Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast
Results 11 to 20 of 23

Thread: Modest Civilian Loadout/Range Gear

  1. #11
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    WY
    Posts
    1,109
    Feedback Score
    5 (100%)
    AWS currently has their plate carriers a few bucks off. Their hybrid only weighs 1 pound.

    Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Location
    AZ
    Posts
    1,332
    Feedback Score
    3 (100%)
    Hey OP;

    For reference; the theory you are referring to is called the 'grey man' theory in tactical gear. You want decent ability/capability without the signature or presence of typical gear.

    For a plate carrier lets first talk about theory. It needs to stop holes, patch holes, and make holes.

    Stop holes - buying plates is an extensive rabbit hole that I dont want to get into here.

    Plug Holes - Needs to carry the medical kit that you or your buddies are comfortable using. For most people that is a simple israeli bandage or TQ. I highly suggest getting some TCCC training if you plan on being around gun play.

    Make Holes- This is the simplest part. Just needs some kinda way to hold gun food. I consider 2 mags the minimum and 4 to be plenty for a plate carrier.


    For actually buying a plate carrier check out WTFidea.com They are American made and at a killer price. Their carrier is low profile and will solve all your needs right out of the box.


    For a belt you can get an inner outer belt combo like others have suggested. It really comes down to how much do you really need on your belt? I only carry a holster and twin mags, so a leather gun belt works really well for me. The nice thing about a traditional style leather belt is that you can wear your gun belt in public and no one knows. If you want to add your holster at anytime you are already wearing your proper gun belt. It's the best solution I can think of for the grey man solution to the gun belt problem.
    Tactical Nylon Micro Brewery

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Posts
    722
    Feedback Score
    12 (100%)
    I cannot comment on plates or plate carrier. Maybe try to find and buy used. You know, not "used" as in it's been shot, but something retired from a police department or look around at military surplus stores. Those are always fun.

    As far as a belt and belt equip. You can probably get away with a 5.11 maverick belt, safariland ALS holster, some esstac mag pouches.
    As for a first aid kit. study the contents of the mymedic, darkangel, and high speed gear iFAK's and build your own piece by piece via amazon and/or by going to your local pharmacy to save money there. Even the camping sections in walmart and sporting goods stores have good "stop-bleed" items.
    “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
    - Mark Twain

  4. #14
    Join Date
    Dec 2015
    Location
    NC
    Posts
    3,111
    Feedback Score
    50 (100%)

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    Montana
    Posts
    7
    Feedback Score
    0
    OP,

    Have you determined a budget for what you are willing to spend to obtain your desired setup?

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Posts
    68
    Feedback Score
    0
    Quote Originally Posted by RedFRC99 View Post
    OP,

    Have you determined a budget for what you are willing to spend to obtain your desired setup?
    Not particularly. Probably as inexpensive as possible while still retaining sufficient quality for civilian use.

  7. #17
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    Montana
    Posts
    7
    Feedback Score
    0
    Quote Originally Posted by Olympus View Post
    Not particularly. Probably as inexpensive as possible while still retaining sufficient quality for civilian use.
    There are many others on this forum with far more knowledge than myself so hopefully I'm not speaking out of turn here. When it comes to a plate carrier and more specifically the plates that you put in that carrier, you will want to consider what types of threats you are likely to encounter if the carrier is ever needed. Someone in a rural area full of hunters is far more likely to run into a 30-06 (or similar) large game caliber than someone living in a large city where a 5.56 carbine is more common. Spend some time researching the different threat ratings of rifle plates and determine what would best fit you and your situation. Wearing 15-20lbs of level 4 plates might not be needed when 8-10lbs of level 3+ plates will protect against the majority of threats in your area.

    Also be aware that plate carriers are sized to the plates going in them, not your shirt size. So you will want to determine what size plates will fit you best and then base your carrier selection off that.

  8. #18
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    A Little Here And A Little There
    Posts
    3,221
    Feedback Score
    82 (100%)
    Quote Originally Posted by turnburglar View Post
    .........

    Stop holes - buying plates is an extensive rabbit hole that I dont want to get into here.

    For actually buying a plate carrier check out WTFidea.com They are American made and at a killer price. Their carrier is low profile and will solve all your needs right out of the box.
    For the OP
    Plates - go and get a set of Hesco 3810's, be happy, move on with your life. Seriously.
    If a whopping 2 front/back plates weigh 15-20 pounds before you add a single mag...you're doing it wrong.
    Also, if the plates won't stop 855, buy something else.

    WTF makes some interesting stuff, but IMHO, I'd go with the Ferro Concepts Slickster first. Having had a few of both FC and WTF products, I think FC is slightly better, and also, for your first foray into gear, if you hate it, the FC will re-sale way better.
    I have a current-gen Slickster with the lasercut Molle rear bag so that it covers the rear cummerbund velcro (because leaving it exposed is a dumb design choice). I'm also not in love with elastic cummerbunds, but you can (sort of) change it later, if you need something else.
    Then just pick whatever 3-mag SWIFT-clip shingle you like for the front and stick it on there.

    Quote Originally Posted by MegademiC View Post
    ............
    Dont worry about what you look like, focus should be identifying what capability you want, getting the appropriate gear, and training to achieve those capabilities.
    Exactly - that's the hard part: identifying your mission needs, especially stateside where, as a civ, nobody really has a specific known set of mission requirements.
    Once that's done, it gets easier to pare down your gear needs, especially as you expand your training and knowledge base, BUT, you're still going to probably end up going through a couple iterations of the "perfect" setup to get it right, so... if you end up spending more money that you expect, that's par for the course.


    Quote Originally Posted by Olympus View Post
    .......... My first want is some kind of belt setup. Something in between a full blown "war belt" and just a basic belt and holster setup. I want to be able to use it for typical range sessions, but also be something that I could incorporate into a SHTF loadout as well. .......... But please remember, I'm looking for a minimalist civilian type setup here. I don't want to go overboard.

    Then the second thing I'd like is a plate carrier and anything extra I need to go with that also. ...........
    Per bolded, I think you might have difficulty doing an all-in-one as it is unclear what you consider a typical range session, and what you mean by "incorporate into SHTF loadout", combined with what your EDC (if any) already is.
    I'm guessing your best bet might be to start with something like the 2-piece velcro options, like the LAB/Esstac/Blue Alpha or other similar types already mentioned. That way you can set up your EDC/CCW as you need it, and then a full range/Oh Crap, Hooligans! belt to keep in your bag and then yank the EDC off and stick the Oh Crap Belt on as needed.

    Per PC, it all depends on how low-pro you need to be, or how much stuff it needs to carry if overt. Your loadout for that may also depend on if you are wearing a pack with it, and what/how much you put on your belt.

    One word of advice on PCs - don't try to overload a PC designed as a lo-pro/lightweight. You'll end up spending a lot of money to make it do what a more full-featured carrier can do, and it will hurt to wear...
    It was the same with Crye JPCs a few years back - people trying to turn them into a poor man's AVS, then predictably came the complaints about comfort. Well,duh...
    At the same time, add what you need to add - don't feel like "oh noes, I put more than 2 mags, I'm not civilian enough anymore" or whatev, sometimes you gotta ignore the meta and the haters and do what you need, even if it feels a little bit overboard.
    "Once we get some iron in our souls, we'll get some iron in our hands..."

    "...A rapid, aggressive response will let you get away with some pretty audacious things if you are willing to be mean, fast, and naked."-Failure2Stop

    "The Right can meme; the Left can organize. I guess now we know which one is important." - Random internet comment

  9. #19
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Location
    AZ
    Posts
    1,332
    Feedback Score
    3 (100%)
    Quote Originally Posted by Jellybean View Post
    For the OP
    Plates - go and get a set of Hesco 3810's, be happy, move on with your life. Seriously.
    If a whopping 2 front/back plates weigh 15-20 pounds before you add a single mag...you're doing it wrong.
    Also, if the plates won't stop 855, buy something else.
    This is terrible advice. Hesco just had two big recalls; I wouldn't say their $700 plate is the one stop shop you claim it to be.

    OP: if you want to research any prospective plates check out buffmanrange on YouTube. He shoots tons of armor and has a very controlled procedure similar to the NIJ in almost every way. Some $100 plates are out there that will stop rounds above their rating. You absolutely DO NOT need to spend over $500 on a plate that will stop bullets. If you are fine with a 1" thick single curve plate there are a few that will stop green tip under $200 and 6 pounds.

    Anyone that says only their super duper expensive plate will stop bullets and a $100 plate won't; simply has brand fan brain. I'm not saying that expensive plates are stupid, Im just saying they definitely are not for everyone. When you spend more money on a plate you typically get a thinner lighter plate. For example a battle steel ($150) 3+ weighs 5 pounds and is 0.8" thick. A shot stop ($500) GT2 weighs 3.8 pounds and is 0.6" thick. Both plates are made to stop m855. Also a big feature you get from a more expensive plate will be multi curve. A cheaper plate will typically be only single curve.

    If you dont wear body armor for a living or for 12+ hours at a time you will probably be fine with a cheaper set of plates. Both LAPG and Botach offer some good ones.
    Tactical Nylon Micro Brewery

  10. #20
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    N.E. OH
    Posts
    7,591
    Feedback Score
    0
    Quote Originally Posted by turnburglar View Post
    This is terrible advice. Hesco just had two big recalls; I wouldn't say their $700 plate is the one stop shop you claim it to be.

    OP: if you want to research any prospective plates check out buffmanrange on YouTube. He shoots tons of armor and has a very controlled procedure similar to the NIJ in almost every way. Some $100 plates are out there that will stop rounds above their rating. You absolutely DO NOT need to spend over $500 on a plate that will stop bullets. If you are fine with a 1" thick single curve plate there are a few that will stop green tip under $200 and 6 pounds.

    Anyone that says only their super duper expensive plate will stop bullets and a $100 plate won't; simply has brand fan brain. I'm not saying that expensive plates are stupid, Im just saying they definitely are not for everyone. When you spend more money on a plate you typically get a thinner lighter plate. For example a battle steel ($150) 3+ weighs 5 pounds and is 0.8" thick. A shot stop ($500) GT2 weighs 3.8 pounds and is 0.6" thick. Both plates are made to stop m855. Also a big feature you get from a more expensive plate will be multi curve. A cheaper plate will typically be only single curve.

    If you dont wear body armor for a living or for 12+ hours at a time you will probably be fine with a cheaper set of plates. Both LAPG and Botach offer some good ones.
    Is battle steel NIJ certified and subject to FIT audits?

    Hesco l210 stop 855 and are $330 per set, 5lb each and .5" sigle curve

Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •