Post by Dobbs on Jul 10, 2009 10:29:16 GMT -8
This is a very difficult review for me because I have mixed feelings about this equipment. I will start off by saying that this is my second plate carrier system, and my 3rd molle vest.
Let’s start with the bad- this thing traps a lot of heat, making normal weather hot, and hot weather unbearable. I am running “plates” in this vest and this may be the cause of some of the heat retention, however having run other plate carriers and LBV’s in the past I never had this issue even in high heat games.
Another issue the carrier has are the shoulder straps. Now this is a heavy vest to begin with before you load it down. When you load the vest down with ammo and a a full hydrator pack, the straps become uncomfortable after extended periods of time. Having run a Blackhawk LBV with similar loads I never had this issue. That being said, it was an LBV not a Plate Carrier so the comparison is a best only slightly comparable.
Stepping back a moment- numerous members of BlackRain run this vest with no problems. And my experience with the condor carrier in high heat was back when I was in college and rowing on a collegiate level. (I’m pretty sure you could have put me in a blast furnace with no negative effects at that point)
So now to the good. This thing is extremely well put together and intricate from the standpoint of fit, fitment and finish. The cumber bun is an awesome feature, and there is a TON of MOLLE Real estate to mount one of- pretty much whatever you want on it. The nylon, isn’t 1000 but it really doesn’t matter. i have fallen down hills of rocks in this thing and there has been no real damage. it appears professional on the exterior and when you open up the inside you see how much work is going on behind the scenes in this thing to allow it to be effectively “torn away”
Now frankly the only reason I can see myself tearing this thing away is because I get so f*^$@*# hot wearing it that I might die, other than that the tear away option is pretty useless to us in airsoft.
I need to go back to the cumber bun, cumber bun is one of the best features of this vest and allows you to wear the vest semi loose to keep it cool, while still keeping the equipment from flopping all over the place.
To summarize, this is a comparatively expensive piece of heavy duty gear, and not a good choice for the smaller or young players. This is by far the heaviest (weight wise) vest I own, loaded and unloaded. Functionally, It adequately covers my vital organs and im 6’ + making it a good choice for larger players. That being said even on large players will notice a decrease mobility, and speed that lighter gear might preserve. All in all this is a good solution for large outdoor games and those seeking a high level of realism, a lot of molle point for their plethora of gear, and one of the meanest looking vests on the field.
Let’s start with the bad- this thing traps a lot of heat, making normal weather hot, and hot weather unbearable. I am running “plates” in this vest and this may be the cause of some of the heat retention, however having run other plate carriers and LBV’s in the past I never had this issue even in high heat games.
Another issue the carrier has are the shoulder straps. Now this is a heavy vest to begin with before you load it down. When you load the vest down with ammo and a a full hydrator pack, the straps become uncomfortable after extended periods of time. Having run a Blackhawk LBV with similar loads I never had this issue. That being said, it was an LBV not a Plate Carrier so the comparison is a best only slightly comparable.
Stepping back a moment- numerous members of BlackRain run this vest with no problems. And my experience with the condor carrier in high heat was back when I was in college and rowing on a collegiate level. (I’m pretty sure you could have put me in a blast furnace with no negative effects at that point)
So now to the good. This thing is extremely well put together and intricate from the standpoint of fit, fitment and finish. The cumber bun is an awesome feature, and there is a TON of MOLLE Real estate to mount one of- pretty much whatever you want on it. The nylon, isn’t 1000 but it really doesn’t matter. i have fallen down hills of rocks in this thing and there has been no real damage. it appears professional on the exterior and when you open up the inside you see how much work is going on behind the scenes in this thing to allow it to be effectively “torn away”
Now frankly the only reason I can see myself tearing this thing away is because I get so f*^$@*# hot wearing it that I might die, other than that the tear away option is pretty useless to us in airsoft.
I need to go back to the cumber bun, cumber bun is one of the best features of this vest and allows you to wear the vest semi loose to keep it cool, while still keeping the equipment from flopping all over the place.
To summarize, this is a comparatively expensive piece of heavy duty gear, and not a good choice for the smaller or young players. This is by far the heaviest (weight wise) vest I own, loaded and unloaded. Functionally, It adequately covers my vital organs and im 6’ + making it a good choice for larger players. That being said even on large players will notice a decrease mobility, and speed that lighter gear might preserve. All in all this is a good solution for large outdoor games and those seeking a high level of realism, a lot of molle point for their plethora of gear, and one of the meanest looking vests on the field.