Learn me on plate carriers

[Mr. Goodtimes]

Because of life, shit, work, stuff and things, I quit paying as close attention to certain aspects of shooting as I did a few years ago. When I was really paying attention to what was going on, it was the Eagle CIRAS, Crye CAGE, Mayflower APC and maybe the SKD PIG were all pretty awesome.

What's the best thing going today?

Ultimately the use will be for duty but for now, it's mostly going to be for range use and if things ever got really weird. I'm a career firefighter at a large metropolitan agency and I feel as though having body armor in the event of an active shooter scenario isn't a completely bad idea.

Also as far as plates go, who makes good plates at a reasonable price? I'd like to be all in on a carrier and plates for 1k. I believe that Level III would probably be the way to go as I feel like it's more important to have multi hit protection than protection against 30-06 AP.

I almost picked up a Mayflower APC but I held off as I didn't want to make a premature decision. As for plates, I don't even know where to start as far as quality manufacturers.

[cd228]

I just purchased a set of ATP3s from AT Armor and I was happy with them. Link =http://store.atarmor.com/product_p/at-atp3set-lg.htm The plates are a little thick, but very light. Noticeably lighter than my issued SAPI plates. NIJ certified (you can check the NIJ site) and available in SAPI sizes. It's also been independently tested for select 5.56mm and 7.62x39mm rounds. They also have 10X12s available if price is a major factor. For carriers Mayflower and Crye are still very well regarded. I've heard good things about Blue Force Gear and First Spear. The SKD pig seems to get good reviews and is supposedly adjustable to multiple sizes. I actually went with ATS tactical as I have been using their equipment for about a decade. If you want to do more research hit lightfighter.net's armor forum and primary and secondary's armor forum. Also the gentleman who runs AT Armor wrote a pretty good Armor 101 write up its at http://store.atarmor.com/category_s/1884.htm. Your requirement might be a little different then most, what's your plan for integrating your vest and turnout gear?

[Wake27]

Velocity Systems/Mayflower manufactured every single piece of armor or armor carrying equipment I have paid for. The only exception to that is some side plates I just bought with SKD's massive Trump sale. Even though I got a great deal on them, I already regret using anything other than Velocity armor. There are plenty of decent options out there that work well, but I think it's hard to be Velocity and I think you should be able to get a full package with your budget.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[cd228]

Here is a fun fact. There are actually very few actual armor plate makers. If you have some spare time, take the NIJ number of your plate and do a find function on the NIJ database. It will only give you data on the certified plates, but you will see that a number of vendors offer the same model. Sometimes you can find the same plate from a different vendor for a cheaper price. I'm not saying that NIJ standard is the do all end, its far from it (MIL,FBI and DEA wrote their own) but it can be used for research purposes.

If you have experience with the Mayflower APC and it meets your requirements, I'd say stick with it.

[firefighter37]

I have an SKD PIG carrier and I find it to be comfortable, but it does seem a little bulky. I have no experience with other plate carriers, but with the PIG I don't feel like I need to look elsewhere. It's not something I wear everyday. I also got it when SKD was doing like 15% off.

[cd228]

I have an SKD PIG carrier and I find it to be comfortable, but it does seem a little bulky. I have no experience with other plate carriers, but with the PIG I don't feel like I need to look elsewhere. It's not something I wear everyday. I also got it when SKD was doing like 15% off.

I noticed your user name is firefighter37. do you use your armor while on duty? The OP mentioned that he was looking at possibly using his armor on duty and Ifigure a fellow firefighter might be a good info source for him for tips on how to wear armor with his gear.

[48J]

I bought an SKD PIG. The PIG is a minimalist carrier from the standpoint that it is not loaded with MOLLE attachments. The drawback is that the carrier uses Velcro for everything and is therefore noisy.

I am pleased with the carrier. It fits my needs.

[firefighter37]

I noticed your user name is firefighter37. do you use your armor while on duty? The OP mentioned that he was looking at possibly using his armor on duty and Ifigure a fellow firefighter might be a good info source for him for tips on how to wear armor with his gear.

Negative, I do not wear it on duty... we are not issued Armor nor are we allowed to wear our own, so I would be unable to comment on that. My view is strictly from a personal standpoint. That being said, I would not hesitate to wear it on duty if I had to and was allowed. I will ask the SRT Medics what they wear, the next time I see them.

ETA: I worked in law enforcement years ago. I am a firefighter for a reason... if I had to wear armor, I don't know that I would be happy. We allow the LEOs to clear the scene, once that's done, then we enter.

[Inkslinger]

OP, if this is something you plan to use for duty as a fireman, you may what to look at a minimalist carrier like the PIG Brigandine. Combine that with lightweight lvl III+ plates and I think you'll be in good shape.

http://www.skdtac.com/PIG-Brig-Plate...-p/pig.400.htm

http://www.bulletproofme.com/RP-Leve...S-Ceramic.html

[Mr. Goodtimes]

Thanks for all the replies thus far. Too many responses to quote so I'll try and hit on what I can.

- I'm not looking to integrate the armor with my bunker gear but rather have it in the event of an active shooter on a medical scene. There have been rumblings of plate carriers being issued in the even of an active shooter so, I thought I would do my own research as I see it as a fairly real possibility. We also have SRT Medics and that's a path I would like to go one day, once I meet the requirements to try out. I won't go into the politics of issuing us armor but no firearms as that's another argument all together.


- it does not need to be a concealable rig. Comfort is a big factor as chances are once it goes on it will be on for a while.

- The regular PIG looked promising. The Brigandine looked a little too minimalist. Other options I've found that look very good are the Crye CPC, Crye JPC 2.0, TYR, Mayflower APC, and the SKD PIG.

-TYR looks like they make some really nice gear but I'm going to have to do some research as they must make about 20 different plate carriers with multiple variations. The PICO looks really promising if I can figure out which one works for me.

- For the most part the carrier will be run fairly slick. 3 rifle mags, 3 pistol mags, admin pouch, radio, hydration. Extras such as medical supplies will be carried in a backpack.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk