RE-Factor Tactical-MARZ "Active Shooter Plate Carrier"

I recently decided to purchase a plate carrier to supplement my team vest.

Some of the things I considered prior to my purchase was the functionality of the carrier and how it would fit into my current kit for deployments.

A recent promotion found me back in patrol after a 9 year hiatus. For each shift that I worked the drill went like this; load my SWAT gear in the trunk, and wait for a mission while I was at work.

What I wasn't taking into account was that being back in patrol found me with a whole bunch of gear on already,  this translated into a significant delay in "switching gears" from patrol operations to the "TEAM"  during incidents  on duty and getting the right gear on to handle the situation in a rapid manner.

Throw into the equation the potential for an active shooter situation while on duty and my personal assessment was that my response would be to slow given my current set up.

RE-Factor Tactical's-MARZ "Active Shooter Plate Carrier" was the best option for what I was trying to achieve.

The MARZ Active Shooter Plate Carrier is an American made stripped down, no nonsense plate carrier specifically designed for rapid deployments (hence the name).

It's what this plate carrier doesn't have that makes it ideal for patrol operations .

Instead of a wrap around cummerbund, the MARZ Active Shooter Plate Carrier has a single clip on each side of the vest which allows the wearer to throw the carrier on over  their soft body armor and instantly  gain rifle level protection in a matter of seconds.

I added an ATS hybrid triple rifle/pistol shingle to the carrier to complete the package.

I think that a lot of times we over think our kit for rapid deployments, and for an immediate response to threats you need to go, period. There will never be an occasion where you have everything that you need.  My Team vest addresses a lot of  considerations for extended, static missions like barricade situations, but for what it makes up for in coverage it most certainly lacks in mobility and speed of use.

I am not the guy who sees a product, makes the purchase, then leaves it alone. My background in training has shown me that you have to test gear to make sure it fits your mission, and while this makes for extended evaluation periods I can think of no better way to get an honest  assessment of gear that you plan to rely on in critical environments.

I think it is important to not only say that I evaluated the carrier but to also give specifics about how it was utilized.

  My evaluation of the MARZ Active Shooter Plate Carrier included the following;

·         A 15 hour selection phase for team candidates where I wore the carrier while conducting shooting drills that involved varying degrees of tactical movement  and positional shooting.  During this phase I found the carrier provided incredible range of motion while shooting and adequate coverage as a standalone vest. Because the carrier does not have a cummerbund, I noted some movement while I was running or doing aggressive lateral movements.  I expected  this from the carrier because of its design, and the movement had little to no impact on its performance.   The weight of the carrier is significantly lighter than my team vest even with a full complement of rifle and pistol magazines, and while at the end of the day I knew that I had armor on, my fatigue was nowhere near the same as if I had worn my team vest for the training.

·         My second evaluation phase for the carrier was a circuit work out that I consider "functional fitness" for tactical athletes. All this really means is incorporating being under load during a typical "Crossfit" style work-out, as you will have the same gear on while running missions. It should be noted that this is NOT the intended use of the MARZ Active Shooter Plate Carrier so it should come as no surprise that the vest "rode up" when I did box jumps with it on. It provided the same incredible range of motion for lifting odd objects and running making it an awesome addition for this style of load bearing type work-outs. 

·         The third evaluation phase found me back on the range for an eight hour block of handgun  training in rainy conditions. For this training I wore a synthetic base layer and a Gortex jacket under the carrier for the training.  Even with additional layers the carrier provided the same incredible range of motion allowing me to focus on shooting in less than ideal conditions.

Through all of these evaluation phases the  MARZ Active Shooter Plate Carrier has shown no signs of wear and tear or material breakdown and appears to be a very well made plate carrier designed for a specific purpose.

If you are looking for a minimally (yet intelligently) designed rapid response carrier the  MARZ Active Shooter Plate Carrier may be just what your looking for.  

 

 The MARZ Active Shooter Plate Carrier; evaluation results;   

·         I am 5'-10" and 182 pounds and purchased a large carrier. I almost think I could have gotten away with a medium as I had to cinch the shoulder straps down significantly to get the plates to sit where I wanted them high on my torso.

·         The carrier comes with padded shoulder straps which really helps with mitigating load weight as opposed to carriers which do not have this feature.  

·         The carrier comes with comm. loops on either side of the vest which helps secure those damn radio cords.

·         The MARZ Active Shooter Plate Carrier is cut for ESAPI plates. That being said my team plates (10X12 RBR CP level III/V)  fit in the plate slots with a little room at the top. (Make sure that you secure the Velcro plate enclosure to keep the plates secure in the vest)  

·         The side straps give overly adequate webbing for adjustments. I simply rolled the excess up then used the incorporated loop to secure them. (I will probably tape/ or cut and burn them later to keep them from unrolling permanently)

·         The carrier has a well thought out rear carry strap that is designed to not pull out should you ever need to pull someone out with it.

·         For a minimalist design the  MARZ Active Shooter Plate Carrier comes with ample molle webbing  to attach adequate loads to meet individual requirements and needs.   

 

 

Stephen P