JPC (Jumpable Plate Carrier)

The Crye Precision JPC (Jumpable Plate Carrier) caused quite a buzz when it was unveiled at the 2010 SHOT Show. Some changes have been made since then, and the updated production version was shown at the 2011 SHOT Show. The JPC is an extremely light weight, packable, minimalist plate carrier that weighs just over one pound. Even so, Crye has been able to incorporate features into its design that many more complex plate carriers don't have.

 DEVGRU 

Overview - The Crye JPC (Jumpable Plate Carrier) is a very light weight, low profile carrier capable of carrying front, back and side plates (optional). It has an integral top admin pocket and mag pocket in the front flap which can carry 3 M4-type magazines. It utilizes Crye's patent-pending AirLite skeletal cummerbund system. Originally, the JPC was conceived as a 'slick' plate carrier designed to fold up and pack into as light (about 3/4 lb) and flat a package as possible that could be easily stowed in a bag when jumping (out of an airplane). It had no PALS webbing nor cummerbund. The current version as we see it now is what evolved out of the original - with additional features and load bearing capability, while still being as light as possible. The weights of the JPC are: small 1.2 lbs, medium 1.3 lbs, large 1.4 lbs and extra large 1.5 lbs. It's available in MultiCam, Coyote and Ranger Green.

Jumpable Plate Carrier Components

Front Plate Bag- The front JPC plate bag is made from a combination of materials. 500D Cordura is used for the construction of the front panel. The inside panel has a 330D Cordura center strip, with stretch woven fabric to either side of it, which ensures that plates of different thicknesses, and level IIIA soft in-conjunction inserts can be accommodated while keeping the fit snug. The plate bags are sized to fit SAPI or stand-alone operator cut or swimmer cut plates. At the inside top if a rectangle of black mesh. The mesh material is thick, yet soft, and provides a measure of ventilation at the top of the plate, right where you usually get sweaty. It also helps cushion the top of the part of the plate where it sits against your upper chest, for added comfort.

As I'm a smaller guy, I usually use a medium-sized plate in front for better mobility, and a large in the back. The front plate bag shown here is for a medium SAPI plate or stand-alone plate. The plate bags are available for different plate sizes (Sm, Md, Lg, Xl) and will accommodate most 'operator cut' plates. In case you are not using a stand-alone plate, there's enough room in the plate bag to place a Level IIIA soft insert behind the plate.

The plate bag opens at the bottom for insertion of the plate with a Velcro-secured flap. There is a pull tab in the middle of the flap which opens the flap and drops the plate if it has to be ditched. The pull tab can be tucked away inside the plate bag if that feature is not needed. The side panels of the plate bag are made of a stretch-woven fabric. These allow the plate bags to expand at the sides to provide a snug fit for the plate.

The front flap is lined with Velcro underneath, to which the cummerbund ends wrap around and attach. The bottom row of velcro is also a row of PALS webbing, which serves as a mounting point for a groin protector or other accessories. The front flap doubles as an M4 magazine pouch, and can hold three thirty round magazines. It will fit USGI mags, PMags and Tangodown ARC mags. The magazines are separated by internal elastic dividers, and elastic shock cord with pull tabs are used for retention (these can be removed). On the front of the flap are three rows and six columns of PALS webbing. There is a large loop Velcro surface inside the mag pocket that allows users to adhere standard Velcro coins on mags for extra retention. When not in use, the top of the mag pockets are held shut by internal Velcro and the pocket lays flat. When filled with mags, the sides of the flap does pull away a bit from the Velcro under it since it's a flat pocket that now has an item inside it. This does not affect the functionality or security of the Velcro keeping the front flap secured. There are two 1" common loops sewn at each side of the plate bag, in line with the top and bottom of the flap. These are used for attaching the side plate pockets to.

On the upper portion of the front plate bag is an 'admin pocket'. This is velcro-closed on the top, and has three elastic loops inside, suitable to pens, chemlights, or pistol mags. It's actually a pretty deep pocket, and at the bottom inside is a drain hole. There are also two rows of PALS webbing on the front of the pocket, with velcro covering the center portion for patches/ID.

Medium front plate bag

Admin pocket

Rear of plate bag and plate opening

Front flap pocket

Marsoc

Rear Plate Bag and Cummerbund - The rear plate bag is of the same construction as the front plate bag - 500D and 330D Cordura, and stertch woven fabric. There's also the mesh ventilation/comfort window at the inside top. Like the front plate bag, the rear fits standard SAPI or similarly-shaped plates. The rear plate is inserted into the rear plate bag through a bottom opening with a Velcro flap that has the same pull tab in the middle for dropping the plate if necessary. The outside face of the rear plate bag is covered in six rows of MultiCam PALS webbing.

The distinctive and unique AirLite cummerbund is a skeletonized version of a PALS-covered panel. It's missing the base fabric sheet and instead, the PALS webbing 'stand alone' by themselves, leaving the rows between them open. Each row is made up of two pieces of webbing with a thin stiffening material sandwiched between them. This adds stiffness for supporting pouches. On the inside, the center row of webbing is covered in velcro which helps secure the side plate pockets. The skeletonized design of the AirLite cummerbund allows pouches to be mount on the outside and inside of the cummerbund, while shedding unnecessary weight and bulk, and improving ventilation.

A column of webbing sewn vertically on each side of the rear plate bag form three loops through which the three rows of the cummerbund webbing pass through. Thick elastic shock cord is laced through the end loops of the cummerbund and the bottom three row of PALS webbing. The girth of the cummerbund is adjusted by lacing the cummerbund ends further to the outside or closer to the center of the rear plate bag. For me, the cummerbund rows actually overlap. There's a lot of available adjustment; more so than a velcro-flap type setup, so only one size of cummerbund will fit most people. The shock cord also allows some expansion, which helps when putting the plate carrier over bulkier clothing or for unrestricted breathing. It also keeps the plate carrier snug and stable.

There's also a ladder lock buckle sewn on each side of the plate bag, for using a single strap instead of the cummerbund, if an even more 'minimalist' setup is desired.

Large rear plate bag

Cummerbund attachment

AirLite cummerbund

Cummerbund attachment under front flap

Shoulders - The distinctive-looking JPC shoulder straps are made of die-cut hypalon, and are very low profile. They're sewn into the corners of the front and rear plate bags and overlap each other, with mating velcro surfaces. There's a lot of adjustability as the straps are long, but they are stitched at intervals to allow the excess length to be trimmed off, which I did. The overlapping straps are covered with a stretch-woven sleeve, with velcro one-wrap loops for securing hydration hoses and cables.

Side Plate Pouches - The JPC Side Plate Pouches are available as accessories for the JPC and allow the user to quickly up-armour the JPC. They're made of stretch-woven fabric and are extremely light weight. They're made to fit 6" x 6" rifle side plates. Crye's patent-pending attachment system utilizes velcro-backed straps with four rows of webbing. The velcro keeps the straps secured, and from slipping through the webbing after being woven through the PALS webbing on a vest. The pouches can mount to the JPC in two different orientations - with the attachment straps horizontal or vertical. With the straps horizontal, they attach to the plastic common loops on the front plate bag. The velcro on the outside of the pouch then interfaces with the velcro on the inside of the center row of webbing on the cummerbund, keeping it in place. When positioned with the straps vertical, the pouch is attached to either the inside (shown below) or outside of the cummerbund. Attaching it to the inside allows other pouches to be mounted to the outside of the cummerbund. The plate pouches can be attached to any PALS webbing, on any other plate carrier this way.

Side plate pouches

Attached to front plate bag

Attached to cummerbund

Donning/doffing and initial adjustment - The JPC is pretty conventional when it comes to donning/doffing. The front flap is lifted up, the cummerbunds are brought around to the front and positioned on the front plate bag, then the front flap is closed. Initial adjustment entails figuring out the ride height desired, and adjusting the overlapping velcro surfaces on the shoulders, and girth adjustments, accomplished by loosening or tightening the shock cord lacing at the back. The shock cord can be laced different ways to make smaller adjustments. I adjusted the girth so that when worn with a t-shirt, it's snug, but not tight. This way, I can put it over a thicker layer, like a jacket, and utilize some of that stretch in the shock cord. The position of the cummerbund under the front flap can also be varied by an inch or two each, to make it tighter or looser.

As shown below, the JPC presents a very low profile, especially over the shoulders. There's a medium CPC plate in the front and a large SAPI plate in the rear, both with in-conjunction plate backers. The side plate pouches are mounted on the inside of the cummerbund, vertically, which I preferred to attaching them to the front plate bag. It's low profile enough to wear under a loose-fitting jacket, or over a concealment soft armour vest if additional protection is desired. For reference, I'm 5' 7", about 155 lbs, and this is the JPC with medium front plate bag and large rear plate bag shown below.

FBI

Marsoc

Marsoc

The Jumpable Plate Carrier™ (JPC) is a lightweight and minimal vest designed for maximum mobility, weight savings, and packability. At just over one pound for the entire carrier, the JPC™ offers a variety of configuration options to suit an operator’s needs in terms of load carriage and comfort. It features our Skeletal™ cummerbund system with our patent-pending integrated attachment system that allows pouches to be mounted on both the inside and outside of the cummerbund, shedding unnecessary weight and bulk while improving ventilation. It also features integrated admin and magazine pouches on the front of the carrier. Sizes are based on the size of the ballistic plate. For example, a large plate will fit best in a large JPC.

Weights:

Small: 1.2 lbs.
Medium: 1.3 lbs.
Large: 1.4 lbs.
Extra Large: 1.5 lbs.