5.11 Tactical Weight Plate Pair – Our Review

We recently put together a review for the 5.11 Tactical PT-R Flex Weight Plates…one of the company’s newer, more dynamic activity-friendly training products.

Despite a higher-than-average price point, these plates offer a lot of unique utility uncommon in the sea of somewhat forgettable ruck and weight vest plates.

Today, we’re discussing some more of the company’s newer plate offerings…but there isn’t anything novel about these. The 5.11 Tactical Weight Plate Pair doesn’t attempt to B.S. or sugarcoat things…it just fits perfectly, employs high-quality coating, and, under certain circumstances, could look nice (we’ll get to their appearance…”problem” in a little bit).

If you’ve got a 5.11 vest or plate carrier, you should really pay attention to what we’ve got say to here. Even if you don’t, these vest plates present enough intrigue to warrant a look…under certain circumstances…

Rucking

I hate to start things off with a rather anti-climactic take on how the Weight Plate Pair work as rucking (or any type of weighted vest walking) plates…but they’re not overly interesting in this regard.

This is not to say that they’re “bad” in any way or that they don’t have their own minor advantages over some other plates, particularly for those who prefer the feel of a curved/contoured plate. Plus, in a vest (or ruck) where these plates actually fit, they are way preferable to the whole “just grab a random (insert item here) and throw it in there!”

(I read the forums…I know this is the preferred strategy for many of you!)

…anyways, I wasn’t sold on the whole curved/contoured plate thing at first and honestly don’t really notice a difference when I’m rucking with these plates against my back. However, I often find that the least comfortable aspect of weighted vest training is the feeling of the plate against my chest, especially when I’m fatigued.

The Weight Plate Pair’s curve really works to take the pressure directly off of my chest, enhancing my overall comfort when rucking with these plates in my vest. I would say that I notice this difference a bit more during dynamic activity (as we’ll discuss in the next section), but I’ll take added comfort anywhere I can get it.

Another underrated and smart addition to these plates are the side “tie-down slots”. I wasn’t really sure of what these holes were for when I first got them, but then I remembered that my 5.11 Tactical vests all have straps inside each weight plate pocket. These can looped under plates and velcroed shut to keep them more stable, but threading them through these holes takes this stability to the next level.

So far, we’ve focused on how the 5.11 Tactical Weight Plate Pair works for rucking when each plate is placed inside of a weight vest, but I want to make a brief note on how they handle more traditional rucks. Just because these are designed with a (5.11 Tactical) weight vest in mind doesn’t mean that they can’t easily be used in your favorite bag.

Thankfully, the plates’ widths are close to “standard”-sized so they’ll fit pretty well in most ruck plate pockets. Some slight movement, but otherwise, no major problems.

Rucking: 90

Dynamic Activity/Movement

As nice as the Weight Plate Pair is for less-intensive rucking ventures, I think the main reason why you would go out of your way to get your hands on them is because you want to use them during more dynamic workouts. Between the tie-down slots and the curved design, these weights are designed to make this type of activity at least slightly more…bearable.

…and they work pretty well.

As previously mentioned, the tie-down slots are the real unsung heroes with these plates. I decided to perform a “Half Murph” (half the run, half the reps) to see how they felt in my vest when I had them “tied down” to a decent level.

I would argue that all aspects, but particularly the run and (surprisingly) the squats were the most impacted with a bit less jostle than I’m accustomed to in other plates. Also, having the plates not directly against my chest was more comfortable during the run and (again, surprisingly) not directly against my back was a relief (especially on the second run when my back was slightly compromised from all of the bodyweight work).

As you might expect, the plates’ perfect fit (I used my 5.11 Tactical TacTec Plate Carrier for this workout) made things even better. They wouldn’t be quite as useful in a vest or plate carrier that does not have the tie-down straps.

I’m not going to pretend like I’m ever going to use the tie-down slots to do curls or whatever with the plates outside of my vest, but if this is something you’re interested in, they could be a…better choice for you, I guess.

I still think I slightly prefer 5.11’s PT-R Flex Weight Plates inside my vest, but these are a very close second and over time, I may end up preferring the feel of their curve (and the benefit of the tie-down slots) enough to place them on top.

Dynamic Rucking: 95

Compatibility

In my opinion, weight vest plate sizing is a lot more complicated than it needs to be.

It’s almost to the level of…like…charging cords (USB-A, USB-B, USB-R2D2…whatever) where vests are overly specific about the kinds of plates they will accept. Unfortunately, the Weight Plate Pair is, by default, drawn into this mess.

The good news is, if you’re more interested in sticking these inside of a ruck or any other type of backpack with a dedicated plate pocket, they will fit just fine into “standard”-sized plate pockets. A little give on either side, but otherwise, a pretty decent fit. You can even double them up pretty well.

They’ll fit into a “long” ruck plate pocket, but as with any non-“long” ruck plate, the fit isn’t ideal (extra jostling due to significant empty space around it).

Regarding vests, things get equal parts easier…and more complicated.

Again, some good news to start: if you have any 5.11 Tactical vest or plate carrier, the weight plate pair will fit just fine. No questions asked.

Also, if you have a legit body armor vest (the type that takes ESAPI plates), these will fit fine as they are in a very similar shape/have similar dimensions to armor plates.

Outside of these specific items…things get more complicated.

Vests that take “standard”-sized plates generally won’t accept (at least, not all that well), the quasi-hexagonal, quasi-pyramid shape of these plates. The narrow part can’t fully make it into the top part of the vest plate pocket or, if put in the opposite way, sticks out of the bottom. In the GORUCK Plate Carrier, the plates fit okay, but not perfectly…

Looking at the Rogue Echo Weight Vest, the 5.11 Tactical Weight Plate Pair doesn’t really work in either…

In this picture, we have one half of the Weight Plate pair tucked in on one side while we have a Rogue Echo Weight Vest Plate tucked in on the other (you can’t really see it…because it fits so well…)

To be fair, this “problem” is no way isolated to these plates. However, I would say that their shape (both in regard to their dimensions and their curve) makes them slightly less compatible than others.

Compatibility: 80

Coating

I’m really pretty torn when it comes to the coating on the Weight Plate pair because in some, more important ways, they are really nice plates.

The powder coating is more or less the industry’s highest-caliber coating process and is generally perceived to not only be longer lasting and more protective for the plates themselves than other (ex. E-coating) processes, is almost objectively “prettier” than other methods.

The steel material certainly feels higher grade than the more generic “metal ore” that other plates are made of (which is arguably the most important characteristic of the coating).

Where the Weight Plate Pair’s coating starts to lose me is that color…that horrible orange color!

I went to Georgia…that means I associate orange with Florda, Auburn, Tennessee, Clemson, and in more recent times, Texas. Needless to say, this association isn’t great…why do my vest plates have to do this to me!

(I know if you’re fans of any of these teams, I’ve created a bit of a paradox for you: love the color, hate the reviewer…my apologies (…sorta). Also, I, of course, never had this shirt…)

Color sadness aside, the previously mentioned tiedown slots and curved shape/structure of these plates aren’t really “coating” characteristics per say, but are positive qualities you can visually see from the plate that make their actual respective uses better/more productive.

Ultimately, if you can’t stomach that orange, just get stronger so you can handle the (black) 8.75 Weight Plate Pair or the (green) 13.75 Weight Plate Pair!

Coating: 95

Price

Despite being rather “simple” gym accessories on the surface, weight vest plates/ruck plates can kinda all over the place when it when it comes to price. Unfortunately for 5.11 Tactical, this has generally been one of its plates’ “weak” areas.

The Weight Place Pair aren’t the companies most expensive vest plates, but they are, on average, more expensive than other companies’ vest plate or ruck plate offerings.

As usual, “going big” is the way to go if you want to get the most bang for your buck. A pair of 13.75-pound plates for $165 is a much better “pound-for-pound” price than what you pay for 5.75-pound plates.

To clarify, we rate products on “price” in the most specific and technical sense; “value” is not taken into consideration here.

With that being said, we will note that the superior coating of the Weight Plate Pair likely make this set an attractive option for many, even though they are priced higher than most other options.

Price: 70

Customer Reviews

It’s not really all that easy for people to come to a consensus on anything, yet alone fitness gear and equipment. However, if customer reviews/ratings are any indication (and we think they are) the 5.11 Tactical Weight Plate Pair is one of the few exceptions.

With a collective 4.9 out of 5, my orange pair does extremely well in this area (interestingly enough, the other weights/loads are scored individually with the middle, 8.75-pound pair actually “weighing in” (ha!) at a perfect 5 out of 5!) making them some of the highest-rated vest or ruck plates on the market today.

Back in 2023, one guy complained about the plates being too light, but other than that, the reviews have been universally positive with high praise for the plates.

Maybe old Joe B is just too strong for his own good!

(At least 8 of you found Jacked Joe’s review to be helpful!)

Customer Reviews: 98

Customer Service

It’s unlikely that any company could get as big as 5.11 has (they posted over $532 million in sales in 2024) with crap customer service. It’s possible to have gear that’s just that good that will essentially sell itself, but at the end of the day, people don’t want to deal with obnoxious reps from HQ.

Thankfully, in my experiences, dealing with 5.11 Tactical personnel has been anywhere from perfectly fine to pretty decently above average. Due to the size of the company, interactions are a bit less “personal” than they are with some of the smaller companies who offer similar products, but size has its advantages.

Inquiries I’ve sent have been responded to in efficient and timely manners while I have never had the slightest problem with shipping (I’ve always received tracking information with items being promptly delivered).

I don’t expect to ever be on a first-name basis with any of the 5.11 Tactical personnel I deal with, but as long as my stuff gets to me quickly and my messages get responded to quickly (I promise I’m not very needy at all!), I’ll take it!

Customer Service: 95

Who is the 5.11 Tactical Weight Plate Pair

There are definite people who should really get these plates…let’s take a look at who they are:

5.11 Tactical Vest Owners

Truth be told that any vest that takes ESAPI/SAPI-sized plates will accept the Weight Plate Pair, but it’s just…cleaner to use 5.11 Tactical plates in a 5.11 Tactical vest, isn’t it?

The plates and vest(s) are often pitched as a “Make it a Kit” pairing (oftentimes along with the PC Convertible Hydration Carrier) making it easy enough to take care of all of your vest need with one, fell swoop.

5.11’s PT-R Weight Plates are another option if you’re already a 5.11 vest or plate carrier owner and, due to their somewhat niche design, they may actually be preferable for certain trainees.

Those who prefer a curved vest plate

If you didn’t know it, curved plates are a thing.

Just about any and all of the product pages for curved weight vest or ruck plates will include some type of statement about how they have an “ergonomic design” for more “efficient running” or that the “compound curvature” maximizes mobility and comfort.

I mean, I can tell that the plates feel a little different than flat plates, but they’re not complete gamechangers for me in this regard. I know other people swear by this innovation and if this people is you (or you think this people might be you), I’d say to give ’em a try.

Not for those looking to go heavy with their loads

Arguably the two most significant things the Weight Plate Pair suffers from are the fact that they are more difficult to snugly fit (if you can fit them at all) both plates together into a plate pocket (their curves make this awkward) and their top-end weights aren’t that high (13.75 pounds).

For those who are looking to use the “Rx” weight for a weighted vest workout (which is usually either 20 pounds for men or 14 pounds for women), these “limitations” shouldn’t be too big of a deal. However, for those looking to go a bit heavier during training or with the weights they load into their rucksacks, the 5.11 Tactical Weight Plate Pair won’t quite do the trick.

How we reviewed the Weight Plate Pair

We haven’t actually had the 5.11 Tactical Weight Plate Pair in our possession for all that long, but, as you might expect, it’s not too hard to get a pretty good grasp on what weight vest or ruck plates are like pretty quickly.

The main things we were concerned with was getting an idea of the general “feel” of these plates. This included how they feel in general (the curvature is unique) as well as during movement and exercise.

We were also concerned with how well these fit into different vests, trying to determine how much, if any, compatibility exists outside of 5.11 Tactical gear.

Despite our short (~1.5 months) time with these, it was pretty easy to get a solid grasp on these factors pretty quickly. A few weighted vest workouts (albeit ones involving multiple movements) have been enough for us to figure out what they’re all about.

5.11 Tactical Weight Plate Pair Alternatives

If you’ve skipped out on reviewing our article on the best ruck plates…shame on you! This article is a lot more comprehensive in its discussion of quality alternative ruck plates, but, if you’d rather quicky scan the best alternatives, we present them to you here:

Frequently Asked Questions

Believe it or not “frequently asked questions” about weight vest plates is/are a thing. I guess the joke’s on me, though; you’re obviously reading this section for a reason!

5.11 Tactical Weight Plate Pair…the plates for 5.11 Tactical vests and plate carriers…

I wish these plates weren’t orange. That’s really my biggest gripe.

I also wish they were a little less expensive.

Those things being said, as long as I close my eyes while changing these out, I’ll never actually have to look at these bad boys. To the latter point, we’ve had a bit of a history on this site with the whole “cost-to-quality’ ratio for ruck and vest plates, specifically.

You can opt for plates that aren’t properly sized or designed for your gear and just…go with it. For gear you sporadically use, this isn’t that bad of an option.

…but if you’re rucking in or training with your weighted vest a few times a week, every week…why would you cheap out to save ~$30-40 (over the course of a year, like, pennies of savings for each workout?)

All of that being said, I can’t say that I would go out of my way to get the 5.11 Tactical Weight Plate Pair if I didn’t have 5.11 Tactical vests/plate carriers. However, between the perfect fit, the tie-down slots that further secure them in the plate pockets, and lasting powder coat finish…I’m pretty confident that they’ll ultimately fit the whole “buy once, cry once” mantra.

These aren’t the vest plates for everybody, but they’re definitely excellent options for those with the appropriate gear and objectives to warrant them.