I’m in the market for side plates for my PC. Any recommendations?

Unless you really need them due to your job/policy then my advice is to avoid them.

I have an FCPC V5. I use an AXL Equinox Cummerbund on it with VXV Concepts adapters to connect the cummerbund to the front and rear plate bags.

I have the Ferro Concepts side plate bags, they connect via hook and loop to the inside of the cummerbund.

I have the the SHOTSTOP III+ G2 side plates.  I went with these plates due to the level of advertised protection and the fact that they're very thin since I didn't want a lot of bulk on my sides.

Honestly, I really like them.  They curve well to my body and basically hugs my body. The weight is not bad at all with these plate and my Hesco plates. I do NOT have any pouches at my 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock position on the cummerbund so the bulk is not bad at all.  

If you are a civilian and you live in CONUS should Heaven forbid anything catastrophic happen chances are you'll be at some point inside a normal soft skin vehicle with your plate carrier on.  American infrastructure and zoning is all centered around roads.  Unarmored vehicles, i.e. just normal cars, have almost zero protection with their thin skin doors so side plates can be important as you might imagine.   When you move through a building interior there will be times when your sides will be exposed to unknown potential threats. If you found yourself in a densely populated area with a lot of man made structures (cities, suburbs) you're basically surrounded by hard man made surfaces that will all be risks of ricochet, spalling, and generally flying debris.  One thing the movies never accurately show is how dangerous such threats are, I have personally met one former police officer who was crippled by a ricocheted 7.62x39mm round fired by some druggy's AK, the bullet skipped across an asphalt drive way and struck him in the leg ending his career and forcing him to walk with a cane for the rest of his life.  So, having the ability to scale up your armor is kind of important if you're going to kit yourself up to a 2A loadout or if you're just even contemplating having to bug-out in your normal civilian vehicle.  That's my thinking on the topic anyways, and too each their own.  

In terms of negative, the only real negative I have from it is that my cummerbund has to be adjusted for the side plates and even with the VXV concepts adapters it's still a PITA to adjust the cummerbund, not something that can be done quickly.  So, I have my plate carrier set-up for the side plates most the time.  Also, keep in mind my experience with side plates is limited to exact the configuration I describe above and my body.  Everyone is built differently and different plate carriers with different cummerbunds and side plate bags may equal a much different experience than my own.

Unlike the gentleman above, I feel side plates make an immense amount of sense. If you can justify plates in the front and back, you can justify the sides.

However, the sides are much more sensitive to thickness because they will get in the way of arm mobility very easily.

IMO, a plate .6" or under is where you want to be. A 1" side plate is going to become annoying if you actually wear the PC.

I don't understand people that don't wear soft armor on the sides at a minimum.

A set of .mil MSAP 6x6 plates are just 3lbs.
I Added these to my "heavy" PC, 6094.
$200ish.
Cheap enough, so why not just have on hand while available?
Have and not need, vs, need and not have etc.
Attached File

I agree. I have some, but don't wear them for SWAT. None of my teammates do either.


My PC is an old Diamondback FAPC and it has a IIIa soft armor cummerbund so I like that, but are any PCs offered with built-in side IIIa now? Mine is permanently stitched inside, behind the MOLLE.

Looks like some current vendors offer IIIa soft inserts for the sides. Looks bulkier than mine.

I run IIIa soft backer inserts behind my front and rear main SAPIs because they're old and not standalone-rated. This combo is still thinner than others' low-budget level IV standalone ceramics, I've noticed.

I couldn't fit a 6x6 side plate between my front and rear plates if I tried.
Prolly my funeral...

Possibly even better:

Shot Stop Level IV Side Plate

SHOTSTOP DURITIUM IV+ HA SIDE PLATE
Weight: 1.3 lbs
Price:  $217

Thickness (+/-0.125"): 0.9" though

I was wondering if Hesco will make side plates in the M210 rating.

Botach level 4 $138

They're called Hesco L110. Same thing. Single curve but they're side plates so that's normal.

Now, long ago Hesco made some U210 side plates, but they were very few in number and now unobtainable. The result was a lighter and thinner version of the L110 with a similar threat rating.

I'm a big fan of Hesco, it's what I choose for front and back plates for both myself and my wife.

However, for the side plates I went with SHOTSTOP III+ G2 side plates, because they're thin at .6" and light at 1.3 lbs. each.  For me personally I don't like bulk on my sides at all, I wanted it as thin as possible and I didn't want to add a lot more weight.