Thinking about getting some body armor

[cboss]

2 years ago, buying body armor wouldn't have even entered my mind. But with the state of things today, and recently being on a Balkan Wars kick, it's made me think differently.

After recently watching "The Death of Yugoslavia" and "Balkans in Flames", as well as watching countries destroy themselves when I was in the Navy, it's clear that if/when civil war comes, whether you fight or not may not be your decision to make. You might not be looking for a fight, the fight might come looking for you.

This is what I am looking at right now. https://rtstactical.com/products/rts-tactical-advanced-sleek-2-0-level-iv One of my favorite Youtubers has it, and I like the way it basically disappears under a hoodie or jacket.

 

[PBramble]

Nice looking setup, but those plates are basically one use. Seems like, while heavier, the ar500 plates would be a better choice. Not that I'd ever hope to have to test them, but get hit once and they are basically useless. And I can't afford to have a stack of ceramic plates laying around.

 

[golddigger14s]

I went with the AR500 company and bought one AR500 plate and a soft pistol rated plate from them.

 

[scott024]

Ceramic are nice and light, but a hit or 2 and there might not be much protection left.

 

[GnometownHero]

Tacticon has some good deals on armor

 

[Chris Duncan]

I have both AR500 plates and ceramic hybrids. The AR500 are multi hit rated and heavy. The ceramics are lighter BUT have a 5 year shelf life. The AR500's are a better investment. And get level 3+ or higher.

 

[wolfkpr]

So the way i see it- in times of unrest, riots, craziness- your greatest threat may be Johnny methhead and his buddies trying to take your supplies, etc.. in which case a 3a soft vest ( which has much better coverage) and will stop pistol, .22 rifle, shotgun- may be a better investment than a plate carrier with limited coverage ( but rifle rated). The Interceptor we wore in Iraq was a 3a soft vest with good coverage, and held rifle plates. ( but go price one and ask the weight!) There is a rifle rated flexible armor ( with the coverage of a soft vest) available now. Safelife defense FRAS armor- is flexible, rifle rated- but its 16lbs, and i think is 800$+ if you qualify for officer discount. ( maybe twice that if you dont. The lightest plates are PE, but they are not green tip rated, steel are the heaviest, but need spall protection added, ceramic composite can be green tip rated, and lighter than steel, but arent cheap.( “ battlesteel” brand are probably lowest cost.. hope that helps

 

[Dr_Mitch]

TRex AC1 carrier and Hesco plate combo deal was the best value on the market. Not sure if they will have that again or not. It’s very good. Hesco plates have been test-blasted with everything possible in countless videos. You definitely don’t want steel plates that send shrapnel up into your neck and head, by far the two most critical areas of the body. Ceramic plates have expiration dates in order to encourage more sales to uninformed people who are bad at thinking and to serve as a warranty end date. Ceramic doesn’t ever expire.

 

[Mats]

From what I found reading online and looking at their website, I don't think the plates you linked are actually NIJ certified. They say "complies with NIJ guidelines", but never say they're certified.

If you are serious about getting a set that will truly take a hit and protect you, I second the recommendation for Hesco plates. You could consider RMA plates as well. Definitely go with ceramic plates. Not only are the steel plates heavier, but there's multiple tests online showing that even "anti-spall" coatings will result in shrapnel hitting you.

 

[CHenry]

I went with the Batman suit.