Reviews

SAG MPC v1 Plate Carrier Review

Operator7

Getting a good rig is rather a complex process, since there are tons of models and loads of makers. Also pricing is quite important since a nice rig costs quite a few bucks, its important you try and get it right the first time.  Also, it will depend on your personal needs and tastes if you want to go with something lighter like a chest rig or if you want more load bearing options and choose to go for a plate carrier. In between you’ll find a lot more variations and models of vests.

Usually if it’s hotter and you want to travel light, you would choose a chest rig, but if you are going out to one of those multi-days event where you need to haul all your gear and stuff with you during the duration of the game then you might want to look into a Plate Carrier (PC), especially on with lots of MOLLE! Also if it’s cold where you are playing then a PC will also be advisable since it will also help to keep you warm.

SAG Combat Philosophy are a company from Poland, which are dedicated to the design and manufacture of tactical gear, making use of the highest grade materials they can get their hands on.

Their MPC v1 Plate Carrier promises to provide Operators and Airsofters with a light weight solution they might choose over chest rigs, and at the same time competes with plate carriers thanks to a lot of MOLLE real estate.

So let’s see what I’ve found out about this PC.

FEATURES

This plate carrier offers quite a lot of MOLLE space by providing five rows on the front, three on each side and five more on the back.

And if you look closely, the Velcro panels on the back and on the front double as MOLLE webbing. This is a great idea that increases attachment possibilities.

On the front there’s a pocket underneath the bottom rows of MOLLE webbing. Due to its size, shape and clearance, this pocket is mainly to carry documents. Nevertheless, SAG say it might carry a pistol or some accessories. I prefer to keep only documents so it won’t get in the way of my mag pouches. But if you don’t use any mag pouches on the front MOLLE webs then this pouch can surely carry a couple of mags without any issue.

I have also attached a Source Hydration pack to the vest via the MOLLE system on the back. Since this is a smaller sized PC I had to attach the hydration pack to the drag handle, but it worked great anyway.

I only wish that SAG had included some loops over the shoulders to run the hose.

All the webbing holds great to the weight you throw at it, and my attachments remain in place, even when I have to make a run for it, and I fell like one piece instead of having that feeling of everything rocking and slapping on my body which gets uncomfortable and noisy.

The cummerbund is also different from most PC’s since it’s much more flexible, it does have three rows of webbing like most plate carriers, but it’s not your traditional MOLLE webbing since the webbing interval is wider than the traditional MOLLE. This does make the webbing a bit more flexible which in turn makes it easier to attach accessories. And from what I’ve experienced, once you attach your pouches, say a radio pouch or FastMags, they really stay in place.

Also you can use the space between the two layers of the cummerbund to store stuff,  like a red scarf or if you want to call it, a dead rag, to signal once you’re out, like I do.

The cummerbund is held in place on the back by an elastic string making it very easy to fit and quite comfortable when you are moving around since the elastic adapts to your body movements.

The drag handle is quite sturdy and it also has Velcro so it won’t get in the way.

There are also two compartments, one in the back and one on the front for dummy SAPI plates. These will take S, M and L SAPI plates. SAG say that for XL plates, they can make you by special order a bigger size to fit such plates.

QUALITY AND MATERIALS

SAG take great pride in saying that they only use the best and highest grade materials available. And it’s quite true if we look at the spec sheet:

The buckles are 40mm Duraflex, the vest itself is mainly made out of INVISTA Cordura 1100 dtex, which is coated with Teflon aperture on the outer side (offering very high resistance to abrasion) and the inner side of the fabric is coated with a layer of polyurethane.

Then there’s the webbing, where they’ve decided to go with polyamide, instead of using the commonly used and weaker polypropylene.
Also, pay close attention to your IR signature and these MPC are all made with IRR coating. So if you are a night stalker and like to play at night, you can be confident you won’t glow like firefly on your opponents NV’s!

As you know, I take great pride is making my reviews after I have thoroughly tested and used my gear not just for a week, but for a few months before I write about it, so that any surprises that come on these following months won’t get unnoticed, and I can tell you that I had no bad surprises when using the SAG MPC during these past four months. It has been holding out really well, and it still almost looks new!  I am quite glad they’ve chosen these materials, since I can be sure after this time and looking at it that it will surely last for a long time and cope with a lot of abuse.

COMFORT

One of the things I liked about the MPC V1 Plate Carrier is the fact the when I squat or go into a kneeling position it won’t go up and get on my neck like my last PC. This is because it’s shorter than most PCs, hence the “Micro” designation. 

This will also help me while moving around, letting me move freely without anything

Inside, there’s a soft mesh which provides great cushioning. It feels very comfortable and it’s also very breathable thanks to the many small holes which assist on dissipating perspiration and sweat evaporation.

On the shoulders, the straps are wide enough to be comfortable even when you are carrying a lot of weight on your vest.

I would have liked if SAG had included some shoulder straps. First, because the TAN shoulder straps could have been covered with a more tactical Multicam pattern, and secondly because the strap could include the some loops so you can pass through them comms cables and the hydration hose and hold into place.
Anyway, you can get these separately from SAG, so be sure to order these as well if you are thinking about getting their MPC v1 Plate Carrier.

The fit is also very good and you can adjust it either by using the elastic band on the cummerbund, by tightening or loosening it and by adjusting the shoulder straps which can be easily extended to your size. To achieve this, all you have to do is unbuckle the shoulder straps and then adjust the length to achieve comfort.

If you adjust it correctly, it will provide a great load bearing experience and it will be comfortable, compact and solid, balancing the weight correctly over your upper body.

CONCEALMENT

There are quite a few choices of patterns and colors you choose for your MPC, from Flecktarn, DPM, Olive Grey, Black, Coyote, the Polish wz.93, to the very cool and awesome Snow. I’ve opted with the Crye Precision’s Multicam since most of my gear are in this pattern. And I can tell you I couldn’t be happier with it, since it just blends perfectly with my loadout.

The only point I could suggest SAG to improve is really the Velcro panels which come in a very uncommon white.

CONCLUSION

I have really been enjoying taking this rig to the field and being smaller than most rigs it can get really lightweight. But if I need to haul a lot of stuff, it is also ready to carry lots of attachments thanks to the generous MOLLE space and the best of all is that I can do this comfortably since it evenly divides the weight. Add the high grade materials that the manufacturer used and you’ll get a high quality, very scalable load bearing solution which I will take to all of my Airsoft games.

Bottom line, it’s a hell of a nice rig to have for playing Airsoft!

The MPC v1 Plate Carrier costs $175 or 136,59 euros, and is available at Sagear.eu.

Pros

  • High quality materials used
  • Lightweight and breathable
  • Great weight distribution
  • Lots of MOLLE space
  • Provides great freedom of movements due to its compact size
  • Multicam!

Cons

  • Could use some shoulder straps with loops
  • White Velcro

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