[English Bob]

I have resisted getting a plate carrier, but I keep having pangs of temptation.

I don't know a whole lot about it. I see they offer curved and flat plates. It makes sense that you would want a curved front plate, but what about the back? Is curved better?

 

[howlnmad]

Good question, waiting for replies.

 

[English Bob]

I see a bunch of people on another forum saying both plates should be curved.

 

[Common Sense]

Go with curved for front & back. It may not seem like much, but the curve helps if/when receiving fire from an angle. Also, curved plates are WAY more comfortable than flat ones. Someone who is extremely large (wide) may get by just fine with flat plates, but I'm only guessing at that.

Next question may be: ceramic or steel? Both have pros & cons; and the answer will depend upon your preference for weight, durability and cost.

 

[English Bob]

I see now they have plastic plates that weigh less and actually work.

 

[ms6852]

Curved. Serves two purposes, to help in deflecting bullet strike, to help in absorbing impact in case a large caliber is used , bullet might flatten curvature out before penetrating , and conforms to body dimensions better. Oops forgot to add this, armor plating should be layered and is usually curved whereas flat plating is made from steel, personally I never used steel.

 

[DCAN]

Based on years of wearing that stuff, I'd vote for curved. Just assuming these are hard plates, not soft ones. Also depends a bit on what you are going to be doing while wearing the vest, how heavy the plates are, and so on. If you are near water, or might be, think of how well you will or will not float with heavy plates. I've looked at some plates which will float, and absorb multiple hits from a 30-06 and 5.56. Cool stuff.
At the end of the day, comfort is really important. If you tend not to wear the vest due to discomfort, it's the wrong vest for you. Check out the AR500 web site.