Plate Carrier - Do I need one?

goodlife30 said:
Chest. Used them in the Stan. Can still get it if you are in a vehicle. Also does not feel like its gonna drop your pants when you undo you belt to drop a duece. There is also some overlap and discomfort with the vest/carrier on the belt holster. The chest rig set up came in very handy a few times. Very quick draw on the chest.
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Maybe chest for vehicles and urban problems.
Maybe 3 to 6 o'clock for woodland/mountain/foot patrolling. . If you're going prone some people prefer not to be laying on their magazines and ammo.
Just a thought.
 
jyby2aqa.jpg

That's me after running around with just a plate and 5 mags for 40-50 mins if you don't train with it that is what happens . I still don't know wtf I was thinking wear a suit and a 3/8 plate on the front.bi think I would of died if I had a rear plate .
 
edmorseiii said:
Food for thought...

Hold up a sheet of paper to your chest, it's not that much coverage is it? A 10x12 plate is not much bigger then that. They are used to keep your super important important bits from getting holes punched through them so a combat medic can get to you and patch up the other holes you got punched in you. Will you have a combat medic at your disposal when you don your plates? If not, what is a 10"x12" plate going to do for you when you become a bullet sponge? Maybe keep you alive for a few more minutes, but if you can't get medical attention, not much more then that.
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unless of course the one round that got you hit you in said plate instead of killing you. Is the plate small yes, but with the way statistics show in fire fights 100 rounds might fly with only one hit. And if that one hit was center mass of your plate you will be thankful it wasn't your heart.
 
glockstones said:
unless of course the one round that got you hit you in said plate instead of killing you. Is the plate small yes, but with the way statistics show in fire fights 100 rounds might fly with only one hit. And if that one hit was center mass of your plate you will be thankful it wasn't your heart.
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Like I said, I am not poo-pooing on the idea of having plates, just trying to point out why 10"x12" plates were fielded, and their obvious short falls.
 
goodlife30 said:
I personally would spend the money on a gym membership and get some cardio work in before buying a plate carrier. Add a carrier plates ammo and other tactical-ool stuff and water will add about 50 pounds to your weight. Add a rifle and boots and then run. It will kick your butt. No use in buying something that will physically exhaust you and wear you down and make you ineffective. Everything has its costs.
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See, this is my fear. I'll blow a chunk of change, get wiped out the first time I wear it and then get all defensive about The Precious. I've considered just buying a weight vest (50-80#) to get used to that kind of weight and turn my treadmill into the Dreadmill. I don't know.
 
Cap said:
Realistically going to need? Probably not. But if you have the cash, I would definitely look into buying a PC+plates. Worst case you sell em later when utopia is achieved.

What is the "rifle" in this either or situation? What are you currently using?
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Slingshot. It worked against Goliath.
 
ColdDayInHell said:
When ordering Battle belts, what size do you closest get? Say the small is 30" and the Med is 36", if I'm a 33/34, what do I do?????
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Get the Medium. Remember you're putting it on OVER your pants. All the belts I've seen including mine have a lot of adjustment. I actually had to trim quite a bit of extra off. (assuming you're not buying just the MOLLE sleeve and using a separate belt).

AllaSnackbah said:
plate carriers, armor, and battle belts are a waste of money
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Says one of the few guys like me who owns a ballistic HELMET and the only I know with dedicated NV hanging off the front of it [laugh]
 
xtry51 said:
Get the Medium. Remember you're putting it on OVER your pants. All the belts I've seen including mine have a lot of adjustment. I actually had to trim quite a bit of extra off. (assuming you're not buying just the MOLLE sleeve and using a separate belt).



Says one of the few guys like me who owns a ballistic HELMET and the only I know with dedicated NV hanging off the front of it [laugh]
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True, thanks.

And yeah, Snacks is operating at 100%.
 
I was setting fence posts today. Using the little bags of Quick-set concrete. They weigh 50 pounds.

Next time you're at Home Depot or Lowes pick one up , shoulder it , and jog down the isle and back.

I don't think the average guy actually knows what " 50 pounds" means.

Your mileage may vary , this site hosts the meanest mofos there is , I know. But just in case you're wondering .... Try it.
 
Yeah, when you start buying things like my LWH (Marines version of the PASGT) the $300 price tag doesn't even make you blink because you're only buying it so you can mount a $3k+ NV on it.

You do this because you start messing around with other people at night just using base monoculars and Gen2 scopes. You find out pretty quick the kind of disadvantage you're at.
 
fubar said:
I was setting fence posts today. Using the little bags of Quick-set concrete. They weigh 50 pounds.

Next time you're at Home Depot or Lowes pick one up , shoulder it , and jog down the isle and back.

I don't think the average guy actually knows what " 50 pounds" means.

Your mileage may vary , this site hosts the meanest mofos there is , I know. But just in case you're wondering .... Try it.
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This is true. If anyone wants to ever wear a PC with 6 mags and 1/4" AR600 plates I'll make time to meet you at Monadnock to give a few of mine a try.

Remember:
1) You don't have to run plates or even own them. The PC is still a very functional piece of gear for carrying supplies.
2) Even if you leave them in it takes about 4secs to drop both of them and you can do it while wearing the PC.
 
xtry51 said:
Get the Medium. Remember you're putting it on OVER your pants. All the belts I've seen including mine have a lot of adjustment. I actually had to trim quite a bit of extra off. (assuming you're not buying just the MOLLE sleeve and using a separate belt).
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Yes. My waist is 33, and I had to return a HSGI small for a medium. I figured there would be enough adjustment in either one to fit me, and I didn't want the padding to overlap in front. Well the small barely fit and I had a 12 inch gap in front between the ends of the padding. That's lost real estate for pouches. Medium worked great.

Also, my opinion, get the duty belt and not the Cobra belt. I got a Cobra at first and returned it for a duty. Cobra will scratch the crap out of your rifle when you're wearing it on a sling, not to mention being noisy, and it's just not any better IMO unless you're dangling from a tether, which I try not to do on a regular basis.

Another tip: If you are buying one for your wife, always go bigger than you think. It's a much better mistake to make than the other way around. But if you've been married for a while this should not be news.
 
goodlife30 said:
I personally would spend the money on a gym membership and get some cardio work in before buying a plate carrier. Add a carrier plates ammo and other tactical-ool stuff and water will add about 50 pounds to your weight. Add a rifle and boots and then run. It will kick your butt. No use in buying something that will physically exhaust you and wear you down and make you ineffective. Everything has its costs.

If you plan to shelter in place a gas mask and some steel plates might be a better option. I am not saying body armor is bad, but just consider your physical abilities and limitations. The stuff gets heavy especially in the warmer months. Nothing wrong with making a steel fortress in your house. Or perhaps a nice long range rifle with a top notch optic to give you some breathing space. In either case try the armor on first and do some physical activity before you buy it
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lots of truth here, i went on a hike at night with a friend recently with all of our shit. several observations i made based on this and my testing of all the crap i have:

1) if your going to have this stuff, use it. it does you no good sitting in your closet unadjusted for the 20lbs you put on since the last time you used it two years ago. if the time comes when you need it and you don't have the muscle memory it takes to reload your rifle quickly from the pouches, it will be a waste of money. people talk shit on airsofters but when it comes to what works and what will fall apart after you take it out of your moms basement id be willing to bet that the serious airsofters are more in tune than most guys who have all this stuff, but don't like to "wear it to the range because somebody will make fun of me."

2) do your research, and buy the highest quality stuff you can bear to spend on. i have an eagle pc, my friend was rocking a condor. i have nothing against the condor personally and my first gear was made up of some condor, but he was having some serious pain in his shoulders. maybe not so much from the LBV itself and more from all the extra stuff he had on it that he probably either didn't need or could have diverted to a 1st or 3rd line setup.

3) keep it simple stupid, i have 3 mags, an admin pouch with some essentials, a multitool, and an hsgi blowout kit on my pc. i have a hydration bladder that i can put on the back if i need it also. double stacking 6 rifle mags on the front of your chest, a pistol, a steel combat knife, pistol mags, yada yada yada puts a ton of strain on your back and keeps you uncomfortably high off the ground if your prone.

4) i find that wearing a war belt in conjunction with a pc is a good move, this way you take a lot of the weight and bulk off of your chest and shoulders and put it on your hips. also, having your essentials on your belt is good in case you have to ditch your heavy vest but want the ability to stay in the fight if need be.
 
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The timing on this thread is very good for me because I saw the gearhog deal of the day this morning, and it was on my mind all day trying to decide whether to drop the coin on a PC, or more guns and ammo like the usual m.o.[laugh]
 
For the record, the most comfortable PC I've ever used was a PIG, found on SKDTAC.com. It's got great padding and breathability along with having a quick release. The only reason I don't own one is I have an Eagle as my primary already and couldn't justify having another $300+ carrier and leaving my Eagle to collect dust. Collecting dust is what I have the spare condors for, and you can buy four of them for $300.
 

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