BLUF: The Minimalist Plate Carrier (MPC) is a great rig that lives up to the name. Some plate carriers (PCs) identify as “minimal”, but the moniker is a reflection more of a lack of materials than a design intention. That is not the case with the Grey Ghost Gear Minimalist Plate Carrier.

Find GG’s Minimalist Plate Carrier in stock and compare prices. 

If you’re anything like me (and for the sake of friends, family, co-workers, and local strippers, let’s hope you aren’t), you can get pretty particular about gear. After using a shit-ton of stuff in different conditions, you begin to have particular preferences – a ‘flavor’ if you will.

Rig Requirements

I’ll say outright that when I first looked at GGG’s MPC (say that three times fast), it appeared to check a lot of my boxes.

• Low profile design? Check. 

• Adjustable? Check.

• No cummerbund? Check.

• No integrated magazine pouches? Check.

This is just one minimalist plate carrier setup: yours will likely vary, depending upon your needs, loadout, and mission. As a reminder: this is a plate carrier, not a body armor carrier. If you’re looking for something for your soft armor panels, this isn’t it. 

Is it the best PC out there? Or even up at the top of the list?

There were still questions about the rig to answer before making that determination.

     1. What does it weigh?

     2. How is its durability? Abrasion resistance to hard use?

     3. Can it take different sizes? Swimmer’s Cut? Large ESAPI?

     4. Is it simple/fast to throw on?

     5. What about comfort?

Enter the Grey Ghost Gear Minimalist Plate Carrier

Upon its arrival, one of the first things I noticed was the weight. Actually, the lack of weight. 

The GG MPC is very light.

This is important since (assuming you are using your PC as load-bearing equipment) it’s going to be loaded down with plates and mags. No Cordura specification was listed on the webpage, so I gave them a call. Some will be disappointed to hear that it’s 500D and not 1000D Cordura. It’s not built completely with what some would call Mil Spec materials. So what?

500D, while half the weight, is usually sufficiently abrasion-resistant. The other part of the lightweight mystery lies in a material called LiteLok. LiteLok weighs 30% less than 500D Cordura, is water-resistant, and is just as abrasion-resistant. 

That black magic happens in the realm of a chemist or a mad scientist and definitely outside of my purview; that’s okay; my concern is with weight and durability. 

This Grey Ghost PC  is extremely lightweight – superior materials and construction quality allow them to achieve a low weight without sacrificing durability.

The GGG MPC originally came in coyote, black, Multicam, and a couple of Kryptek patterns. Kryptek options are no longer available, but other patterns are (depending on where you shop). There may be some in Ranger Green or LE Blue by now, I’m not sure.

Note for purists: my coyote example is indiscernible in hue from that of many other quality manufacturers.

Minimalist Plate Carrier Design

The design is fairly straightforward: the front and back sides of the carrier are (basically) mirror images of each other with some minor variance. Plates load in from the bottom and secured via a Velcro flap. There’s enough Velcro that a slightly taller or shorter ballistic plate than usual can be accommodated. Inside the carrier is a soft mesh that will help keep you cool and thick webbing that attaches and adjusts via Velcro rides over the shoulders.

There are the typical webbing and Fastex buckles on the sides for fit and a generous amount of elastic that allows for dynamic movement while keeping everything secure. Stitching is doubled up on the corners and other high-stress parts of the carrier to increase longevity.

How many times have you donned a carrier only to ask your buddy to cinch it properly for you? Or taken it on and off a dozen times, fiddling with the shoulder strap that doesn’t cooperate, or messing with the side bungees until it’s ‘just right’ because you were by yourself?

No need for that here. After the ride height is adjusted so that the plates cover the vitals side, the adjustment is a snap. GGG’s PC has a pull-forward-to-tighten adjustment, so it’s very easy to cinch it up while wearing it.

I absolutely cannot stress enough how badass that particular detail is.

One problem I’ve had with PCs in the past is fit. I like to wear a large plate in the back for greater coverage and protection and a medium in the front for shooting, flexibility, and ease of movement. This apparently is a weird combination because it seems that many off-the-shelf carriers come in sizes S/M or L/XL.

What I’ve done before is purchase size large carriers and invariably run out of side adjustment before it fits properly and/or the front plate sits too low in the carrier. Many have far too much lateral movement and slippage, and some have shoulder straps with less than ideal potential for individualization.

Yes, the obvious solution is having four beers and a few double cheeseburgers for every meal but I was looking for something that didn’t involve heart disease and going to meetings.

Grey Ghost’s MPC is a cinch to adjust. (See what we did there?)

So, while many carriers are limited regarding the cut of the plate used, this isn’t the case with the GGG MPC. The GGG Minimalist has some open slots on the plate pocket itself. These not only cut down on the weight but also allow for a wide variety of plates to be used. SAPI, swimmer, and rectangular cut plates can be inserted.

This allows a rectangular plate to be used in the back, providing more coverage, and a plate more suited towards shooting (almost any other cut) in the front. This aspect of PC design, particularly with regard to MPC  setup, is often neglected.

This is a double-edged sword though, mostly because the edges of your plates can ‘peek’ out at you. Now, while plate covers are sold and can be purchased, I never turn down any opportunity to steal a sewing machine and attempt to break it.

After a trip to the fabric store (pro-tip for single guys: lots of ladies in the fabric store) and much cursing at needles becoming unthreaded, I managed to put together some plate covers that vaguely resemble dirty pillowcases in a SAPI shape.

Mission success.

Alternatively, you can rattle can them, or, just suck it up and quit worrying about the contrast. I’ve never cared about having matching loop material or matchy-matchy rigs, but you do you. 

Not only does the carrier allow for different cuts but also some different sizes and thicknesses while still holding them securely. While technically the carrier I have is a size large, it was no problem to put a medium in the front and a large in the back.

I also was able to fit soft armor plate backers behind the plates without even the need for foul language.

Plates of different materials could easily be used in this carrier.

Specs, Features, and Setup

The GGG MPC features six columns and six rows of MOLLE on either side of the carrier (the top row is truncated to four columns). Above the MOLLE, also on both sides, is a panel of matching Velcro so you can attach the usual stuff. This could include name tapes, rank insignia, unit/department identifiers, ID panels, admin pouch placard, IR reflectors, or whatever moto Velcro-backed morale patches are in vogue at the moment.

On the top front of the carrier, there’s also a stash pocket that can hold small flat items like a map or a notebook. Unlike with giant armor carriers and rigs, you aren’t going to fit a dozen mags, seven grenades, a toy train set, and a typewriter in there.

Though the real estate is limited, one can still fit the fighting essentials directly on the plate. Of course, the MPC can also be run slick if just the added plate protection is desired.

Looking in the side of the minimalist plate carrier from Grey Ghost Gear.

To expand capacity one can use a quick-attach plate load or put web gear over the top (necessitating another step in the donning process). I opted to put gear directly on the carrier for use in conjunction with a belt rig. Three HSGI Taco pouches fit perfectly across the front.

Yes, my pouches aren’t all the same color or pattern but to quote Chesty Puller when he was fighting the Huns in Vietnam during the American Revolution, “Matchy-matchy gear is for the Air Force and airsofters.”

Yes GGG makes mag pouches but I didn’t have them handy. Take your color-gear-match OCD and get thee hence.

If you haven’t used a small footprint PC before, bear in mind that your mags may ride higher than with a normal chest rig. Sometimes people change how they index for reloads in this arrangement or even primary reload locations and others don’t. There are advantages and disadvantages to both high and low mags in different situations but that’s a whole other discussion itself.

Getting the carrier on and off is easily done, especially if running the load directly on the plate—no monkeying with extraneous straps or a cummerbund here. I recommend leaving one Fastex buckle snapped and another open so you can slip it over your head and support arm first.

Since I’m right-handed I leave the right side Fastex unbuckled during the donning process. Taking it off is just one click and pulling your head out. This is really a grab-and-go rapid deployment setup.

Cinching down and buckling up, not to mention donning and doffing, are features that contribute to our highly favorable review of the Grey Ghost Plate Carrier.

Though the carrier is lightweight and very comfortable around the torso I think many who use plate carriers may know my next complaint: shoulders. For short periods of time the plain thick webbing over the shoulders is fine. However, when worn for multiple hours they really start to get irritating and uncomfortable.

The solution to this for me was pretty easy: HSGI Was/Wee shoulder pads. Though they are made for HSGI carriers they worked equally as well with the GGG MPC. They distribute the load better, don’t move around because the bottoms are covered with the same SureGrip material as their battle belts — and they don’t break the bank.

These are definitely a worthwhile upgrade if you’re going to wear your rig for hours and hours. Of course, you won’t necessarily need it if this is something you’re throwing in the back seat of a law enforcement vehicle or in a bailout bag.

For that, it’s perfect as is.

A minor complaint with an easy fix was the lack of elastic keepers. The only place you need these are on the side straps and one could always tape them but putting them on was quick. I fabbed some myself in about two minutes with some tan elastic but it would have been nice if some were included.

Another spec not listed on the webpage was weight. Using a commercial scale, I found the GGG MPC itself weighed in at just a couple of stitches below twenty ounces. If the coyote was even slightly darker it might have weighed more. For a carrier of this size that’s pretty damn good, especially since it’s not made of paper and can carry a heavy load without the material sagging under the weight.

Fully loaded up with my plates, soft armor backers, shoulder pads, and mag pouch array with full mags. It probably would have been much lighter if I’d had level III Grey Ghost Gear lightweight plates in it, but I don’t have any of those.

Yet.

Lightening your armor and PC load reduces your overall loadout, which is a Good Thing. Any minimalist plate carrier setup is going to be extremely individualized – are you throwing it very soft armor and a uniform shirt? Wearing it as both body armor and TA-50? (That’s what codgers like Hernandez and Reeder called their LBE in the old sagas.) Is this a tactical plate carrier or just a work-out weighted plate carrier vest? 

Plated UP!

The Grey Ghost Gear Minimalist Plate Carriers definitely live up to their name. Not a whole circus of bells and whistles but definitely a lot of thought put into the system, and it’s very well made. The low profile, combined with the speed at which the GGG MPC can be donned and adjusted, makes it a perfect companion for any patrol carbine or any situation where rapid armor deployment is deemed necessary.

While I definitely see this as a great grab-and-go solution, it isn’t out of place alongside its larger brethren when used in conjunction with a duty belt or “battle belt” style rig either.

The Minimalist Plate Carrier is an excellent product from Grey Ghost Gear. It might not be the absolute best plate carrier on the market, but it’s damn sure close to the top. I was actually surprised by the price. I can’t help but wonder if someone would see the MSRP (it’s very low) and immediately dismiss it as being analogous to one of those cheap tactical gear imports or a knock-off of some kind.

It’s not. It’s good to go.

Grey Ghost Gear Minimalist Plate Carrier for Sale

Where to Find It

• Gun.Deals ($$$ compare)
• Tactical Sh!t
• Optics Planet
• Midway USA
• Primary Arms

GG Minimalist Plate Carrier (MPC)

This is how Grey Ghost Gear describes the rig:

The GG Minimalist Plate Carrier is designed based on the mentality of “lighter is better”, with a minimum of frills, but a ton of function. Designed to carry 10×12 hard armor plates or large SAPI plate / ESAPI plate, , there are six rows of MOLLE/PALS style webbing with built-in matching loop material on the top three rows for the option of attaching patches or ID panels. The front of the carrier also features a discrete stash pocket that makes perfect storage for a variety of small items that might be needed in a hurry, such as maps, medevac cards or even a knife. Made for one size to fit most body types, the adjustable shoulder straps and integrated elastic side straps keep a snug fit while still allowing for unexpected dynamic motion. Constructed from Mil-Spec materials to stand up to hard use, the inside faces of the carrier are lined with Air Mesh for comfort and breathability and the plate pockets are lined with LiteLok pack cloth for abrasion resistance. One size fits most.

Note: this alternative to the older tactical vest will carry ceramic plates, steel plates, and related products, but don’t just throw anything in there. Do some research. If this rig is truly intended to save your life in a fight, you don’t want to go cheap. 

If this review interests you, check out what we’ve written about these:

• HRT RAC Plate Carrier
• Velocity Systems Scarab
• 5.11 TacTec PC