I'm not currently wealthy enough to afford the LBT-6094 swimmers cut carrier and Hesco 3810 shooters cut plates that I eventually want to buy. So for the time being, I have a Condor MOPC with a pair of Botach's $99 Level IV multicurve plates and some Level IIIA 6x6 panels on the sides. The MOPC is pretty huge, and understandably so since the whole point is to be compatible with all sorts of features that people may later want to add to it.

But it's needlessly huge. I'm not planning to put a BALCS cut soft armor backer behind my front plate, and I'm not planning to ever swap out my 9.5"x11.5" Botach plates for size large 10.25"x13.25" SAPIs. What I'd really like is a carrier who's plate bags are perfectly, or almost perfectly, sized and shaped to tightly fit 9.5"x11.5" plates and has room in the cumberbund for soft panels. I also still want it to be relatively comparable in price to the Condor MOPC ($60-$70), since obviously if the better stuff was within my budget I wouldn't have bought the MOPC to begin with. I have a buddy who's interested in buying my MOPC off me for $50, so that should cover most of the cost of whatever new carrier I look at.

Recommendations? Again, the key thing I'm looking for is something with plate bags that snugly fit my Botach 9.5"x11.5" plates.

I have no affiliation with this seller, but have bought the carrier in caiman. Others on here have bought off them as well.


LBX Tactical Modular Plate Carrier LBX-0300 LBT Inland Taipan M/L

https://www.ebay.com/itm/383813892586

From their website:

Named after our parent company London Bridge Trading, LBX® (London Bridge X), X being the unknown variable, was developed just for that, the unknown.
With our core MAP System (Mission Adaptive Panel System), LBX® lets the end user decide how to run their gear for the mission at hand.

Designed and developed at the home office in Virginia Beach, LBX Tactical is cut from US made materials and manufactured in Virginia Beach VA, El Paso Texas, Cranston Rhode Island, and Peru South America. The product line is held to the same stringent sewing standards as LBT and comes with a lifetime warranty.

That's a potential option. Though I would like to have side plate pockets and the kangaroo pouch, both of which the LBX-0300 doesn't have.

The LAPG LVPC is a great low budget option.  I run it with 10x12 multicurve level iii+ shooters cut and it will certainly take a thicker plate.  It looks like it will, at most, take a SAPI large cut.

https://lapolicegear.com/lapg-lvpc-low-vis-plate-carrier.html

AR 500

AR500 has their Veritas lite in that price range and it fits 10X12 snuggly.

I have the standard Veritas and like it.  It has been used but not roughly, no complaints.

This is a great PC, especially if you replace the factory cummerbund w/the JPC Slickster Elastic Carry cummerbund. Weight comes in right at 1lb w/8 mag pouches on the sides, 3-4 of which I find easily accessible.
Unfortunately, it doesn't have the side plate pockets the OP wants.

Tomac

Attached File

https://www.shellbacktactical.com/shellback-tactical-skirmish-plate-carrier/

Ferro slickster is cheap.  They are G2G.

I bought one of these and my 10x12  plates swim in it.  It appears to be made for 11x14 plates.  Not unusable with 10x12, but not ideal.