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Thread: Plate Carrier vs Chest Rig

  1. #1
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    Plate Carrier vs Chest Rig

    Having just attended my first legitimate AR training course and having done it with virtually no specialized gear I was left with a questions regarding future gear purchases.

    Chief among those was what type of gear to buy in order to maximize use for deployments and for courses. A good plate carrier seems to be the logical choice as it allows you to train like you fight, but could also be overkill when you are taking a course.

    I am principally looking at the P.I.G plate carrier and the BCM chest rig. One question that I had was whether or not the BCM could be used over a plate carrier or not. I would love to hear some opions or experiences that could help guide my choice.

    At this time I am running a VTAC Brokos belt and intend to continue its use.

  2. #2
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    You can wear pretty much any chest rig that I am awawre of over armor.
    However, I am a "less is more" kind of guy.
    If I am going to be putting something on, it might as well serve as many functions of gear as possible:
    Stop holes, plug holes, create holes.
    Stick a few mags and a bleeder kit on a plate carrier and you get all three.
    Jack Leuba
    Director of Sales
    Knight's Armament Company
    jleuba@knightarmco.com

  3. #3
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    Thanks

    I appreciate the advice. What I am coming to find out is that I can only afford to buy once and get overly concerned about buying the wrong item first. You helped me solidify the thought that the plate carrier can do more and therefore is the better solution.

    Given the wide array of carriers out there is there another solution besides the P.I.G. carrier that sits high enough to allow the use of a battle belt?

  4. #4
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    Pretty much all properly adjusted plate carriers will be high enough that they will not impede a belt mounted pistol draw.
    Even when I was wearing full SPEAR/BALCS armor I only used a slightly dropped belt mounted holster. I have a relatively short torso and long legs.

    I am using a Tyr PC with side buckles (no cummerbund), and it does not impede use of a trouser belt mounted OWB holster.

    I personally do not currently use side-plates, though there is very good reason to do so if you can. One factor to consider is if the side plates will interfere with your ability to access your side-arm. Sometimes the answer is no, and sometimes the answer is to lower the pistol.
    Jack Leuba
    Director of Sales
    Knight's Armament Company
    jleuba@knightarmco.com

  5. #5
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    Unless you're going to be looking at the plate carriers with the three integral front mag pouches (like the Crye, BFC, Tyr, and LBT 6094), it may make more sense to first get a small chest rig (enough to carry a few additional magazines, maybe some extra FAK and admin/notetaking supplies, and save towards a plate carrier that will work under it as needed, giving you more flexibility.

    A standing recommendation would be one of those plate carriers, some BFG 10-Speed pouches to add room for pistol magazines, hydration, blowout kit, and some admin storage and that's all you'd need.
    عندما تصبح الأسلحة محظورة, قد يملكون حظرون عندهم فقط
    کله چی سلاح منع شوی دی، یوازي غلوونکۍ یی به درلود
    Semper Fi
    "Being able to do the basics, on demand, takes practice. " - Sinister

  6. #6
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    Always had armor, always will. Chest rigs are what you use when you can't afford a PC.
    Combat veteran
    Lifetime NRA member

  7. #7
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    You say use for deployments? Are you not issued a PC for your job?

    I dont ever recommend a PC to anyone unless they actually are gonna use/need it. Its a lot of money to spend only to run it a few times a year at a coarse or to be the only guy in your unit with it on sitting in a building all day etc.

    Why would you run a chest rig over a PC? It defeats the purpose of having all that real estate to attach shit to on the PC.

    I use a chest rig during training, if I just need to run some more ammo etc for the scenario.

    As an LEO, I do wear plates, but if Im doing something that day in which I need more gear, I run a PC with what I need attached to it.

    Basically I only run a chest rig for training. But I do train a lot with my PC so that I know how to use it etc.
    Last edited by Shoot 1st; 12-31-11 at 17:31.

  8. #8
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    First, thank you to all of you for your insight and recommendations, both are greatly appreciated.


    To answer some of the questions and respond to comments as well as to ask some additional questions here goes:


    Yes we are issued plate carriers, but they typically suck and with two back surgeries under my belt I wouldn't mind spending some money on a better carrier that is ergonomic and provides enough real estate to get the job done. I concur with you that although i only have one course under my belt, the plate carrier would have been overkill. That led me to the chest rig, but if possible I would like to set something up that I can use for training and for real world use so that I don't have to go with the crap that we are issued. It seems that the best answer may be to buy both a chest rig and a plate carrier to optimally handle both scenarios, but my budget is tight.

    I am definitely going to check out the other PCs from Crye, TYR etc. Has anyone used the PIG? On the same note for a chest rig has anyone used a BCM?

    Tehllama, I greatly appreciate the load suggestions and will use that to optimize my gear. How many mags are you normally carrying on the chest rig/PC?

  9. #9
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    I understand, budget makes our world go round.

    I can not afford to go out and buy 3 different rigs to find out what I like or need either.

    I dont know what job or even what branch your in. That will dictate your load out, and will make it hard to make certain recommendations.
    It looks cool to have 10 things strapped to your chest, but if you work for a living you learn real quick what you can and can not live without.

    So again your job/mission will dictate what your load out is. My issued stuff was all eagle/ retagged arc-teryx stuff. Maybe i got lucky but they did what I needed them to.

    I see you have a brokos, so I would bypass a chest rig all together.


    I've yet to see a bad review on the PIG, but I dont believe you can pick a size for it. So if your smaller, or larger than the average person I would maybe look at another carrier. Good thing with most of the PC available, they are great quality and all have enough reviews to make your decision a lot easier to make. With everything being molle, you can make any PC work for whatever you need it for.
    You can run mags etc on that belt no problem. Get a PC put what you need on it, and be able to pick it up and go when needed. When doing a coarse, run just the belt, sense Im sure you will wear/ get comfortable w/the PC just from your job etc.
    Last edited by Shoot 1st; 12-31-11 at 20:01.

  10. #10
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    Take a look at the Mayflower APC. It’s a bit cheaper than the PIG and every bit as well made.

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