Before I make someone feel personally attacked, let me just start by saying, to each his own. That being said I don’t have a problem with steel plates. I’ve used both steel and ceramic for different employers and my current setup that stays in my truck is an Anti-spalling carrier with front and rear anti-spalling coated steel plates.
My basic thought process is this. The average person is not going to be hiking through The draws and spurs of some rough ass country and, unless you make it a point to train with your setup that you put your faith in, you probably won’t don your gear unless setting it up or some SHTF. So I’ll give a little wiggle room and say that unless you train with your setup, it won’t see use 98 percent of the time, probably more.
So that being said, why not use a little bit heavier steel plates for the brief time that your average person is going to need it? And by all means, if you think they would be too cumbersome for you then step into some soft armor if nothing else and please be safe in any way you can. BUT I promise you the steel plates are going to be more effective for the AVERAGE persons encounters they would be needed in.
If nothing else, like OP is considering, get both.But no matter which you choose, do yourself a favor and get out and run some courses at your local range and push yourself in your gear. I’m comfortable at this moment grabbing my steel plates and vest with IFAK, admin pouch, and Six 30 round Pmags and running a mile pretty easily. In the end it’s user preference. But I’ve tested an exact copy of my plates and I can rest easily knowing it stopped 325 gr. 500 S&W rounds, multiple M855 rounds, and a 7.62x39 round or two. It was dinged up pretty decently and almost unusable at that point, but I’m sure my internal organs would have been jelly by then anyways.
I’m not pushing hard for the steel, just saying everything has its use. They are heavy little bastards, but do yourself a favor and train with them and you’ll get stronger and used to them. And for the love of god get anti spalling plates and carrier if you go that route.
I don’t know if anyone else here can attest to this, but it seemed like when I used ceramic plates in the army overseas, rapid or frequent changes in drastic environments seemed to effect them in odd ways. I had ceramic plates in bubble wrap crack when they landed at Ft. Bragg after coming from South Korea. Kind of weird but I have seen them save people as well so don’t rule them out!
My basic thought process is this. The average person is not going to be hiking through The draws and spurs of some rough ass country and, unless you make it a point to train with your setup that you put your faith in, you probably won’t don your gear unless setting it up or some SHTF. So I’ll give a little wiggle room and say that unless you train with your setup, it won’t see use 98 percent of the time, probably more.
So that being said, why not use a little bit heavier steel plates for the brief time that your average person is going to need it? And by all means, if you think they would be too cumbersome for you then step into some soft armor if nothing else and please be safe in any way you can. BUT I promise you the steel plates are going to be more effective for the AVERAGE persons encounters they would be needed in.
If nothing else, like OP is considering, get both.But no matter which you choose, do yourself a favor and get out and run some courses at your local range and push yourself in your gear. I’m comfortable at this moment grabbing my steel plates and vest with IFAK, admin pouch, and Six 30 round Pmags and running a mile pretty easily. In the end it’s user preference. But I’ve tested an exact copy of my plates and I can rest easily knowing it stopped 325 gr. 500 S&W rounds, multiple M855 rounds, and a 7.62x39 round or two. It was dinged up pretty decently and almost unusable at that point, but I’m sure my internal organs would have been jelly by then anyways.
I’m not pushing hard for the steel, just saying everything has its use. They are heavy little bastards, but do yourself a favor and train with them and you’ll get stronger and used to them. And for the love of god get anti spalling plates and carrier if you go that route.
I don’t know if anyone else here can attest to this, but it seemed like when I used ceramic plates in the army overseas, rapid or frequent changes in drastic environments seemed to effect them in odd ways. I had ceramic plates in bubble wrap crack when they landed at Ft. Bragg after coming from South Korea. Kind of weird but I have seen them save people as well so don’t rule them out!
