Designed as an evolution to its previous design; the Rogue Gen 2 Plate Carrier by Tactical Tailor will be available in early 2023 (with pre-orders beginning ahead of SHOT Show), and offers a transition to a 500D Cordura nylon platform that allows the end-user to configure it based on mission essential needs.
At the front, the Gen 2 has a 6.25” (W) x 5” (H) field of hook-and-loop (female) fabric (with three rows of MOLLE-compatible nylon bands) on the upper half of the carrier for attaching morale or identification patches, or an admin pouch. Two fixed vertical nylon loops on the front carrier are anchored to support slide-release (female) buckles (included) that can then used to attach aftermarket placards (not included).
The approx. bottom half of the front carrier features an extensive field of hook-and-loop (female) material for attaching the front cummerbund, and/or attaching the Rogue Lower Front MOLLE Panel (not included) or other aftermarket magazine placards. Each lower corner of the he Rogue Lower Front MOLLE Panel also has nylon pull tabs to improve tactile control when removing.
The rear carrier includes a nylon drag handle at the top that secures flat (via attaching to the 6.25” (W) x 4” (H) field of hook-and-loop (female) fabric) at the top of the exterior. The remaining surface area of the rear carrier then consists of MOLLE-compatible nylon bands with either hook-and-loop (female) fabric along the top quarter of the carrier, or standard MOLLE-compatible nylon bands on the lower exterior panel that secures the rear cummerbund. Along both sides of the rear carrier are oversized, Crye-compatible zippers for attaching support accessories or packs.
The interior of both the front and rear carrier have a nylon mesh (with closed-cell foam padding), stitched to create two padded spacers along both sides for improved breathability.
The shoulder straps are anchored to the front and rear carriers with via double-layer Cordura, with hook-and-loop fabric that allots for adjusting the length between the shoulders. An elastic nylon cuff (included) adds friction protection against exposed skin, and can augment the optional Rogue Gen 2 shoulder pad upgrade (sold separately). At the front, both shoulder straps include single nylon bands for threading hydration tubing or communication cabling.
The cummerbund for the Rogue Gen 2 plate carrier is a simple band of elastic nylon; slotted for additional rifle magazines or other items, and anchored at the front/rear carrier via hook-and-loop.
Alternatively, a skeletonized version of the Rogue Gen 2 cummerbund is available separately (with or without First Spear tube buckles). In the skeletonized cummerbunds, the magazine slots are replaced with slots for 5.5” or 6.5” side armor inserts (sold separately). Additionally, SAPI side plate pockets are available (sold separately) that can be attached to the skeletonized cummerbund’s sides.
The bottom of the front and rear plate carriers has a deep flap for securing plates inside via hook-and-loop, and both flaps include nylon pull loops to assist in removal. The plate bags themselves are sized to accommodate ESAPI-sized plates and smaller.
The Rogue Gen 2 plate carrier is available in Multicam (featured), Black, Coyote Brown, and M81 Woodland, and comes in Medium or Large sizes.
Product Evaluation Scores:
- Cost – Average (3/5): Based on size and color selection, the Rogue Gen 2 Plate Carrier has an MSRP of $319.55; with the optional Gen 2 cummerbund using First Spear Tubes ($162.95), or using hook-and-loop ($89.55) (both sold separately), removable Rogue Gen 2 Lower Front MOLLE Panel (sold separately) ($32.55), SAPI side plate pouches (sold separately) ($52.75), or the shoulder pad upgrade (sold separately) ($20.55). All of which are constructed from 500D Cordura nylon that gave the various Rogue Gen 2 components a good degree of abrasion resistance. In comparison to similar market alternatives; the JPC 2.0 ($251.90), the Ferro Concepts Slickster ($160), the SMC ($322) from Grey Ghost Gear, and the Thorax ($369) from Haley Strategic show that the base Rogue Gen 2 and accessories are priced appropriately (or average) given the materials and design, and fairly priced when the cummerbund is fully upgraded.
- Comfort – Average (3/4): From a comfort aspect, the elements of the Rogue Gen 2 Plate Carrier came down to an appropriate (or average) full range-of-motion in the carrier’s design. The unpadded shoulder straps did a fair job of dispersing the full weight of carrier, plates and accessories. However, during stressor drills the nylon sleeves (with the upgraded shoulder pads) moved freely and eventually ended up at the back of the shoulder straps (negating any effect against mitigating the pressure into the shoulders). The reason for this movement was a lack of anchoring the sleeves or pads to the physical shoulder straps themselves. A recommendation to TT would be to run a band of hook-and-loop (female) material along the underside of the shoulder straps, and a corresponding hook-and-loop segment on the inside of the sleeves and pads. This would anchor the sleeve/pad to a single point along the straps, and eliminate excess movement so as to maintain comfort. The various cummerbund styles were also adjustable via hook-and-loop or shock cord (not included) to various torso sizes and enabled a good comfort to the end-user. The nylon mech and foam padding interior of the carrier gave good comfort and breathability throughout long durations of wear.
- Durability – Excellent (5/5): The durability of the Rogue Gen 2 was excellent throughout the carrier, with extensive bartack and X-pattern reinforcement stitching noted at all key stress points (joists, corners, edges, etc.), MOLLE segments, and each of the carrier’s individual 500D Cordura components (shoulder straps, cummerbund, etc.). Some minimal over-threading was noted but easily removed. Any hook-and-loop segments themselves were similarly reinforced with straight stitch lines and using double reinforcement. Continual donning/doffing of the two-band MOLLE cummerbund did not yield any excessive wear or de-threading of the hook-and-loop (female) material giving it a good, prolonged usage over time.
- Functionality – Good (4/5): The Gen 2 was an evolution over the previous Rogue carrier, and functionally a great plate carrier for long-term professional or recreational use on the range or in the field. The Gen 2 also a good range of motion in the arms and torso—with the adaptability to use a variety of aftermarket placards. Even the front carrier’s slide-release (female) buckles had a common 1” lock to many other aftermarket slide-release buckles (male) allowing for cross-compatibility between the Rogue carrier and other popular placard products, such as the Spiritus Micro Fight Mk4, the D3CRX from Haley Strategic, or the T3 Day Rig. There was also extensive MOLLE on the rear carrier, and the oversized zippers allowed for attaching any number of associated accessories, hydration packs, or backpacks with similar mounting styles that expanded the carrier’s functionality. It was noted however, the interior space of the carrier’s front/rear compartment for ballistic plates was designed and sized around SAPI/ESAPI dimensions (10”x13”) so civilian plates (typically slightly smaller) did not fill the bag completely. Normally this is still fine, but there was no height adjustment strap on the interior of the front/rear carrier so smaller sized plates slid down to the bottom of the bag while worn—leaving a small amount of excess space at the top where the plate height should start. A recommendation to TT would be to consider adding a simple height adjustment strap inside the Rogue Gen 2 front/rear carriers to account for the variances in plate dimensions while still providing correct coverage. The elastic nylon band cummerbund that was included with the Gen 2 was an appropriate (or average) style for rapid donning, but (even tightened) still allotted for some minor excess movement (due to the elasticity of the material) in the overall carrier. This issue was remedied by changing out to the either of the Gen 2 two-MOLLE band cummerbunds that gave good retention, and provided a wider surface area to enclose the torso. The First Spear tubes provided improved speed at donning and doffing the carrier without struggling with the larger hook-and-loop issue. Another minor recommendation to TT would be to move the pull tab for the rear carrier’s cummerbund flap to the corners, vice the center as it didn’t give immediate separation of the hook-and-loop material. By moving that to the corners, it would give an immediate separation of the material when desired.
- Weight – Good (4/5): As a base carrier with its elastic nylon strap cummerbund, the Rogue Gen 2 weighed in at 29.8 ounces (w/o front MOLLE panel or other accessories), and 30.1 ounces if the elastic cummerbund was replaced with either of the skeletonized Gen 2 MOLLE versions. This weight reflected the bulk of overall 500D treated Cordura nylon used throughout the entire product, as well as minor elements such as the foam padding and hook-and-loop. In contrast; the JPC 2.0 (17.28 ounces), the Ferro Concepts Slickster (12.8 ounces), and the SMC (16.8 ounces) from Grey Ghost Gear show that the exclusive use of more traditional materials (i.e. Cordura) in the Gen 2 design put it at the upper end of weight in regards to the list of market alternatives using similar minimalist designs or laminate nylon. But the Rogue Gen 2 had a good overall light weight when in contrast to more traditional carriers like the Leonidas (36.8 ounces) from Spartan Armor, or the Banshee 2.0 Elite (32 ounces) from Shellback Tactical that are typically heavier.
Overall Rating – Above Average (19/25)
Product Link: https://tacticaltailor.com
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