Hmmm… I think there’s some fog of the internet going on here, so let me get one thing out of the way up front- my previous was not meant as an attempt to trash SKD’s gear. Completely irrelevant to the topic, but I have also done plenty of business with SKD and have not had a hiccup.
My writeup was simply a No-BS comparison of the major hit points of the three PC’s the OP was looking at based on my experience with them, and how those seemed to relate to the OP’s needs (hence why I didn’t get any more detailed about the PIG). I figured since we all have different subjective experiences with a piece of gear it would be plain that there would be an understood “IMHO”/"YMMV" as people read it. Perhaps not…
Originally Posted by
skd_tactical
I am just going to touch on this part as I have probably the most experience with the PIG PC out there, if not, I certainly know it damn well. I am 5'10" and usually 165 / 32 inch waist, sometimes less, depending on how long or how hard a deployment is. I have been rocking our PIG PC since 2009. It's been to AFG and Back and all the training in between. I am "sized" for a medium ESAPI shaped plate but always prefer a small. I have never had any issues getting the proper stance or grip with my service pistol, or had the Plate area FOOTPRINT disrupt anything that I need to do during my course of work. I have had issues with other armors systems affecting my job, mainly in my ability to throw a hand grenade..... That is a whole other story with a funny but happy ending.
Anyways I run our PIG PC kevlar soft armor inserts with SMALL Plates and have never had any sizing issues. I do NOT use side Hard plates as they affect/hurt my poor little hips, especially in the Afghan mountains. I do wear side soft armor, but I have never found a body armor system where side hard plates were comfy for my body type and I have access to a metric ton of gear. I run 4 rifle mags, a large medical kit, NVG/ Utility pouch, and two radio pouches (MBITR and SATCOM/PRC152), either a PIG 2L or EMDOM Veh. Hydration carrier if I needed to carry a PRC117F. My loadout was as slimmed down as I could get it for the tasks at hand.
Below is a picture of me on my last tour rocking our PIG PC with said loadout. I am a small guy in my line of work and the PIG PC is not swimming on me.
This is interesting info- I am also a sized Med. plate, and PC’s in Medium sizes generally fit me fine. I do not have an issue firing a handgun, or shouldering a rifle (with an STR stock).
Now, the backstory here, the PIG being the first PC I ever had, I had read all sorts of reviews pre-buy and folks were all like “yeah, it fits great/comfy/awesome”. And then I got one and I’m standing in the thing going “how the hell does this not fit”? At the time I didn’t know all the other “medium” sized carriers I’d eventually try would fit- you could actually go back here on M4C to before I bought an APC, and I’ve likely got posts asking for dimensions on how big an APC was, because I didn’t want to spend another 300 bucks on another carrier that didn’t fit. Maybe someday I’ll have to try a PIG again.
But per my writeup, considering the PIG is stated as “once size fits most” on the website with the ability to run Small to XL plates, given what I’ve seen Vs multiple other PCs (aside those listed here as well), and considering that a PC has to be at least a certain size to fit the larger plates, versus other PCs that are cut much more closely to the individual plate sizes, I think my assessment of it being for larger folks was fair.
Originally Posted by
piggly_wiggly
The BRIG is a sub-1 lb PC system that can go from carrying just plates, to carrying front sub loads, front and back soft armor, side plates, side molle, shoulder pads and pontoons, and rear hydration and/or load carriage. In fact we also have side soft armor carriers coming out from Point Blank shortly. Good, bad or indifferent, the BRIG IS "ultra-scalable".
I agree with this from the standpoint you mentioned, with the number of ways if can be configured. However, my point about scaleability was going off the level of loadout the OP wanted the ability to plus up to, versus the requirement of the carrier being “95% slick/low-profile”.
Personally, I don’t see the BRIG carrying that much weight well, in and of itself (versus a full PC).
Considering I have yet to run across anyone either in person or online running their BRIG in “full load” configuration with side plates and everything else, I think that opinion has some substance. Unless I’m missing something….
That’s why I made a point to talk about wear with a chest rig, for quick addition of your full load while using the BRIG in its best configuration, ie, slick.
Now of course you could get around the issues I mentioned with a swift clip attachment chest rig or front flap. Obviously I dropped the ball here and should have mentioned this as the option to nullify the issues with a standard chest rig- but as it was late and as I already had half a page of text written up, I figured with the proliferation of such rigs, as well options for front panels from SKD, this was kind of a 1+1=2 thing.
So, OP if the info about the chest rig compatibility with the BRIG was misleading, my bad.
The OP never asked about wearing this under a shirt ….Also, low-profile does not always mean "low-visability"
You’re right, and I understand your statement about how the BRIG was meant to be worn.
However…. My point about the concealability was going off the second line there. Of all the people I have talked to about gear, almost unanimously when they say they want a “low profile” or “slick” carrier, and I ask them to clarify exactly what that means to them they say “well I want to be able to throw a shirt over it for concealability.”
Usually followed directly afterwards by “…and then I can throw a chest rig on top with the rest of my stuff as needed”.
And I'm sure guys in the gear industry have heard this even a thousand times more.
Hence why I pointed out the issues with that course of action using a BRIG- sure it was a bit of a SWAG based on the OP, but since I’ve already tried it, and since a big part of the conversation centered around “scalability” I wanted to point out that this was not a great idea with this particular PC, before the OP went out and bought one like I did, thinking that this issue didn’t exist.
Plate carrier interiors do not see the abrasion that the exteriors do, and the BRIG exterior is 2 layers of material (loop velcro + 400D nylon). In the case of the Multicam version, it does use 500D Cordura on the exterior rear carrier as there is no 400D alternative in MC. The shoulder straps will not pull away unless subjected to a load that would make any other plate carrier strap pull away from the body. We started with a reverse-W stitch (you riggers out there know how strong this is) and down the line changed to a box-X per the recommendation of First Spear to make it easier on their sewers…..
The PIG Elastic CB Side Plate Carrier comes with a plastic stiffener and supports the weight just fine in a proven design that has been in use for years by several brands. As mentioned above, we also have side soft armor products for the BRIG coming soon from Point Blank.
Interesting info- thanks for explaining that.
I have redacted the “quality issues” portion of my writeup in light of this.
My issue with what appeared to be the rear shoulder strap corner beginning to pull was based on other items I’ve had, especially in regard to the thin nylon material, where once it starts to stretch/pull in a corner like that, its days are numbered.
The issue I had with potentially mounting heavy items, like armor, on the BRIG elastic ‘bund is that it’s very ‘stretchy”- more so than the actual PIG elastic replacement ‘bund that I had gotten to retrofit the APC with. I’ve seen a few elastic-type cummberbunds, and with the exception of the PIG bund, which seems to have a good bit of inherent stiffness as well as elasticity, they all seemed too “stretchy” to hold up any weight without severe sagging/bouncing.
Envision wearing your pistol on an elastic belt, and I think that will help explain the concerns I had with the BRIG elastic cummberbund.
So, when seen in the context of what the BRIG was primarily designed for, your comments are not applicable. The BRIG may not have been GTG for your application, but that doesn't define everyone else's needs. Is the BRIG the right rig for everyone? Clearly not.
Again, since this is an open thread on an open forum, see my previous about the implied “IMHO”/"YMMV" understood to be tacked to every post here.
Thanks for your info.
I hope this helps clear things up a bit.
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