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Posted: 8/3/2014 9:37:54 PM EDT
[#1]
Soft armor. You can't cover everything in plate.
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Posted: 8/4/2014 3:01:42 AM EDT
[#2]
The idea of plates is to keep your heart and lungs safe. You can live a lot longer with a stomach wound than a heart or lung wound. Ideally, full protection would be nice, but sacrifices need to be made to keep you combat effective and not too heavy.
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Posted: 8/4/2014 3:37:03 AM EDT
[#3]
Maybe consider a longish size police-style soft armor vest under your PC? I used to have one that extended from the sternum notch to almost my navel. Below that, I'd strongly consider a battle belt with soft armor--the VTAC Brokos and Blue Force Gear belts are, IIRC, two with that option.
But as the first response indicated, plates covering your entire torso just won't be practical. |
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Posted: 8/4/2014 4:50:08 AM EDT
[#4]
What about side plates on the PC? I noticed a bunch of guys in the Spec Ops pic thread in GD don't use them. Some do, but lots don't. Any specific reason why?
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Posted: 8/4/2014 7:52:38 AM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
What about side plates on the PC? I noticed a bunch of guys in the Spec Ops pic thread in GD don't use them. Some do, but lots don't. Any specific reason why? Weight and mobility. Plates are heavy and cumbersome and can hinder movement. You often find yourself playing a game of odds when it comes to armor. Both more and less coverage come with their own costs and it's up to you to decide which is a better choice based on your needs and wants. |
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Posted: 8/4/2014 5:52:59 PM EDT
[#6]
If u want to protect every square inch you need one of those bomb suit, or even better yet a tank. Body armor is all about covering the vital organs, your stomach and intestines are not vital organs, if u get shot there u will be fine, you may not be able to eat solid food after that but worse things could happen. So no, people don't wear stomach armor and very few soldiers on foot wear extra armor like neck or groin protection, and the armor type everyone is going towards seems to be the plate carrier.
Edit: just remembered that Cryr sells a ballistic battle belt which would offer decent lower torso protection if combined with a armor carrier using a BALCS insert. |
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Posted: 8/4/2014 8:15:57 PM EDT
[#7]
I think the most coverage you will get is an IOTV with soft/hard armor. Everything in, it weighs like 30 pounds.This will give you at least 3a coverage from your throat down to your pelvis, or down to your groin with a nut flap.
As said before armor is a balance between weight and mobility. |
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Posted: 8/4/2014 8:22:51 PM EDT
[#8]
You may want an actual ARMOR carrier as opposed to just a PLATE carrier. "Armor Carriers" carry large SPEAR or BALCS-cut soft armor packages that wrap around the torso on both sides and extend down to the belly area. Naturally, the plates will be the same size and are just there to cover the vital organs.
Here's a link to an armor carrier. In contrast, you can see how much smaller the coverage is on this plate carrier. |
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Posted: 9/19/2014 3:58:22 PM EDT
[#9]
after researching it, I went with an IOTV groin protector flap - soft armor. it is lightweight and offers some degree of protection against smaller rounds, etc.
the straps on the IOTV groin protector attach right to the molle on my plate carrier - good to go. since the bottom attachment point of the plate carrier is 'higher' than the full IOTV vest, the IOTV Groin Protector rides higher as well, but it covers my stomach down to the crotch. I feel less 'naked' down there now. recommended approach for anyone, with just a plate carrier, looking for a little additional protection. |
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Posted: 9/19/2014 5:34:02 PM EDT
[#10]
Soft armor is what you seek. Either that or articulated B. Armor, which I don't think is available on the open market yet and if it is will be expensive. Linky
Years ago, when I first entered the shooting business, I was issued some German body armor that covered all of the stomach. Every time I'd run through an obstacle and have to raise my leg to get over it that damn plate would get jammed up into my chin and rattle my teeth. What works in theory doesn't always work in practice. |
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Posted: 9/19/2014 5:50:08 PM EDT
[#11]
Armor carrier.
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Posted: 9/19/2014 6:24:32 PM EDT
[#12]
Is mainly a compromise between mobility and protection. the plates will protect your vitals and provide a decent amount of mobility.
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Posted: 9/19/2014 6:35:15 PM EDT
[#13]
Some PCs have internal webbing loops which are used to attach a groin protector, which is almost always of soft armor. As you know, soft armor is capable of stopping most frag, 9mm bullets, and a few other types of bullets. Not capable of stopping rifle rounds unless they are almost entirely out of energy.
Some mfrs offer war belts which have optional soft armor inserts. I just added soft armor to my Blue Force Gear belt, and was surprised at how little the IIIA soft armor inserts weighed. Care must be taken to buy the right size belt, so that the ends (and thus armor inserts) just touch or are separated a little bit. Even if your PC has no internal webbing for attachment of a groin protector, such can usually be attached to the PALS webbing on the exterior of the PC. This has the possible advantage of allowing the user to raise or lower the groin protector to suit their body, as opposed to the fixed internal webbing loops. The trick here is to obtain a soft armor insert for the groin protector. The carriers, usually in UCP or possibly in Woodland or 3-color desert, are not hard to get. Hereabouts, I see the UCP groin protectors and inserts fairly often, and the price is pretty cheap compared to what I see elsewhere. I am not sure, but some info I have read leads me to believe that the Mil offered groin protectors in two sizes. I have only seen armor inserts and/or carriers for same in a single size, so this might be BS info, or else the smaller groin protector is extremely uncommon. Noted that some posters in this thread seem to dismiss belly wounds somewhat. Such might be understandable in a current Mil situation where immediate, skilled care was available, and also quick transport to a first-rate med facility. This level of care might not always be available, so I think that is worth considering. |
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Posted: 9/20/2014 7:48:28 AM EDT
[#14]
You folks do realize that there's a lot more in your abdomen than your GI tract, right? If something were to compromise your abdominal aorta, it's a very quick death.
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Posted: 9/20/2014 2:18:50 PM EDT
[#15]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
You folks do realize that there's a lot more in your abdomen than your GI tract, right? If something were to compromise your abdominal aorta, it's a very quick death. Of course. Complete coverage of every single vital structure isn't practical. Protective gear is a compromise. |
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Posted: 9/20/2014 7:00:17 PM EDT
[#16]
A lot of the reason why the plates cover what they do is because of the organs they cover. They also cover what they do is because how soldiers are taught to shoot, center of mass. Where is that? Where the plate is. As pointed out, by previous posters, there is a trade off between protection and mobility. Another thing to think about is every pound shaved off your armor is another pound you can carry.
IDHunt |
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Posted: 9/23/2014 11:07:04 PM EDT
[#17]
If you have the scratch, Velocity Systems ULV is perhaps what you seek.
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Posted: 9/24/2014 8:43:31 PM EDT
[#18]
How much time have you spend training in your PC?
Like any part of your gear, you need to train in your armor to be effective while wearing it. Run some serious shoot and move drills in your PC (with a full load-out) for multiple sessions. Then decide whether the additional weight and loss of mobility of yet more armor is advisable. |
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Posted: 9/24/2014 11:04:06 PM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryQuoted: How much time have you spend training in your PC?
Like any part of your gear, you need to train in your armor to be effective while wearing it. Run some serious shoot and move drills in your PC (with a full load-out) for multiple sessions. Then decide whether the additional weight and loss of mobility of yet more armor is advisable. Riding a bike, for example, you quickly discover the side plates have to move up. |
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