Rogue Echo Weight Vest Plates - Best Weights For Murph

Today we are going to be looking at the new Rogue Echo Weight Vest Plates and comparing them to the other plates Rogue sells.

I think the question is, is a curved plate worth the extra cost? Before, I would have said no but now…I don’t know. Let’s see
Rogue recently started selling a new plate for plate carriers. Now before we go on, I need to note that all the plates we are going to talk about are for CrossFit and fitness training only and are not meant to be used as body armor.
I started my weight vest journey with the very cheap but effective Condor Sentry plate carrier and the flat Rogue laser cut plates. They do the trick, and I don’t use a weight vest that often, but then I upgraded to the 5.11 TacTec carrier transferred my flat rogue plates because the curved cast plates are around $75 and I didn’t really see the need to upgrade the plates. I knew I would like a pair of curved weights for my new vest through, so when Rogue released their Echo Plates, I decided that were what I want.
The Echo plates are shaped the same as the cast iron plates but are priced between the laser cut plates and the cast iron plates at $65 for the 20lb pair. So you have the Flat plates around $56, the Echo Plates around $65 and the Cast Iron ones around $75. That’s all before shipping and tax.
There are other plate options out there, but I haven’t seen very much difference in price, and most of them are flat or have minimal curve side to side. There are a couple options out there with a similar chest contour shape as these, but they are in the $75 and up price range, so we’ll just focus on the options from Rogue today.
Okay, so the most significant thing about these is the shape. It’s designed to fit against your body without putting more contact on one spot that the others. The little angles at the top allow for more freedom to move than a square or rectangle shape. An important difference between these and flat laser cut plates is the rounded edges. The rounded edges are going to put a lot less wear on the vest itself. The edges of the flat weights are basically like knife blades rubbing against the contact points of your vest, and the corners actually put a hole in my 5.11 vest. The rounded shape of the Echo plates are going to reduce that sharp edge wearing on the vest a lot!
A note to anyone that already owns the flat weights or ends of getting them after watching this. Take some thin foam and tape it all the way around the edges of the plates to keep them from cutting through your vest.
I didn’t really expect there to be very much difference between these and the flat weights as far as how they felt. It’s a weight lying against your body. How much difference could there be? But I was actually surprised when I put it on and immediately could tell the difference. Yes, it’s still a weight laying against your body, but it wasn’t laying on my chest the way the flat ones did. I even had to tighten the elastic cummerbund one loop because it fit better again my body than the flat weights. The feeling of my chest not being able to expand isn’t there, and it’s actually pretty comfortable!
The one, kinda downside to these is that they aren’t 8.75lbs per plate like most plate weights. When you add two plate weights plus the 2.5lbs for the vest itself, it should come out right about at 20lbs.
With these, the total vest weight is more like 22.5lbs, which depending on how you view it might actually be something you like even more about them! You get a little extra weight to train with! That’s the whole point of wearing a vest to train in, right?
For the ladies, the plates come 5lbs apiece, making a total vest weight of around 12.5lbs instead of the standard 14lbs. Again… This is a pro or con based on how you view it. If a 14lb vest is a little more than you wanted to use, then you get your wish! But, if you’re wanting every bit of that 14lbs of a training session, then you’re going to lose some of that.
There is also a 20lb plate option for anyone wanting that 40lb plus experience. Which sounds awful.
So, just some things for you to consider. For me, I don’t mind the extra couple pounds in the 10-pound plates, and I can feel a noticeable difference in the comfort of the vest when I’m wearing it and my ability to actually breathe.
So, in summary, the Rogue Echo Vest Plates are a great option for anyone wanting to upgrade the plates in their carrier to get a little more comfort while training and DEFINITELY an excellent choice for anyone looking to but a new vest and plates. It really comes down to about $10 difference between these and the Flat weights, and there is definitely $10 worth of difference in value!

I think these are the best weight vest plates for Murph and other CrossFit training at this price.
As always, if you’ve enjoyed this review or found it helpful, let me know in the comments, subscribe, and if you have any questions, you can shoot me a message on Instagram.

Thanks for watching and happy training!