Condor Vanquish Plate Carrier: Survival Doesn’t Have To Be Expensive

TABLE OF CONTENTS

VANQUISH PLATE CARRIER

RATING

SPECS

Material: 500D Cordura Nylon
Supported Plate Size: M or L Swimmer/ESAPI plates up to 10.25″ x 13.25″
Size: Adjustable from 34″ – 50″
Weight: 3 – 4 lbs
Features: Easy access plate pouch / Document pocket
Compatible: RS Cummerbund Retro Kit
Manufactured: Imported

PRICE

(DISCOUNT CODE TG4L777 FOR 15% OFF)

IS THE VANQUISH PLATE CARRIER WORTH YOUR MONEY?

Yes, hard, yes. With the base Vanquish carrier costing only $71.95 and the few additions you’ll see in my follow-up article about a full Condor carrier set-up, the total cost still only comes to $140-150.

OVERALL

Overall, Condor’s Vanquish plate carrier was fantastic. It fit well, and with front, rear, and shoulder padding, it was quite comfortable empty or with a full load out.

The Vanquish has a clean SAPI plate design instead of a cheap roundish generic look, making it look and fit better as you don’t have excess fabric rubbing up by your armpits like many cheaply made carriers.

The Vanquish has a simple strap and DuraFlex buckles, but it is easily adjustable to a standard cummerbund. It also has hook-and-loop shoulder straps, which combine to make the whole carrier easy to adjust on the fly.

The entire design and thought process behind the Vanquish is excellent. Built as a completely modular system, you can leave the carrier in its minimalist design or create a fully loaded carrier.

FIRST IMPRESSION

From the moment I pulled the Vanquish out of the box, I was impressed with its build and design. Built-in padding, a clean SAPI plate design, and no excess fabric offer a clean, tight appearance and comfortable fit.

Out of the box, the Vanquish comes with just a strap and Dura-Flex buckles for a cummerbund. This offers an extremely light and minimalist appearance, which can be nice.

I am surprised, though, that they went with as thin straps as they did. An inch to an inch and a half strap with a beefier buckle would have maintained the minimalist design while beefing up and strengthening the carrier.

The hook and loop shoulder straps were also a solid addition to the Vanquish. They make it very easy to adjust the fit, whether alone or with a buddy to help.

The whole carrier is a little bit stiffer in design than, say, the Condor Cyclone, which is nice as the carrier holds its overall shape much better.

The Plate pockets have a simple slip-in design, making it easy and uncomplicated to insert or remove plates. This is a nice feature for when operating in the field.

HOW DOES IT HANDLE IN THE FIELD?

The Vanquish was very comfortable over long periods. I wore it for hours with level four plates and a complete set of mags, and not once did I feel like it was too much for my shoulders or back.

The Vanquish’s standard straps (nylon webbing) aren’t bad and make the carrier lighter and more airy, but the fit isn’t as nice as with a traditional cummerbund.

In general, it sits nicely on your upper body, doesn’t slide around, is comfortable, and offers excellent functionality and ease of use.

QUALITY AND DESIGN

ID PANEL

The Vanquish has a standard-issue ID panel on the chest. In addition to the front ID panel, there is a second ID panel on the carrier’s rear in the same location.

MOLLE

The Vanquish has only a single strip of MOLLE on the front of the carrier because the whole front is a large hook-and-loop panel, allowing you to customize what you want strapped to your chest.

It even allows you to customize the kind of cummerbund you may want to use.

The carrier’s rear, however, is covered in MOLLE, allowing you to strap gear tightly to your back.

PADDING

Condor intended to make a do-it-all vest customizable to either a light or heavy load, so they placed decent padding on the carrier’s front and rear.

Condor also included removable shoulder padding, which is the same style of breathable padding as on the main vest.

Although the padding is comfortable, it isn’t so thick that you’re wearing pillows under your plates.

The padding makes the Vanquish carrier exceptionally comfortable and easy to wear with plates and a full ammo load for long periods.

ADMIN POUCH

The Vanquish has a solid admin pouch, which is a good size for carrying a few essentials such as a map, notepad, pen or pencil, or, in this case, a speed loader.

The hook and loop strip is exceptionally strong, so you never need to worry about your gear falling out.

However, it can be quite a hassle because it’s so strong. Condor created an accessory item for their admin pouches, which perfectly solves this problem.

It’s a hook-and-loop zipper insert called the “VAS Zipper Strips.” It turns your admin pouch from hook-and-loop open to zipper open, which is absolutely fantastic.

CUMMERBUND ATTACHMENT

Unlike the Condor Cyclone and like most high-end carriers, the Vanquish fully ties into the rear of the plate carrier, ensuring the cummerbund stays still and secure.

This is a high-end feature the Vanquish offers, and I am a huge fan of it because it helps to create such a good, snug fit.

This bungee-style cord attachment system also makes it easy to attach and detach your cummerbund of choice.

SHOULDER STRAPS

The Vanquish’s shoulder straps stand out as some of the nicest I’ve used. The primary reason is how easily they can be self-adjusted without the aid of a buddy.

On top of that, they have easy-to-use hook and loop hose guides on both sides and goo padding.

The hook-and-loop straps have a large top flap that can easily be lifted with one hand to adjust the size and then secured back down, locking the perfect fit into place.

The ability to self-adjust on the fly is an excellent addition to the Vanquish and a very smart design.

Like the rest of the carrier, the shoulder straps have good padding, ensuring comfort no matter how long you wear it.

The padding is also covered with a breathable mesh to help prevent overheating and sweating.

DRAG HANDLE

The drag handle is standard, strong, and durable nylon webbing. It’s secured with multiple layers of stitching and extremely strong bar tacking at each end.

The strength and quality of the stitching on the drag handle give the user confidence that if they go down, their fire team partner will have no trouble dragging them off the X to general safety.

PLATE POCKET

The plate pocket is a simple design. It contains one piece of webbing with a hook-and-loop panel to hold plates firmly and comfortably in place.

The pocket has a SAPI plate design and can easily fit level four shooter or SAPI plates.

STITCHING

Like all Condors‘ gear, the Vanquish carrier’s stitching and overall construction are strong and extremely durable.

Cross stitching, double and triple stitching, and bar tacking cover the Vanquish’s most vulnerable and less vulnerable points.

These forms of stitching are the strongest possible ways to stitch fabric together and to ensure that your gear doesn’t fall apart, leaving you defenceless.

Condor designs its gear to survive in the harshest environments, which is most evident in the quality of its gear’s construction.

VAS MODULAR CUMMERBUND

The modular design of the VAS’s cummerbund allows you to customize the type and style of cummerbund as you please.

You can set it up as a general do-everything carrier, an extremely lightweight, high-speed minimal carrier, or a heavy full combat load carrier prepared for that war of attrition.

The padding ensures that it fits snug and comfy no matter which style you choose.

VAS KANGAROO MAG PANEL GEN 2

Condor offers many different options and colour schemes for the front hook-and-loop panel on the Vanquish.

Among them is the Kangaroo Mag Panel, a simple option that lets you hold three AR magazines and three pistol magazines. It sits tight to your chest/abdomen, and the hook-and-loop panel, along with the DuraFlex clips, holds it securely in place.

Along with the many accessory options Condor Offers, this style of front panel allows you to customize your rig with accessories from other top-leading manufacturers.

SO, HOW CUSTOMIZABLE IS THE VANQUISH?

Condor alone has over twenty-three separate accessories that can be used, removed, and swapped.

The cummerbund connection style on the rear of the Vanquish and the hook-and-loop panel on the front also allow you to deck out your carrier with accessories from other top brands in the industry.

Companies such as Spartan Armor, Shellback Tactical, and Spiritus Systems also use the same cummerbund connection point and dura flex hookups as the Vanquish.

This intelligent design allows you to upgrade your carrier to the Vanquish while still allowing you to use any old accessories you might have.

WHAT I LIKE BEST

When it comes to the Condor Vanquish Plate carrier, two traits really stand out to me, and I have already touched on both of them.

First is the ability to customize the carrier. As I have said, it is extensive. Able to meet the needs of any mission.

The second is the overall fit and, with that, comfort. The Vanquish fits really well, very snug. It didn’t have any points that bit me or rubbed.

It was very easy to wear all day, much easier than my standard military-issued carrier and chest rig.

CONCERNS AND CRITICISMS

I know that for these reviews, not having something negative to say can make you seem like a paid shill. But at the same time, you have to give credit where credit is due.

I honestly didn’t have any negative takeaways from the Vanquish. I was a huge fan of it from the first time I put it on.

CONCLUSION

In the end, Condors Vanquish plate carrier is a premium piece of gear that, even with some add-ons and personal touches, still comes in at a far better price than many of its competitors.

It’s made extremely tough and highly durable and is affordable for the common man.

Overall, it is comfortable, customizable, and cost-effective.

(DISCOUNT CODE TG4L777 FOR 15% OFF)