getting this plate carrier is for a slick setup so I opted to go with the medium plates as mobility was paramount.

The Ferro one looked promising but then I noticed that there's nothing in stock and you have to sort of pick and choose the options you want so by the time you're done you're looking at a rig that costs about the same or more than the PIG, which has been proven to work well for the past few years. Like Gato said, there aren't that many innovative features on the Ferro rig but it DOES have the mesh back which could be huge for extended engagements in hot weather.

All 3 rigs will ride high enough so that you can run a battlebelt or a standard belt setup. However, that's entirely dependent on what size plates you run. If you're a shorter guy and run large plates, then that will interfere with your 1st line belt. Keep in mind that most of these rigs are going to be only as big as the plate you're using.

[Dingo]

In reguards to people saying Ferro's stuff is copying other brands, it used to, but not anymore. I think his FCPC will be a strong competitor out of the gate. The Ferro stuff I have (AOR-1 Foretrex pouch, DD FCPC slick, DD double pistol mag pouch, AOR-1 sling, DD slap charge pouch) all have great stitching and overall build quality is very high. I don't see why his up coming FCPC wouldnt be just as good if not better. I think having the option to build it the way you want is a great choice instead of paying for something you wouldn't use anyways.

[w1lp33]

You're right about the Banshee. I actually took the buckles out, as I wanted to use the cummerbund anyways. But if you don't want to use the cummerbund, the buckles along might not be that great.

The Mayflower's lighter eh? I was REALLY tempted to get it, as it was similar in size to the banshee, but with a little bit more molle on the front and back, but there's like 8 different sizing options, and I was concerned about buying the wrong size carrier/cummerbund combination... That and the extra $100-$150+ made me eventually go with the Banshee. I'm happy with it, but part of me still wonders about the Mayflower... Maybe someday.

Only downside for me with the Banshee is that the back panel is very small, so things like 3L hydration bladders and packs that attach with molle buckles (Like the Source Rider hydration carrier and the Tactical Tailor Removable Operator Pack) don't fit on properly, because there aren't enough rows/columns of Molle to really put them on properly. I mean, I've found ways to make them work, but it's not ideal.

[Wrath144]

I have a BFG LMAC and its very much a minimalist plate carrier.
That being said, I really like it. More maneuverability than a 6094 and has expandable capacity with the available side closures.