First things first, technically it’s called the 5.11 Tactec Plate Carrier, but no-one calls it that anyway so we will refer to it throughout the rest of this post as the 5.11 weighted vest.
The 5.11 weighted vest in honesty is the weighted vest that everyone truly wants but because it has a bit of a higher price than other vests people try to talk themselves into lower quality options.
The old statement still rings true however, you get what you pay for.
Before we get started keep in mind that if your only intention is to casually walk around the block with a little bit of added weight any vest will do.
But if your intention is to increase the intensity of your workouts in order to gain muscle, burn fat, and skyrocket your fitness you will need the 5.11 vest.
FACT: “Adding a weighted vest to your frame is a sneaky way of pushing your muscles to grow to support your “new” weight.
But the growing doesn’t stop there. When you use a weighted vest during your workouts, your bones respond to the strain by building more bone mass. This creates denser bones, connective tissue, and an overall stronger musculoskeletal system.”
https://yurielkaim.com/weighted-vest-benefits/
Related: Running VS Stationary Biking VS Rowing
4 Benefits of The 5.11 Weighted Vest
1 – Feels like an extension of your body
This is the biggest advantage that the 5.11 vest has over competitors. The 5.11 vest is held closer to your body than other vests and the weight is displaced much more evenly.
Because the weight comes in the form of thick, flat metal plates (or curved cast iron) as opposed to rectangle pill shaped weights, the vest is not bulky and allows you to perform any movement more efficiently.
If you’re doing pushups with a bulky vest you may not even be able to bend your arm 90 degrees before the weights hit the floor, completely eliminating the effectiveness of the movement. The 5.11 vest is flat on your body allowing you to touch chest to floor on each rep.
Most people use weighted vests specifically for bodyweight movements, but the added benefit of the 5.11 vest is that you can also wear it while performing olympic lifting movements such as cleans, thrusters, and snatches.
Crossfitters, imagine doing FRAN with a 20 pound vest on…
With other vests non-bodyweight movements would be quite difficult since the weights are bulky and move around too much.
The 5.11 weighted vest feels like an extension of your body and gives you the opportunity to incorporate weighted vest training in a wider variety of exercises.
“I recently bought the 5.11 TacTec Plate Carrier. This is the second weight vest I have owned and is by far the best one available. I used to have an old school one where you could drop bars in up to 40 pounds and it was cumbersome and all sorts of awful. The 5.11 is extremely comfortable and the plates that come with it slide in seamlessly.”
Anonymous review on RogueFitness.com
2 – Comfortability
Unlike most weighted vests that tear up your shoulders due to chaffing the 5.11 vest actually has padded shoulder straps making it feel a lot more comfortable.
Instead of one small strap torso strap holding the vest in place the 5.11 vest actually has a wide 3 strap velcro connector that connects under the top of the vest, giving you a very secure and firm fit.
The carrier is made from durable 500D nylon, and features yoke shoulder pads to reduce friction, adjustable tensional bands for stability, and innovative air flow channels for sustained comfort.
You may already know that by running with a weighted vest you can increase your VO2 Max much more than running without one.
“Those experimental subjects who used the added load during every training session had a lower 2 mmol lactate threshold, improved running time to exhaustion, improved vertical velocity when running up stairs and an increased VO2 during submaximal running after the added load period. It is concluded that the additional loading increased anaerobic metabolism in the leg muscles during submaximal and maximal exercise. An increased recruitment and adaptation of the fast twitch muscle fibres is suggested as the principal explanation for the observed changes.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00417768
If you’re going to be running often do yourself a favor and get a 5.11 vest so that you can run most efficiently.
“Recently bought this vest. It was easy to put together and a breeze to start using. Fits great with little if any bounce.”
James340 review on RogueFitness.com
3 – Coolness
Yeah we like functionality, but we also like looks. The 5.11 weighted vest simply just looks cooler than any other vest available on the market, without a doubt.
Another unique feature of the 5.11 vests is the ability to add on patches to personally customize your own.
“This plate carrier is amazing. It works as advertised. Absolutely worth the price. When worn properly, it is comfortable during every workout and it does a fantastic job at making every workout a bit more difficult. Most importantly it is stylish, and I love it!!!”
Review from Damou on RogueFitness.com
4 – Durability
Durability features of the 5.11 TACTEC PLATE CARRIER:
- Abrasion resistant 500D nylon
- Water-resistant coating
- Durable Duraflex® hardware
Also
“5.11 guarantees each product sold to be free of defects in materials or workmanship for as long as you own the product”.
5.11 Tactical
It’s nice to know that no matter what you put your vest through you have a lifetime guarantee that your vest will be replaced if anything happens to it.
“This is the best weight vest I’ve ever used. I’ve had 4 different types prior to making this purchase. This is durable and sturdy. The best thing about this though is it stays in place during activities I do. From running to burpees. It has minimal movement.”
Review from Coastie on RogueFitness.com
IN SUMMARY: The 5.11 weighted vest is the gold standard when it comes to weighted vests. It may be more expensive than other options but the benefits outweigh the cost.
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