Plate carriers are more popular than ever. This makes it difficult to find the best budget plate carriers, under $300. After all, two carriers may be exact copies of each other, but one is held together using string and sticks of gum. The purpose of this article is to highlight some great budget carriers, suitable for law enforcement or tactical use. We’ll also review a few quality options for accessories and armor. Keep reading for more.
I’ve worn quite a lot of vests and plate carriers in my career, and I’ve seen the good, bad, and the ugly. As you’ll see in this article, I’ve capped all the vests at $300. Remember, this is just the price of the carrier. That doesn’t include armor, or pouches.
My rule of thumb for plate carriers, and life saving gear in general, is that it must be reliable first. For plate carriers, that means it has to correctly hold the armor in place for the duration I expect to wear it. All the carriers on this list should be durable for any reasonable use.
However, the more expensive options will be more comfortable to wear for extended periods. Here’s a list of the best budget plate carriers we will be discussing, from cheapest to most expensive.
