Plate Carrier W/Belt Kit Initial Synopsis

Spent the weekend out in rugged country testing my latest loadout, and it pushed me in all the right ways. The terrain was no joke—nonstop hills, uneven footing, and multiple water crossings that kept us soaked from the start. We kicked off the first mile under night vision, which forced a slower, more deliberate pace. Switched to white light after that as the terrain demanded more visual clarity and hiked a second mile before setting up camp for the night. Due to heavy rain making the terrian slippery and a member without the aid of night vision, we decided to use white light for safety purposes. The next day, we covered six more miles of steep, punishing ground.

I wore my Level IV RMA plates in a Temu ATACS FG plate carrier, layered over my web gear, and ran a 25lb ruck on top. I wanted to simulate realistic loadout conditions for the upcoming Appalachian Conquest FTX. I also broke in a pair of Xero minimalist ultralight shoes—brand new, straight out of the box. And while they weren’t perfect in wet conditions (water pooled up inside and drainage was poor), they offered something surprising: unmatched terrain feel. For the first time, my feet were molding to the landscape in a way I’ve never experienced with boots. They tore on the outside almost immediately and reeked by day’s end, but in terms of grip, balance, and flexibility, they’re a contender—at least in dry conditions.

A strange new factor cropped up on inclines: a chest pressure that felt like heartburn. I’m chalking it up to the plate carrier compressing my chest under load because it never slowed me down or affected performance—but it was uncomfortable. Might be a sign to revisit plate positioning or spacing before longer hauls. Physically, though, I stayed strong and never lagged behind the group. My fitness is where I want it to be, and this trip confirmed that. While I could have put my plates inside of my rucksack, I wanted to push and see how far and hard I could run with my plate carrier on constantly.

Biggest takeaway? Running my plate carrier over the belt kit is probably going to be my standard setup going forward. It's balanced, streamlined, and allows me to scale up or down depending on the mission.