RTS Tactical Bulletproof Vest Review
The wide world of body armor is always growing, and RTS Tactical has been throwing their hands in the mix by offering extremely high-quality body armor at affordable prices. RTS Tactical has recently unveiled its active shooter kit. For those looking to find a simple, plug-and-play body armor kit, you've come to the right place. While some people like to pick and choose and assemble their plate carrier piece by piece, RTS Tactical gives you a buy it and forget it option.
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The RTS Tactical Active Shooter Kit is a combination of their Premium Plate Carrier and two Level IV ceramic-based plates. While there is nothing wrong with picking and choosing your individual components, not everyone has the knowledge, know-how, or time to do so. For people worried about finding the right-sized plates for the right carrier and then matching the cumberbund, side plate carriers, etc., the RTS Tactical option is much simpler.
Here it is. Throw your pouches on, adjust it for a proper fit, and boom, you are done and ready to save your life and potentially the lives of others.
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The Modern Minuteman
A well-prepared man or woman should have both a locker full of gear and a brain full of skills. On the gear front, a modern rifle, handgun, and concealed carry handgun are all must-haves. These are medical kits, good boots, flashlights, and yes, a set of rifle-rated body armor.
You may never need your body armor, and hopefully, you never will. The best-case scenario is that your armor remains unused and, in many ways, is a waste of money. Having a set of hard armor and not needing it is much better than needing it and not having it. The Active Shooter Kit is perfect for the everyday Joe and Jane who need armor but may not be the most armor educated. It allows you to build a kit with compatibility with almost all modern armor accessories, pouches, and gear and to add another check in the box for gear for the prepared person.
The outside is important, but with hard armor, it's truly all about what's on the inside, so let's start there.
The Plates
The Active Shooter kit comes with two ceramic level IV plates to protect your front and rear. When I say ceramic, I'm not talking about the ceramic collector's bowls your aunt keeps on the wall. Ceramic armor is a composite design proven to be the most effective armor option when you consider cost, overall safety, and weight.
There are tougher, cheaper, and lighter materials, but there is no material that is tougher, lighter, and cheaper all at the same time. Ceramic can offer the same strength as steel without the weight and is ultimately safer than most steel armor. Ceramic armor can stop full-powered rifle rounds and be molded and fitted to specific plate carrier designs and specific cuts for various comfort levels.
Ceramic armor is currently the choice of professional militaries worldwide due to its combination of desirable features. Ceramic armor isn't a new idea and was experimented with as far back as 1918. As technology improved, so did the ceramic materials used to create armor.
The RTS Tactical plates meet the standard for level IV plates from the NIJ. NIJ stands for National Justice Institute and is a governmental office that assists in numerous policing roles. They also established a standard for body armor and assigned various levels for different body armor. Level IV armor is the current highest rating available; that being said, these plates are built to NIJ standards but are not certified or endorsed by the NIJ.
Level IV plates are built to withstand a hit from a 30 caliber steel core armor-piercing projectile. That projectile is defined by its weight and speed and often results in what we can see from an armor-piercing 30-06 round. 30-06 rounds are not a common threat most of us face these days, and many will be asking, will these RTS Tactical plates stand up to common 5.56 loads?
That's a good question because modern 5.56 loads can do a number to armor. Specifically, steel core or partially steel core can punch the ticket of level 3 armor. These rounds must have a level IV plate to stop them. These rounds are very common and affordable, like the ole Green Tip round you can buy anywhere. The low price and commonality make them a viable threat to prepare for.
The RTS Tactical plates are built to Level IV specifications and will eat up those steel core rounds. They will also eat up 7.62x39, 5.7x28, and other common calibers that can challenge armor. Of course, they laugh off handgun rounds and the like.
The RTS Tactical Ceramic plates are a single curve SAPI Cut. SAPI cut refers to their overall shape and is the current military standard cut. This cut is easily the most common on the market and allows for proper fitment with most plate carriers. SAPI cuts have rounded corners, and the top corner has a 45 degree cut to improve mobility versus square plates.
The outside of the plates is coated with a waterproof Polyurea coating. This coating is a must-have for long-lasting performance. Professional users may be exposed to all sorts of not-so-fun environments, and this coating ensures their plates maintain integrity. For everyday Joe and Jane, you should, on occasion, train in your plate carrier. You want this coating as well.
RTS Tactical's plates are 1.1 inches thick and weigh 6.3 pounds apiece. That's perfectly on par with most Level IV plates, albeit thinner plates exist. However, at the low price RTS Tactical offers these plates, the little extra bulk isn't bad.
The RTS Tactical Premium Plate Carrier
The plates are great, very modern, and will protect you from the common threats you may face. We know that, but how about the carrier? The RTS Tactical Premium Plate Carrier doesn't do anything revolutionary or crazy but presents a modular, comfortable, and well-designed plate carrier. It's simple, and that's not a bad thing by any means.
Simple design makes the plate carrier simple to use. For your everyday user, simple is good. It doesn't require training to use, and the setup is straightforward. Some of the more advanced plate carrier designs are brilliant but can leave some confused as to exactly how they work, how to assemble them, and what's needed to complete them.
The RTS Tactical Premium Plate Carrier is an all-in-one option ready to serve out of the box.
What's on The Outside?
Lots and lots of MOLLE/PALs webbing. This webbing allows you to attach pouches galore. MOLLE is the universal language with modern plate carriers attach accessories. These accessories include magazine pouches, medical kits, light and tool pouches, and honestly, just about every piece of tactical gear you could choose to use.
The MOLLE strips come in 4 rows of 6 on the main portion of the vest. The upper portion has one of six and one row of four. The upper section is also covered in hook and loop to allow name tags, unit patches, and other identifiers. The cumberbund also offers these rows of MOLLE webbing for gear mounting.
We have very wide shoulder straps for maximum comfort, and a rear pull handle reinforced for stable dragging if need be. I like the fact I can also remove the cumberbund and run it with simple side straps. This is a lighter, less bulky option that I find quicker to put on. If you plan to use side plates, then the cumberbund is already equipped and ready with side plate pouches.
My personal carrier is run sans cumberbund. This way, it can be packed in a bag with ease and thrown on in a hurry. Options are always good, though, and customizing the rig for your personal needs is a highly desirable trait.
All in all, it's a complete carrier that checks every box I have on the outside. But what about the internal design?
What About the Inside
Inside the plate carrier is a heavily padded and super soft mesh material. This design serves two purposes. First, it reduces friction and improves comfort. Not one wants to be burned by their plate carrier rubbing up and down on them. Second, it reduces thermal laid and creates a layer of air that helps cool the body. Regardless of the plate carrier, you can expect it to be like wearing a heavy-duty sweatshirt.
Any minor relief can be a godsend.
Donning It
Plate carriers have to be adjustable. Not just for comfort, but to ensure proper fit. You're wearing a plate carrier to protect your insides from bullets. Some insides are more valuable than others, and you want your plates covering your heart, lungs, and you know your organs.
Since people come in various shapes and sizes, it's important that you can adjust a plate carrier to cover their important insides properly. Comfort is also a factor, and often a plate carrier fitted to protect your insides will be comfortable to wear. With all this being said, the RTS Tactical Plate Carrier is quite adjustable and easy to fit various body types.
The shoulder straps offer a lot of room to move the plates up and down to ensure they properly cover your important organs. Plus, the straps are easy to adjust but lockdown once adjusted. The paranoid part of me might write both straps in a little duct tape, to be sure. I've yet to see the velcro jump and run when I'm jumping and running, but Murphy's law and all.
The cumberbund adjustments rely on velcro and will take some experimenting to correctly dial-in. I bracketed my adjustments, going wide and then slowly moving until it was just tight enough. If you are using side plates, you'll also need to adjust the side plates' vertical orientation to ensure they are also covering your vitals. The side straps are a bit easier and adjust via a slider. I prefer no cumberbund, but for review purposes, I left it on.
Once everything was properly covered and felt good, I went to the range. Besides normal static shooting, I huffed and puffed through basic sprints and some very lonely rushes. You notice when you don't have someone to cover you. Running, changing positions rapidly, and a few box jumps showed me I needed to tighten the vest down a hair more than I thought.
One of the most important aspects of having gear is using gear. Those little adjustments made the RTS Active Shooter kit a little snugger but kept things more comfortable overall. The internal 3DX mesh padding is quite nice and ensures that it's comfortable even when the vest is tight. Heat wasn't a major issue, but like any non-minimalist plate carrier, you won't regret drinking water and staying hydrated.
The minimalist amount of material near the shoulders made mounting a rifle comfortable and ergonomic. Some may want to adjust their stock slightly inward to make up for some extra body bulk, but it's no big deal.
After my second round of making adjustments, I hit the ground running once more and found everything perfect this time. No slack or rubbing occurred, and the vest remained centered regardless of how I moved. Slight movements here and there are no big deal, but the vest should always protect your vitals.
Finally, all that MOLLE webbing really lets you customize what gear you want to carry and where you want to carry it. It allows you plenty of space for the basics and enough room for plenty of extras. I prefer a minimalist gear approach, but this setup is for you if you want to go full hog.
Protect Yourself
The RTS Active Shooter kit is a fantastic option for the cash-strapped shooter. Ceramic plates in a capable carrier are hard to beat. The price point is rather nice, and every modern prepared person should have some form of rifle armor. The RTS Active Shooter kit gives everyone a kit they can have confidence in should they ever need it. That being said; hopefully, they never do.
