Defense Mechanisms Mission Essential Plate Carrier MEPC Review (Slickster and LV-119 Competitor) 

What size MEPC size though?

@@ItsStockish medium

@@triton302 cool and these are the single curve plates right

@@ItsStockish yes

Believe it or not the slickster actually has a lot more space inside the plate bags than the MEPC. That being said, the GT2's look thin enough that you can probably stuff the backers in there. It will be tricky though. Also I believe Defense Mechanisms offers a dedicated 10"x12" size now so that could make it easier.

I agree 100%, I've been waiting for someone to make a chest rig that takes placards and cummerbunds, I think it's going to perform very well and become the new standard. I'll be getting one for sure.

Lol that figures. I'm satisfied with my MEPC and I don't want anything to replace it, but I'm considering picking up an AC1 just for comparison, they look pretty neat.

I was about to make that comment

I saw that it's available now and I might have to get one. They also updated their sizing recommendations to accomodate the plate thickness issues we mentioned in this video. Glad to see Defense Mechanisms continuously improving.

Yeah I would have, and right after we made this video Defense Mechanisms updated their sizing recommendations so this is no longer an issue. They now recommend going up one size if your plates are more than 1" thick, which mine are.

I prefer the MEPC over the JPC mainly for the cummerbund attachment method. I also like having extra vertical webbing on the front for mounting different style/height placards. Personally I have no need for MOLLE or zippers on the back of my plate carrier, so I kind of like not having them on the MEPC to keep things just a tiny bit more slick. Overall though I wouldn't say that one is better than the other, they have a lot in common and do basically the same things. If there's something about the JPC that you prefer then go for it, but I wouldn't personally lean towards the JPC simply because it was the first successful minimalist carrier. Take a look at the specific features you want. The materials and build quality is excellent on both of them.

I don't think you'll be disappointed!

If you're looking for an enabler, I'd say go for it. I don't think you'll regret it.

I have a feeling these will be sold out soon. I was waiting for a.....Spiritus( as you scream it 😆) but this is definitely peeking my interest. Great reviews BTW.

@@ruggidterrain They seem to be keeping their lead times pretty consistent so far. I've put in several orders with them from April up until now and every time I got it in 5 weeks or less. That being said, they could still get overwhelmed at some point. Luckily T-rex Arms just released their AC1 carrier which should be in stock very often and seems like a great option.

I'm running the ferro concepts wingman. It's not the best but it works. Internal comms isn't even noticable if you're running something as small as a baofeng. No decline in comfort whatsoever. If you have something bigger, you might want to find a different pouch with padding like the shaw concepts arc pouch

It's a Toor Knives Serpent. Some of the best knives out there, but not cheap. If you're only looking for a knife to mount to your carrier, take a look at the Benchmade SOCP or the Spartan Blades CQB Tool. Or, if you like knives/want to use it for other things too, check out Toor.

@@matthealey8 I had an inkling that could've been the knife you had. Although expensive, I'd agree on the quality as well. I'll have to take a look at those specific ones again as I only skimmed through them a while back. Thanks.

@@vearebushner8514 if you still haven't chosen, the CRKT spew is a solid choice

They updated their page to say that sometime after we released this video. But yeah, problem solved basically.

It's gonna be tight but as long as you're not running shears like I was in this video you should be good. The placard is sitting at a normal height but the molle above it sits just a bit lower than some other carriers, that's probably why it looks like that.

@@BezmenovDisciple I actually didn’t. I ended up coming across a crazy deal on a ferro slickster with the molle back panel and a Haley strategic chest rig setup for pretty much the same price as the MEPC configuration I was looking into. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help! Still looks like a great carrier. If you need more input I would suggest going to Hoplopfheil’s channel to see his setup.

@@BezmenovDisciple yeah. The slickster is a great platform if you can get the correct configuration. I wanted to get the MEPC because of the configuration options and the price being automatically lower than a slickster. (At the time I was unaware of the price on the Molle backed slickster being $170, but the MEPC also had some quality of life options I liked for the extra $80 I would have spent) But since I found that deal it was a great option for the exact same thing and more.

@@BezmenovDisciple the nice thing with the MEPC is the price is consistent and it is in stock. I’ve seen the slickster shift prices too many times to keep track. At one point you couldn’t get a Molle backed slickster at all without spending an extra $100 for the back panel making the price jump to $250-$270. Now it’s better with the actual option of getting it with a Molle back panel ($170 I think) from the factory but it’s rarely in stock so that doesn’t help.

@@BezmenovDisciple yeah that was my exact thought too. I didn’t want to hunt as much as most people. The Ferro isn’t too bad for compatibility and you can definitely do a one and done setup with some of the pouches/placards they provide. I got lucky and basically got everything I wanted in one package so I can’t necessarily say a solid yes or no to that. but I would say the MEPC is a step ahead with the cummerbund clips, that is something I do not have on my slickster, but it is a bit of a no factor issue to me as I don’t mind doing a normal cummerbund. Honestly If you could find a slickster with a Molle back panel in stock, that will be just as good as getting the MEPC. It’s just a matter of what is in stock and what brand you want to rep.

@@BezmenovDisciple yeah you can attach swift clips, they’re only like $4 or something. I currently am using a Haley Strategic triple mag placard. Works well enough.

Theoretically you should never be donning/doffing your plate carrier in a place where hostiles are close enough to potentially hear it. If you're in that environment, your kit should already be on and ready to rock. The only possible scenario I can think of where the noise could play into it is what you mentioned, a bedside "bump in the night" setup. However, I have always had trouble believing in the feasability of donning your kit for a home invasion. I just can't see you having enough time. Plus if you are in your own home, is it really a bad thing for the intruders to hear you moving around? You know the layout. They don't. They probably entered the house thinking it was empty. Obviously that is situation dependent, so you will have to decide how important that is to you. There isn't really a good solution though, tubes make noise donning/doffing too, although not as much as velcro. I don't even view velcro flapped mag pouches as detrimental. Think about it, if you're opening that flap to reach for a reload, that means you've already fired a bunch of rounds. You're not hidden at that point, velcro or not. When it comes to setting up your kit for noise discipline, what you need to focus on is stuff that makes noise just from moving around, like walking through the woods patrolling. Is everything attached to you tightly so it doesn't jiggle? Do you have any hard containers with items bouncing around inside (pill bottle, etc)? Is your placard secured well enough that it won't peel off when you bend over? Are you able to open any admin pouches quietly (to reach a map/compass, nods, etc)? That stuff is really important, operator or not. But donning and doffing I don't think is a big deal. Hope this helps.

Definitely the ferro assault cummerbund for side plates. The 5" dm cummerbund could work, but having some structure will prevent any sagging and/or bouncing and generally just work better with side armor.

@@matthealey8 copy that, thank u!

I am experimenting with that exact setup right now. I'll let you know how it goes. For now it seems like a decent improvement when carrying more than just a micro placard, and I'm a fan, however it's not on the same level as a Crye SPC or AVS, so keep that in mind.

Small sapis fit extremely well in a medium mepc, no slop whatsoever. Even the sides of the plate bags don't have much excessive material. The adjustment strap is barely even needed but it does help. The mepc is the best I've tried in terms of running one size smaller plates in a carrier.

@@matthealey8 Thanks for the Response! Much appreciated! I think this pretty much sold me on it!

No you'd have to use their defense mechanism's double m4 pouch (if you want a flap) or their 7.62 placard base (which would be wider). For dedicated ak pouches I'd check out shaw concepts, they have a new placard insert for aks. And I think the spiritus spud pouch fits them as well, but that one also has a flap

Yeah the radio mount is a ferro concepts wingman. Defense mechanisms makes a mag pouch called the side kick that could serve the same purpose if you have a small radio, haven't tried theirs though.

@@matthealey8 looks like it fits the baofeng well. Is it the extended battery in it or it still the small standard size?

@@MrPureblindman I have the extended battery. Even with the extended battery, the radio usually sits much lower in that pouch. The only reason it was sticking out so much in the video is because there was a large bundle of speaker mic cable shoved into the pouch underneath the radio lol

medium

Defense mechanisms mepc cable management sleeves. But any 2 inch sleeve will work, spiritus, ferro, velocity, firstspear, etc.

I'm glad you got them to fit, and I can imagine how much of a struggle it must have been. I'm not sure why you would need to be swapping plates between carriers though....I personally just scale my mepc up or down as required. I guess if you needed to dramatically scale up to 50+lbs of gear where you needed to run an AVS? Is that what you're referring to?

@@matthealey8 no, more so different styles of carriers for different conditions/environments

It's from defense mechanisms. Not sure if they still make it.

L210s fit in a medium mepc. It will be tight, but there's no need to go up a size in your case.

@@matthealey8 thanks looking forward for your future videos keep up the good work

L210's fit fine in a medium MEPC

It's stuck straight on and then covered with the placard wrap, which wraps all the way around to the back of the placard for security. Defense Mechanisms made a great video about their placard system detailing how it all goes together if you want to see more.

Nah, this video was meant to just be about the plate carrier. In the video I'm running the Defense Mechanisms placard system with the 3 mag base, full zipper pouch, and small placard wrap. Defense Mechanisms has a video explaining how it all goes together on their channel. Our next video will be a review of the placard system but I don't know when it will be out. If you have questions I can try to answer them here.

Back when we made this video it actually was. Everyone else was out of stock for months. Now their lead times are much shorter anyways, and they stock many items

I have been wondering this myself. I don't know if DM uses repair buckles in their cummerbunds that are easily removeable. Even if they aren't repair buckles, you could cut/break the buckles to remove them if you don't mind destroying them. Honestly the hardest part in swapping them would be finding some individual FS repair tubes. They are quite hard to come by as FS does not sell them to the general public.

@@matthealey8 Yeah I like the ability to go up or down with tubes when doffing the PC if I’m seated in aircraft or vehicles. Thankfully the marine corps just went to a PC that uses tubes so getting them isn’t too much of a problem for us active duty folks. should be more out on the market soon via 3rd party sources with repair kits and what not.

Yes, they would fit more easily than many other plates due to how thin they are. However, I would strongly recommend not buying steel plates, you'd be much better off with some Hesco 4401's or L210's or some other budget friendly ceramic plates. Much better protection for less weight. There's a video on this channel called "body armor info" where we discuss why we don't like steel plates, also T-rex Arms covers it in their "T-rex Talk" on body armor. Some armor is not necessarily better than no armor.

@@matthealey8 awesome thanks!!

Yes, a DFNDR Level 4 plate, size small. That's kind of the idea of a plate carrier...

The MEPC is dope, I have no personal experience with HRT but I've heard great things. If you go HRT, make sure you get a molle cummerbund, avoid the single strap cummerbunds with side release buckles at all costs, they suck. Honestly whichever one you can get your hands on first would be fine.

Yes, I've used both the 3AC and the carry elastic cummerbund with the mepc and they both worked great.

Yep. You could say that about any minimalist carrier though.

You're in luck, defense mechanisms just started offering these in wolf grey. I agree that grey or green is the best color for your use case. If you're planning on buying steel plates though I would strongly recommend getting something else like a budget friendly ceramic (Hesco 4401, L210, etc). Reasons why are covered in GrizzlyLegs' video on body armor, and T-rex Arms covers it in their armor videos too.

Man I hope you picked up some ceramics