AC1 Plate Carrier · Best Body Armor Ventilation · Body Armor · body armor cooling · Body Armor Ventilation · CATAMARAN · IceVents · Plate Carrier Ventilation · Oct 13, 2023

CATAMARAN FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions about the Universal MOLLE Plate Carrier Ventilation Adapter Panel for ICEVENTS®

by Austin Pitsch

Introducing: CATAMARAN. First teased in our YouTube video titled: "How do I wear ICEPLATE® Curve?" published the 18th of June, 2022, CATAMARAN has been over one year in the making. We've evolved CATAMARAN significantly since inception last summer.

CATAMARAN allows end-users to mount our best-in-class ICEVENTS® Classic Plate Carrier Ventilation Pontoons to any MOLLE-equipped plate carrier on the market today. Gone are the days of needing to have a uniform tailor sew Velcro loop strips onto your plate carrier to run ICEVENTS® Classic Ventilation Pontoons. Now, you can just add a CATAMARAN in a matter of minutes.

Below we'll be answering the most frequently asked questions about CATAMARAN:

1. In what colorways is CATAMARAN available?

CATAMARAN is only available in black because it is not visible when worn under a size Medium or larger plate carrier.

2 . Can I use CATAMARAN for front or rear plate bags or are they different?
Whether you purchase a CATAMARAN for the 'Front' or 'Rear' plate bag, they are identical. Both versions are interchangeable and offer the same mounting options. We've provided the selection on the product page purely to address and dispel any concerns regarding compatibility for your specific use case.

Above: TLDR, CATAMARAN 'Front' and 'Back' variants are identical.

3 . With which plate carriers is CATAMARAN compatible?

For users with plate carriers that lack the internal Velcro loop fields found in models like ICEPLATE EXO®, the ARC V2 from SHAW Concepts, and the rear harness of the Crye Precision AVS, CATAMARAN is the solution for which you've been waiting. CATAMARAN revolutionizes plate carrier comfort by introducing a Velcro® loop field to the inside of any plate bag to effortlessly mount ICEVENTS® Classic Plate Carrier Ventilation Pontoons. This ensures superior convective cooling and breathability, enhancing wearer comfort and endurance in extreme conditions.

Designed for universal mounting, CATAMARAN uses a variety of attachment methods, including MOLLE, Elastic Straps, Velcro One-Wrap, and Elastic Shock Cord. It is compatible with popular slick carriers such as the AC1 from T.REX Arms and the LV-119 from Spiritus Systems. In fact, CATAMARAN boasts broad compatibility, fitting seamlessly with most plate carriers on the market.

To further assist our end-users, we've listed a small sampling of specific plate carriers confirmed for CATAMARAN compatibility. These are just examples of more popular carriers for reference. CATAMARAN will fit any plate carrier with external MOLLE fields:

Plate Carrier	Confirmed Compatible with CATAMARAN	Optimal Mounting Method
T.REX Arms AC1		Velcro One-Wrap, Elastic Straps, Elastic Shock Cord
Spiritus Systems LV-119 COVERT		Velcro One-Wrap, Elastic Straps, Elastic Shock Cord
Spiritus Systems LV-119 OVERT		MOLLE, Elastic Side Straps, Velcro One-Wrap
LBT 6094		MOLLE, Elastic Side Straps, Velcro One-Wrap
Crye Precision AVS (Front Plate Bag Only)		MOLLE, Elastic Side Straps, Velcro One-Wrap
Crye Precision SPC		MOLLE, Elastic Side Straps, Velcro One-Wrap
Crye Precision JPC 2.0		MOLLE, Elastic Side Straps, Velcro One-Wrap
Defense Mechanisms MEPC		MOLLE, Elastic Side Straps, Velcro One-Wrap
FERRO CONCEPTS FCPC V5		MOLLE, Elastic Side Straps, Velcro One-Wrap
AWS SMU Operator Hybrid		MOLLE, Elastic Side Straps, Velcro One-Wrap
Agilite K-Zero		MOLLE, Elastic Side Straps, Velcro One-Wrap

IMPORTANT NOTE: The above plate carriers are far from the only setups compatible with CATAMARAN, this list is not exhaustive.

4 . Should I run my ICEVENTS® Classic Plate Carrier Ventilation Pontoons in Parallel or Venturi configuration?
It’s a matter of personal preference. Venturi is more suited to Shooter/Swimmer Cut and Single Curve plates, while Parallel is better suited to SAPI Cut plates.

5 . Does CATAMARAN work with Swimmer/Shooter Cut armor plates?
Yes, and it can be trimmed without losing structural integrity to best suit these plate shapes. We even included additional stitching on CATAMARAN yo maintain structural integrity even after trimming.

6 . Will CATAMARAN work with soft body armor?

Yes. Although CATAMARAN was primarily designed for hard plates, its mounting hardware is also suitable for certain soft armor carrier configurations with MOLLE or Velcro loop fields placed similarly to a plate carrier. CATAMARAN can also be mounted to soft body armor carriers without any alterations, via the included elastic shock cord, as shown below:

CATAMARAN Universal plate carrier ventilation adapter panel with ICEVENTS Classic Plate Carrier Ventilation Pontoons mounted for body armor ventilation.

Above: CATAMARAN Front and Rear mounted to an Armor Express Revolution soft body armor vest. ICEVENTS® Classic Plate Carrier Ventilation Pontoons mounted for body armor ventilation.

7. Will CATAMARAN work with Slick plate carriers?
Yes. Designed for maximum versatility, CATAMARAN can be mounted with MOLLE, Velcro One-Wrap, Elastic Shock Cord and more. Elastic Shock Cord being how we mounted CATAMARAN to the AC1 plate carrier from T.REX Arms.

CATAMARAN plate carrier ventilation adapter mounted to LV-119 from Spiritus Systems and AC1 plate carrier from T.REX Arms.

8. Does Qore Performance have any plans to make ICEVENTS® that will match the shape of a plate bag for the inside of plate carriers? In other words, instead of having two ICEVENTS® with space in the middle, will you eventually make one that will take up the entire space a plate bag that will offer more coverage?

We do not have any plans to make a full plate bag size ICEVENTS® pad. There are two reasons for this decision:

1. Basic physics. A full size ICEVENTS® plate bag pad will only add material, surface area coverage (as you noted), and weight. The added surface area/coverage of a full size pad will not provide as much stand-off airflow as our current twin pontoon configuration which creates massive and customizable air flow channels.

CATAMARAN plate carrier ventilation airflow illustration.

CATAMARAN plate carrier ventilation airflow illustration.

2. Professional uniform profile. One of the many reasons customers choose ICEVENTS® Plate Carrier Ventilation Pontoons over other ventilation options on the market, in addition to our unrivaled technological capabilities, is the ability to control the profile that protrudes from underneath their armor. According to our customers, this presents a less professional appearance for their uniforms than is desired or permitted. ICEVENTS® allow end-users to control, and thus conceal, the profile of their stand-off ventilation mechanism. In order to achieve this with a single sheet design, we'd have to make literally hundreds of different profiles to fit all of the shapes and sizes of plate bags on the market today, which would drive up costs on our customers while imposing an additional penalty (less air flow, more weight).

CATAMARAN is available now! Have any more questions about CATAMARAN? Ask them below and they could be added to the FAQ.

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The subject matter expert who reviewed and approved this article is: Justin Li

Justin Li spent almost eight years with the San Diego Sheriff’s Department where he worked a wide variety of law enforcement assignments including patrol, alpine mountaineering, border work, wild fire evacuations, manhunts, SAR, and Active Shooter Response. He is trained and certified in a wide variety of law enforcement skills including, Patrol Rifle, Search And Rescue, First Aid/CPR, Chemical Agents, Less Lethal, Defensive Tactics, Alpine Mountaineering, Off-Road/ATV, Emergency Vehicle Operators Course, Impact Weapons, TCCC, and Shotgun.

Since leaving law enforcement, Justin has invented and designed multiple innovations for military and law enforcement use which carry both U.S. and international patents.

Back to INSIGHTS: MIL + LEO + CIV

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