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I was just wondering how many people here have plate carrier setups and if so what and why you have what you have.

Photos would help a lot!


I personally use a concealed plate carrier with AR500 armor. I can put any chest rig I want over the top independently should I choose not to be more stealthy with it. I use this with side plates as well as the front and back. It's comfortable, cheap and actually conceals well on my 6'2" frame.
 
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One main concern about a rig is weight. Try to keep that to a minimum. Plus level 4 plates only rated for one shot (granted a bigger caliber) level 3 plates I would suggest would be better. AR500 steel plates are great for multiple hits but the sprawl and shrapnel from the breaking round can in itself be deadly if lodged in a sensitive area.
Piece out your rig according to your needs and ability to handle weight plus gear.
My rig was very heavy and as I got older I realize in a survival mode... speed and mobility trumps the added weight.
However, if I was in a transport vehicle...hells....who cares about weight? If bursts of activity are less than an hour then go full rig. :)
 
With armor, I think carefully about the target scenario.

Home invader? They may just aim at the pelvis or head with an external plate carrier. Especially one bristling with molle and magazines. Concealed is better, or use a plain carrier which blends with your everyday clothes.

SHTF scenario? If a rifle round hits and lays you gasping on your back, do you have a partner to cover? If alone, maybe it's better to forego armor and maximize agility.

As Znztivguy mentions weight is a factor. The best armor is what you're actually wearing when shot. I like polyethylene plates, matched with thicker trauma pads to help keep you in the fight.
 
I have the condor operator plate carrier, ar500 plates, 6 ak mags, Blow out kit, comms, map pouch(holds compass, map for current A.O.O., and a couple other tools), and a spare C.A.T.

It is by no means light.... but add a BOB or INCH bag and walk a few miles and your ready to die. I may ditch the ar500 or the whole plate carrier and just run a chest rig.
 
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Here's kinda've an odd question... so I've been rocking the molle FLC for about a year now (ditched my old tac-tailor MAV, which had the problem of not carrying enough stuff, and what it did carry was all in the wrong place), I'm considering swapping over to a plate carrier, however the biggest issue for me, is I'm huge, 6'8 and 56" across the chest, because of this, most of the plate carriers I've tried end up fitting me like a baby-doll T-shirt and barely extend below my rib cage.

Soldier, if you're thinking of dropping the plate carrier, the molle FLC is a nice compromise in that it's insanely light, they're available on amazon for less than $20, provided you don't mind 3-color desert.
 
I have gone through so many different sets of gear to find one that works its crazy. What I am currently playing with now though is more of a hodgepog than an off the shelf unit. A friend and I went in on some heavy duty sewing machines and have created and modified gear to make it work how we needed. I run two different loadouts depending on what we are doing. A heavily modified plate carrier with AR500 plates, 8 Mags double stacked across the front, IFAK, Cat, Coms, and multitool on the sides within easy reach. On my ligher kit its a standard condor plate carrier, with AR500 plates and 3 mags on vest plus IFAK on back with the addition of a battle belt that holds my extra cat and varous other tools.

The way I look at it, if the extra 14lb of plate weight is too much weight for me I need to be doing more PT. In the winter I run/jog with just a plate carrier and plates under my sweatshirt. summer is a different story. i get a little soft this time of year not wanting to run with a sweatshirt on and not wanting to draw extra attention from nehbors (not that the 20' flagpole flying a III% flag in front of the house doesnt get that attention anyways)
 
So far my two rigs are the Molle II FLC, 6 ar mags, 3 pistol mags and pistol holster, grenade pouch (where I keep my compass), 2 flash bang pouches (one fits my GPS, the other fits a cat tourniquet), radio pouch (on the back left), a multi-purpose pouch, usually I have a flask (with gatoraide concentrate) a small notebook, a pen and two pencils. On the other side, I have a double 40mm pyro-pouch with two 37mm parachute flares.

My ultralight/refill rig, is a tac tailor MAV bib, that I put a shoulder strap on, it holds 6 more ar mags, 6 more 37mm pyro rounds (3 more parachute flares, and 3 smoke rounds)
 
AMProducts....let me know more about what you are looking for and maybe we can work somthingout in getting you a custom designed plate carrier that fits you. I desinged and built a few that are for bigger guys already and they have been well recieved (and put through some serous hell)

the thing i cant stand is when the gear has set positions for things on the carrier/lbe. I want to be able to customize what I have and where it goes.
 

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