Nine months ago we introduced you to the SKD Tactical PIG RIG. We found an immediate top three things to like about the PIG RIG, which was the internal padding, the secure fit of various sized plates, and the highly functional shoulder pads. After nine months, we still like those things, but the end comments by all persons involved in the review came down to how well it carried the plate, and how comfortable the PIG RIG is. In short, the SKD PIG RIG ranked as the best, and most comfortable dedicated plate carrier our test group had ever used.
Click the picture to find out more about the SKD PIG RIG, and why we like it so much.
Most guys who have had to live in armor have dealt with levels of discomfort that the average layman knows nothing about. Digging, chaffing, too loose, too tight, pressure points in places that you didn't know you even had, along with various other issues which tend to crop up whenever new gear is issued out. There is no doubt that protection is important, and that is why we are wearing armor to begin with. However, comfort while in the armor is something that most of us appreciate on a regular basis. In doing this review, the PIG RIG was used in both admin tasks and in a shooting/ training environment. Admin tasks include everything from eating, typing and computer use, hitting the can, shooting pictures, loading vehicles, moving equipment to other less than glamorous tasks. I know that isn't the highlight of anyone's day, but its stuff we all do.
The SKD PIG RIG carries the plate up nice and high, but for some odd reason, most people are used to a low hanging plate that is protecting their gut instead of their upper chest. Because of this, we received a few quick questions. Once you ask guys what they are looking to protect with their plate, the obvious answer speaks for itself. I'll take a gut shot that a medic can work with over an upper chest shot and a toe tag.
Not only does the plate get held high, but it does this regardless of what plate (small through XL SAPI) you are using. The inside of the carrier is lined in Velcro, and it is super simple to adapt the inside to your plate size. To change plate sizes, all I needed to do was open the underneath, slide out the existing plate, then reach in with my hand and separate the Velcro, and then push the larger plate in. If the plate was smaller, I pushed the plate in, and then pressed the sides down. It's simplistic in design and works extremely well. There was never any play or slop with the plates.
Speaking from personal experience, I wear soft armor on duty every day. When I throw on my duty plate carrier, there is always soft armor in play to go along with it. Keeping this in mind, there are times when I'm training that I'll just grab the plate carrier without my regular concealment armor. The immediate problem with this is the plate digging in. If I'm sitting in a vehicle, the plate digs in quite a bit more into my spine, especially over time. The SKD PIG RIG uses padded channels to give comfort, protection to the spine, and air channels for better air circulation. Most MIL guys using a dedicated plate carrier probably aren't going to be wearing soft armor underneath. If they wanted to do that, they could wear combination soft/ hard armor carriers. This is one of the reasons why the comfort level of the PIG is so high, its built from the ground up to be a dedicated plate carrier, not something generic thrown on.
Side plate options are plentiful, but I admit I don't own any side plates, so while I had the various side plate pockets (and attached them for pictures), I didn't have the ability to actually wear them with plates. I used the molle side pieces, and had no problems at all.
Everything is covered in Molle with the PIG RIG, and attaching gear to various points is easy. The upper chest section is covered in velcro as well as Molle for additional mounting options. Stitching in all areas was neat, with no loose threads sticking out or found during our 9 months. At no time were there any ripping or popping noises to indicated we had pulled a seam or torn a stitch.
An area that I continue to find an asset is the shoulder straps. These are wide and heavily padded and gave unusual comfort under extended wear and heavy load. The padding and makeup of the shoulder straps is so good that I find it has soured me on some of the other carriers I own. If SKD can do this so well, why can't all the other manufacturers create something similar? No pinch points, no rubbing, no chaffing all equal out to something small which really makes a big difference for some of us.
The SKD PIG RIG allows for attachment of a smaller, assault size pack. I found that I used the assault pack as standard equipment. My assault pack is hydration compatible, and it made great sense to be able to carry and wear the PIG this way. The smaller packs stay out of the way, and you can load it with as much or as little as you like, which allows you to tailor things to your needs. If nothing else, the pack with just a hydration bladder in it lays very flat. For training purposes, I could load my pack up with most of my gear and head to the range. When shooting with the PIG RIG, I loaded the pack up heavy as well as left it light. I found the PIG RIG did a very good job of distributing weight, and I never felt like I was going to get choked out or had problems with the carrier wanting to ride and pull back.
I'll close with these thoughts. If I were 20 years old again, I don't think I would appreciate the SKD PIG RIG anywhere near as much. There is a large difference between being young and invincible, and getting older and in a combat related profession where you find yourself going under the knife for injuries all too often. After you break and mend a few times, you start to really appreciate some of the finer subtleties which go into gear. In the case of the SKD PIG RIG, the various features make a large difference, especially for those of us who have been around the block a few times. For you younger guys, don't worry, our early 20s reviewer has already claimed this as his. In the end, we all feel this is the best dedicated plate carrier we have ever tested.
Below is info from SKD Tactical regarding the PIG:
Industry Firsts found on the PIG-PC
- 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 2 cummerbund options and 2 side plate carrier options, you have 4 different configurations to select from.
- Scalable Side Plate Pocket Options - Now you can use 6"x 6" side plates as well as 6"x 8" & 7" x 8" 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 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 Summer 2011) 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.
http://www.skdtac.com/PIG_Plate_Carrier_p/pig.502.htm
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