Plate Carrier Throwdown — Agilite, HRT, ACETAC, Shellback

This was the first video filmed at the new 2A Patriot Ranch in Pennsylvania — about 24 acres of raw, ready-to-shoot land outside State College with a 350-ish yard rifle range already set up. And yes, I filmed the whole thing armed, because up here we've got critters, bears, mountain lions, and all kinds of stuff. Today's throwdown: four plate carriers, ranked by category — value, modularity, weight, and build quality.

First, the oldest carrier in my collection and the one I actually paid for: the Shellback Banshee 2.0, around $200 on sale, about $230 when I bought it. It takes 10x12 and SAPI-cut plates front and back, has 3D mesh foam padding for breathability, laser-cut MOLLE with good gapping, QD clips for placards, and a buddy drag handle. I swapped the stock cummerbund for a super lightweight thin one from Armor Republic. The included three-mag placard is old-school bungee retention — I honestly prefer hard retention or elastic, but it works. For the price point, I'm pretty impressed.

Carrier two: the ACETAC lightweight slick V2, and this thing is quickly becoming one of my favorite lightweight carriers. Elastic cummerbund that keeps weight down, moisture-wicking mesh padding, laser-cut MOLLE front and back, and DC clips for a modular placard — they sent their four-mag elastic placard with a full admin pouch and a dangler for all your special little gadgets. I run it without the padded shoulder straps to go as light as possible and it's still comfortable. ACETAC never ceases to amaze me with their price points; I think these could come in below $100.

Carrier three: the Agilite K19, sent over by my very good friends at Maverick Tactical, the largest North American distributor for Agilite. This is an Israeli company, and the K19 is worn by the IDF in combat — that tells you the quality level. It runs $300-400. The integrated padded shoulder straps with 3D mesh are the best of any carrier I've ever put on; I wore it through an entire podcast episode and stayed comfortable. Quick-release snaps on the shoulders and sides mean you slide the whole thing off instead of finagling a loaded carrier over your head. The craftsmanship is absolutely fantastic — there is not a flaw in the whole thing.

Carrier four: the HRT RAC, from my friends at HRT Tactical who I absolutely freaking love. Set up like mine, you're somewhere around $700-800. The modulus placard with the pistol-mag velcro insert is great, the full-material cummerbund opens up for side plates, and the back has a zipper attachment for the same hydration pack that lives on my HRT LBAC duty kit. Everything adjusts, everything detaches — including swapping placards between brands via the D-clips.

The verdicts: complete value goes to the ACETAC V2, just like their fanny pack won our CCW bag showdown — for the money it's phenomenal. Modularity goes to the HRT RAC, no contest. Design and build quality goes to the Agilite K19, one of the most well-made carriers I've ever seen. And weight goes to the ACETAC again — it stays light by using elastic instead of heavy nylon. And no, none of them had plates in during filming: do you know what it's like to lug four carriers full of plates around? I'll leave the heavy ass plates out, thanks.

If I had to pick one for a duty loadout — military, SWAT, LEO — man, that K19 is nice. I still prefer my HRT LBAC over the RAC for my own duty kit, but you cannot go wrong with the Agilite K19 from Maverick Tactical.