So, I fit the description of someone in the Gravy Seals, and I am overweight. This is snug, but fits and holds the plates I purchased to cover my fat organs. It gives me incentive to wear them around and start losing this damn weight.

Quality made. Cummerbund height makes use of the side pouches inoperable... unreachable.. maybe 1 out of 6 spots I can get to, but my rotator cuff hates me for it. It would be perfect If the cummerbund was cut lower and provided more movement. Although if you’re running a belt it’s mostly unnecessary anyway I suppose. The removable shoulder pads are helpful but can shift and become an annoyance. Other than that it’s jam packed of features and a nice kit.

I have been waiting 6 months for this item to be available for order. Shipped quickly and arrived well. Overall quality is top notch and appears to be a product that could last a lifetime. Fits well and is easy to customize. For critique: I recommend this company reach further to replenish their stock. These will certainly be sold. I asked multiple times and was told a few weeks each time. Long wait is fine for quality but be clear on the wait times. Didn’t get the color I desire and that’s disappointing but that doesn’t mean the quality of this item is affected. The new 3.0 latch seems to have an issue that could present itself over time. The latch part is held on by two small pieces of plastic. Over time this is a point of failure. How long is unknown. The mechanism is sewed on and I don’t know it this is something that falls under warranty. Also not sure if there even is a warranty. Wish I could get a discount on the IIIA soft armor inserts for purchasing this plate carrier. Satisfied with this carrier and will recommend this product to others.

I've worn a few plate carriers while in the military and for personal tactical training but had never purchased one before. I did a TON of research on every plate carrier I could find. After all of my research, it seemed to me that most other higher end ($350+) carriers were just trying to replicate the Banshee line. (The AR500 Valkyrie description literally says it's most like the Banshee carrier.) My thought was, why buy a product that is trying to replicate the Banshee when you can just buy the Banshee itself? This thing is absolute quality. It feels like every stitch in it was done purposefully and with care. I will say that depending on your body build, the mag pouches in the cummerbund are tough to reach. I'm slim but on the athletic/muscular side and I have a hard time reaching even the second (middle) mag pouch. The cummerbund pouches are still good to place other equipment in though so it's not a big deal. I'd recommend getting mag pouches to attach to the front of the carrier even though you have the cummerbund pouches. It'd at minimum help with speed of mag changes. I HIGHLY recommend this carrier. Once it came back in stock, I ordered right away and got it within the same week even though I'm all the way across country. BUY THIS THING!

I’m a small guy (140lbs, 5’10”) and finding a PC that fits snuggly is a challenge. This one does the trick. I can run easily without it bouncing all over the place. As everyone else has said, it’s very comfortable (as much as anything this heavy can be) and has lots of storage right out of the box. I comfortably carry the following for ~6 hours regularly: 6 mags for my AR, 2 mags for my handgun, my handgun, and a knife. Additionally, it’s difficult to describe but the way the shoulder strap and pad are designed makes it easy to shoulder a rifle comfortably. That’s never been the case for any PC I ever used previously.

My first plate carrier, so no real comparison to others. But I like it so far, great features and padding in the right spots. With the matching IIIA soft armor inserts-which fit perfectly-it feels great. I was able to fit both the IIIA soft armor inserts and 1" level IV plates (SBT was out of stock so I bought SAS NIJ Listed Level IV multi-hit ceramic) in it but the cummerbund then became really tight and hard to get the last part of the cummerbund to overlap into the front to buckle the last buckle. Haven't tried it without the soft backers (they aren't technically needed since the level IV plates are stand alone) but that would probably work better. Once buckled it was comfortable but for some reason it was hard to get the end of the cummerbund to want to bend the right way and insert into the front. Maybe just needs some break-in time. I may try a larger model cummerbund for the plates+soft armor setup to see if is easier/faster to don. I was close to the high range of waist for the smaller size cummerbund and it is pretty easy to don with just the IIIA soft armor inserts.

The response time on knowing if it was in stock and how fast my order shipped was really great.

i will start off with i ordered my carrier on sunday and it shipped monday and i received wednesday. great shipping speed. poorly packed though. literally just stuffed in a cardboard box. i was a bit disappointed that the patch is not included for 400 dollars. the carrier is super quality and seems very durable. i just received it so i cant speak towards the durability 100% but the materials are nice quality. the qd cummerbund is a nice upgrade and is easily closed and opened with the pull tab. the pull tab had shrink tube around it to prevent snags which i thought was a great idea. im 6 foot 175 pounds and athletic build. i cannot adjust the shoulder straps enough with the shoulder padding to get the carrier to sit high enough on my chest or back. the back also droops much lower than it should and you cannot independently adjust the front and back like some other carriers. the weight of my ifak causes that side shoulder strap to loosen easily with any movement. the shoulder straps do not retain tension under any load at all and i dont even have my plates in. simply sitting on my hanger will cause the straps to come loose within the matter of minutes. i would recommend taping the strap to itself to prevent it from slipping loose. this however is my only compliant and im sure i will find a work around.

Love the 3.0 no complaints so far. It’s comfy, light and breathable. Plenty of space to do what you need pouch wise. Definitely recommend