So you're looking to operate? Do you have the itch to perform a perfect combat glide, rifle at the ready, looking through your night vision devices, ready to smoke the next Osama Bin Laden?Do you long to show your buddies at the range how damn cool you are?One of these sick-ass plate carriers can help. You don't want to show up to your high-speed security contracting gig guarding the chow hall at Bagram Air Base (yeah, you clear a cool 65k a year, no big deal) looking like a slob, do you?What will the other members of your Mil-Sim team think if you show up in one of these guys:[caption id="attachment_8583" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]

This vest meets no requirements for the infantry. I award it no points, and may God have mercy on its soul. Source: Wikimedia Commons[/caption]I mean, points for realism, but who wants to look like a Marine grunt on post in Iraq in 2009? No self-respecting operator would wear that shit.And don't try to get ironic and wear one of those old-school LBE's from Vietnam. Yeah, we get it. You're the hipster of body armor.[caption id="attachment_8584" align="aligncenter" width="612"]

Charlie don't surf. Source: Airsoft Forums[/caption]You're probably asking yourself: hey American Grit, if I can't dress up like an idiot to go operate, what the hell am I supposed to wear?I'm glad you asked. Here are the top 5 most operator plate carriers you can buy:

1. The Mother Fucking Crye Jumpable Plate Carrier

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Let's play a game called "Is this an airsofter?" The answer is at the end of the article. Source: Instagram[/caption]Remember when your Dad got to middle age and started talking about "when I was in high school, I used to be a real ladies' man" and started buying new clothes to replace his decades-old cargo pants, then went out and replaced the trusty old Plymouth Voyager with a brand-new Ford Mustang, then replaced your Mom with a brand-new 21-year old?[caption id="attachment_8586" align="aligncenter" width="436"]

You were never issued this in SOI because you weren't cool enough. Source: Crye Precision[/caption]The Crye JPC is that 21-year old. It's young, lightweight (unlike your mother), and makes you look cool as fuck, no matter how hard you operate. Just started MilSimming? Crye JPC. Going to a 3 percenter rally? Crye JPC. Eating a sandwich in your underwear in the kitchen while crying tears of loneliness? Crye JPC.

2. Tyr Tactical PICO Assaulters Plate Carrier

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You can buy the plate carrier, but you can't buy this guy's masculine jawline. Source: Tyr Tactical[/caption]Do you like spending money? Do you enjoy carrying as many magazines as possible? Do you enjoy assaulting (buildings, not your ex-wife after catching her with Jody last year)?Then Tyr's PICO plate carrier might be for you. At a cool $595, anyone who knows anything about operating will see you in this body armor and know that you're wearing the Louis Vuitton of plate carriers. If Gucci made tactical gear, this would be their offering.When your airsoft buddies ask you what PICO stands for, just say it's classified.Tyr says it's a "true fighter's vest." If you're half the operator you think you are, you'll throw down for this marvel of engineering and all of its accessories.[caption id="attachment_8588" align="aligncenter" width="674"]

So ergonomic it'll feel like you're carrying a little man on your back who massages you all day. Source: Tyr Tactical[/caption]

3. Grunt Style Plate Carrier With Plates Included

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Still less expensive than child support. Source: Grunt Style.[/caption]Do you tell your ex-wife you're broke to avoid alimony payments, but you still have 500 dollars lying around to buy body armor with? Well look no further than the all-inclusive Grunt Style plate carrier with plates.Made by Warrior Assault Systems, with plates by CATI, you'll be able to stop bullets with it. If you're worried about the end of the world, zombies, nuclear apocalypse or other events that will never occur, buying a plate carrier and plates all for under 500 bucks is a steal.Airsofters should probably look elsewhere for good plate carriers. Let's be honest: you don't need ballistic plates to play dress up as a MARSOC Critical Skills Operator and prance around in the woods while GoPro'ing everyone you shoot with little yellow BB's and crying inside because you're too scared to actually join the military.

4. Cambro ADCS480 Speckled Gray S Series Adjustable Plate Carrier with Vinyl Cover - 6 Column

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Heavy duty plate carrier for the most serious of operators. Source: Webstaurant Store[/caption]So you've got plates that need carried, huh? Look no further than the Cambro ADCS480. This baby will hold dozens of plates for large-scale operations. We've all been in a situation where we needed more than just the standard two plates carried for us. That's where this bad motha comes in.The Cambro ADCS480 can hold plates and bowls from 4-5/8” to 13” in diameter in six different storage columns! Plus, it’s super-durable: heavy dutypolyethylene construction protects china from chipping during storage, and its ergonomics are unmatched.For only 4 dollars more than the Tyr PICO, you can have a plate carrier that carries far more plates. What’s not to like, operator?

5. A Waiter With A Tray

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You can use a waiter to carry your plates for you. Source: Flickr[/caption]Perhaps the most operator thing one can do to carry one's plates is to employ someone else entirely. While it may be quite expensive, some inventive budgeting will get the job done. A waiter with a tray makes a fantastic plate carrier, although in some countries you can probably just hire a small child to do it for you.A waiter can maneuver over terrain that the Cambro ADCS480 can't, while holding several plates on a tray, which may or may not be filled with food. Plus, you can talk to a waiter and he or she will probably respond! You probably won't get your Crye JPC or Tyr Tactical PICO carrier to do that, but you can certainly try.Hope you learned something about plate carriers today, operators. Make sure to share and comment on which of the plate carriers mentioned you would most like to operate in. Oh and by the way, the guy in the pic above? I have no idea if he's an airsofter or not.