by Steve » Wed Aug 04, 2010 12:03 am
A lot of that depends on your style of play. If you are going for more of a LE theme, try a soft armor carrier with a plate carrier thrown over the top (think police body armor under a uniform, with the heavy go-gear normally stowed in the trunk). A dedicated SWAT loadout or military style would be an integrated soft / hard combination such as the IBA. SF / Contractor style would be a straight-up plate carrier.
Personally, I generally like to roll with either a dedicated plate carrier if I am doing entry work or a small chest panel if I am just shooting some CQB games.
Some of the more comfortable plate carriers, such as the mesh one by 5.11, don't have enough material to provide stiffness without plates. The vest folds and it gets hard to pull mags out of pouches without the support from plates.
Heavier plate carriers, such as the Blackhawk ones, are fine by themselves, but they wrap around the torso, which can get hot and restrict etrmity moement.
Also, the tendancy in both the real world and airsoft is to look at open real estate on a vest and randomly attach useless shit to fill the space. You can counter this by either ruthlessly evaluating what you carry or by picking a carrier that has less real estate.
If you are doing mil-sim impressions, remember that you are setting up a loadout to sustain yourself for several days, which means all sorts of random gear / amm / equipment pouches will need homes. If you are doing LE-style play, generally you will need a whole lot less general gear, such as entrenching tools. Also, the military tends to load folks down with things like M203s and rocket launchers, while LE teams rely on shotguns, bolt cutters, and lockpicks to effct entry into structures. Although, with current operational shifts in both LE and the military, that gap is quickly closing.
If you are planning on doing a lot of CQB work in the future, bying gear that will hold up to the weight and stress of CQB engagements and gear requirements, such as carrying a 20-pound sledgehammer or being carted around by the drag handle on your vest.
Also, invest in a Halligan tool. They are just freaking awesome for breaching. If I had one in high school, I'd probably be in prison. They are just so much fun. Doors, windows, safes, your mom. They'll open ANYTHING.
This Week In Airsoft wrote:This Week in Airsoft stands behind its statement... The internet and YouTube can be your teacher.
