Author - Jerry Paxton

Rothco sent us over one of their new MOLLE Plate Carrier Vests to review, and I am very glad they did. Most airsofters who are serious about the game know about brands like Flyye, Eagle Industries, and LBT. However, Rothco has often been seen as an economy brand, not suited for long-term play. After taking some real time to review this vest, I am confident in saying that this is not the case at all. In fact, having owned both Flyye and Eagle Industries plate carriers in the past, I would say that this Rothco MOLLE vest is of above average quality and very well-suited for Milsim style game usage.

In terms of its build quality, the Rothco MOLLE Plate Carrier Vest is made from 600D Denier Polyester. While not as thick as the Flyye 6094’s 1000D material, the Rothco model is strong and I found no evidence of tears or weakness. The vest is even double-stitched at most of the stress points I could find, making it VERY tear resistant. The back of the Polyester panels are lined with a vinyl like material that adds a lot of rigidity and durability to the vest. The inner side of the front and back panels are lined with a soft material that absorbs some shock and makes the vest very comfortable to wear.

Rothco’s MOLLE Plate Carrier Vest has some awesome features that even some higher-end models don’t – such as the option to remove the cummerbund and still use the vest as well as the addition of a nifty cummerbund cord clip/lock. Why are these so important? In airsoft, often times you will fine yourself wearing a heavy military blouse, jacket, or shirt that might do a fine job of deflecting some of the pain from being hit all on its own. So, the added protection of a full vest might not be that important to you – you would probably be using it more for gear pouches and the like. Once the cummerbund is removed, the Rothco MOLLE Plate Carrier Vest allows for some really fast movement as well as arm range of motion – only at the expense of the side panels. Many players won’t even miss these side MOLLE areas because they put gear on a combat belt. Of course, if you prefer the cummerbund’s side panels, you can leave them on and reap the benefits of how it hugs your body slightly better than just using the two quick-release straps. The choice is yours and that is the greatest part about how Rothco designed this vest. In addition, leaving the cummerbund attached allows you to make use of its side armor panel pouches for even more Milsim play.

The previously-mentioned cummerbund cord clip/lock is simply brilliant. Often times with cummerbunds, even very expensive models, the paracord cord which holds the two side pieces together can slip out unless you knot it well. Even worse, sizing the cummerbund can take some trial and error – meaning you have to keep tying and untying the cord each time you want to make an adjustment. With Rothco’s cummerbund cord clip/lock, adjusting how much “give” is in the two pieces of the cummerbund is simple. Then, once you get the size correct, you can tie a knot above the clip/lock just to make sure it won’t come undone. This decreases sizing time quite a bit and I wish more plate carriers threw these in with their shipments.

A final note about this plate carrier is that it is very forgiving in terms of the size of the wearer. The vest is able to expand quite a bit for the larger folks and is a fine size for medium build individuals and up. For smaller-framed people, they may find that the Rothco plate carrier is a bit too big for their comfort.

The Rothco MOLLE Plate Carrier Vest is a terrific bargain for $111.49 at Rothco’s official website. It comes in black, coyote tan, and olive drab colors and accommodates up to large SAPI style plates in the front and back panels as well as two side armor plates for enhanced BB protection. I can’t say enough positive things about this vest, it is an excellent purchase.

Product Page: http://www.rothco.com/product-details/rothco-molle-plate-carrier-vest

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