Shellback Tactical Banshee Elite 2.0 Plate Carrier (Gen 2) Tactical Reviews, Deals, Problems and Guides

This carrier is awesome. I have it configured for active assailant response and it compliments my duty belt. It carries all the magazines I need and has plenty of room for TQs and med kits. The admin pouch is perfect. The water pouch works ok, it says it will fit 2 Liters but you'll be hard pressed to fit 1.5 Liters depending on the thickness of your plates. Although there aren't slots for hard side plates, you can slide soft armor inserts into the cumber-bun if needed.
I've owned the original Shellback Banshee for several years and love it, this is even better, I've taken it out to the range and it does the job with no problems. I would recommend the quick detach cumber-bun upgrade, the velcro does get a bit annoying during quick response donning drills.
The armor pouches snugly fit a 0.8 inch thick set of LVL 4 plates, there might be a little room if you use thinner steel plates but it still will feel secure.
With water, 5 rifle magazines, 3 HG magazines, 3 TQs, medkit and two LVL IV plates it weighs about 20 LBS. The shoulder pads are comfortable, I'm not a big fella so I don't need to use the extra pads.
If you're on the fence, get this PC it is a great upgrade to the original, which on its own is a great PC too.
Happy Hunting.

I'm really impressed by the features and overall fit of this plate carrier. This is the third one I've owned, and by far the most comfortable.

I'm 6'4" and 160 lbs soaking wet while lifting a schedule 40 pipe over my head, and the carrier was able to function as designed without any problems. This is because of the split cummerbund hidden in the back. In its base configuration, it's Long enough to fit around a decent sized oak tree, much less myself. I untied the shock cord holding the two halves together and re-laced it through the pals webbing farther up instead of the grommets on the ends of the cummerbund halves. From there I was able to dial in the fit by slightly adjusting the shock cord in or out. I've got it snug without it getting difficult to breathe under strenuous activity, and it handles uneven weight distribution (17 lbs of gear and water in a minimap pack) without any sag at all. This was not something I was able to achieve with my past PCs

It was definitely an expensive purchase for me, especially since I've already got two. But I don't regret it one bit. If you're looking for something to fit a skinny body style, you might want to stop looking.

I have only had the carrier for about a week. So far so good. But what amazed me was the customer service. I ordered Saturday received item Tuesday morning. I open package and it was the wrong vest. I called customer service and they gave me a return label. To my surprise Wednesday morning I had the correct vest. They overnighted my package the same day I called. That is A+ customer service. Thanks guys!

I have to start by saying, I'm about 5'8", 165 lbs., so I purchased this based on reviews and info from other smaller framed people who purchased this carrier. I have a longer torso and shorter inseam (30"), so I took my time before I purchased. It is well made and pretty adjustable. I do have to say that with a t-shirt on it is still just a little loose. Only in the cummerbund. I haven't taken it part to see if I can finagle it a little tighter, so maybe it can. Overall I think it's a pretty good carrier. I put some small SAPI plates in it and they fit great with the adjustability of the carrier. I would have given a full 5 stars if it didn't have to be "finagled".

Best plate carrier I have worn yet. Not bulky and heavy like the ones the military gives you. The shoulder pads it comes with are extremely comfortable and keep your shoulders from feeling tired when you wear it for longer periods of time. This carrier disperses the weight of the plates evenly and is easy to adjust in size to fit you. I was a little skeptical of the one size fits most being that I am As big as most Americans these days but was surprised at how well it worked out (if you are heavier set it is easy to adjust to you as well). I have nothing but good things to say about this system.

I’ve been wearing this daily for about 2 weeks now. The weight distribution of this vest is awesome. I wear rifle plates front and back, mags, med pouch and a couple extra things. Super comfortable. The only reason I gave it 4 is because of the shoulder pads and straps. The pads are huge and the straps feel like they are going to slide off of your shoulders. I changed the shoulder pads out with my old vest and it’s solved the issue some what. Overalll great carrier. It’s got a ton of pockets and is very well made. Very happy with it and I would recommend it.

This is the perfect carrier for beginners and experts alike, offering everything you need in a plate carrier out of the box. It comes with 3 magazine slots for both pistols and Rifles (totaling 6 per side) on each side of the rig; however this doesn't allow for any side plates you may want to fit into your rig. The front of the rig has a kangaroo pouch over the front cummerbund, allowing for 3 extra AR-15 mags to to be placed inside (or to hold your pistol as I like to do). Above that is a subsidiary pouch that zips up and can hold your medical supplies, map or whatever extra things you might need for an Op. the back of the rig has a pouch that can hold a 2 liter water bladder, with holes on the shoulder that you can feed the water bladders tube through. This vest can potentially carry up to 9 AR mags right out of the box, no secondary pouches needed. If you're looking for the pinnacle of Operator rigs, look no further than the Banshee Elite 2.0

This is so comfortable to wear. Distributes the weight effectively. The fitting is very generous, I'm a big guy and fits well with plenty of room for adjustment in either direction. For the bigger guys like myself this vest hides nothing. The only downside is the mag pouches in the back are difficult to reach in an emergency. But they work great for a flashlight or radio. This vest works!

This is a well thought out carrier. Attaching my chest rig, Haley D3cr, was very easy and sits well on the banshee. The additional six side pockets for mags or whatnot are nice to have as well, the two from admin pockets are just the right size for small add ons.
Overall very happy with my purchase and will definitely recommend this carrier.

It is a great plate carrier. The admin pocket is perfectly designed for grizzly mint (or copenhagen if you are an elitist) and a few other admin items. Great placement on that because you don't have to buy an external admin pouch like the condor plate carriers. Kudos to shellback for thinking of this, really great design. Looks cool.