The Patrol Incident Gear Plate Carrier (PIG RIG) is one of the items that we've been looking forward to getting our hands on for awhile. Looking forward to it enough that we are putting up our first impressions, and will follow up later after long term use. One of the primary reasons we have been checking out the PIG RIG is that SKD has taken a basic item, and dropped in new features.
Want to know what our three initial favorite things are, as well as a list of PIG features?
Click the below picture and jump into the exciting world of the PIG RIG.
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The top three things we found in first use are as follows:
1. Internal padding and channels for air flow and comfort, this also prevents the plate from digging in to your spine.
2. Secure fit while still keeping the plate up nice and high for upper chest protection without the plate sliding around.
3. Real shoulder pads instead of pieces of foam wrapped around webbing.
Industry Firsts found on the PIG-PC (taken from the SKD website)
* Elevated Plate Profile - Most plate carriers on the market tend to carry the plate extremely low in relation to the most vital organs and vessels in the upper-thoracic region they are meant to protect. One of the main goals of this carrier was to get both front and back plates high enough to maximize protection of your vitals. An adjustable plate harness pushes each plate to the top of the plate pocket, and keeps plates centered left and right through internal velcro stabilizers. This feature allows the wearer to use any size SAPI plate from Small through Extra Large (or similar corner cut plates) without having the plates bottom out or swim around in the carrier. The PIG-PC also places the top of the rear plate ABOVE the connection point to the shoulder straps. This allows both front and rear plates to be optimally positioned without sacrificing comfort.
* Rear Padding System - The rear plate carrier features two vertical back pads that keep contact off of your spine and creates an air-flow channel to aid in increased ventilation and heat dissipation. These vertical pads flow into the integral padded shoulder straps, creating a continuous shock-absorbing feature that is extremely comfortable for extended use.
* Hybrid Construction - Utilizes 500 Denier Cordura and lightweight Pack Nylon in different areas according to abrasion exposure to minimize weight.
* Multiple Cummerbund Options - Now you can get all the features you want, or just those you need with regards to the cummerbund. With two cummerbund options and two side plate carrier options, you have four different configurations to select from.
* Scalable Side Plate Pocket Options - Now you can use 6"x 8" side plates as well as 6"x 6" models with the extended retention strap feature on both of our Side Plate Carrier models. The elastic expansion capability allows you to run just a side plate, or both a side plate and a soft armor backer behind it with no slop or movement in the pouch.
* Dedicated Plate-backer Pockets - Each PIG-PC ships with a custom cut foam panel that sits inside a dedicated pocket to increase comfort for the wearer. You can access and replace this panel with a soft armor insert (available Summer 2010) without having to touch your plates and visa-versa. This makes plus-ing up or scaling down a much simpler operation.
* G-Hook Applications - The ITW G-Hook is one of the most versatile pieces of hardware available to the tactical market today. We use it for our primary shoulder strap attachment mechanism, which allows the user to replace hardware in the field and select between a side release buckle or a metal D-ring assembly. The PIG-PC Single Point Sling (available Spring 2010) will also attach via a G-Hook into pre-positioned attachment points on the padded shoulder strap. The PIG-PC Load Integration Kit also uses G-Hooks to seamlessly integrate the popular Eagle Yote pack to the PIG-PC (more packs available Fall 2010)
Check out the video for plate installation, its straight forward, and allows for multiple sizes.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVNZPMKsu1k[/youtube]
There are a lot of plate carriers on the market, and there are some that offer great features at staggering prices. What the SKD PIG RIG appears to do it give a large amount of features while keeping the price at under $300. We look forward to getting the SKD PIG RIG into the hands of various shooters to gather feedback from a broad variety of guys who wear armor for a living. We think SKD could be onto something with this PIG.
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