What a great value - Spartan Armor Systems AR550 Body Armor and Plate Carrier Package

This is my initial impression after receiving and fitting the vest to me. First off, WOW what a value!! rifle rated plates and side plates with a carrier for this price. That's the reason I actually bought it - affordability.

I went with the swimmers cut, after waffling a little between it and the shooters cut. Swimmers cut was the right choice for me. I'm about average upper body build, 5'10" 175 lb 40" chest. I was concerned about having enough space to shoulder a rifle with the shooters cut. The swimmers cut is a great fit for me. It leaves enough room to shoulder a rifle and push your hands forward and together like a pistol shooting stance. Doing some quick dry fire presentations, felt good, no interference. If you have broad shoulders or a larger chest, you could probably go with the shooters cut and have enough room to work with.

The plates that come with this are the single curve plates, not the triple curve. I would say it's not a huge deal but I'm sure the other plates are slightly more comfortable. The plate kinda rests / presses against the part of your body that sticks out the most. Kinda like breathing between two walls. I bet the trauma pads would help even out the contact.

Fitting the carrier was pretty easy, it took two or three times to find something that felt good and fit correctly. Putting it on is pretty easy once it's setup - remove one side strap and fish it on, then reattach and fold the front panel down. I'd estimate the weight to be around 20 lb give or take a few. That's including the 6x6 side plates.

The shoulder straps have removable pads, enough padding without being too bulky. I can't comment how comfortable it all is until I get some time with it. seems pretty good out of the box though.

The carrier doesn't have a whole lot of space on the front, basically enough for a 3 wide rifle mag pouch. The cummerbund panels have molle on them too, so you can get a couple things there. There are no admin pouches on the front. The upper portion of the front is molle / velcro for patches or whaterver.

The inside surfaces do not have any kind of mesh, so it'll probably be a little sweaty. That's where the more costly plate carriers shine.

I'm 100% satisfied with this. For the money it can't be beat!!