I am new to plate carriers. I have a chest rig and I am thinking of picking up some armor. I have found a few and I would like your opion.  These are the three options I am thinking about going with.

here they are:

http://www.vtarmynavy.com/modular-operator-plate-carrier-5835.htm

http://www.vtarmynavy.com/modular-operator-plate-carrier-7346.htm

http://www.vtarmynavy.com/quick-release-plate-carrier.htm

Chinese manufacture.

If you're an LEO, Mil, or have any inkling of using such gear to protect yourself, you will do additional research and spend the extra money that will get you something more suitable to defend your life with.

Why do you want armor? Establish your needs first. What plates will you be putting in it? Plate carriers do not work well without plates.

ran away like your hair is on fire, go to skd and search around there for a plate carrier.  Great prices and great CS.

Plates will be level III. I know eagle makes them along with blackhawk. but other than that I know nothing. I would like the 10x13 size plates so I could still be mobile.

Under what circumstances are you looking at using armor?

What gear are you planning on carrying with a PC? Do you want simple for a minimum of magazines and such, or do you need ones with cummerbunds, PALS webbing on the sides, etc...? What chest rig do you have currently?

You cant go wrong with TAG IMO. I have this carrier although I dont run plates in it (yet). Affordable, extremely well constructed and very durable. I got mine through Blackbearhardware.com and I couldnt be happier with it.

http://blackbearhardware.com/tagplca.html

I plan on using this plate carrier for SHTF and when I go to the range, without the plates.

Ummm, is there a reason you will be using a plate carrier WITHOUT the plates?

#1, Train like you fight. If you're training you should be wearing the plates. I can only think of one occasion when I took plates out of my ballistic armor, and that was because it was 100-degrees. I still was wearing the ballistic armor though. You won't be used to it if you don't use it.

#2 Plate carriers are designed to be used with plates. Without the plates, that pocket has empty space that creates play, bounce, and sag with the rest of your equipment. If you're going to go to the range to shoot without plates, just stick with your chest rig.

I cannot go to the local outdoor range with plates in the carrier it is illeagal, and I would like to stay out of jail.

so they don't let you wear something for your safety

I would look for a different range

smells like horseshit

A couple of things. Is that state, city, or range rules?

A plate carrier without plates is a completely different animal than loaded.  Between weight and how carrier will handle on you.

I live in the state of IL and I am one block outside of chicago. I think it is a county thing not the range. but I have never seen anyone at the range wearing armor.

I think you need to look up and find where it says that it is illegal. Don't go by someone saying "I think it's illegal." Find the Statute/Ordinance yourself and read it.

Don't mess with a PC without plates...not worth the time. Stick with a vest/chest rig set up, and if you still want plates, get a slick plate carrier that doesn't have any equipment mounted to it. Throw the equipment rig over the slick carrier with plates if you still feel you need them.

Body armor is perfectly legal in Cook County- as well as the rest of Illinois.  They have introduced legislation to change this but so far nothing has passed.

I have never heard of body armor being illegal without the condition of using it while committing another crime.

True, it's only illegal if you are a convicted felon, committing a crime, or live in Australia.

Well I will never listen to the people at the range again. Anyway I was thinking about getting a blackwater plate carrier. it seems simple enough and I might get my chest rig over it.

I have one with a cummerbund coming to me that I got off the EE...don't know that you'll want to wait for me to give you a review though...it might not make it here before I leave for BCT



 

I can wait. I dont plan on being in a shoot out, now that im out of the military. Please post pics also.

Thanks Dan

will do.  I just sent the MO out today, it's only got to go over 1 state which will probably take 2 to 3 days.  Then the shipping time will probably have it here next week sometime hopefully.  If it gets past the 23rd I'll already be gone just so you know.

I got the PC today....I'll get you some pics and a review of it tonight.  here are my first impressions of it.



The PC is reversible in the sense that you can wear the front as the back and the back as the front if you want to, and there are drag handles on both parts.  One thing I noticed right away that I see as a problem is that the buckles for the "front" portion are exactly where you put the buttstock of your rifle/shotgun.  If I put the buttstock inside of them it's on the ridge of my collarbone, which is a no-go, and if I put it on the outside of it then it's sitting on my shoulder.  



I'm going to try to wear it the other way to see how I like that.  The shoulder adjustment on it had way to much extra material and not enough velcro to secure it, then again I'm a scrawny bastard so that is part of it, and I sized it while not wearing any soft armor.  

no pics yet but I do have some more stuff to comment on.



Whoever designed this PC needs to be punched in the face for being an idiot and putting a 2" fastex buckle right where you'd shoulder your rifle.  Perhaps they were thinking it would be easier to remove the PC if you needed medical aid, but the same thing could be achieved by undoing the side buckles and flipping the PC over the head of the casualty.  By reversing the PC it does alleviate this problem, but opens up another one.  Securing the side buckles is a PITA now, I can do it myself but if you're not flexible it's not going to be easy.  To be honest though, with the cummerbund I dont' think that those straps really do a whole hell of a lot.  



For height adjustment the 2" strap has velcro sewn onto it so you can secure it to itself.  Not a bad idea...except for me there's not enough hook to really get a good bite on itself IMHO.  I want to see if I can get it a little higher since I think it's sitting a bit low at the moment.  I have some of it on itself, but not enough to really be to my liking.  That said I can jump around and do the mil-spec monkey dance and it doesn't come loose with 4 loaded AR mags, 2 loaded pistol mags, and 2 ceramic rifle plates.



As for the plates, they drop right into the plate pocket so there isn't any adjustment in that sense.  I have standard sized trapazoidal cut plates, and they fit perfectly.  Rectangular plates should fit in there as well.  The one nice thing is that the plates drop in from the top, so unless you're going to be doing some tactical ninja cartwheels they're not going to come out unless you want them out.  The pockets secure shut at the top with velcro right between the shoulder straps.



I did remove the cummerbund from mine to see how it would feel without it.  I'll be honest, it helps a lot to keep the PC tight to your body.  Without it, there's a bit more side to side movement as one would expect.  

Who makes it? Cant wait for the pics.

IIRC, they are removeable. when SKD sold them, there was a thread all about it.
I'm going to assume you got the Blackwater one, that is.

Yeah it's the blackwater one



hmm....I'll have to look again at it and try it if that's the case.  That will also fix the problem where I don't have enough velcro...



 

Does the blackwater PC come in different sizes?

nope one size fits all



btw you can remove the buckles...and it's a hundred times better now  I have plenty of velcro on velcro so it's got a good bite now.  I also put it back to normal with the front being the front and it works great now, the side buckles are easy as pie to get to and secure.  



I will make this other observation...a drunken monkey cut the lengths of webbing on mine....the left and right sides don't have the same ammount on mine.  Not a big deal seeing as it's all excess but it makes you kinda go
and wonder what else they fucked up.  I checked all of the stitching on mine and it seems g2g.



I threw some of my old pouches onto it, god I can't wait for my order from TAG to come in....to bad it'll arrive after I leave
...oh well I got 50% off on a $300+ order so it's all good I suppose.





 

I might pick one up they are only 25 bucks I found it only in black which is fine but every picture I have found is just the PC and none of it on anyone.

I'm uploading the pics I took last night to my photobucket right now.  If you want the current ones I can have them up tonight

The blackwater pc is made in the US right? It say it on some pics Ive found online.

it's made by Uncle Mikes aka Michael's of Oregon Co.  I couldn't find a tag on it that said MADE IN...so your guess is as good as mine.  I'd venture to say that if they make their stuff here then this was probably as well
Here's what it looks like out of the package

a rifle plate on top for reference

In the plate pocket

Front

Side

Side W/ Cummerbund removed

And yeah I know I need to clean the fuck out  of that bathroom


It's cleaner now...I'm painting it tomorrow


 

what are your options with the buckles? since you cant hold a rifle up?

Do what I did...remove them.   there's a metal rectangular slider in the plate pocket in the front.  You can remove the buckles and slide the strap through it and back onto itself.  It'll make sense when you get it, I'll get pics of it for you later.



 

Where the hell can I get plates for that thing?

the EE



bulletproofme



and some other sights have plates that they will sell to civi's