tactical vest plate carriers

[nadams]

what do you guys think is a great plate carriers tac vest i trying to find a vest that has shoulder and side protection and i need to be able to put molle pouches on it and i want the most protection for the cost thanks guys

 

[Rocketmedic]

Why? What are you doing?

If you want complete protection, you will be immobile.

All a soldier really needs is a front-and-back plate carrier- the side plates we have are too small to really protect much and the soft armor cuts your mobility and won't stop a lot of shrapnel. Shoulder and side protection are incompatible with combat effectiveness.

 

[Chopdoktor]

You can't go wrong with Blackhawk. I've always had good luck with their gear. You'll probably want to get a full-coverage MOLLE vest, instead of one made just to carry mag pouches and a small plate. That way, you can squeeze some 10x12 ceramic level III or IV plates in there, and have room for them. I don't know how big a guy you are, but I'm 6'2/ 230, and let me tell you, it adds some serious weight and bulk to your torso.

 

[cl4de6]

I think that the first thing you have to consider is the threat. Do you really need Level IV protection for what you are doing? I knew a guy who delivered pizzas a few yeas ago. He wanted to purchase the best possible body armor that money could buy to wear under his delivery shirt. In the end, the guy at the store (a real professional who could have ripped my friend off) talked him into a less expensive Level II vest under the rational that as a pizza delivery man, the most likely weapons he would face were 9mm, .22 and .38 handguns.

You also need to consider the duration of wearing the vest. This may sound a little morbid, but you have to evaluate whether this is a vest that will be worn once for ten minutes (like as part of a security response force that keeps vests at the ready in a rack) or worn all day as a contractor in Afghanistan would. If this is a vest that you are required to have for work that will just sit in a rack, you should probably buy an inexpensive one that isn't necessarily comfortable. If you ever have to throw it on, the physical discomfort of the vest will be the least of your worries.

If you are going to make your living with it and be on your feet all day wearing that vest, then that is a different story.

If you are dead set on a Level IV vest, I've noticed the trick to an all-day vest is in the shoulder pads. Thin shoulder pads cut into your shoulders and are painful after an hour or so. Also see if you can find one with a belly band to keep the plates tight to your chest.

 

[Nushif]

I've found I very much dislike shoulder pads on my vest and after my first attempt at going prone very fast the groin protection came off, too.

What I have is the basic Army Issue minus the groin protection and it's about as comfy as one of those needs to be.

 

[leadcounsel]

soft armor cuts your mobility and won't stop a lot of shrapnel

The soft ballistic armor on modern IBA style vests is rated to stop 9mm.

You really need to define the purpose for the armor to get the best recommendation. If I were rolling down IED alley in a vehicle, I would want the whole getup, IBA, plates for front, back, sides, neck protector, groin protector, deltoid attachments, etc. Sure, it weighs a miserable amount and little mobility, but in a vehicle it matters not unless you have to make a fast exit (such as being tossed into a canal...).

But aside from that, you might consider a plate carrier if you just want lightweight rifle protection over your vitals. Since the soft armor is useless vs. rifles, no point in carrying/wearing the weight of soft armor. For a versitile handgun and rifle, consider soft armor with plates. And if you're threat is only handguns, then the plates are unnessesary (but still good)...

 

[hso]

What do you do that you need armor that you can't get your employer to purchase it?

Do you realize that you are going to need to spend well in excess of $1,000.

 

[SentinelStrategic]

There are lots of good options, but Blackhawk stuff isn't as good as people think it is. I have run Blackhawk stuff in the past, and the ergonomics of their equipment is not the best. This includes plate carriers. Their stuff doesn't sit right with a lot of people, and I'm not terribly impressed with the designs they've been employing. Additionally, their plate carriers aren't designed for shoulder and side protection. You need a full armor carrier for that. I dumped my Blackhawk stuff long ago due to several issues I had with mobility. Eagle has better offerings, and MSA Paraclete is even better.

I would recommend that you look into Mayflower or Velocity. Both have phenomenal quality, durability, and they're held in a very high regard throughout the tactical community. I consider them to be the best on the market. The ergos are much better, and I think their designs are well thought-out.
http://www.mayflower-rc.org/index.php
http://www.velsyst.com/our-products/products.php

Both are sold through the Grey Group:
http://stores.greygrouptraining.com/StoreFront.bok


I would recommend against shoulder plating/protection unless you absolutely need it. It's incredibly bulky and cumbersome. In most cases, the only way to get legitimate shoulder protection is with soft armor, which again hampers movement.
In my own opinion, if you MUST get shoulder protection, the only legitimate protection with good mobility is the Crye Precision CAGE armor chassis with their shoulder plates.
http://www.cryeprecision.com/P-ARMH2102LG0/Shoulder-Plate
However, prepare to pay for it. The whole system costs about $2500, sans chest and side plates.

 

[LiquidTension]

Sentinel summed it up pretty well. I'm running a Mayflower low-pro carrier with webbing and Paraclete armor panels. It's top quality gear. Blackhawk is popular because, as someone said on another board, "they have the ability to (poop) 10,000 of every gadget, widget, and gidget they make overnight." Or something to that effect.

I also am curious as to what you will be using this gear for.

 

[crazysccrmd]

You really need to define the purpose for the armor to get the best recommendation. If I were rolling down IED alley in a vehicle, I would want the whole getup, IBA, plates for front, back, sides, neck protector, groin protector, deltoid attachments, etc. Sure, it weighs a miserable amount and little mobility, but in a vehicle it matters not unless you have to make a fast exit (such as being tossed into a canal...).

If it goes through the truck it goes through you too pretty much. Front/rear x-sapi's and side e-sapi get heavy but give pretty good protection up to an AP 7.62x51 (.308). The kevlar on the IOTV is rated up to 9mm and shrapnel.

In Iraq the IOTV is nice, good all around protection. In Afghanistan the plate carriers are way better since you are on the ground and moving a lot more. I'm willing to sacrifice some protection in order to be able to move properly.

 

[gaijin6423]

While in Afghanistan in 2008, we were a testbed for different plate carriers for the Marine Corps. I've used a few of the ones out there, including scalable plate carriers and different 'full coverage' armor sets. Much as everyone else has said, what you need depends on the answer to the threat v. mobility/endurance question.

Even the Marine Corps, which is notoriously (in my eyes, anyway) rigid in its application of personal protective equipment policies, has now delegated the assignment of what to wear to individual unit commanders. And they do just that, sometimes changing the required PPE level during the day, based on many different factors.

 

[dprice3844444]

check galati international for a plate vest.i pick up some point blank 12 inch level 4 front/back plates off craigslist for 300 for the pair and put it in the standard galati plate vest.cumberbun can be added with level 3 soft armor/side protection

 

[ColtPythonElite]

My current vest is made by PT Armor. It is custom fit and wraps around the side. It came with an under the shirt carrier and a pretty nice outside carrier.

http://www.ptarmor.com/