5.11 Tactical TacTec Trainer weight vest review
Our Verdict
The v.11 Tactical TacTec Trainer is a weight vest that adapts a military design for the gym, and does it without losing functionality or quality construction – but information technology's a lot more affordable.
For
- Adjustable design that can fit any torso
- Durable structure
- Swell features for gym goers, like extra pockets and easy adjustments
- Affordable cost
Against
- Colour options aren't all great
Tom'due south Guide Verdict
The v.11 Tactical TacTec Trainer is a weight belong that adapts a armed services design for the gym, and does it without losing functionality or quality construction – just it'southward a lot more affordable.
Pros
- +
Adjustable design that tin can fit whatsoever body
- +
Durable construction
- +
Slap-up features for gym goers, like actress pockets and easy adjustments
- +
Affordable price
Cons
- -
Color options aren't all great
Every bit part of my never-catastrophe battle against the inevitable furnishings of a desk job, I started looking at several types of fitness gear, but I was well-nigh intrigued past weight vests, since they looked like a great option for enhancing the workouts I already do.
And later on one week of testing, I was sold. Whether yous're at dwelling house with YouTube workout videos, a CrossFit fan at your local box, or a focused athlete looking to amend your endurance and forcefulness with some cross training, y'all can add a weight belong to your setup and immediately see benefits.
But there are several different weight vests on the market. One of the best brands isn't even a traditional fitness brand, but one that supplies police and security equipment — v.11 Tactical. One expect at these weight vests, and you'll run into the connexion. These weight vests look like body armor, because that's literally where they come from. The plate carrier design is the same i used to protect soldiers and police, only instead of bullet-resistant ballistic plates, these vests are loaded up with weight to provide more resistance during workouts.
5.11 Tactical sent us 2 dissimilar weight vests to exam, the repurposed armor of the 5.xi TacTec Plate Carrier and the more fitness-oriented 5.eleven TacTec Trainer weight belong, which we're reviewing here. Though the plate carrier is the more recognisable and popular of the ii, the 5.11 TacTec Trainer may be the better weight vest, cheers to a design that ditches unneeded tactical features in favor of fettle-friendly elements, and a cost tag that's a little easier to deal with.
5.11 TacTec Trainer weight vest: Price and availability
The TacTec Trainer sells for $130 through Amazon and five.xi Tactical, and comes in a variety of colors.
- Black
- Kangaroo dark-brown
- Python green
- Tungsten greyness
While most of the colors are fine, I'grand non a fan of the Tungsten gray, which looks like it uses a scrap of grey and a bit of khaki. The result is a two-toned await that is kind of ugly. But mayhap that's just me.
In addition to the vest itself, you'll need weight to load the vest with. In that location are several weight plate options that will piece of work with the vest, including shaped weight plates from five.11, Rogue Fitness, and other fitness brands.
But, in response to increasing steel prices, 5.11 has also introduced a rugged fabric sandbag that matches the shape and full general dimensions of the weight plates, and works with the belong in an identical way. The 5.11 Weight Plate Sandbag sells for $l for a pair, and is made of the same tough 600D polyester that'south used in the company's weight vests.
All together,t he cost for the fully loaded 5.xi Tactical TacTec Trainer weight vest is $180.
v.11 Tactical TacTec Trainer weight belong: Design
The blueprint of the TacTec Trainer is rooted in the combat-tested designs of its progenitor, the 5.xi TacTec Plate Carrier. Both are based on plate carriers for ballistic armor, and there's an undeniable family unit resemblance betwixt the two. If annihilation, the TacTec Trainer looks like the "Lite" version of the plate carrier.
Just different the plate carrier, which is repurposed tactical gear, the TacTec Trainer is fitness equipment first. Aye, information technology still has a very like look and feel, but once it was strapped onto my body, it was clear that the TacTec Trainer is more streamlined and user-friendly than the bulkier plate carrier.
The vest is made with rugged 600D polyester, with compartments in front and back for carrying weight plates or sandbags. The belong goes over the head, bib-style, with a padded yoke that keeps the straps and belong comfortable. The front and back panels are not only padded, but the padding uses a breathable mesh fabric to help you stay cool and dry during workouts that are neither.
Just unlike its more than rugged plate carrier sibling, the TacTec Trainer is definitely more noncombatant in its design. The rubberband cumberbund that cinches the vest effectually y'all has been modified into a pair of pockets — 1 zippered, ane open with an overlapping flap. They're perfect for, say, a set of keys in the zippered pocket, and a smartphone or MP3 player in the open up pocket, with the open closure well-suited to wired headphones.
A front chest pocket is establish on both vests, just the TacTec Trainer'south chest pocket is a footling more attainable. The vest still boasts a generous corporeality of MOLLE webbing on the forepart and dorsum, as well as a Velcro loop panel on the upper half. But, dissimilar the plate carrier, the TacTec Trainer ditches the more than tactical features, like a take hold of-and-elevate handle on the back, and a quick release handle for emergency belong removal.
5.xi TacTec Trainer: Setup
Before y'all can showtime a workout with the weight vest, yous'll need to load it.
The front end and back of the vest are big compartments for inserting purpose-made weight plates or (in our case) an equivalent sandbag. The bottom border of the front and back compartments are closed with bones hook-and-loop closures, with a pair of L-shaped straps inside that use the same hoo-and-loop to attach to the inside of the weight pocket. One stop wraps around the sides of the plate to concord it horizontally, while the other end of the strap comes under the plate to concord it vertically.
One time the straps are securely positioned, you simply shut up the bottom of the chest or dorsum compartment, and yous're done.
Getting the plate or sandbag properly positioned and secured tin have a few tries, peculiarly with the Velcro-on-Velcro-on-Velcro that the sandbag introduces, so allot some time to getting everything assembled and secured before you start your first workout.
The good news is that you probably only need to load the belong one time unless you want to change out the weight plates. Once the vest is loaded with weight, information technology can be stored equally-is between workouts.
5.11 TacTec Trainer: Fit and aligning
Putting on the vest is simple, with an over-the-head bib-style vest design that secures effectually the middle with an elastic cumberbund that secures in front end. For many people, the only adjustment that volition be needed is in how tightly you want to wrap the cumberbund around yourself, since information technology's very firmly secured with a claw-and-loop panel nether another claw-and-loop belly flap.
If you lot need further adjustments, the shoulder straps can be easily lengthened or shortened, thanks to a ii-piece design. The two-piece strap has a Velcro strap cover that has to be opened, and then the two layers of the strap are separated. Printing them back together at the desired length and close up the embrace. The outcome is a super-secure, well-padded strap that is much, much easier to adjust than the straps on the 5.eleven Plate Carrier, which uses a more complex cable system to agree the vest together.
Similarly, the waist ring cumberbund can be adjusted independent of the shoulder straps, but it'due south not every bit straightforward to adjust. Opening the dorsum flap to shorten or lengthen the waist cumberbund straps, you'll find a tie-down system that involves threading a length of cordage through loops on the cumberbund straps. It'due south non hard to figure out, but it's not something you'll want to change frequently. However, even with that wrinkle, it's still easier to adjust than on the five.11 Plate Carrier, which once again uses a more than complicated cable-based system to attach the two halves.
Once it's all adjusted to your trunk shape, nevertheless, the vest fits very comfortably. The padded straps and front and back compartments allow the weight sit down snugly against your torso without constricting your move or animate. The straps bear the weight comfortably, and the cumberbund pockets are hands accessible.
5.11 TacTec Trainer: Weight
For our review, 5.xi sent u.s.a. the TacTec Weight Plate Sandbag, which is designed specifically for employ with the belong. Filled with sand they let yous load up the belong to 20 pounds of total weight, but they're easier to ship than a pair of traditional steel plates.
Selling for $l for a set of 2, they're besides significantly cheaper than either the laser cut steel or cast metallic used in other weight options. However, because they don't come with sand, the sandbag option is a little more labor intensive to set upwardly.
The sandbags are made of the same 600D polyester textile that the vest is made of, with a heavy duty claw and loop closure on i edge and hook and loop straps that tighten down to remove any excess slack once the bag is filled to the desired weight.
The fabric is backed past rigid plastic boards to retain the correct shape. It not only prevents jutting, it too helps the bags maintain rigidity while loading the belong and working out. The handbag itself has a bifurcated, 2-compartment blueprint, which helps spread the sand evenly across the vest, minimizing whatsoever shifting or bulging from settling sand after the bag is full.
A rolled claw and loop enclosure at the lesser of the sandbag does a surprisingly proficient job of preventing leaks — in my weeks using the sandbag with 2 different vests, I never noticed any stray sand in the vest, or when switching the weight from one belong to another.
The but issue that the sandbag presents is the demand to purchase some sand — a 50 pound bag of all purpose sand does the trick for about $5 — and the quondam hassle of filling. While a plastic cup and a bathroom scale are actually all you need, you will desire to take care to make sure that you fill the two compartments of the sandbag evenly. Also, just a tip from someone who's done it, you'll want to fill this outdoors, or put down some sort of a drop cloth, because at that place is no way to scoop xx lb of sand without making a chip of a mess.
I filled the ii bags to 8.75 pounds each, for a full of 17.5 pounds. Combined with the weight of the unladen vest, it totals out to 20 pounds of extra weight. This effectively filled the sandbags to maximum volume, so going heavier would require a unlike fill material, such as BBs.
The filled bag is so cinched tight with the iii adjustment flaps. Once it'south filled and adapted the sandbag feels pretty solid, without any of the shifting and unstable load that you might think of with granular fillers like sand.
v.11 TacTec Trainer: Conditioning
Using the TacTec Trainer weight belong in a number of workouts, I was pleased to learn that it was not just comfy, just very well suited to a range of movements and tempos.
The examination the vest under real world conditions, I incorporated information technology into my ain workouts for a couple of weeks, wearing it for long 30-infinitesimal walks in a hilly neighborhood, a basic calisthenics routine or pushups, squats and pullups, and a HIIT boxing routine with a heavy purse.
Whether I was hanging from a bar, hiking up a loma, or trying to stay light on my feet while I threw hooks and uppercuts, the vest stayed right where I wanted information technology to. It didn't ride up, it didn't sag when I got downwards into a pushup position, it didn't bounciness when I quickened my pace.
The belong is likewise notably less beefy than the 5.11 TacTec Plate Carrier, despite the obvious similarity of design. Between the change in side panel construction and removing tactical features similar the grab handle or quick release strap, the whole affair felt sleeker and lighter, despite letting me carry the exact same 20 pounds of weight.
The only issue I had with the vest was one I also had with the plate carrier — the mesh fabric that covers the padded straps and interior of the vest is too rough to habiliment on blank pare. (Or, at least information technology was too rough for my delicate epidermis.) A T-shirt was enough to solve that trouble, only users online report the mesh besides being too rough for some technical fabrics, with ruined shirts as the upshot.
Through all of my workouts, the TacTec Trainer did everything the five.11 Plate Carrier did — hold the weight securely to let me focus on my conditioning. Whether I was grinding out pushups or trying to stick and jab, the weight was a solid, stable presence on my breast and dorsum, with no worrying nearly shifting loads.
5.eleven TacTec Trainer: Verdict
In the end, information technology seems that the 5.xi TacTec Trainer does everything that the 5.11 TacTec Plate Carrier does, but does it a niggling better. The vest is easier to get on and off, more than usable during workouts, cheers to the integrated pockets, and the redesign eliminates nearly every irritation I had with the plate carrier.
Past ditching the tactical elements and focusing on usability for regular folks trying to stay fit, they made the leading weight vest fifty-fifty ameliorate. And they did for a much more affordable price — the TacTec Trainer volition salve you a full $fourscore over its SWAT-team sibling. That's enough to make information technology my favorite of the two.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/5-11-tactical-tactec-trainer-weight-vest
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