5.11 Tactical made big waves this year with the introduction of the new Hex Grid system they are using for packs, bags, and plate carriers. Needless to say, the idea of being able to mount gear at a variety of angles spoke to me. Upon seeing the All Missions Plate Carrier I knew I had to have one. Well, I got one! After spending a bit of time with the All Missions Plate Carrier I realized I couldn’t capture everything I wanted in one article, so this is the first of two. This article will capture what the All Missions Plate carrier is and its capabilities. Part two will cover it in action and talk more from how it functions while being worn.
What Up With the Hex Grid?
Hexagons have become the official tactical shape of 2019. Odd I know, but it seems to work. With the All Missions Plate Carrier, you get a healthy 12×9 platform on both sides of the plate, as well as a cumberbund with Hexgrib everywhere. Hexgrid is replacing traditional MOLLE or PALS webbing on this carrier due to the modularity of the Hexagon webbing.
The Hexgrid allows you to mount traditional MOLLE gear as it’s intended to be mounted. Or you can run it at an angle, or even run it horizontally. This allows quick and easy customization and you can tailor pouches you need to fit in a certain way. It’s honestly made me experiment over and over with the placement of my kit. I now run my 3×6 Med Kit horizontally and find it easier to reach with both hands, even when running it on my nondominant side.
I’m also able to fit more by running different gear at angles. For example, if I run a shotgun 5 shot bandolier at a slight angle I can fit another, the VTAC shotgun pouch, and a dual mag pouch all on the 12×9 Hexgrid. This isn’t even crowding the gear either. Everything is plenty easy to reach and use.
In the past adapters have existed to orient gear is different directions, but a truly modular option like this has never been tried as far as I know. The Hexgrid of the All Missions Plate Carrier makes things very simple to attach to.
Swapping Loadouts
Even though gear is simple to attach and replace via the Hexgrid who really likes to break down their gear over and over again to change their loadout? It’s a hassle to weave, unweave, reweave, and on and on. With the All Missions Plate Carrier, you can very easily swap loadouts without the need for the constant weaving.
Both the front and rear 12×9 Hexgrid is removable and 5.11 sells extra 12×9 Hexgrids. You can set up multiple Hexgrids with different loadouts and swap them onto the plate carrier. They change out very easily and attach in just a few seconds. I set-up two loadouts between my AMP. The first is a pretty standard rifle loadout with the new Flex AR mag and pistol pouches. I also have the internal Kangaroo pouches for extra AR magazines. It’s easy and perfect for most AR loadouts. This is my current AR Loadout for use with my 80 lower receiver AR pistol.
The second loadout is an all shotgun kit. It features two Vtac/5.11 Shotgun bandoliers as well as the VTAC shotgun ammo pouch, and the dual Flex Pistol pouch. The 3×9 kit stays constant between both kits.
There are two Kangaroo pouches in this plate carrier. The first is underneath the Hexgrid panel and the second is in the Hexgrid panel. The internal kangaroo pouch has a set of small bungee cords and magazine sized compartments this can be removed and swapped between both kangaroo pouches.
These two very different weapon systems use very different pouches and attachments to function. Instead of spending 15 or 20 minutes unloading one just to load up another I spend 15 to 20 seconds swapping hexgrid panels.
Why It’s Called the All Missions Plate Carrier
Obviously being able to near instantly swap loadouts from rifle to shotgun, to sub gun, and to anything in between is invaluable. That helps the AMP be versatile for a variety of missions. However, there is more to it than that.
The Carrier can be bulked up or stripped down with ease. The end user can remove the internal pads, the Hexgrid panel, the cumberbund, and everything else for a super low profile plate carrier. You can conceal the thing with a jacket on.
You can add it all back and built it out in a layered loadout for storing tons of gear and ammo. Perfect for that intense short duration missions. The removable kangaroo pouch with fit three AR magazines and the cumberbund has three elastic pockets on each side for gear like more magazines, a radio, extra tourniquets, really whatever you want. Another cummerbund compromised of Hexgrid will easily allow you to add even more gear. You can even reverse the inner cumberbund to place the mag pouch in the cumberbund on the opposite side of the plate carrier. This makes it easier to reach. So one side can rock a radio and the other a magazine.
You can tailor it for just about any task from sitting on a post to direct action missions. This makes it one of the most customizable options on the market. The All Missions Plate Carrier is a well-made piece of kit. It’s very adaptable and you can tune it and customize it in a wide variety of ways.
Stay tuned for part 2 where we get out and shoot with the thing on and we can talk about how it runs.
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