Need some help purchasing a tactical vest

[xylum]

Hi all. Looking to get my first tactical vest and I've found myself lost trying to make a decision with so many choices available out there. I also had a couple of questions concerning this which I've numbered below just to make it easier. I do appreciate any help you guys can offer.

1) What differentiates a "tactical vest" from a "plate carrier?" What is your personal preference?

2) Does a tactical vest cover more of the body than a plate carrier?

3) Is it better to get a vest matching your BDU or a more solid colour that would work with more than one BDU (eg. would a multicam vest work with an ACU BDU)?

4) Which vest would you pick (out of the three listed below). None of them may be really good vests but I'm not in the market for spending $400 on a vest at this time. If it`s relevant, my BDU`s are genuine precision crye multicam.

This first vest looks to be a chineese knock-off of the Flyye RAV vest. It is of lesser quality (900`D cordura) and probably has more pockets than I would know what to do with. You can see it here: http://www.ebairsoft.com/900d-nylon-pouches-p-2873.html

The second vest is also from ebairsoft however it`s made my TMC which from what I can see in the reviews seems to have similar or just slightly lesser quality then Pantac. The one in the picture is multicam however I could get it in Khaki if I wanted. You can see it here: http://www.ebairsoft.com/force-recon...am-p-3729.html

The last vest is a Pantac force recon vest. I am not sure whether it is actually a plate carrier or a tactical vest as from seeing reviews most people mentioned it as a PC. The one I saw somewhere else (link wasn`t working) is not $413.00 so I`m not looking for a vest at that price. Anyway, here is the link: http://www.rhinoairsoft.com/details....&printable=yes

Also, this search also came up with the pretty much identical Flyye vest.. The multicam version is another $96.00 than the CB listed on the link. Is Flyye better, worse or on par with Pantac's quality? The vest can be seen here:http://shop.ehobbyasia.com/combat-ge...-ver-land.html

I guess it really comes down to price. In your opinion, is Pantac/Flyye really worth the extra $100?

I guess it really comes down to is the extra 1

[R.I.T.Z]

a vest is well a vest, it does cover more of the body but often has little to no armour to help stop rounds.
a plate carrier is smaller but it cover the vitals and carriers a heavier armoured plate.

as for camo, that all depends on your enviroment.

the vests listed all seem to be the CIRAS.
as for which one, that comes down to you and what you are carrying
more pouches = more bulky

now this is all personal opinion mind you

[surebet]

1. Someone much more qualified will answer this, but basically a plate carriers is armored and a tactical vest is not, in real life.

2. If I'm correct on #1, then yes

3. Depends on what you are going for, but I would try to avoid mixing camo patterns. I can't see ACU and multicam working tough.

4. If you are looking to spend around 200$, I would take a gander at real gear. The advantage of a modular vest is that you can grow it out according to your needs, so if you are willing to spend a few bucks over time to develop your setup you might as well jump in real stuff. Look up one shot tactical on this sight, the guy knows his stuff and can help you out.

[Firewalker]

1) A plate carrier carries armor plates. A tactical vest is just a piece of kit that can be worn over armor, but has no balistic properties. It is essentially used to carry your pouches, or will have pouches already designed into it so you can carry your ammo.

2) Depends on the size of the plates you are carrying. Large plates cover more body. However, most operators use medium plates in a plate-carrier worn over a naked (no molle/pouches) ballistic vest (a bullet proof vest as you've probably seen before). Vests generally occupy more torso room as it allows them to carry more shit.

3) Get a solid colour that matches multiple BDU's. This way you don't have to buy a ton of kit just to use a bunch of different camo patterns. UCP, Multicam, ATACS, Desert patterns, use Coyote. Woodland, CADPAT, MARPAT, etc the green stuff? Use OD. Simple enough. At the engagement distances we work with, you won't need the patterned shit. Plus solid colours look totally pro and the SEAL's use em ;P

4) If you plan on carrying a lot of shit, go with the RAV. Otherwise try and find something stripped down that will let you carry just enough ammo and other shit without hampering your movement. It's a sacrifice between speed and carrying capacity. Movement vs Ammo essentially.

Also, don't worry about the Denier of the material. That's meaningless if the stitching is shit. Avoid cheaping out on kit when you can. Flyye is meh, I'd go with Pantac. The denier only really indicates how many threads there are in a given amount of fabric. You could have a 1000D vest that's stiched shitty, it'll fall apart before any of the material gets worn out. So don't fall for the Denier marketing horseshit. 500D is more than enough unless you're expecting to be dragged around gravel roads by a horse/ jeep.

[xylum]

Thanks all for your help, especially Firewalker. I now think I know which vest to go with but will wait to hear some more opinions. Knowing about the denier was also helpful and I am not leaning towards the Pantac vest.