Tactical Tailor armor carrier

[freekforge]

Can anyone ID this carrier? I glanced over their website and didn't see it. Then the second question is what armor fits in it? I've worn 3 soft armor vests in my time as a popo 2 concealable and 1 outer carrier and none of them have armor that is shaped like these pockets and none of my brothers armor is shaped like that either and he has 3 or 4 vests.

 

[jsx1043]

It’s a much older TT carrier, probably circa 2000-2005. Given that is doesn’t have a wider back panel, it’s probably just meant for rifle plates. Does it have plate hangers in it that would secure plates? A lot of soft armor in the early 2000s had a rectangular back panel with only wings on the front panel. My first vest, a Point Blank, from about 1998-99 had that configuration.

 

[freekforge]

It doesn't have any plate hangers. The guy I got it from also had one shaped slightly different that did have hangers inside.

 

[mike4]

jsx1043 is correct that "It’s a much older TT carrier, probably circa 2000-2005." Very early MOLLE era stuff when the associated explosion of nylon MOLLE-based gear options from multiple makers took off.

It was intended as a carrier for soft armor panels from concealable body armor. I had one and I don't recall provisions for plates, but could be I just did you not use that feature if present, and I don't have it any more to examine. If I ever run across original purchase info I will post the original Tactical Tailor product name back into this thread. I know the hard drive with the original email died, but I'm a pack rat for paper receipts.

Both front and back panels should have a size tag like the "L" visible in one of your photos. You could order them with a mix of front and back sizes to approximately accommodate different panel shapes, for example my Safariland armor at the time had a back panel that swept up the back in a higher arc than most armor giving better coverage and that required going one size up for the back panel.

One issue is visible in your photos, with the longer straps and female (ETA: gender confusion! I should have said male buckles here, with two slots allowing length adjustment) buckles coming from the back, you need to pull the loose end of the straps toward the back to tighten it up, which is a pain unless you are using the buddy system. I never much cared for the setup and moved on from it fairly quickly. It had extra material around most edges due to the need to fit a range of non-standardized armor panel dimensions. The side straps did not tie the front and back panels together well like later Velcro cummerbund designs, so it tended to shift and let the front panel slip lower than it should be with a load of magazines, etc. in front.

It just never carried the weight right for me in front to back balance and keeping the load against my body in front. It is an interesting relic of those days, as was the HSGI Centurion which took issue Interceptor OTV armor panels but joined the split-front panels into a single front panel and converted the whole thing it a side opening vest. I still have one in OD somewhere in the ancient gear pile. It rode a little better than the TT, probably because the greater side coverage of the panels added a little more stiffness to the front and back panel connection on each side.

I should add, the stitching alignment was often a little rougher than other premium brands at the time like London Bridge, HSGI and Eagle, but all the Tactical Tailor gear was all good materials, very solid construction and durability. I have a lot of other Tactical Tailor gear from that era that saw a lot more use with zero issues, with a lot of it still in use as MOLLE pack external pouches, etc.