We need Gear

I think we need to compile a list of websites and other places that we can use to purchase things like uniforms, rigs, webbing, boots, head gear, radios, ammo boxes, mags and so on in North America to supply us.

Cheaper than Dirt, Soviet Army Stuff, Soldier City, Ops Gear.

As you can see from my pictures, I rock the Condor Modular plate carrier. I got it from Cheaper than dirt and highly recommend it.\
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That being said, armor is CHEAP on Ebay:
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Set of Steel lvl3 plates

I found sets of lvl 3 ceramic plates for $50 a pair a few weeks ago, but I have watch in ten minutes and don't have the time to be thorough at the moment.

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Good way to compare ammo prices

All I got for now, will probably edit later (or just post again if someone else posts before then).

Pendrake wrote:As you can see from my pictures, I rock the Condor Modular plate carrier. I got it from Cheaper than dirt and highly recommend it.\
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That being said, armor is CHEAP on Ebay:
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Set of Steel lvl3 plates

I found sets of lvl 3 ceramic plates for $50 a pair a few weeks ago, but I have watch in ten minutes and don't have the time to be thorough at the moment.

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Good way to compare ammo prices

All I got for now, will probably edit later (or just post again if someone else posts before then).

Hell we could probably MAKE steel plate and sell it.

Canadian Empire wrote:Hell we could probably MAKE steel plate and sell it.

I like where you're head's at.


Until then though, here are some good deals on Ebay for guys looking at buying some starter armor:

FEMALE HILITE Lvl IIIA Soft Armor Vest $140
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HILITE Lvl IIIA Soft Armor Vest $200
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Lvl III Curved Steel Plates (Pair) $150
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Lvl III Steel Side Plates (Pair) $34
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Lvl III Steel Plates and Side Plates (Whole Set) $150
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Lvl IIIa Helmet $90
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*Please note that Curved plates are a LOT more comfortable than flat ones*

I seriously CANNOT find all of the awesome prices that were all over Ebay just a few weeks ago...I wonder if the Aurora shooting had some side-effect resulting in this...


Now please make sure you understand how armor 'levels' works before you throw money at them.


After having Ceramic armor for awhile now, I appreciate steel ever-moreso. Normal Lvl III plates HAVE TO HAVE IIIa soft-armor behind it to actually have the full Lvl III protection rating. There are stand-alone ceramic plates, but normally those are Lvl IV ones. Ceramic plates are normally only good for a couple rounds at BEST, before their core becomes dust and begins leaking out of the holes. There also exist multi-hit plates that are more expensive, but allow the light-weight convenience of ceramic armor.

Steel is a few pounds heavier than ceramics, but it's god-damn steel. It will take as many bullets as it takes to penetrate a piece of steel. They are multi-hit, and many will stop larger calibers than they are rated for (as long as they aren't hitting a weak spot on the armor from other rounds).

There also exist Polyethylene plates that are even lighter than normal ceramic plates and are normally for Operators in maritime environments. Very expensive.

Dragon armor is its own man. It's basically scale-mail made out of small ceramic disks that allows it to flex. Some possible disadvantages (besides it's Xbawks hueg price tag) are that it might not stop rounds from oblique angles, and it is a bit heavy.

I dunno, I'm a bit wary of buying ceramic off ebay or any other weapons auctions sites, just because shipping companies do not give 2 fucks about your packages as long as they don't damage the box too much. I've had hard drives thrown over the 5 foot wall at my house and left to bake in direct sunlight on 105 degree days because the UPS guy was too lazy to honk to see if anyone would come out and take the package. I just wouldn't trust shippers to handle ceramic with the care it needs.

Anybody know what kind of plates were used in these videos? They're from liveleak view?i=950_1341726128

theres a lot of shit we need like generators, tents, medical equipment. this is such a large topic how about we set up a logistical/sustainment topic.

ZeeX10 wrote:I dunno, I'm a bit wary of buying ceramic off ebay or any other weapons auctions sites, just because shipping companies do not give 2 fucks about your packages as long as they don't damage the box too much. I've had hard drives thrown over the 5 foot wall at my house and left to bake in direct sunlight on 105 degree days because the UPS guy was too lazy to honk to see if anyone would come out and take the package. I just wouldn't trust shippers to handle ceramic with the care it needs.

Anybody know what kind of plates were used in these videos? They're from liveleak view?i=950_1341726128

Well, my issued ceramic plates are still good after I've been sitting in the Afghan sun for probably a accumulated-collective of 'days,' plus cardboard is a pretty good insulator (otherwise homeless woldn't live in it).

I definitely understand/share your fear of plates breaking in transit, but I've also seen the Afghans throw their armor off of a roof because they didnt want to wear it while they climbed down a ladder (or ladder-like collection of poles sticking out of a mud wall) and the plates survived a 15 foot fall together, so they're not brittle per se, but I wouldn't drop them lazily.

Man, I wish I could find all fo those awesome sales on steel plates that ebay had right before the Aurora shooting (not saying there's any causation, just noticed that they all disappeared from ebay right after).

If we start doing domestic jobs though, we'll probably only need soft armor (especially since we'll want it concealable). Honestly, armor is more of a personal choice than a requirement for some people. I've worked with plenty of guys who would rather be more mobile during (and less tired after) an op. I kept my helmet strapped to my backpack and only put it on when bullets started flying, or to use my Nods mount. So, it wouldn't be unheard of to not wear armor while operating (especially since we wouldn't be as overt as conventional forces who have to constantly keep their faces shown). I plan on buying a ballistic mask, because I'm primal, and I'll try to put a small, steel side-plate on the back of the straps (think Army of Two) just to add some additional protection.

Pendrake wrote:

ZeeX10 wrote:I dunno, I'm a bit wary of buying ceramic off ebay or any other weapons auctions sites, just because shipping companies do not give 2 fucks about your packages as long as they don't damage the box too much. I've had hard drives thrown over the 5 foot wall at my house and left to bake in direct sunlight on 105 degree days because the UPS guy was too lazy to honk to see if anyone would come out and take the package. I just wouldn't trust shippers to handle ceramic with the care it needs.

Anybody know what kind of plates were used in these videos? They're from liveleak view?i=950_1341726128

Well, my issued ceramic plates are still good after I've been sitting in the Afghan sun for probably a accumulated-collective of 'days,' plus cardboard is a pretty good insulator (otherwise homeless woldn't live in it).

I definitely understand/share your fear of plates breaking in transit, but I've also seen the Afghans throw their armor off of a roof because they didnt want to wear it while they climbed down a ladder (or ladder-like collection of poles sticking out of a mud wall) and the plates survived a 15 foot fall together, so they're not brittle per se, but I wouldn't drop them lazily.

Man, I wish I could find all fo those awesome sales on steel plates that ebay had right before the Aurora shooting (not saying there's any causation, just noticed that they all disappeared from ebay right after).

If we start doing domestic jobs though, we'll probably only need soft armor (especially since we'll want it concealable). Honestly, armor is more of a personal choice than a requirement for some people. I've worked with plenty of guys who would rather be more mobile during (and less tired after) an op. I kept my helmet strapped to my backpack and only put it on when bullets started flying, or to use my Nods mount. So, it wouldn't be unheard of to not wear armor while operating (especially since we wouldn't be as overt as conventional forces who have to constantly keep their faces shown). I plan on buying a ballistic mask, because I'm primal, and I'll try to put a small, steel side-plate on the back of the straps (think Army of Two) just to add some additional protection.

Id say the most we could need for domestic work would be two steel plate inserts we could make ourselves with a metal press. We would be fine against anything except steel core rounds and the feds.

In anyone is looking for some soft armor, this is a good deal:

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This is the soft armor I bought (different time, different price), I'll post pictures if you want proof.

ZeeX10 wrote:I dunno, I'm a bit wary of buying ceramic off ebay or any other weapons auctions sites, just because shipping companies do not give 2 fucks about your packages as long as they don't damage the box too much. I've had hard drives thrown over the 5 foot wall at my house and left to bake in direct sunlight on 105 degree days because the UPS guy was too lazy to honk to see if anyone would come out and take the package. I just wouldn't trust shippers to handle ceramic with the care it needs.

Anybody know what kind of plates were used in these videos? They're from liveleak view?i=950_1341726128

I've used a set ceramic plates on both of my deployments never had a problem. in fact the only non kinetic failure I've heard of ceramic plates is from a guy who dropped his plates onto the back of an lmtv twice a day for four months straight. not saying they're perfect but not not exactly porcelain either

imonaboat wrote:theres a lot of shit we need like generators, tents, medical equipment. this is such a large topic how about we set up a logistical/sustainment topic.

Two-Man Tent $45
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pair with tarp $17
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or if you prefer

One-Man Bivy $46
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Goal Zero Portable Solar Panel $90
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Goal Zero Escape $140 (if you want to power laptops and lights)
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And I would recommend keeping those in one of these Waterproof Compression Bags:
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For water-purification, you can go with the classic iodine tablets:
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But the thing about iodine is you HAVE TO let it dissolve for the FULL 30 minutes, while shaking the fuck out of it, otherwise the tablet will adhere to the side of your stomach lining causing internal injury. Also, a small percent of people are allergic to iodine. If you are going to go the tablet route, I would recommend finding small chlorine tablets, because they only take 10 or 15 minutes to dissolve.

something like
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The other option (that I am going with) is a personal filtration system.
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One of our PSYOP guys carried one of these and never had to wait for any kind of purification to take place. You can fill your camelbaks/water bottles with it.


A third option I just read about is Campden tablets, such as:
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I read about it here:
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Of course you can also just boil water, or in a hurry you can add a SMALL amount of non-detergent bleach to water. Pool shock is also a good thing to keep on hand in a Survival Kit because bleach only has a 6 month (ish) shelf life, whereas Pool shock keeps for a few years. I wouldn't recommend using the Puck-style pool chlorine because it contains other chemicals that make the water slightly acidic.

People recommend Vitamin C tablets if the taste of iodine or chlorine bothers you, but honestly and kind of powdered drink mix will do the trick.

Here's a little write-up about the dangers of Chlorine if you're curious:
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Other Random items:
I would recommend some paracord:
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Because you can use the cord itself, or the internal gore for smaller tasks.

Make sure you have a utility knife, and a flesh knife. Never use one for the other. Flesh knives need to be kept sharp for flesh, utility knives need to be flexible for prying and jimmying (without snapping in twain).


Headlamps
I thought they were gay, until I had the runs at midnight in a porta-potty. They are awesome.

On the topic of water purification, Ive seen these at a lot of outdoor/camping stores.
The ones you actually pump seem more reliable IMO
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Admin wrote:On the topic of water purification, Ive seen these at a lot of outdoor/camping stores.
The ones you actually pump seem more reliable IMO
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The pump ones work fine, but they don't work any better or worse (filtration-wise) than gravity-fed ones like these:

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Pendrake wrote:
The other option (that I am going with) is a personal filtration system.
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I say that because I've seen these used in real-world settings.