The quality of your carrier is just as important as the quality of your armor. Together they create a critical life saving piece of equipment. Just like any other piece of life support equipment you want to ensure it is going to stand up to the task at hand. I would never buy scuba gear off craigslist let alone trust it enough to dive with. For obvious reasons the same considerations should be taken when purchasing a plate carrier. One common misconception though is quality doesn’t have to mean expensive. There are plenty of great plate carriers that can be had for under $200.  Listed below are a few options from both ends of the spectrum.

Ragnar Vest System

A great multi-mission vest named for the intrepid explorer and cunning warrior Ragnar Lodbrok, this vest and its accessory components are suited for a wide variety of roles and circumstances. The carrier can be altered with different cummerbunds to minimize its signature or increase its tactical load capability. Special pockets facilitate immediate scale-up or scale-down based upon situational requirements. Specific Soft Armor packages cut to fit the Ragnar Armored Vest are available from FirstSpear as well as optional hard armor solutions. This is a great multi mission vest with the sort of flexibility that allows you to use one system for a multitude of profiles.

Shellback Tactical Banshee Elite 2.0 Rifle Plate Carrier With Elite Cumberbund

The Shoulders on the BANSHEE ELITE 2.0 are fully adjustable and padded. Slightly wider than the original banshee the shoulders lay flatter on your body and have a hidden quick release buckle. The shoulders front and back have Hypalon material with 4 slits that is pliable allowing for easy access to the buckles. The bottoms of the Hypalon shoulders are not sewn down allowing for easier routing of comm wires or hydration lines. New Update – The shoulders include a set of our Banshee Ultimate shoulder pads with all Elite carriers.

The front and back of the BANSHEE feature 6 rows of PALS webbing and pile tape for flags and other identifiers. The interior of the front and back carrier on the body side are also comfort padded with 3D mesh sewn in an airflow pattern allowing for heat disbursement. Rifle plates are loaded from the bottom front/back and secured with a hook/loop closure. The drag handle on the BANSHEE ELITE is sewn through and secured down with hook and loop.

The front of the BANSHEE ELITE is feature packed. On the top of the front of the carrier is an Integrated Admin Pouch now with a zippered gusseted pocket to secure items This admin area allows for storage of small items, tools, batteries, chem lights etc. On the front of the carrier on each side are 2 vertical nylon sewn strips to accomadate QASM buckles to accommodate chest rigs. The front flat closure stops at the bottom and does not run under allowing for fast easy donning and doffing.

The BANSHEE ELITE plate carrier comes standard with the BANSHEE ELITE Cummerbund that is removable and fully adjustable. The cummerbund has 6 interior pockets (3 each side) that will accommodate .223 5.56 AR Style. Fits all brands of magazines in this caliber.  The pockets have adjustable bungee pull tabs. Exterior and Interior of cummerbund have 3 rows of PALS webbing to accept side plates or other pouches.

Staying with successful concept of the original Banshee this carrier is One Size. Also standard is a secondary nylon strap system with quick release buckles (also removable) if the cummerbund is not needed. The front pocket of the Carrier has a hook and loop kangaroo pocket to allow for accessories and magazines. Accommodates Banshee 2-mag pouch.

NEW UPDATE – The back of the carrier in a seperate pocket from the plate pocket opens and can accept a 2 liter hydration bladder. Integrated option to add hydration.

USA Made-Full Berry Compliant – Backed by our No Questions asked Lifetime Warranty.

Strandhögg SAPI Cut Plate Carrier