Which Body Armor?

[Ben Lenett]

Contact PPI and ask for Delia. She will be able to assist you with any armor inserts you may need for our products.

There is a substantial price difference between the regular CIRAS and the LE Non-Releasable Model of approx. $200 in retail price.

The Maritime CIRAS is what the LE version is based off of. Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Reference the question of why we offer a Maritime Model of the CIRAS. It was requested by a particluar organization. The Land and Maritime are both releasable vests. The difference is the Land has two release points, with one being at 0600 on the vest and the other being at either 0300 or 0900. The second point is set up based upon user preference. The Maritime only has one release point that is located at 1200 under the neck line.

I find the Land is better suited for large loadouts, but it is slightly more difficult to put on because of the large external cumberbund as well as adding some bulk to the vest. The Maritime is more streamlined and easier for a person to put on quickly. The Maritime is my personal choice when using an armor carrier of that nature.

Utilizing a Plate Carrier gives the end user more flexibility in their overall options. It will also make your overall profile SLIGHTLY more compact versus using a CIRAS. For people that are not assigned to a detail which is responsible for dedicated tactical operations, I almost always recommend the Plate Carrier with Cumberbund. That system will allow you to quickly upgrade threat protection over your existing soft armor based on the current situation unfolding in front of you. You do lose the cutaway feature of the vest, but the PC W/C is still more than capable of carrying just about anything you need.

Having worn both systems for real I personally prefer the soft armor with PC over it. It allows me better mobility and still offers outstanding overall protection.

Stay safe.

Ben

[eggroll]

Ben

Good to see you here.

Darrin

[Dport]

Ben,
Could you enlighten me as to the mobility advantages and disadvantages of the various systems ?
Thanks.

[Ben Lenett]

Dport:

The plus and minus catagory for both CIRAS models is about the same. It allows you to put on the entire armor package at one time, vice having to put on soft armor and then the PC. You will naturally have more bulk with this system though as a result of the necessary materials, sewing, and load carriage capability.

If you were to get a Low Vis Carrier for the BALCS soft armor inserts, pull them out of the CIRAS and into the Low Vis Carrier, put on a Plate Carrier, then your overall "thickness" if you will is diminished. That Low Vis Carrier isn't going to have nearly as much material as the CIRAS, and the PC obviously is smaller than a CIRAS. This package though will give you the identical protection that a CIRAS would. You are using the same soft ballistics and hard plates that would be in the CIRAS, but they are being suspended differently. That is where you get your added mobility from.

Don't get me wrong. If you are doing true tactical operations, then the CIRAS can't be beat and I am not just saying that because I run the LE Division for Eagle. The added bulk is worth it, as you are locked into a stable system that is capable of carrying anything you could need.

That is one slight downside to the Soft Armor with Plate Carrier option. The two units have a tendency to slide around a bit on eachother. A CIRAS isn't going to do that. The issue is minimal, but it is still there.

I hope that answered your question. If not please let me know.

Darrin, good to see you as well. Thanks.

Stay safe guys.

Ben

[STeed]

Wow,

Thanks for all the great information and insight. Pat, Ben and Darrin you are a wealth of first hand information and I really appreciate your taking the time to share your expertise with us all.

Take Care - Stephen

[Dport]

Wow,

Thanks for all the great information and insight. Pat, Ben and Darrin you are a wealth of first hand information and I really appreciate your taking the time to share your expertise with us all.

Take Care - Stephen

I second that.

Thanks to everyone for sharing your knowlege and educating a newb like myself.

[txsapper]

My .02 on the matter.

I have BALCS armor and I just received the Eagle PC with Cummerbund. The only issue that I have with the 2 systems together is due to the overlap on the sides of the BALCS armor, I have had to add more 550 cord to the cummerbund in order to get it to wrap completely. When I let the cummerbund out the eyelets at the end of the elastic are semi-exposed.

I have the XL BALCS and the L/XL Plate carrier and am 6'3, 238 lbs.

Other than that, I am more than happy running this set-up.

[eggroll]

3/16" bungee cord

[txsapper]

Thanks, egg. I am going to give it a shot. Have you seen any noticeable sag when using the shock cord compared to the 550 cord? Thanks again.

[eggroll]

no, but then again I haven't put much weight on the CB, the most I've sported was 4 M4 mags just to the left of the middle flap.

I'll have to check on some new stuff I am working on to see about CB loading.

PM me your address and I'll send you a length of bungee to put into your CB
darrin