I have a plate carrier I use for working out, and my son loves using it too, so I got him his own for Christmas. 5.11 TacTec plate carrier. Extremely comfortable compared to the old XVest I have.

Rogue Fitness makes flat plates, which work, but just kind of feel awkward. You only notice it, when you think about it. But I wanted to try contoured plates.

Came across a deal on CATI Level III contoured plates that were about the same price as the Rogue plates, and about the same weight. Since this will be used for working out, keeping the weight of the plates similar was my goal. They are very close.

Since they came in pairs, both of our vests will have the Rogue plates in back, and the contoured CATI plates in the front. Total weight is 20lbs, which was my goal. I've been using the contoured plate for a few weeks, and I can tell that it helps keep the carrier more stable than a flat plate.

I have no intentions of finding out their claims that it will stop up to a .308. But now I find myself watching YouTube Body Armor torture tests...

An extra 20 pounds? Amateur.

When I work out, I carry almost ten times that in extra weight.

quote:

Originally posted by Fenris:
An extra 20 pounds? Amateur.

When I work out, I carry almost ten times that in extra weight.

And you don’t even need a plate carrier to do it, right?

I wanted to increase my run time a while back and bought a Nike vest, I think with all of the inserts it would go up to 32 lbs. It really helped my run but I could never get comfortable with it (flat plates) and it's been collecting dust for about 3 years now.

Maybe I'll give your contoured setup a try because my run times are brutal now. I ran the slowest mile and a half I've ever ran a few months ago during my PT test.

Nice! I also use a spare plate carrier and plates plus 3 loaded AR mags to get 19-20lbs. The rear plate I found in a trash can in Iraq, it wasn't US issue (or I'd have turned it in), just a steel plate from some random NATO country. The front is a Level IV ceramic, its brother is in the front pocket of the armor under my bed (rear is kevlar only).

I imagine the flat ones would have sucked...contoured works pretty well though.

I ended up with a weightvest.com weight vest. I wasn’t sold on an actual body armor vest for workouts. It rides pretty high and I like that.

My run times improved most when I did more squats and pulled or pushed a sled. Running with a vest just pounds too much for me. I only ever did it on occasion to train and do The Murph workout. Sadly, I’m far from that now.

quote:

Originally posted by slosig:

quote:

Originally posted by Fenris:
An extra 20 pounds? Amateur.

When I work out, I carry almost ten times that in extra weight.

And you don’t even need a plate carrier to do it, right?

His wife has been duct taping extra plates in place for now. He needs a long term solution that can protect his heart and vital organs from .338 Lapua.

Maybe you can help a bother out?

The 5.11 was pricey, but a friend was able to get a good deal, and cut the cost by about 1/3rd. I use it a lot, my gym can be crowded at 5am, so it's nice to be able to just do anything with the vest on if you can't use equipment. My son's and I play a lot of Airsoft, and all the tacti-dorks love my "kit".

My old vest was an X-Vest 82lb Fireman's model. It had removable 2 lb slugs. Very hot, very uncomfortable.

Maybe I'll karma that off, but you'd have to pay for shipping. It just sits in my garage in a bag, unused.

Anybody interested?

I would be interested. I’ve been meaning to buy one but it hasn’t risen to the top of the money pile yet.

Hbabler, I'll pm you some pics.

The XVest is a first generation weight vest. It's old school.

If you want it, you can have it, but you have to cover shipping. I should have most of the weight, so it would be around 82 lbs.

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:

quote:

Originally posted by slosig:

quote:

Originally posted by Fenris:
An extra 20 pounds? Amateur.

When I work out, I carry almost ten times that in extra weight.

And you don’t even need a plate carrier to do it, right?

His wife has been duct taping extra plates in place for now. He needs a long term solution that can protect his heart and vital organs from .338 Lapua.

Maybe you can help a bother out?

How about some thick telephone books? That might work.

Most vest aren't that pricey. Like 150 for a good one. I need a big boy one, since I am as wide as the river is long. what size is that fireman's model, and where you shipping from?

A vest from weightvest.com has served me well for many years and many Work Capacity Tests. Carries up to 45 lbs of weight in 2.5 lb increments. Been rucking 3 miles with the full 45# lately. It's "interesting"...

quote:

Originally posted by fatmanspencer:
Most vest aren't that pricey. Like 150 for a good one. I need a big boy one, since I am as wide as the river is long. what size is that fireman's model, and where you shipping from?

It’s a large, would ship from 15236.

Back in the day, it was the vest to have. But you are right, you can get a decent vest for about what it would cost to ship. Honestly, it’s not comfortable at all. I just want to karma it off.

I think paid $200 w/free shipping. Shipped it was around $400.

Damn. Normally I wouldnt mind but getting a new one for the shipping price I'd rather it go to someone who would miss it otherwise.

quote:

Originally posted by Edmond:

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:

quote:

Originally posted by slosig:

quote:

Originally posted by Fenris:
An extra 20 pounds? Amateur.

When I work out, I carry almost ten times that in extra weight.

And you don’t even need a plate carrier to do it, right?

His wife has been duct taping extra plates in place for now. He needs a long term solution that can protect his heart and vital organs from .338 Lapua.

Maybe you can help a bother out?

How about some thick telephone books? That might work.

quote:

Originally posted by slosig:

quote:

Originally posted by Fenris:
An extra 20 pounds? Amateur.

When I work out, I carry almost ten times that in extra weight.

And you don’t even need a plate carrier to do it, right?

You are correct. Plus, I'm so dedicated to fitness, I carry that extra weight even when I'm not working out.

Email sent.

quote:

Originally posted by AirmanJeff:
I wanted to increase my run time a while back and bought a Nike vest, I think with all of the inserts it would go up to 32 lbs. It really helped my run but I could never get comfortable with it (flat plates) and it's been collecting dust for about 3 years now.

Maybe I'll give your contoured setup a try because my run times are brutal now. I ran the slowest mile and a half I've ever ran a few months ago during my PT test.

Dr. Mirkin suggest that you do short bursts of speed as fast as you can go to improve your running times.

http://www.drmirkin.com/fitnes...se-new-benefits.html

http://www.drmirkin.com/public/ezine102410.html