Had been thinking to pick up a banshee plate carrier and toss some plates in it for a basic carrier loadout. Friday morning click fest on the internet landed me looking at a bunch of the extra Eclipse IOTV's vest+armor deals going on. At 190 (270 after the anti-spalling, so really, 270) it caught my eye. I know its the ar500 steel plates and so they're going to run a bit heavier and I've seen folks go back and forth on if they like them or not, but generally, as a basic rig, what are ya'll reactions to it?

I'm not leo and I'm not mil. This will likely (and hopefully) only ever need to sit in my closet or when I play at the range in the backyard. So I'm trying to balance price with 'functional enough'.

I searched back to early june when this deal got posted around the net and didn't see a thread on it. Hopefully I didn't just forget how to read; if I did, I apologize for spamming the board.

If you're gonna do it, do it right with ceramic.  Odds are you will never ever use them, let alone need them.  That can be said about a lot of the gear we buy  My .02, if you go with the steel, you will soon think "gee, for a few dollars more I could have had ceramic."

That being said, I went with triple-curved ceramic and a banshee.  Since then, I have thought "gee, I should have gone with a JPC."  I bought mine in case of civil unrest and hurricanes and the threat of home invasion where I might have the time to put them on.  Since then, I wore them to a class to ensure the rig and layout would work.  Now, I mainly wear them while I watch the first 48 or cook dinner for the SO.

Fair enough. Part of why I asked. I'm easy to convince for a few bucks more. *Buy once, cry once meme here*

So true about the stuff we buy. It's grown up legos I'm fairly convinced.

Looking at PCs tends to confuse the crap out of me. It seems everyone wants to urge spending 300+ on a PC and then another 500 for the plates. Part of my issue is trying to find a way to start piecing this together bit by bit at a reasonable and functional balance. The all at once plan is a bit rough on my wallet right now.  I was looking at the Shellback banshee as well. I've heard good things about it. Any other PC options that run between about 120-180 that won't fall apart/I won't regret? Is there any rationale for a 300 PC as a 'need' given my expectation of it and its use?

Don't mean to hijack this thread, but a question about the curves of plates.  Is it best to run multi curve over single curve front and back, or just multi curve on the front and single curve on the back?  Or is multi curve only necessary if you are a Mark 1 Mod 0 Super Secret Squirrel Operator?

Multi curve is more comfortable.  Its been a while, but I think the price difference is minimal.  A flat plate is like strapping a hard back book to your body.  A single curve is controured on the y axis of the torso.  A triple curve is contoured on both the x and y axis.

I have been happy with the banshee and have read that it will hold up to hard use.  It is fairly minimalist, which is fine for my use.  I think the knee-jerk reaction is to fill up every inch of webbing with pouches.  

However, by the time you add armor, the rig is already fairly heavy.  You throw on two or three rifle mags and a blowout kit and even heavier.  By the time you start thinking about a multi-tool, flashlight, batteries, radio,water, and another three mags, shit gets heavy.  Then you go back to what problem is this piece of gear solving?

I always head back to the minimalist approach.  Three rifle mags on the front, a small BOK on the cumberbund and an empty GP pouch just in case.  In reality, if I ever need to defend myself, it will likely be with my EDC.  In the event I use my rifle, I will likely be wearing underwear and have access to only the ammo in the gun.

Multi-curve for both sides. Forget about single curve entirely.

 
Nothing wrong with single curve.

There's some sick discounts on level 4 ceramics right now.
But my personal plate carrier has steel plates in it because I use it for PT. I do cardio, pull-ups, push-ups, body builders in it. I don't have to worry about damaging a plate. Theyre also heavier than ceramic plates.

Duty plates are issued by the office.

From the July 4 sales thread - a pair of lvl IV plates for under 200$ shipped:

I would hop on the Highcom Security 4th of July weekend sale. You can pickup 2 LVL 4 ceramic plates for about $220 shipped. Then go find you a plate carrier for $80 bucks and your still under $100, and you have LVL 4 ceramics.