LBX ARMATUS II REVIEW!

Hey friends!

Welcome back to the blog!
Today I have another gear review for you - on the LBX Tactical Armatus II plate carrier! I originally came across this plate carrier completely by accident - on my second visit to the US! I needed a MultiCam Black plate carrier for the very first Desert Fox Events: Battle for Lost Angeles so my friend Josh came to the rescue and lent me his MCB Armatus II for the event, and in November last year I got my very own Armatus II. After putting it through its paces during multiple game days, I’m ready to give you guys and girls my thoughts!

The LBX Tactical Armatus II is a low profile plate carrier made of 500D Cordura. As standard, the carrier has a fast clip front panel and comes with a Triple M4 Panel from LBX and also a removable back modular panel that is compatible with MAP components (I’ve accessorised my MAS Grey Armatus II with the Banger Back Panel). Other features of the carrier include removable padded shoulder straps, removable adjustable modular mesh rib cage cummerbund, it has a reinforced drag handle and a front zipper admin pocket (that is a great fit for my iPhone XS).

The construction is sound - with clean, straight stitching and the materials feel sturdy, even the mesh in the cummerbund. As for size/fit, I chose the medium size and once adjusted (as the carrier is fully adjustable) it fits my body well and still has a little room to allow me to wear thicker layers underneath. The padded shoulders allow you to have the carrier loaded and wear it for extended periods of time without your shoulders becoming sore - it would be cool for these to have a fabric cover though. The M4 mag pouch included is really handy for those of us who run M4 platforms, but needless to say, if you want to run the Armatus II with any other platform, another front panel would be needed.

My only complaint towards the Armatus II, as is with the 0300S, is that it doesn’t come with foam plates as standard like some other carriers on the market do. This means that the carrier as standard doesn’t stand up or hold its shape too well. In both of my Armatus II carriers, I have added the PTS Syndicate foam plates to give it more stability and keep the shape when not in use.

Priced at $249.99 from the LBX website and comes in MultiCam, MC Arid, MC Black, Coyote, Ranger Green, Wolf Grey, Black and MAS Grey. The carrier also comes in 2 sizes - medium and large (to fit the corresponding plates). I have the Armatus II in both MAS Grey and MCB, and I switch these carriers in and out of a number of different loadouts - from MCB, RG and even M81 (US Woodland), the colours work for me. At the current exchange rate, $250 is around about £191 (this doesn’t include customs and shipping, so be sure to budget extra to accommodate those!).

Overall, it is a comfy carrier, has sound construction and does the job intended. The range of colour/camo options is varied enough for there to be an option for most loadouts.

Photography thanks to Stuart Manks
Patron: AirsoftPanda