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CIRAS outdated?


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Better protection than JPC and current plate carriers etc.

Balance has always been protection over mobility/ weight....... SPEAR/BALCS /CIRAS cut offers so much more protection regarding frag and low velocity projectiles...( someone can quote % increase) but at a compromise over weight and mobility. Plates only offer that level 3 or 4 protection

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I don't know about outdated in terms of design and usability but I agree with what this guy said :D

 

They are just dang cool :)

 

Airsoft, or real?

Imo, still is the coolest vest you can tote on a site :)

 

 

Then again I don't subscribe to "Tacticool Vests Monthly" so I really have no idea what's out there :P

 

EDIT: LOL, just did a random Google for "Best plate ccarrier 2017" ( http://lmgtfy.com/?q=plate+carried+vest+2017 ) and there is a site that looks like it might be "Tacticool Vests Monthly" :P

 

http://www.platecarrierzone.com/

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@NonEx that link is great and all but most of the stuff is veery outdated in design (more so than a ciras) and arguably much less cool than a CIRAS :D

The CIRAS isn't really outdated, it's just designed to carry a whole lot of armour that you really don't need in airsoft unless you are going for a specific look. Its a little bit warmer to wear than more modern designs but still looks at home in a average grunt loadout imo.
As for viable, it's MOLLE, you can have it set up the exact same way you can set up any other plate carrier with the selection of pouches these days. The general layout of MOLLE space remains more or less same across all designs.

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Yeah, it might seem a bit odd to dismiss the CIRAS and go Banshee but it's just a lot less bulky and more streamlined.  CIRAS has BALCS soft armour whereas Banshee is pretty much the size of a hard armour plate.

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For airsoft, I think it depends a LOT on the kind of game you are playing. I have a full size CIRAS, and I use it only for CQB / DA type games. Where there is a high probability of me getting lit up at close range.

For other types of games I can use a lighter vest, or even basic Alice gear.

Also, CIRAS looks real cool :)

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just to expand on my earlier point:

 

Yes,they are designed to carry hard and soft armour, but its *suitcase* like the sheer WIDTH of the things, the cummerbund, bla bla bla that makes them massive.

 

Then there is stuff like its quick release, cool but unnessecary.

 

So it really comes down to what you mean by 'viable' and imo there are more streamlined, lighter, and cheaper plate carriers and dare I say, cooler ones too ;)

 

also the RAV is like... twice as cool as the ciras anyway haha.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Yeah, UTG is some sub web-tex level stuff.  Apart from the JPC, the junk on that website is all.. junk.

 

So... rigs.  The CIRAS and its' ilk are very much alive and kicking today amongst conventional forces, you've only got to look at the armour carriers that are standard issue for us (especially osprey mk4), a lot of conventional US forces etc.  As mentioned, you get a ton of soft armour coverage with these big old beasts as well as rom for honking huge plates (like our standard issue ones) and governments want to armour us all up like over-burdened turtles as much as possible.  Obviously someone here already mentioned they have a personal preference for these big old rigs so I can't say they make 'zero' sense in airsoft globally, but when you're not actually concerned about coverage there's really no reason to not go with something more modern in cut.  More cordura means more heat retention, more sweat retention and more weight that causes extra body heat and sweat to be generated; everyone's seen a perfect armour plate shaped sweat patch on somebody's combat shirt during a break at a summer game.  Actual mobility/freedom of movement is of course impacted, potentially severely, and then there's the temptation to fill every bit of PALS with *suitcase*, which is a terrible idea and seems so absurd nobody would do it, but I see it now and then.

 

The great thing about airsoft is that I don't have to give a *fruitcage* about shrapnel from blasts, so I can run just a belt, a little chest rig or a lovely compact plate carrier.  Freedom of movement, far more air flow, easier for excess heat to vent and your sweat to evaporate through your clothes.  If you did want heat insulation, even a JPC style rig will retain a lot of heat in those core, vital areas and that's without any fake armour inside.  The fact so many SF and Police etc have moved to these minimalist plate carriers has really been great for airsoft in the sense that the designs are now so popular the market is literally saturated with choice to suit every possible budget.

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Setting aesthetics and other things aside - A plate carrier is not a plate carrier, same for a chest rig.  You can get huge bulky armour carriers made of heavy materials with no spacer mesh or air flow accommodations and generally bad uncomfortable design.. then you can get incredibly light, well designed plate carriers made out of very light, flexible quality materials with breathable mesh, air flow routes and channels and overall extremely intelligent design; that's why I run FS rigs.

 

Then there are huge chest rigs that cover your entire front and both sides with huge panels of cordura (whereas some PCs only cover front and back, meaning a lower surface area coverage) with no breathability of any kind anywhere, heavy materials and a total lack of flexibility.  Then some people add hydro packs/carriers and back panels to chest rigs.

 

Is it about what 'type' you run or about choosing good designs?

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There is also another school of thought, and that is keeping the armour separate from the webbing, such as the PACA SVS systems.

 

sealwilcoxairight3.jpg

 

The advantages is that:

 

- The BALCS and plates are is kept compact and concealable

- You can keep the familiarity with the 2nd line gear, and train without the armor

- You can change 2nd line gear without changing the armor, for different roles (MG, DMR, Sniper)

- During downtime, you can keep the armor and 1st line gear on, without carrying the 2nd line gear around, so still able to fight your way back to your rifle.

 

The issues of course is that you will be carrying more nylon, but since the chest rigs are the all the rave, and they are extremely light, it doesn't seem to be a big deal.  

 

I have an MBAV atm, with full plates and BALCS kit, but I am transitioning to the PACA as it seems more flexible and mission specific.

 

However armor conversation is less relevant to airsoft.  I like JPCs as it is basically all you need for short duration airsoft/milsim games, but you can do the same with a $30 Blackhawk style AK chest rig, and will still achieve the same result.

 

ISIS-fighters-651669.jpg

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