The Milburn Mountain Defense Altitude Plate Carrier is a seriously robust, rugged, tough, and versatile plate carrier with a quick-release system, admin zippered-pocket, and elastic cummerbund. This Canadian-designed plate carrier is very efficient and built to be useful in a plethora of scenarios and environments.
Full Disclosure
Milburn Mountain Defense did send me their Altitude Plate Carrier for this review. I have no relation with MMD, nor did they pay me to write this review. I’m still going to give you my honest opinion.
Table of Contents
Specs
- Material: 1050D Nylon
- Lining: 420D Nylon
- Colour: Black, MultiCam, or Ranger Green
- Hard Armour: Fits 10×12″ front and back
- Soft Armour: Fits 6×6″ or 8×8″ on the sides
Pros
- Ruggedly built
- Padded shoulders
- Removable front & back panel
- Good quick-release
- Zippered admin pocket
- Heat-shrink paracord
Cons
- No Coyote Brown option
How Much Does It Cost?
The Milburn Mountain Defense Altitude Plate Carrier costs around $240 at the time of this article. You’ll pay a bit more if you want MultiCam.
Check Milburn Mountain Defense for the latest pricing.
Material
The MMD Altitude plate carrier is made using the extremely durable 1050D Nylon, with a more flexible yet still durable 420D Nylon for the lining.
Zippered Admin Pocket
The admin pocket on the MMD Altitude is perfect for storing smaller items.
The zipper pull tab is made using 550 paracord with heat shrink tubing and a knot on the end. This has been well-known as a Silent Zipper Pull. It doesn’t make any noise like a metal or plastic pull tab would.
The zipper admin pocket is one feature that shows how Milburn Mountain Defense is on the ball when it comes to manufacturing high-quality tactical gear.
Quick Release System
The quick-release system on the MMD plate carrier is an excellent design. To connect the quick-release buckle, you just have to slide the connector from either the top or bottom.
In order to release the quick-release buckle, you simply pull outwards with the paracord, then downward, which slides the connector off.
It can be difficult to slide off with one hand, but it’s still doable. This is probably the only issue I’ve had with the Altitude plate carrier, which is nit-picking if you ask me.
Adjustability
On many other quick-release plate carriers, the anchor points of the quick-release system that is connected to the front panel are usually fixed in position. This is not so with the MMD Altitude.
On the MMD Altitude plate carrier, the quick-release anchor points on the front panel are also able to be adjusted by opening the removeable front panel.
This might not be something others find such a great feature, but I find it is.
If you’re training or conducting operations and you need to layer up or down for whatever reason, you can then remove the plate carrier, add or remove a layer of clothing, and then put on your plate carrier and adjust the cummerbund by the front panel.
This takes away the necessity of adjusting the cummerbund from the back, which would require you to guess at how much adjustments were needed.
Magazine Pouches
I’m a big fan of the MMD magazine pouch. The way it’s attached to the laser cut material is great. After you weave the webbing through, there’s a tab that just tucks into the bottom. No snaps that are tricky to fasten.
It also comes with a bungie cord to keep your mags from falling out.
Cummerbund System
The cummerbund on the MMD Altitude plate carrier is one of the best I’ve seen. It has the option to use either a Velcro system or a Bungee Cord system.
Velcro System
For those with more narrow torsos like myself, the MMD Altitude cummerbund can be secured using a hook and loop system.
Even with this option, the cummerbund itself has some elastic material on it which gives the plate carrier a good and snug fit around the body.
Bungee Cord System
For those who don’t skip Back-Day at the gym, and have extra wide torsos, the MMD cummerbund can adjusted using a bungee cord and run through an opening on the back of the Altitude plate carrier.
Armour Capability
The MMD Altitude can carry 10×12″ hard armour plates.
I’ve been using the MIRA Safety Level 4 Multi-Hit Plates and they’ve been great. The MMD Altitude has a 3″ wide strap with Velcro which secures the hard armour plate in place.
On the cummerbund it can hold soft armour sizes 6×6″ and 8×8″. I’m not currently running soft armour in mine at the moment.
Shoulder Straps
The MMD Altitude plate carrier comes with an adjustable shoulder strap by hook and loop, and has a removable padding which is also secured by Velcro.
This padding is fantastic and offers a ton of comfort on my shoulders. They also have a quick-release point.
I did have to tighten the shoulder straps quite a bit in order to get the front and back plates to a height I needed. There was some material hanging over the Quick-Release buckles so I just cut off the excess and sewed it back. Easy fix.
Emergency Handle
On the back of the MMD Altitude carrier system is an Emergency Handle for when your buddies need to drag you out of harms way. It can also just be used for carrying your plate carrier around.
With all your kit and gear, you want an emergency handle that wont break when being dragged out. This emergency handle has a ton of strength, so you know it wont fail when you need it most.
Lifetime Warranty
Milburn Mountain Defense also offers a lifetime warranty on their nylon! Or if it doesn’t fit, or if you’re not happy with it, they can refund or exchange it.
MMD said they want all of their customers to be happy when purchasing something from them.
My Recommendation
I highly recommend anyone looking for a solid and durable plate carrier to seriously consider buying from MMD. I’m not an affiliate with MMD like I am with Condor or 5.11 Tactical, and I would suggest you buying from MMD over the others.
Conclusion
The Milburn Mountain Defense Altitude Plate Carrier is a rugged carrier system cable of carrying 10×12″ plates and side plates as well. It has shoulder padding, an admin pouch, and an awesome quick release system.
So far the MMD Altitude is among my favourite plate carriers.
And if you haven’t done so already, check out Milburn Mountain Defense for the latest pricing.
I hope this article has been helpful and informative for you!