Some good deals at AR500 for their packages.  Most of the current ones are worth it if you buy the plates alone.  I know body armor can have a stigma with some people, but there are some decent deals here if you're looking to getting into it.

https://www.ar500armor.com/promotions-sales.html

Just built one of those muthas a month ago. Level III+....

Comes in about 26lbs fully equipped.

 

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which kit did you get, @bhunted

I've been torn between the Testudo G2 and Sentry rigs.

Testudo Gen 2


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How comfortable is it?  Because 26lbs can be either comfortable or very uncomfortable to carry.

Not bad I suppose. Its a pretty balanced rig...Also has nice breathable soft padding inside and on shoulder straps...
I decided I will remove the chest holster and just use either my drop leg or belt holster though.. In the pic is my HK45....

Since building it, my back went out super bad. On my 3rd epidural for sciatica. So not sure if the weight will bother me at this point. I don't have much hope in these epidurals but I don't want surgery either. If it doesn't subside better, I may sell the whole rig.

Hate sounding like a vulture, but if you do decide to part with it, drop me a note?

Get better, and honestly, don't put off the surgery if that's what they're calling for.  Get a 2nd (or even 3rd) opinion, but back problems aren't to be toyed with.

Also for sciatica, have you tried/found a chiropractor to work it out?

39 minutes ago, bhunted said:

Not bad I suppose. Its a pretty balanced rig...Also has nice breathable soft padding inside and on shoulder straps...
I decided I will remove the chest holster and just use either my drop leg or belt holster though.. In the pic is my HK45....

Since building it, my back went out super bad. On my 3rd epidural for sciatica. So not sure if the weight will bother me at this point. I don't have much hope in these epidurals but I don't want surgery either. If it doesn't subside better, I may sell the whole rig.

Hunted i am a back pain sufferer too. I had a doctor how i was still walking never mind going to work. I have a laundry list of issues. Are you seeing a pain management specialist ? I’ve avoided surgery for years now, not every day is sunshine and rainbows but i get along pretty well without surgery. Feel free to PM me if you’d like some of my very non professional input. 

Oh and i bet a 26 pound rig, as sweet as it is will bother you. I can’t wear a backpack with much more than my lunch in it.

I don't know why everyone is so afraid of back surgery, it's not the 1970s any more, advancements have been made. I have a really bad back especially for my age (had a 5hr back surgery before I was 30). While my back still flares up once and a while but I can do everything I used to do including snowboarding and backpacking with a 70lb pack. Having the surgery was one of the best decisions I ever made. 

As for the armor not bad prices, I've kinda wanted a kit for a while thanks for the info OP. 

1 hour ago, sota said:

Hate sounding like a vulture, but if you do decide to part with it, drop me a note?

Get better, and honestly, don't put off the surgery if that's what they're calling for.  Get a 2nd (or even 3rd) opinion, but back problems aren't to be toyed with.

Also for sciatica, have you tried/found a chiropractor to work it out?

Yep, but his adjustments didn't help. My doc that was doing the shots says my back has a lot going on and said surgery would be next. Of course, after I have nice medical bills. Insurance didnit cover everything as usual. Got to get my arse on Medicare...

1 hour ago, JMich3 said:

Hunted i am a back pain sufferer too. I had a doctor how i was still walking never mind going to work. I have a laundry list of issues. Are you seeing a pain management specialist ? I’ve avoided surgery for years now, not every day is sunshine and rainbows but i get along pretty well without surgery. Feel free to PM me if you’d like some of my very non professional input. 

Oh and i bet a 26 pound rig, as sweet as it is will bother you. I can’t wear a backpack with much more than my lunch in it.

The dr that did the shots is part of the pain management stuff. I have to try hold off till I get on Medicare. Our insurance don't pay squat. I have some sort of chest cold now that has left me coughing constantly since yesterday. Even when I cough, my effing back hurts.  Right now, winging it. House is on the market and I can't lose focus of getting out of here.
I'm also thinking that the cause of the sciatica among the l4,l5, s1 being messed up is I have Piriformis Syndrome... getting old sux.

59 minutes ago, bhunted said:

I'm also thinking that the cause of the sciatica among the l4,l5, s1 being messed up is I have Piriformis Syndrome... getting old sux.

I've dealt with back issues/pain for decades (partly from Arthritis). What I do is go for medical massage once a week to reduce the inflammation and get the muscles out of contraction. Has worked MIRACLES!! I take no pain medication anymore and can pretty much do anything I want.

Go check out medical massage, either through a Chiro office or separately. Note: it won't work immediately and will take multiple visits to try and get ahead of it, but it has been a amazing fix. The key is finding a therapist who is a really good diagnostician, and can figure out what's triggering the pain.

 

I've dealt with back issues/pain for decades (partly from Arthritis). What I do is go for medical massage once a week to reduce the inflammation and get the muscles out of contraction. Has worked MIRACLES!! I take no pain medication anymore and can pretty much do anything I want.
Go check out medical massage, either through a Chiro office or separately. Note: it won't work immediately and will take multiple visits to try and get ahead of it, but it has been a amazing fix. The key is finding a therapist who is a really good diagnostician, and can figure out what's triggering the pain.
 

Will do. Thanks for the tip.


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I know it sound kooky to a lot of people but i swear by acupuncture, loosens my spassemed muscles better than anything else I’ve tried.

 Sorry to the OP for hi jacking his thread!

33 minutes ago, bhunted said:

Will do. Thanks for the tip.

I didn't believe at first that it would really help, because I was thinking "massage" was what you got at the spa with cucumbers over your eyes.

But, I didn't want to go the surgery route, injection route or suck down tons of pain killers, so I soldiered through it. The treatments were Extremely painful in the beginning, like bite a bullet pain, but week by week, things started to loosen up. The pain and issues had actually started to affect my hip joints and I was seriously considering hip replacement, as I dreaded walking up the stairs or squatting down to pick up something, because of the pain.

I now run the stairs two at a time, ride my mountain bike, chase the rug rats around and can play any sport I want.

The key was to find a therapist who specializes in Medical Massage, not general massage. it took a few different ones to find the right one. My appointments are kinda like a combination of massage, physical therapy and Chiro, all worked together. Actually, today is my appointment day, it's the BEST hour of my week.

Good luck!

8 hours ago, JMich3 said:

Oh and i bet a 26 pound rig, as sweet as it is will bother you. I can’t wear a backpack with much more than my lunch in it.

Backpacks are a bit different, as they hang the weight from your back in a horrible way.  Hiking packs are much better at distributing the weight, a lot of times incorporating the hips.  My understanding is that you can do something similar with a chest rig and battle belt.

2 hours ago, vjf915 said:

Backpacks are a bit different, as they hang the weight from your back in a horrible way.  Hiking packs are much better at distributing the weight, a lot of times incorporating the hips.  My understanding is that you can do something similar with a chest rig and battle belt.

For me it’s just the compression on my spine, i could hang it any way i want and it still hurts

looking at the veritas package, seems like a good deal

 

what did the whole set up cost you?