The best plate carriers to keep you hole-free



Aplate carrier is designed to hold armor plates that protect your vital organs if you get shot in the upper body. The basic design is front and back panels — each equipped with a plate bag, which is a thin sleeve much like laptop slot on a backpack — shoulder straps, and a cummerbund. Many plate carriers, though, improve upon that standard by offering features for comfort and mobility, load-bearing capabilities, and longevity. To get more news about Hard Armor panels, you can visit bulletproofboxs.com official website.

With so many options available, we compiled a list of the best plate carriers out there — the ones that strike the right balance of protection and features. We know they’re the best because we and our trusted experts conducted hands-on testing with all the options on this list. Plus, this article is not sponsored by any of the companies listed.

The Crye JPC is used by everyone from Navy SEALs to Army Rangers to SWAT officers to yours truly. The Jumpable Plate Carrier has a close fit and offers excellent mobility. Plus, the average infantryman can scale it down for general-purpose use.

The simple carrier consists of two plate bags and a Velcro cummerbund joined in the back by two strands of flexible and adjustable shock cord. The shoulder straps also feature a unique ripcord system — the two-step emergency doff system — so you can quickly remove the rig if you’re submerged in water or need medical attention.

The JPC 2.0 also features attachment points for buckles to attach a front placard, and zippers on the back for a Crye Precision back panel, which can be changed to fit the mission. For most users, some form of the JPC 2.0 will work well, possibly with some aftermarket accessories depending on the user, and that’s why it’s our pick for the best overall plate carrier.

The JPC is a nimble plate carrier, often described as a “Cordura bikini” because it doesn’t extend very far past the actual rifle plate. Also, the JPC is not especially heavy, so it won’t add much weight on top of your attached equipment and plates. The JPC achieves this by having minimal padding and excess material, and by relying on materials like Hypalon to strengthen stress points.

The JPC also excels in the area of adaptability, with the inclusion of a back zipper panel and front buckle loops and Velcro for the mounting of placards. What this means is that you can keep multiple back panels or front placard setups for multiple mission types, or remove the back panel entirely to ruck into the mission area, drop the pack, retrieve a back panel with a hydration bladder carrier or a small backpack, zip it on, and be ready to maneuver.

The flexibility of front placards also allows users to simply unclip a placard or chest rig that’s meant to carry M4 magazines, and swap over to one that’s designed for Sensitive Site Exploitation or one designed to accommodate magazines for a 7.62-caliber rifle like the SR25 or SCAR-17, which are both uses that the experts I interviewed have done with their JPCs.

Finally, the JPC — being a mainstay of cool guy gear — has a healthy aftermarket for accessories, including Crye back panels, most micro chest rigs and placards, and enhancements from designers like AXL Advanced. This means that with enough coin and enough time, you can truly have a designer plate carrier that fights with you.
Unfortunately, the lightweight and nimble cut of the JPC is as much a limitation as it is a capability, leading to a plate carrier that’s not the most comfortable out of the box. For starters, the shoulder straps are paper-thin, and offer no sort of padding to help alleviate pressure points over long periods of time, which is fine when you’re someone who gets chauffeured to a 30-minute direct action raid in an MH-6 Little Bird, but less optimal when your average day deployed involves patrolling for hours on foot. You can alleviate this by buying a quality pair of shoulder pads, but that’s an extra cost that could be anywhere from $30 to $90. Additionally, the front of the JPC is designed specifically to be used with placards, lacking any sort of lower torso MOLLE webbing to avoid the extra weight and complication of a front MOLLE flap. This thin design also lends itself to consistent complaints about durability, especially with the previous generation of the JPC, and the relatively low cost can mean you may have to repair the shoulder straps after hard use.