Advice before buying
 

I know every little about vests and plate carrier. So, here I am as a humble noob to see if my hard earned cash will be spent well. This would be my first semi-proper plate carrier-ish that I will own. I own a vest already which is a zip up and not a fit in terms of color with what I got.

I am planning to buy this item:
https://www.amazon.ca/resistance-Tac.../dp/B01NBHLM83

It looks to be cheap, have all the pouches I need and the color I need. I play CQB exclusively right now.

What do you think? is it worthy of a starter carrier?

In my experience you're better off staying away from most ACM airsoft gear. They don't distribute the weight very well and typically don't last very long. If you pay twice as much you get something that will last 10x longer. Buy once, cry once. Used real carriers are another good option if you're on a budget.

If you want something cheaper to use in the mean time, I would suggest a chest rig. Lighter with the same utility, and less of an investment.

wow I can see frayed edges and unfinished edges not hemmed/tucked in in the photos. That's terrible. The molle columns aren't even straight.


The hell is 600d oxford cloth?


condor stuff is worthy of starter status. a tmc/emmerson/etc jpc is worthy of starter status.

This shit is going to tear in the first couple weeks.

Judging by your arsenal in your signature you aren't afraid of spending money for quality guns, why are you cheaping out on gear? At the very least get something by TMC, or more preferably Flyye, Pantac, Condor or something real steel. Don't be the guy with a $1000+ gun and $10 gear.
Obligatory addition:
Buy some name brand eye protection. ESS, Revision or even Valken. I've used all sorts of brands and types of eyewear and right now my favorite is Pyramex I-force which you can find on Amazon for under $30.
Also:
If you haven't already, buy some boots. Hikers at the minimum. People who show up to my games in skate shoes aren't permitted to play.

PC is to bulky for siege and cqb imo. Rather stick with something light or tacos

Best bet is to get s condor pc until you can afford something nicer. Skip all the clone stuff like Emerson and what depot sells.

Good thing I asked :) I am not a fan of chest rigs, plus love of mollee runs strong in my blood. I with the sound of it I have to increase my budget.

I already got my revision goggle, best investment so far. I will be definitely checking out those higher end brands. Thank you.


At this point I found one that looks abit better:
https://www.amazon.ca/Shopping-Tacti.../dp/B01I2T0OGK

But I wonder, how much I should budget for this at this point.

That's the same no name trash, just expensive no name trash. Have a look at ebairsoft.com for TMC products.
How much you budget for gear is really up to you. My gear is worth more than all my guns combined, but that's because I don't have a single "airsoft" or "replica" gear item, the only exception being the red dead light on my helmet.
It may sound like I or we are being elitist, trying to get you to spend more. But we just want you to put forethought into your gear. And buying the cheapest stuff you can find is not a sign of good forethought.
A couple things though, if you're looking for ACU pattern gear you're not likely to find anything actually good in that pattern. Also if you're set on buying a plate carrier with pouches included, there really aren't many options for decent quality gear.
But I may be wrong, I haven't purchased replica gear in 5+ years.

If you want something semi decent from amazon look at the UTG stuff. I have a vest that has no problems still, though I havn't used it for awhile. UTG is far from the best, but that have been doing airsoft stuff for awhile.

That one looks of better quality than the first but I would still recommend against buying it. Anything that comes with pouches is typically not going to be great.

The latest philosophy in plate carriers is to go smaller and lighter, as small as possible while still being able to hold plates. The Crye JPC is a good example of that newer style. Your links are a repro of an older bulkier design (CIRAS). The added bulk is not desirable, especially in CQB it will get hot and restricts movement. The first piece of gear I bought was very similar and I regretted buying it almost immediately.

Closed top pouches (though they can sometimes be removed, or tucked behind) are going to be less effective for CQB they're meant for field play where you want better retention and protection. They slow down mag changes. In CQB speed is crucial. Typically in CQB you want something like an open top with bungee retention, fast mag, blue force ten speed, or HSGI TACO (which can all be used in the field too). I think you'll also find those big GP pouches are not very useful in CQB. You don't need water, snacks, the kitchen sink; those things can be left in the staging area. All you're going to need is quick access to spare mags and grenades if you have them. You're really best off buying a blank low pro carrier and buying pouches to suit your needs, as you go. That way you'll have something tailored to what you want, and you aren't paying extra for a bunch of pouches you aren't going to be using, only to buy more later on. You'll be just fine starting out with a blank carrier and a triple mag shingle until you get a better idea of what you want/need.

Especially in CQB you want to promote faster easier movement, in airsoft you don't need plates, which is why my suggestion to you is to just getting a MOLLE chest rig to start. It's a small investment while you figure out exactly what you want. Any pouches you buy for it can be transferred to a plate carrier later on.

If you're set on getting ACU/UCP pattern you're limiting your options, it's an older unpopular pattern discontinued by the US Army. Something to consider, coyote brown or ranger green, that would expand your options in both what you can get and what it can be worn with.

I highly recommend you stay the hell away from UCP. There are far better camouflages and plain solid colours that work instrumentally better than that garbage pattern (imo).

I second Kozzie's recommendation, JPC-class plate carriers are something you should look into if you want something low-profile but enough MOLLE real-estate to add what you need.

I suggest looking into the offerings available from Perroz Designs, Ferro Concepts, Blue Force Gear or MayFlower. Its pricier sure, but its well made gear that will serve you well and will retain its value better if you decide to sell them.

You really need to go out and try some kit on to figure out what best suits you and your needs.. what looks good might not be the best fit for you. If your a bigger dude a JPC will look like a miniature training bra which isn't effective imo. JPC are also very high speed low drag with minimal real estate, depending on what your running and how many mags you'd typically want a belt set up also if you decided to go that route. As far as brands go ^ what's been said above are all great spend a little more initially.. your better off to get something decent used then a poor quality repro new for pretty much the same price..

Please try and buy from a quality manufacturer. There are military surplus Osprey Mk4 plate carriers, USGI FLC, and USGI R.A.C.K vests on eBay. Look around on the classifieds section too.

that is the big issue, I am looking for ACU pattern to match my uniform

Hi, Newbie here too. (signed up for an account a long time ago, but only just started playing)

if you're going to buy the "no name trash" and don't mind waiting for 2-3 months. I bought my stuff off Aliexpress (probably where most of the ebay/amazon/companies get their stuff from) my carrier vest cost me 30 bucks.

https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale...=n&groupsort=1

A word on quality; the cheaper plate carriers tend to have misaligned molle, and weak stitching. So it might be very difficult to get pouches on, and there's a possibility you might rip the molle. That aside, they often copy uncomfortable and outdated designs for plate carriers.
You don't need nearly as tough of gear indoors as outdoors. But better to buy once than twice.
If you *ever* plan on *ever* playing outdoors, and if you want a mid-grade plate carriers, I REALLY highly suggest NOT buying an ACU plate carrier. Not only are they beacons outdoors, but they can also be very hard to sell. Foliage green will match ACU nicely (seeing as it's one of the colors in the pattern), AND work outdoors very well.

And about mag pouches; you absolutely do not need to buy $50 KYWI or TACO pouches, but if a $2 pouch (kind that comes with $50 carriers) drops a $50 pistol mag and you lose it, is the $5 pouch REALLY worth it when you could have bought a far superior $15 pouch?

Some people rip on condor, but I think they make the best combo of affordable/durable/functional mag pouches. Double M4 mag pouch is like $30, that's almost china prices compared to TACO or KYWIs.

Apart from looking cool and providing some armor, plate carriers are overkill in CQB. You could just run a molle belt.