This is an item of gear that would really best be covered in a video and is very, very far outside of my wheelhouse in terms of its’ named purpose, but I do stuff in writing so here we go anyway.
Spiritus Systems would of course have no desire for their LV-119 plate carrier to be behind the industry curve in the modularity department, hence their Overt back panel naturally features side zips and other attachment points in order to integrate different quick-release back panels. While it is slightly unfortunate that they use a proprietary size of zip so other brand panels cannot be used, I do not personally believe this to be any really significant mark against the 119 as a carrier.
While more compatibility is certainly always nice to see, most users likely do not actually utilise a back panel of this type and a lot of people will be better served by a standard backpack. Additionally, the other panel option that Spiritus offers themselves (which is of course compatible) is a pure PALS field, and hence can cover the vast majority of wants and needs that might potentially not be covered by the Assault Back Panel (ABP).
As is always the way with Spiritus products, the ABP is itself a system designed with modularity in mind. The base panel (shown further down) accepts 3 different top flaps for varying storage options. One of those 3 is a straight PALS field and hence is, essentially, infinitely configurable. My example shown here has the Flashbang Flap fitted.
A set of generic pouches are built in to the ABP core, but as mentioned, the upper portion can be quickly swapped out for different flap options with just a bit of velcro, a heavy-duty vislon zip and 3 press studs – visible here along the uppermost edge of the panel.
In terms of mounting, there are 2 sets of attachment zips built in to the panel. The upper portion of the image above shows the panel as attached utilising the outer pairs of zips, which will constrict/compress the vertical sleeve within the panel; this area is great for stashing tools like mini-sledges and bolt cutters, or just a 2-3L bladder. In the lower half of the image, the inner mounting zips are used to connect to the rear plate bag, hence the vertical stowage is opened up significantly and there is a lot more room for storage. I wish I had a differently coloured back panel in order to clarify upon this sea of Wolf Grey which will be visually tricky for some folks, alas buying that just for this one post was a bridge too far for me personally to be frank.
On a slightly different note, I do wonder to some extent as to how the overall carrier would sit if every pouch and compartment in this panel were to be loaded up to the max, especially with extremely dense items such as steel, manually operated breaching tools (I can’t say I’ve tested this myself). But end of the day that is just down to the wearer to organise. A separate pack will possibly be necessitated if a plate carrier has too much of a weight bias towards either the back and adjustments to the PC itself are not enough to compensate for said imbalance.
Above is the ABP in barebones configuration, as it will come out of the packet, no optional upper flap is fitted.
The aforementioned vertical storage sleeve is accessed at the very upper edge and there are 2 integral/sewn in GP pockets, the larger of which is displayed below. Additionally, there is a slim pocket with zip closure for smaller items on the very front face of the large pocket, plus of course a loop field for patches etc.
Above is a view in to the primary integral GP pouch, which makes up the lower half of the panel. There is a dual slider zip for ease of access, internal loop fields front and back for inserts and a lot of expansion room for a significant overall capacity, if required. All of the sliders on the pocket zip closures feature the Spiritus’ signature posi-lock cord pulls, which have a much better tendency to stay put over extended usage vs knots in standard paracord.
This is the view down inside the long vertical pocket area that sits behind the integrated GP pouch, up against the PC back panel. The lonely looking G-Hook in the lower part of the image can be hooked in to the webbing slots shown towards the upper left of the image. This in order to shorten this stowage area to just the height of the panel i.e. no material extending below the lower edge of the actual plate carrier for a neat silhouette with minimal chance of snags.
If larger items need to be stowed in the vertical pouch/sleeve, the base of this area can be extended below the lower edge of the panel, which as mentioned would itself usually line up with the bottom edge of the plate carrier. There are 2 drainage grommets and plenty of extra reinforcement material is added to the base of this pouch to ensure that any heavy items such as sledges and cutters are retained securely.
Attachment of the entire panel is assured via a combination of the side zips, the 4 press-stud straps along the upper edge, another 2 press studs in the centre, and the black velcro strap shown here protruding from either side of the panel; which is routed through the cummerbund channel on the PC rear bag. The press studs along the lower edge visible here are the ones used to help lock the vertical stowage sleeve in to its’ shorter configuration.
All of the large, metal pulls on the vislon zips can be secured against flapping around loosely in the breeze via the small cord loops at the base of each zip. In the above image, the lower zip has had its’ pull locked down, where the upper is free to move.
The Flashbang Flap for the Assault Back Panel is the most specific of the 3 flap options available, with the other 2 being a wide GP pocket or a simple field of PALS attachment slots. As is probably obvious to everyone reading, this flap is optimised for smaller thrown munitions, and will neatly fit 2 x typical stun grenades in each pocket, or 2 x roll-up linear charges (as long as they aren’t too wide). It won’t deal so well with military grenades i.e. military smokes, frag and any other devices with larger diameters.
By using a double-slider attachment zip for the modular Flaps, access to the vertical pocket for bladders and breaching tools is retained. The press studs ensure the flap always stays attached even if the zip teeth were to ever come fully detached.
Two velcro closure flaps are included with the Flashbang Flap (shown in the first image). These are entirely optional and can be surely fitted by sliding in to the narrow slot visible here with the small section of hook visible. As shown there are also loop fields both front and back inside each pouch on the flap, facilitating even more modularity via optional inserts.
The ABP and associated flaps were designed during a period when Spiritus was generally not using laminated fabrics, hence the bulk of the assembly is done with standard, single layer 500D cordura. I have not delved in to the stitching and other construction concerns in detail in this post, as I simply do not see there to be any need for that. Spiritus gear is of a proven quality in line with the very best manufacturers in the US and nothing about this panel deviates in that regard from what I have observed. However if you are considering the ABP for duty usage you should of course do as much personal research as possible and seek feedback from professional end users who have put this product (and indeed any product) through the wringer in hard use scenarios.
Speaking more generally, with regards to usage of any PC back panel – any piece of LBE which is used for storage of combat equipment but cannot be immediately accessed by the wearer, could be regarded as at least somewhat specialised, since it requires either a buddy/team mate or time-consuming removal of PPE in order to access said stowed equipment. While standalone backpacks can add a lot of gear-spaghetti in terms of extra straps over the shoulders along with the associated weight of nylon, they are much quicker and easier with regards to self access of carried items. You also never have to remove your armour protection.
Overall, the Spiritus Assault Back Panel is a well designed, constructed and significantly modular piece of gear. It is built with professional breachers in mind, but can certainly be configured to carry and conveniently organise an incredibly wide array of kit. When compared to the Spiritus MOLLE Back Panel it is somewhat the equivalent of a pre-sewn chest rig Vs a PALS or placard setup. If I were to make a comparison, it would be to the Mayflower UW Chest Rig Gen V. As always with load carriage equipment, the main concern is the end user correctly identifies what it is they really need to do, what they need to carry to achieve that and how they will realistically access those items; then they can buy the cordura to make it all happen.
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