..: Introduction :..
This one has been a long time coming, pretty much because it’s taken me a while to get everything setup how I like & also so that when I came to review it, I could be sure that it wasn’t going to fall to pieces after a couple of days wear.
First off lets get the awkward bit out of the way. Yes, Fujin sponsor me. Yes, Stu is lovely. But I paid for this, same as everyone else, out of my own pocket. Fujin have no input or say on this review. At all. Which is what you would expect of them. And hopefully of me. Although Stu did seem a little worried when I asked him what sort of a guarantee was offered with regards to me not destroying it within a few months 😉
Next, a bit of background. One of the joys (or tribulations) of airsoft, at least for me is finding something that carries my ideal loadout1. I know what I like to use & what works for me. Its just carrying the damn stuff in way that means I can reach it when I need it. I’ve tried lots over the years:
– Eastern European Omon, 6SH117 & Ratnik vests. You can drive a tank over them but they can’t carry everything I want.
– South African Assault Vest – Almost everything but not quite. Can’t reach some stuff. Fell apart on the fourth outing. Too bulky.
-Emerson FCS Assault Vest – Comfy, can’t carry everything I need, I can’t get it on/off on my own.2
– Various no-name tactical vests. You get what you pay for, crap.
I’ve never liked plate carriers in the past. I know their biggest strength is that you can configure them to meet your exact requirements & while I don’t change what I carry much, sometimes I will switch things up depending on which gun I fancy taking out that day.
The first problem is build quality. If I wanted one to last I’d need real steel. I’ve no qualms about spending good money on decent kit, but you’re into the region of serious overkill here. Real steel (even with lightweight “dummy” plates) is heavy. I find them restrictive as a result & uncomfortable unless suitably layered up. I often prefer to play in t-shirt if the temperature is above freezing so having to don extra bits of clothing unless its actually sub-zero just for padding is a non starter. The airsoft rigs I’d seen were fine for a bit of light skirmishing, but really wouldn’t stand up to my play style, moving pouches around or mounting 2kg of sidearm.
So this is where we come to the Shinto. My wife picked one up as, being of the fairer sex, breasts are an issue & it already has a reputation amongst female airsofters as being comfy. Despite the presence of bosoms.3
Even then, it took a couple of months & games for me to finally admit I’d been wrong about plate carriers, at least with regard to this one.
The Shinto was designed & commissioned in-house by Fujin. No shady copying other peoples’ ideas or work here. Fujin are airsofters & it shows. For a long time, if you wanted “gucci” kit, that meant real steel. In terms of kit specifically for airsoft its safe to say that they’ve bucked this trend. It has all of the quality, with the fat we don’t need trimmed firmly away.
Irrespective of what colour way you choose, the carrier is composed of 1050 Oxford which is a synthetic waterproof, wrinkleproof material with a very slight give. This “give” helps to provide extra strength while being robust enough to hold a Kydex holster with either a full metal 1911 or revolver. I tried playing with the holster on either side & in different locations, with it being held securely enough so that there was no problems sliding the gun in. The molle framework looked “as new” when this was removed after a full day’s play.
..: Build quality & materials :..
All the buckles & clips are single moulded out of high quality, non brittle polyethylene.
At the time of writing (March 2025) it has made it through 6 full skirmish days with no wear showing on any part including clips & buckles.
Its designed as part of a whole system (I’ll touch on this later – I’m using a mix of some of my own preferred carrying solutions & Fujin’s own).
I have re-jigged it completely & partially numerous times . Non of the lasercut molle framework slits are showing sagging or wear. Its worth remarking here just how good that molle framework finishing is. There’s no stray bits to catch when you’re threading items onto the mounts. None exhibit any incomplete cutting or loose fibres. Its the best I’ve seen both on real steel & airsoft carriers. Stu apparently QA’s each by hand which goes a long way to delivering that flawless finish.
There are four quick attachment clips, one on each shoulder & one above each hip where you find the cummerbund sections. If you’ve not come across these before they’re genius. Essentially they slot/unslot in one direction – so unless you then pull them outwards in the opposite way they’re locked & immovable. When you do this they open, something you can do with one hand even when the plate carrier is fully loaded up. Have I already said this is genius? I often need to quickly dump my loadout when I want extra speed or mobility. For example when entering a building or needing to quickly take an objective. Its also a god send when you’re knackered at the end of a session & want to get the weight off as soon as possible without needing to find your squire to help you.
The dimensions of the Shinto are the standard Small Arms Protective Insert (SAPI) size – in other words, 10″ x 12″ SAPI cut plates (or airsoft equivalent) will fit. Its fully adjustable for height & girth (another reason its beloved of the en-bosomed). Once you have it adjusted to your fit, it won’t move, but if you’re packing extra layers for warmth it is easily altered. The rig also has the standard fittings for attaching pouldrons if you’re going to be violently suppressing peaceful protests.
Both front and back have a double buckle attachment system so your standard mag pouch groups will fit – or you can swap out one calibre for another.
The base Shinto comes with standard light weight dummy plates, to help keep everything in shape. As mentioned earlier, this is SAPI compliant, so you could put real plates in, although Fujin advise that doing so is at your own risk.
This is where the Shinto being part of Fujin’s loadout ecosystem (the “Shinto Stratum” in their own words) comes into its own. For me, I really struggle with the heat. I play a very physical game which means I end up somewhat warm. They’d already thought of that with their “Thermogrid” panels. They add a bit of softness to the underside helping making it feel comfier whilst also containing channels for moisture wicking & air ventilation. Take it from me – I play in a t-shirt from late February if its sunny, it really works. The flip side is that I’ve found by this keeping your sweaty torso (relatively) dry when it is cold you loose less body heat.
You’re of course free to pick & choose from either Fujin’s own plate carrier attachments or choose your preferred ones. They’re also really open to feedback & if they don’t have what matches your needs they’ll even research it, going so far as to source it for you. Having worked with them on some of their products I can vouch for the attention to detail & of course that same quality that the Shinto exhibits.
One last thing on comfort before we move on. As I mentioned I tend to play in a t-shirt when I can & previous experiences with plate carriers provides yet another reason why I was against them. Without a collar they tend to rub especially if its hot. I found this with the Emerson FCS vest I previously looked at. With the Shinto I’ve played in a t-shirt on numerous occasions & not had any problems which is a first.
To give you any idea of just how comfortable the Shinto has been & the load it happily copes with. Here’s what I normally carry:
Back – 2 litre hydration pouch (3 in summer)
- Front –
- Left shoulder – Radio pouch with Baofeng radio earpiece/mic combo
- Loading rod, .209/12 gauge blanks – top zipped admin panel
- 4 1911 mags in double side by side mag pouches – top panel
- Either 6 M4 or 12 MP5 mags mounted – bottom panel
- Cummerbund
- Right cummerbund – KJW 1911 in Kydex holster, admin pouch with snacks, extra .3s for 1911, spare FRAG
- Left cummerbund – 2 large grenade pouches with Dyantex timed grenades, 2 small grenade pouches with FRAG impact grenades
All in all between 8-10kg. For a milsim/all day event I’d add another admin pouch to the rear with extra 0.25s & an Odin speedloader, but normally the above means I can play for a half day (at least) without needing to either return to the safezone or an in-game cache.
You’ll notice that I mention using both M4 & MP5 mags. This just depends on the type of game & my mood that day. Thanks to another part of the Fujin ecosystem I don’t have to swap my mag pouches. The business offers 3D printed inserts which when placed in any M4 pouches convert them to a twin 9mm one. This insert holds the 9mm mags in place firmly with the design making getting them in & out a breeze. I was particularly impressed with Fujin’s response to my requirements for my MP5 loadout & their offer to develop these with me. They could have just sold me a (much) more expensive new set of pouches.
..: Conclusion :..
So is the Shinto for you? With your load bearing equipment its always better to spend once & spend well. I’ve seen time & time again people go for the budget option to begin with. Not much further down the line, by the time they’ve sourced out replacements, lost kit & the eventual premium choice the spend is 2 or 3 times what it originally would have been.
Unless, not that there’s anything wrong with that, you have to have real steel kit, you cannot go wrong with the Shinto in my opinion. Sure, there are much cheaper options around. While that may suit you if all you want to carry is 3 hi-caps, they’re not going to last. One rough game – crawling through brush, mud or crashing through a building & that will let you down. The Shinto is built like a tank, weighs next to nothing & if I can’t break it, nothing can. I was worried about a plate carrier being restrictive or too hot. This isn’t. I really can’t think of a better starting point for building a loadout that takes full advantage of the flexibility of molle.
I personally highly recommend it, having put my money where my mouth is.
Shinto and the Shinto Stratum are available from the Fujin Airsoft website.
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