I've had this carrier for over a year, which in my opinion gives me decent grounds to review a piece of kit such as this one, and for reference I’ve never been in the military (I’ll just be giving my thoughts on the MEPC, not the cummerbunds, pouches, or any other accessories, just the plate bags). I've used the MEPC extensively putting it through many range days, MILSIM events, workouts, training events, etc. This carrier in my opinion is the best carrier on the market. I don’t intend to cover all the features of the MEPC but I want to highlight some key features that the MEPC offers and why they matter.
For reference I've had a JPC 2.0 SC, Ferro, and Spiritus and I would sell all of them to eventually arrive at the MEPC. I’ve learned as a civilian that it’s best to buy kit that can mold to a myriad of situations (unless your AO calls for specific SOP’s). Usually when you buy a product that “does everything” you lose out on its capabilities to act in special roles, although I don’t find that to be the case with this carrier. Ultra low vis or overt styles are completely accommodated for on the MEPC. Most slick carriers these days nail the low vis role, but when you want to scale up your capability and hold more gear a lot of carriers lack the ability to be scalable because they don’t account for key features that the MEPC does, which are the points that I want to shed light on with this review.
Comfort - When you start to load slick carriers with more gear, some options on the market start to fall off the scalability ladder for several reasons. The first reason being, they don’t have enough padding on the inside of the carrier, and hot spots start to form, which inhibits the user from wearing it comfortably for long durations. Secondly (and this is KEY) some slick carriers on the market seem like they’re built for LEGO characters - as in, the shoulder strap angles on the carrier are perfectly vertical, rather than slightly canted. Accounting for the human body's natural slope of the traps and shoulders is KEY for wearing a carrier for long periods so as to not develop hot spots and shoulder pain. Lastly is ventilation, which honestly most carriers seem to have figured out, but it is a feature worth addressing that DM executed well on. Why is comfort important? Because as a civilian, I don’t know how long I’m going to be in my carrier for - and being slowed down mentally or physically by comfort is unaffordable.
Features - (I’ll be addressing the newest version of the carrier). The MEPC has already seen multiple iterations which is encouraging to see a new(er) player on the market innovate their current design, keep it up DM. The MEPC is quite sophisticated for several reasons as it keeps itself clean by keeping cable management options low profile and unexposed. Instead of buying beefy shoulder straps or adding more material to protect cables, the MEPC uses the plate bags to conceal cables and also features low profile entry/exit points to route cables in and out of. Another example of the MEPC’s sophistication is seen when once you’ve adjusted the shoulder strap length, any extra shoulder strap length is tucked into the rear plate bag (this is a small feature but it sheds more light into how much consideration went into the MEPC).
The Admin pocket is a very nice touch, and the greatest part about it is, it’s actually usable - some admin pockets are so shallow you can put anything in them, and having a zipper function is a bonus. Your admin pocket is often missing on some carriers these days or carriers have them but they’re too cumbersome to utilize because they’re hard to open or too noisy. Having a built-in admin pouch is invaluable to stowe items that are small, easy to lose, or need to be accessed quickly.
This next feature is by far one of my favorites. The MEPC has vertical molle rows on the sides of the front plate bag which is ALWAYS superior to having a fixed or looped section to connect your placard. This gives end users way more flexibility in adapting and configuring their kit. It’s something I don’t see on any other carrier, and I can see companies adding this feature in the future. Why is this important? Setting your cummerbund height is key if you plan on adding pouches or gear above or underneath your placard. Beyond setting placard height, attaching and organizing critical pieces of kit like comms, lanyards, carabiners, etc cannot be overlooked when setting up a kit to mold to your AO. Attaching gear to your kit only solves half the problem - but DM solves the other half by giving the end user the ability to put the kit in the right spot by providing these multiple vertical molle rows, which is critical for properly manipulating a weapon, negotiating barriers/entry points and dealing with personnel.
(The MEPC’s plate bags also accommodate plates up to 1.2 inches thick which is an excellent improvement they made, which can obviously allow for a thicker plate, but also allow for plate backers)
Quality - I’ve purchased 2 MEPC’s, the first version and the second version. The first version had solid stitching and build quality, and is the version that I’ve spent 90% of my time on. The tolerances of the molle sections are very accurate, more accurate than even my JPC 2.0 (which I was appalled by how bad their molle webbing tolerances were). I’ve had no stitchings come loose, no tears, although I have had some fraying near the vertical molle sections. The plate bags themselves held up fantastically. The new version seems to have tightened up some features, and stitching which is nice to see. The materials used are all premium from my inspection, and their MC and Coyote colors are NIR compliant (their RG isn’t NIR compliant although it doesn't reflect light). The velcro adheres very well, although admitaly I don’t use velcro features that much due to QD’s.
If you’ve read this far down. It's time to pull the trigger. The MEPC is so versatile and its features can’t be understated. I’ve recommended it to several of my friends and they all echo the same sentiments and none of them have had any failures or even moderate complaints about the carrier.
Good work DM.
