Is the best option to just buy a loaded rig from ar500?  I am looking at the op2 w curved and side plates for $345.  I have looked through a lot of pages on this forum and my search doesn't work. Looking for info....  

I'd like soft or light but I want to be able to stop rifle rounds.  Not leo or military.

To try and give you an honest answer/opinion, first I should ask, What type of budget are you working with? and how do you plan on using this set up?

I don't really have a budget but lets keep it "cheap" less than $500 but $350 is a good range to be in.  

I also wont really use it unless there is a specific reason to be wearing it.  Basically Id rather spend the little bit of money to protect myself in the future if I ever need to.  Hopefully that never happens.  

It would be nice to have a rig w no plates to be able to wear for AR tactical training courses that require it too.

For $500 you can easily get a simple carrier from a reputable company plus a set of standalone level IV plates.

IMHO the two things that are always worth paying the extra buck for is ballistic protection, and med supplies. Without going on a tangent, I value my families life and mine, and am thus willing to make sure I have the best value of the two mentioned items. That said, if you want to go for the set up you mentioned above, then go for it. Though as someone pointed to above, $500ish can get you a quality, name-brand (Trusted) plate carrier possibly with even LvL IV plates.

Using just a few minutes of google-fu I found a first spear, PIG, and a Gray Ghost Gear plate carrier for under $200.
First Spear/ PIG
Gray Ghost Gear

Now while I can only personally vouch for the quality of one of those above mentioned brands, any of the above[ to include LBT, crye, mayflower, Eagle, etc] would serve you much better in the long run. Not only in terms of quality, but also if you ever decide you want to upgrade up. You would be more likely just modifying your gear, instead of having to by a whole new plate carrier and set up. Thus realistically saving money overall.

As for plates, you can find lvl III or lvl IV plates without breaking the bank. I know a lot of guys on here have used and trusted Bulletproofme before. Also there are many other sites that offer high-quality plates at a reasonable price. And I have seen quality lvl IV plates for under $250. Now I don't remember if that was for the set or individually

Though more specifically towards to kit you originally mentioned. It has been my experience that ready made kits tend to never be the best bang for the buck. You will eventually want something more modular, i.e. more personalized. That being something that you put together, that fits your needs and uses perfectly. Something only you can put together.  But in the end, money is always the controlling factor, so hopefully this helps some.

Im just being honest here....  I don't know much about this stuff!

If I handed you $300 for lvl3 and a PC what would you pick out?  With med pack and everything.  Id like to have a 2-3 AR mag and 2 pistol mag and med and room for other.  

Will this include side plates?  



Back to the AR500 Operator 2 w lvl3 plates.  Whats the issue?  What about the Banshee PC?  Is it the PC that's the issue or is it the plates?  

Links for other products that are trusted would be helpful.

Thanks

With only $300 to work with and youre requests i would say a Banshee plate carrier with AR500 Stand Alone Steel plates, a triple mag pouch in front, on the sides put a individual first aid kit (IFAK) and the other side put a pistol mag pouch.

This is bare bones setup so you are missing some key components like a hydro pouch, and a battle belt, which is where you pistol, pistol mags, IFAK, dump pouch and other small pouches and secondary items should really be carrier. Plate carriers are heavy, you want to put only the essentials on there, keeping the weight off your shoulders and spine and putting the rest of the weight on your belt and onto your hips.

Its worth taking the time to do the research and know what you are getting and what its capabilities are. Personally i would wait atleast a month from now and in that time just read the tactical gear forum here and learn about what is out there. Check out skdtac.com as well as optactical.com, learn the difference between plate carriers and armor carriers, decide what you need/want your gear to do for you.

Im assuming you are not police or military and just a civilian thinking for home defense and SHTF, which is perfectly fine and is what most of the people on this site are. As a civilian you dont need to tip top tier of gear but you also dont want to buy s**t gear that wont protect you either. Also for home defense you dont need 3 days worth of water and rations, a long range radio, 200+ rounds of ammo, maps, satellite radio, range finer, etc.... keep your gear basic and light weight so it is easily and quick to put on and allows you to be agile.

And finally when you do get your gear practice with it! Shooting in a vest feels like youre walking on the moon. Its very heavy and awkward, it doesnt allow you to shoulder the rifle like you are used too, you need to stand square to your target, bend your knees and have a wider stance than normal. Some modifications i made to my gear was i went from a 2x3 mag pouch to a 1x3 because i couldn't lay flat, making shooting prone very difficult. I also moved the IFAK from my lower back to the side because it turned me into a turtle and i couldnt get back up if i fell on my back. I dont run any pouches on the sides of my carrier because i run side plates and i can barely get my arms down to my sides, if i put pouches there it raises my elbows up and i looks like i have chicken wings in the air. Knee pads are a must with heavy gear, especially if youre shooting at the range. For home defense i just grab my armor carrier which only has rifle mags and a knife. For SHTF i can add the battle belt which has all of the extra gear.

If I were taking tactile courses and a carrier is required (carrier or PC) then would it be stupid to go with a PC with no plates?  I am just trying to cover both and not have to buy 2 different carriers.

Not stupid, it will just sag and be crappy to wear. The way to go in my opinion would be either an independent chest rig over a slick carrier or a chest rig that can be clipped into the carrier or clipped back into it's shoulder straps. All depending on what you want/need.


I'm editing this post because I have some things floating around my head, and that annoys me.

I recently bought a Grey Ghost Gear Minimalist Plate Carrier. I bought it to stick a spare set of plates in and was tossing around the idea of making it into a "minimalist" setup. So far I've been pleased with it. Is it adds nice as my Mayflower? No, but it does what it's intended to do. Adding some shoulder pads to it are a big help. I had a pair of Eagle pads that fit perfectly on it. If you'd like I can take a picture of it tomorrow with what's currently on it so you can get an idea.

Nothing you've asked has been stupid. Its all been very valid for someone just beginning to explore this subject. And we are defiantly here to help.

So, as for wearing a carrier with no plates. While many will say its not a great idea, due to sagging of the carrier; its not bad ether. Mostly because it protects your plates from being damaged while you train. It really can take something as small as going prone and landing on a rock to then give your plate internal hairline fractures. Thus making a $$$$ plate a paper weight. The solution: I know of two companies that have produced Training plates. Like the Team wendy training plates, they are fairly cheap given what they are. That being plate sized, rubber coated, steel plates. These plates were designed specifically for training and simulating real plates, having NO ballistic protection.


overall I have to support Spartikis for the most part. We can defiantly help you pick out armor and a carrier. But your definitely going to be better off waiting a few more months, saving up money, and educating yourself as a consumer. Keep asking questions, check out other posters set ups on here, and just try to figure out what will work best for you. Thats the best advice I can give buddy.

I guess I will need a PC eventually but a chest rig would do just fine for me now.  I usually start off just buying the best stuff so I don't worry about not having something but I need a light and useable chest rig for training classes and a PC is just too much/big for that.  I am trying to watch videos of ex-military guys that teach and see what rigs they use and their setup.  I am also searching online and this forum but people just go overboard and it looks like they have impractical stuff for real life (not going on patrol in Iraq).  I want good/quality/light/useable gear.  Id like to have 2-3 AR mags, pistol mags, other pouch, medical, and maybe shotgun shells.  I keep seeing PIG and Condor but I don't think that looks quality.

First off, at that price, I wouldn't bother. Cheap armor is fucking heavy, and you may be better off being able to run faster.

Second, the AR500 soft gear (carriers, mag pouches, etc.) are ALMOST all Condor gear with AR500's logo on the outer package. It's decent for occasional use, but if you plan to use it every day kicking in doors you'll want something better. Their "Operator" plate carrier can be found new for $80 or so stand-alone, and it's not one of their better options.

Finally, there are level 4 plates available (which will actually stop M193) for roughly the same price (and weight...with more bulk) as the AR500 lvl3 plates.

OP,

FIrst off, I sympathize. You can go cross-eyed researching your kit, and may have to take out a loan if you don't pace yourself.

The advice I'd offer is (1) determine your requirements (armor or load-bearing equipment, or both?) and (2) think modular/scalable.

I'd recommend building out in the following order:
1. Your everday carry (pistol, holster, knife, light, spare mag/holster, etc.)
2. Battle belt/duty belt (addition of OWB holster, more mags/holsters, IFAK)
3. Chest rig
4. Slick plate/armor carrier

Timeframe is important too. There are some amazing sales on gear during the holidays, if you want to pace yourself.

Just my two cents. Good luck with it!

I'm still new into this as well cap, but that's still a reasonable budget to buy from reputable companies.



I bought a pair of these High Com plates just recently, and they should be at my door today. They're level IV's, not super light, but on a budget this plus the 25% off coupon makes it pretty good cost wise. With one 10x12 single curve and one 10x12 multi curve, these cost me 238.50 total.


For a carrier, I just have a Tactical Tailor modular plate carrier. It's nothing fancy, and we'll see how comfortable it is once I get the plates in,  but as for a budget PC Tactical Tailor has a pretty good reputation. However, I've heard positive things about the Ares Armor Aspis plate carrier, which is currently on sale for now much more than the tactical tailor one. Also, a lot of folks on here have the Mayflower APC, but that is a little bit more expensive.

For mag pouches, you could grab a Tactical Tailor triple mag shingle and TT magna magnet both for relatively cheap compared to other brands.




None of that is really the fanciest, but I've been to the TT store up in Tacoma Washington and handled a lot of their gear. It looks and feels well built, at least to me.





I don't really know shit about IFAKs or how to employ them, so I won't give any suggestions on something that far out of my knowledge base.

They sell the Banshee which gets good reviews.  I assume that's a better option.  Maybe I can just buy a Banshee PC and take the side plate cumberbund off and use it as a chest rig?  That way I have a decent chest rig AND a decent PC if/when I get plates.  

Remember I am trying to find something to just carry magz and few supplies for training courses AND have something that I can add to when I know what I want to do.  Id hate to spend $100 on a cheap chest rig and then have to buy a whole new setup when I want plates.  But if you guys tell me that its nice to have a chest rig and a PC then I would consider that and go that route.  Just looking for advice from people who have used this stuff in real life and not just buy stuff to take pics in the mirror and run around your house...  I don't have any interest in that.  

PS

While I was writing a review 2 more responses showed up...  I don't CCW and don't plan on that so I don't have a need for everyday (if that changes I will adapt).  The idea about being able to run faster vs being weighed down w 20-30lb of armor is interesting and worth noting.  

----Now considering a cheap Condor Recon rig for $35 and just use it and see what I like/don't like.  My only other option is a PIG UCR for $100 but I am not sure its worth more for what I need right now.  

This being the case, buy a plate carrier, and if you don't want to buy plates right this moment just cut out some cardboard or some sort of hard-stock to keep the carrier rigid. Or, do as somebody up there suggested, buy training plates.

So now I am thinking a chest rig.  I obviously want a good one but there are so many to choose from.  

Decisions:

1-Cheap vs Quality
--Cheap because I can get one that will work for classes and save money and figure out what I like/need then upgrade if needed
--Quality because that's obvious


2-Needs/Wants
--Need 3-4 AR magz (more the better), 2 pistol magz
--Want pouch, med (maybe just put medical supplies in a pouch), flashlight, multitool
----Id like to buy one ready to go vs adding a bunch of stuff to a rig.


What I found:

-Condor Recon $35 and seems GTG and no additional items needed except a dump pouch.  Save money, get something OK (good reviews), useable.  Straps are padded and cross (if that matters).
-PIG UCR $100.  It looks like it has everything I need there.  Reviews are good on this.  Lighter.  Good quality right away.  
-5.11 Tac $60.  Reviews were good.  Light and quality.  Not GTG and would need to add piston mag and various other items.  AR mag secure elastic seems to be an issue.  Fold over cover tabs seem to be an issue.  
-Condor Modular Chest Set $50.  It has a backpack to it and probably gets into the PC area too much for it to make sense.  But reviews were good and it looks good.
-Ares Lite Atalanta Slim Chest Rig $100.  I would have to add pistol magz and other stuff.  There is only 1 pic of this and its a bad pic so I don't know anything about it.  
-Banshee Rifle Plate Carrier $200.  This is interesting because the reviews are great, the LAPD approved it, and people are using it overseas.  Its also nice because the cummerbund is removable and it can act as a chest rig IMO.  I would have to add pouches to it though.  But it will serve as my PC and I can just add plates.




To me it comes down to cheap Condor Recon for training and it has everything I need already installed.  The PIG UCR if it is really high quality and that comes with everything I need.  Or, the Banshee and load it as needed.  

The Banshee w lvl 4 is $399 which seems like a great deal.  What do you think about this:  http://www.shellbacktactical.com/banshee-defender-system.aspx  http://www.shellbacktactical.com/banshee-defender-system.aspx

If it were my money, I would save up and buy ceramic plates.

The Banshee is an awesome carrier, period.

OP, whichever plates you go with the Banshee is an excellent choice although it seems to be discontinued.

Make sure the classes you are taking don't require armor. A few do.

With the condor gear, expect it to wear out if you actually use it. If you're just going to use it for a couple hours, two days a year, when you're standing around the range, it's fine. If you're planning to go running through the woods with it every day, fully loaded with mags, expect it to wear out in a few weeks.

With what you're planning to carry, a battle belt may be a reasonable way to go. You should be able to carry all the mags you're talking, plus a first aid kit. If you later end up with the money for armor

The LTC 26225 plates in that Banshee rig are 8 pounds each. They'll give you better protection than AR500, but it's not going to be any lighter. ETA: Well, you don't save much weight. A 10x12, no-buildup, AR500 plate that I have is 8lb 8.4oz. Damn heavy.

I'm going to be in the market for body armor and I'm just now learning about it. I'm buying for my wife and I and have a $1,000 budget for both of us. I might be able to get it up to $2,000 if I waited for another couple months. What would be my best options in the $500 to $1000 price range for one person? Thanks for any help!