"Several months ago I met the owner of Personal Protective Systems, at the time he was displaying one of the body armor systems his firm was manufacturing. I was impressed with the quality of the rig and since my Paraclete RAV was showing its age after years of service, I decided to give PPS’s “Hastati” a try.
FYI the wiki definition of Hastati is a:” class of infantry in the armies of the early Roman Republic who originally fought as spearmen, and later as swordsmen. “So I thought I would see if this plate carrier would live up to its name.
For starters when it arrived it was easily assembled and in my favorite pattern “Multi-Cam”. I attached 3 Paraclete ammo pouches and a Spec-Ops general propose pouch to the front. It was well stitched and appears to be a quality product. I also like the side attachment straps which are the key to the system. Over the years I have used several plate carriers instead of my Paraclete RAV, depending on what I was doing. They all have one problem…THEY SAG! Plate carrier will droop to the front with the back riding up on your neck. Rather annoying if you wear one for 8-12 hours.
I shoved 9 loaded Magpul 30 round mags and my “official SWAT Brick into the pouches I had attached. As well as two hard plates. It was at working weight. So what is the best way to see if it will sag, why some “crossfit” exercises of course. Despite way too many “burpees, lunges, pull-ups and other assorted types physical exertions, the plate carrier didn’t shift. It remained in place and was relatively comfortable. Now that PT was done for the day it was time to hit the range.
After getting cleaned up I decided to drive around the farm with it on prior to hitting the range. Again it was comfortable and stayed in place. Upon arrival at the range I shot my M4 from standing, kneeling, prone and on my side. In addition did a running stress shoot starting at 300 yards to the 7 yard line. I followed up with some pistol work, a Glock in Bladetech holster and mag carrier on my belt. I had no problem drawing or changing mags, the side straps stayed out of the way. The Hastati performed flawlessly. It’s very comfortable, remains in place despite any number of movement executed.
Bottom line, next time I go downrange…my Hastati Tactical Plate Carrier is going with me!"
JR