Grey Ghost Gear is clearing out their lightweight plate carriers at a pretty attractive price. I have been using one for a few months and figured this would be a good time to pass on a sort of mini-review.
This plate carrier has some features that I haven’t seen anywhere else. Some are good. Some need some work.
I like the “admin” pouch at the top front of the carrier. It is accessed via angled slash openings. The openings are unsecured so you won’t want to stow small, easily lost items in it, but is perfect for items like gloves or similar bulky soft goods. A little bit of Velcro to secure these openings would be nice. It is also a handy place to jam a magazine that you want to retain during an admin reload. I have also used it as a hand warmer.
I have a love/hate relationship with the cummerbund. On one hand, the plastic stiffened, Velcro covered cummerbund is a stroke of genius for use with Grey Ghost Gear’s side plate pouches. This set up allows the user to easily adjust the rid height and horizontal positioning. On the other hand, the cummerbund may not be able to be adjusted small enough for some users. I had a bit of difficulty getting it small enough for me, but I found that I could shorten the cummerbund enough by folding the tapered ends under. Adding the side plate carriers also helps the carrier fit better.
The grab handle is a lightweight marvel. It is made from folded 500D nylon to keep weight down and it is sewn to the rear plate pocket all the way down the sides at intervals. This creates various paths for routing cables and hydration tubes and serves as reinforcement for the drag handle. Genius.
The plate pockets are lined with a layer of ripstop nylon for extra durability. They are lightly padded and have 3D mesh on the surface that goes up against the user for comfort and breathability. This plate carrier wears cooler than any other that I have tried.
The shoulder straps on this carrier are excellent. They are very low profile and stay out of the way to provide a nice clean shoulder pocket for your rifle. The shoulder pads are small to keep the weight down and they feel so good that it makes me wonder why everyone else makes theirs larger.
The Grey Ghost Gear Plate Carrier is a great piece of gear with a mediocre cummerbund. The idea of the cummerbund is great but it lacks adjustment. In spite of that, it has become one of my favorite plate carriers.
Grey Ghost Gear is selling these at half off right now. They are available in Coyote Brown and Multicam at GreyGhostGear.com.
