Ok, did a search and came up dry. And the couple of topics I found did not answer some of my

questions.


So: I'm ready to jump in and get some 1st rate gear/armor. I have narrowed it down to a particular

type of gear; the MOLLE plate carriers, particulary the Eagle C.I.R.A.S. and the like. My questions

are :


1)I know good gear costs money, but is there any place cheaper than Eagle's retail price of

$584.80 for the above piece? If not, fine, but it's gonna hurt for a little while.


2)On Eagle's website the C.I.R.A.S. appears to be soft body armor, and simply needs plates.

Is this correct? If not, why the price?


3)For those running this setup; how does it hold up, and how much does your loadout weigh?


4)And finally; where is the best place to purchase MOLLE pouches(that hold up under use)?



In case someone asks what the use will be; It would be used for special duty at my dept.,

including all training I attend, and of course . . . . . . SHTF

I appreciate everyone's input on this, as this will be quite a purchase for me, and I want to

get the right "stuff", and know the ins and outs of this gear.  

not correct no armor included, dont know about the price but eagle is good kit

ARmory04-

First off, you mentioned "dept", if you're a LEO, brother you can order directly from Eagle and get LE discount that wil blow you away.  If you're not LEO, then the best price I've seen on these are from Steve at TriadTactical for $474; and he just got some black ones in.  .

2)  The CIRAS is a carrier only.  It can accept both soft armor (BALCS) and hard plates.  You can run them both simultaneously, or just the soft armor, or just the plates.  It's a very versatile rig.   Just a note on the BALCS armor; it's not cheap and it's not easy to find, unless you're still in the military.  I have mines on order from LF that retails for $930.  I also heard that you can get them from DBT for a much lower price.  

3)  Right now I just have the plates in them and it is 80% complete.  Just waiting for a couple more pouches.  But the way it's set-up now, it feels really good and the rig just hugs your body.  I have a thread somewhere here on the CIRAS Land if you can find it.  But, I'll post pics after it's all set-up.  

4)  Pretty much anywhere.    But just so happens we have a dealer on the board that sells GOOD SHIT for a GOOD PRICE = SKD Tactical.  I buy A LOT of my stuff there, heck, I should just have my paychecks sent to Joe.     On my CIRAS, I'm running all EAGLE pouches.  But, I also have and use pouches from DBT, BHI, HSGI all w/ excellent results.  

Take it from me, the CIRAS is an AWESOME rig!!   YOU WILL LOVE IT!    I haven't heard one bad thing about it.  It seems many people are interested in the CIRAS but are limited due to funds.  If this isn't a problem for you then I would go for it.  hope this helps.

Yes I'm a LEO; and I did not have the slightest clue that Eagle did that.  Is there anything in

particular that I need to do when ordering to let them know my status as an LEO??  

That is outstanding news! Thanks Bro.


And thanks for the review!  

I just recently picked one up and have been using it as an entry rig too. Luckily county uses lots of tan, so I was able to go with the New Black.

The rig DEFINITELY hugs your body much more than any other rig I've run. I've got Level 4 plates in mine, and it lives in the trunk, loaded up for an active shooter response. The padding on the shoulders is exceptional - especially if you run a heavy rig.

Check out the MVS from Blue Force Gear for an *excellent* sling that works well with this armor. Tell them you want to run it with the CIRAS and they will hook you up. They also have LEO discounts.

Doc

Just spoke with with a rep at Eagle. Got the info I needed; and I have to say the guy was

extremely helpful and polite.


Oh; one other thing. Will my current soft armor from Second Chance fit in the CIRAS? Mainly out

of curiousity in case I cannot get some soft armor in time. If not, could someone point me in the

right direction there also?


Thanks for the links Takedown and DrNo . . . . . . . . . .

DBT also sells soft armor inserts.

DBT . . . .?


Enlighten me please . . . .

Quoted: I believe that's DiamondBack Tactical

Roger that.  I was told that you could get the "Predator" 111a armor in BALCS cut.   It's not as expensive compared to the ones offered by LF.    But, I have a feeling you're gonna wait a looonnng time.  

and glad I was of assistance ARmory04; that's what brothers are for  

to answer your question as to whether your Second Chance wil fit, here's some pics of my issued SC Monarch Summit.........

the vest...


here's the layout of the inside of the vest.  the side facing left is the front, and side facing right is the back.  


here's it on top of the CIRAS, as you can see it fits pretty good.  


inside of the back panel showing plate suspension secured via hook-n-loop straps.


and finally, w/ the SC armor inside.  


as you can see, it fits pretty well if you want to go that route.  alright bro, make sure you post some pics after ya set it up.  Stay Safe  

Awesome pics . . .

Thanks

I took the soft armor inserts from an Interceptor vest and put them in my CIRAS.  The back panel of the Interceptor was almost perfect, but its front two-piece inserts had to be taped together for the CIRAS

Quoted: home.earthlink.net/~whitman/RANDOM4.JPG I took the soft armor inserts from an Interceptor vest and put them in my CIRAS.  The back panel of the Interceptor was almost perfect, but its front two-piece inserts had to be taped together for the CIRAS

Damn Duffy!  You got some COOL SHIT!    

Thanks TakeDown, this year I didn't spend as much time and dough on new gears, so I'm falling behind the curve

Wow . . that appears to be a damn fine set-up.  

Thanks for the pic!

Whats the difference between the land and the wet versions?

Supposedly Eagle is coming out with a non-releasable version at the request of a certain PD. Im not familiar with the CIRAS, but with the lack of an emergancy release, mabey it will be a little cheaper?

I'd guess it'd be considerably cheaper.  The CIRAS comes with instructions that made my head spin, more illustrations would have been more helpful, especially because I was unfamiliar with some of the items' names
I removed the inner cummberbunds, not much in weight saving but it does improve ease of putting on and taking off the vest, without compromising its hold on the body, I imagine in hot weather it'd be a bit cooler too.

Quoted: Supposedly Eagle is coming out with a non-releasable version at the request of a certain PD. Im not familiar with the CIRAS, but with the lack of an emergancy release, mabey it will be a little cheaper?

That is correct.  It is a non releasable version of the Maritime Vest and it will be less expensive than the Releaseable versions.  I plan on stocking these.

Giff

waiting, waiting, waiting.....oh, how i hate to wait  

Any idea when the new Eagle will be available, and available in multicam?

Heads up, I was at Tactical Tailor today and they are taking orders for a vest which is very similar to the CIRAS.  I tired it on and it fit nice, it also has an internal cumberband.  I beleive the price was around $350.   If your interested give them a call and see if they can send you a pic

What's the LE price for the CIRAS????

Quoted: What's the LE price for the CIRAS????

Drop me an email at giff AT amendmentarms DOT com with your requirements and I'll get you some info.

Giff

Quoted: I just recently picked one up and have been using it as an entry rig too.

Hiya Doc, how does this compare to your old Callahan?  

Quoted: Damn Duffy!  You got some COOL SHIT!

Yes he does!