Plate Carrier - Do I need one?

[dgrafton]

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.

I used to lump 80lb bundles of roofing up ladders all day. Of course that was 20 years ago. I grabbed two 40lb bags of topsoil the other day and barely made it out to my truck, lol.

But I did run 100 yards through my parking lot with one bag just to prove I could.


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[dgrafton]

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.

So best not to have the belt attached to the vest? I just got a used vest set-up that way. Belt was XL, so I had to take it off anyway.


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[dgrafton]

Read through this thread and the battle belt thread and still lost, lol.

How much stuff have you guys bought that you ended up ditching for different reasons?

I am going to read through both again and take some notes and figure out finances. Guess the .308 build will be spread out.


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[xtry51]

I am a firm advocate of NEVER connecting your belt to the PC. You should be able to ditch/remove your armor and use just the belt at any time.

If you have to grab one piece of kit to go handle a situation or are geared up in a mission and need to GTFO by ditching everything except one piece it should be your belt.

Again a PC should be primarily thought of as an offensive item. If you never plan on attacking a target with friends, you probably don't need a PC. Buy a belt first.

So first question is: "Do I have at least one friend that will show up with a rifle prepared to die, simply because I asked them and provided no explanation."

If the answer to that question is "No", you need to focus on finding at least one person to fill that role and in the meantime spend your money on ammo and practice until that happens, because being by yourself and relying only on yourself makes marksmanship priority #1.

As others have stated, a PC is an advanced purchase IMO. You should have lots of other gear first including more than 1k rounds of ammo IN MAGS for your primary ready to go. If you have a wife and she shoots, she needs a primary/secondary and ammo/mags of her own.

I said this plenty of times in other threads, 1,000rds of ammo is not a lot. It's 33mags. That's about four load outs. So if three buddies show up at your place with nothing, 1k rounds is enough to arm the four of you for one engagement and then you're ****ed.

 

[dgrafton]

Yeah, if shtf, I will be flying solo until I can gtfo! I have no close friends that are competent AND willing. A pc is more than I need at this point. I got the vest at a good price for my shoot partner to use (for fun shoots, not training).

For my serious social work I will be best covered by a good belt set-up and continuing my cardio routine.


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[bill o]

For my serious social work I will be best covered by a good belt set-up and continuing my cardio routine.


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Serious social work?

 

[xtry51]

Serious social work?

I believe he's referring to lead throwing negotiations.

 

[pdm]

I believe he's referring to lead throwing negotiations.

"Lead exchange pleasantries"?

 

[DispositionMatrix]

Plate carrier:
http://cache3.asset-cache.net/gc/85...4MaP9cNkiEDnNqpc3NIjkSVNYxhZsgHpRGI8YLEWZ1z0x

 

[atilla]

condor

some serious pain in his shoulders.

i can attest this is %100 true. my shoulders were a wreck after wearing around the condor all day. the padding and layout is nothing like the tactical tailor.

anyone got a recommendation as to something higher-end which is like the condor exo? laid out in the same fashion where i can snug it up on my skinny ass?

 

[xtry51]

The Eagle has an elastic cummerbund option as does the PIG.

 

[atilla]

The Eagle has an elastic cummerbund option as does the PIG.

niceeeee. thanks dude. i think that i just need to order small/medium sizes from now on as well. doubt the size medium TT wouldn't have fit me. oh well, it happens. got a lot of people a hell of a deal on that buy i ran.

 

[Zarathustra11]

i can attest this is %100 true. my shoulders were a wreck after wearing around the condor all day. the padding and layout is nothing like the tactical tailor.

anyone got a recommendation as to something higher-end which is like the condor exo? laid out in the same fashion where i can snug it up on my skinny ass?

Have the same issues with mine. After dropping $200 on a belt not excited to buy a new PC, but the Shellback model doesn't look bad for the price

 

[Deleted member 12999]

I love my banshee

 

[ChevyGuy91]

Have the same issues with mine. After dropping $200 on a belt not excited to buy a new PC, but the Shellback model doesn't look bad for the price

The Shellback can be had for cheap money and has lots of adjust-ability.

 

[Schuyshot]

After wearing armor for a few years I'll tell you a battle belt is must! Try to make the only weight on the vest a pistol and a couple mags (plates of course). Put everything else on the hips. Keeps you from wearing out your core just to sit up. Top-heavy is not the way to fight.

 

[Sprocket]

Read through this thread and the battle belt thread and still lost, lol.

How much stuff have you guys bought that you ended up ditching for different reasons?

I am going to read through both again and take some notes and figure out finances. Guess the .308 build will be spread out.

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I didn't buy too much that I didn't research - I read Arfcom & M4carbine gear threads for weeks. I took a couple training classes, did some practice after and shook out what I need and don't.

Some of the best advice I got from the trainer was, "There is no magic set of gear but you can break it down into 2 categories - what works for you and what doesn't"
It becomes personal preference however learning from other people's mistakes is good

LAPG has a carrier for $170, good value for a well build rig.

 

[AllaSnackbah]

niceeeee. thanks dude. i think that i just need to order small/medium sizes from now on as well. doubt the size medium TT wouldn't have fit me. oh well, it happens. got a lot of people a hell of a deal on that buy i ran.

If you already have plates you need to buy the same size vest as your plates.

 

[atilla]

If you already have plates you need to buy the same size vest as your plates.

yeah, i know. as long as the vest holds 10x12 i am good.

 

[Cap]

Im a skinny sob and I have the banshee pretty much tightened all the way (without the cummerbund). 6'4" 185lb for reference.

 

[AngelKing]

Guys, thank you very much for the multiple replies. I am trying to re-build my collection to include the most practical gear necessary for emergency situations and I now see a lot of use for a PC/battle belt, if nothing else, to carry stuff. When I was an EMT volunteer, we had LBEs if we had to do anything for extended durations....now that I'm considering brushing up on my medical skills for disaster prep, I can see this as being a fairly useful piece of equipment, not just for stopping rounds, but for keeping gear where I need it.

I wasn't in the military, so this gear is a wee alien to me, so I really do appreciate the answers and knowledge.

 

[Cap]

As an alternative to condor for cheapo/china/airsoft stuff, I have had good luck with Voodoo Tactical.

 

[Alex0311]

I'm going to say no, not a necessity.

Nearly everyone here has cited their masturbatory fantasies about fighting the government, but they don't realize that nearly every opponent overseas that we have fought against post-WWII has been a lightly armored, mobile insurgency, while the US has been this lumbering, armored, slow-moving hulk. Both the Taliban and the Viet Cong were highly successful against an armored opponent.

Plates and plate carriers make you move slow, and when faced with superior technology (drones, anyone?) you need to be able to break contact fast and live to fight another day.

Also, unless you are in decent shape, 60lbs of equipment will do a number on your back, shoulders and hips.

 

[AngelKing]

honestly, I need the motivation to lose some weight.

I'm going to say no, not a necessity.

Nearly everyone here has cited their masturbatory fantasies about fighting the government, but they don't realize that nearly every opponent overseas that we have fought against post-WWII has been a lightly armored, mobile insurgency, while the US has been this lumbering, armored, slow-moving hulk. Both the Taliban and the Viet Cong were highly successful against an armored opponent.

Plates and plate carriers make you move slow, and when faced with superior technology (drones, anyone?) you need to be able to break contact fast and live to fight another day.

Also, unless you are in decent shape, 60lbs of equipment will do a number on your back, shoulders and hips.

 

[frenchman]

I, for one, have never understood the concept of clustering your chest full of gear and mags. Now, in my line of work in the military, I spent a lot of time in the prone position. Placing stuff in a manner that makes it difficult to access your stuff makes nosense. A battle belt, with mag carriers positioned on the side, makes more sense to a DM. A smock with a multitude of pockets is the non plus ultra for a sniper. We didn't have plate carriers/chest rigs/LBVs at all when I served. We had a belt with 2x3 mags pouches and suspenders. We did have flak jackets for shrapnel protection, but that was about it. Takes the meaning out of "LIGHT infantry". I don't see myself jumping with all that crap. Not that i see myself jumping at all anymore.

 

[mav]

I, for one, have never understood the concept of clustering your chest full of gear and mags. Now, in my line of work in the military, I spent a lot of time in the prone position. Placing stuff in a manner that makes it difficult to access your stuff makes nosense. A battle belt, with mag carriers positioned on the side, makes more sense to a DM. A smock with a multitude of pockets is the non plus ultra for a sniper. We didn't have plate carriers/chest rigs/LBVs at all when I served. We had a belt with 2x3 mags pouches and suspenders. We did have flak jackets for shrapnel protection, but that was about it. Takes the meaning out of "LIGHT infantry". I don't see myself jumping with all that crap. Not that i see myself jumping at all anymore.

I got into the habit of unzipping/unbuckling my LBE vest whenever I was prone for an extended period. It made things more comfortable and provided slightly easier access. Also, based on personal experience, I can say there is nothing "Light" about the Light Infantry. My ruck was never less than 70lb once you added water, rations, ammo, batteries and commo gear, etc. Like I said in previous post, drop the ruck at the PB or at first contact. After that, everything feels light... even plate carriers.

In hind-sight, I should have been Mechanized Infantry.

 

[frenchman]

In hind-sight, I should have been Mechanized Infantry.

Blisters suck, especially when there's still 25 miles to go, ey? Don't ask me how I know.

 

[xtry51]

Blisters are one of the most debilitating injuries, especially when carrying heavy loads. I keep mole skin in my IFAK.

Socks are one of the most critical pieces of gear along with broken in boots. One of the stupidest things I've ever done was go backpacking on a seven day trip with a pair of boots that were only two weeks old. Thankfully I was 18 and a lot lighter than I am now. Still sucked balls.

 

[Lank]

Front Toward Enemy?

 

[Sprocket]

I for one do not have "masturbatory fantasies" about gear - so Alex0311 - "Go take a flying fawk at a rolling donut, go take a flying fawk at the moon."

The gear I choose is the gear I chose to work for me - There is no right wrong or indifferent when it comes to what works for you, the first person. Not me, my gear won't fit you - especially if you're taking "a flying fawk at the mooooon!" A lot of the gear listed does not work for me but some does - I don't mind the suggestions to look at it and judge for myself. I offer the same in return.

And although I may disagree, some people have offered a constructive view - having done so, I don't say to them, "Go take a flying fawk at a rolling donut, go take a flying fawk at the moon.". They may not know it but they are on the same side as me - or maybe they do so and they never say to me, "Go take a flying fawk at a rolling donut, go take a flying fawk at the moon."

In the end, I don't insult those that offer constructive information or points of view - I usually thank them for fresh information and insight that I may not have then move about my day.

To those folks that just don't get the information exchange and only voice the need for one opinion I offer the following advice - "Go take a flying fawk at a rolling donut, go take a flying fawk at the moon."