Guys…
This is not an end-user 2-way range review. Nor a “This is better that that” review. Just a side-by-side comparison of two of the leading plate carriers on the market.
There has been a lot of talk about “sizing” and “can I fit a Lg SAPI in a S/M APC” etc… on here (and other places) in the past. I merely wanted to post my experience.
First the Mayflower APC in S/M. This is a NICE carrier. Simple, LOW profile, and well constructed. (They don’t need me to endorse their products-they have Tier 1 guys doing it everyday)…but I like it.
I could JUST fit a Large SAPI (I think an ESAPI would be too tight) in the plate bags. The matching 11x14 Large Velocity backer would make this a lot tougher I think-(you maybe able to get by with the Med plate backer which is 10x13 but the Lg SAPI would overlap it by about 1/8"-1/4" all the way around so you’d lose a bit of ICW coverage). The shoulders (where it is ‘clipped’) of the Lg SAPI were TIGHT…stretching out the cordura somewhat-enough to make a potential “wear hole”…Length-wise it JUST cleared-but you lose some of the velcro contact in the flaps at the bottom of the plate bags that prevent the plate “falling” out. To me it was a bit too tight but others ARE doing it. The Med SAPI/ESAPI would be perfect (It IS what it was designed for). I think a 10x12 Velocity Systems Level IV swimmer cut plate (I just purchased a set) would also be a great fit in this carrier. I really like being able to adjust lateral positioning of the 6x6 MSAPs in the cummerbund too.
I also got hold of an LBT 6094B Slick Gen II Swimmer Cut in 330D AOR1 from a buddy.
I thought the APC was light…(it is compared to a large Eclipse RBAV-SF with BALCS and Lg SAPIs)…This LBT slick is a feather. The 300D is noticeably less rugged feeling than the APC in 500D. It is designed as an Uber-LW carrier and it is. My first impression is it is SMALL…it says “Large” but it is smaller than the S/M APC. This carrier has PALS only on the back for a hydration carrier and maybe a 9022. The cummerbund is merely a 2" elastic “inner” cummerbund type. (My carrier did not come with the 2739 MSAP/M4 mag pouch addition to the cummerbund)…A Lg SAPI didn’t come close to fitting (it IS a “Swimmer-Cut” carrier-they DO make a 6094B slick cut for ESAPI plates as well and you’d need to specify as most are the “Swimmer-Cut”) but a Med should (I used a Small ESAPI and it fit with some room). Again this is a small light carrier. The Mayflower APC is probably a better choice for modularity -if you want to run any pouches) IMHO. A comparison to a regular Modular LBT 6094 would be be fairer.
Lastly the Desert Digital vs Crye’s AOR1…I guess this is the million $$ question for airsofters…(I’m not one;))…They are Close…when you look at pictures of them SxS the eye tends to see the similarities. In person you can see the difference. The DD color palette seems to be closer…meaning that the tans, med-brown and dk-browns tend to “blend” better giving a more subdued pattern. The AOR1 colors are more ‘dispersed’. The “Tan” is lighter and the med-brown and dk-browns are more contrasting. There is a good bit of variance between varying runs of AOR1 itself. Some tends to be very “Light” colored with a few ‘flecks’ of brown and some is more like the DD. On my LBT the rear plate bag is actually close enough to the DD that it’s almost indistinguishable, while the front plate bag is quite different.
The webbing for the shoulder straps and PALS between Mayflower’s APC and the LBT 6094 are so similar it is hard to tell a difference.
This post is worthless without pics…
Side by Side
Side by Side Opened up Front
Side by Side Opened Up Rear