It’s a no brainer! Ballistic plates and body armor panels are only as effective as they are placed on the plate carrier. The plate carriers in themselves do not have ballistic rated properties, except they are fortified by the plates and panels. Hence, to get the best ballistic protection possible, the body armor system has to be properly placed. Any improper arrangement of plates or panels can take a huge toll on the wearer’s agility, responsiveness, speed, and mobility.
In order to achieve maximum efficiency, plate carriers must be worn to fitly and securely. For this, the wearer must ensure that the weight of the plate carrier is evenly balanced. This is where side plates come in. Side plates are smaller ballistic plates that are designed to be inserted at both flanks of the plate carrier. Not only do they offer additional protection from commonly ignored flanks, they also provide the necessary balance needed to ensure that the plate carrier’s weight is not lump-sided.
Plate carriers are built to carry multiple gears and tools. Often used by the military, plate carriers allow soldiers to carry their communicator, ammo, and other gears that might come in handy during an operation. It also allows for the insertion of side plates for extra protection against unseen flank attacks.
Using a side plate with high level of ballistic resistance can provide some much-needed protection against rifle attacks to the flank. Honestly, the flanks are commonly overlooked in this wise. It also gives some level of frag protection as well as safety from bomb fragments, shrapnel, and other dangerous debris that can be found on the combat field.
However, we cannot overlook the fact that it comes with some additional weight. Also, it might also make the wearer less comfortable and restrict the movements of body angles. But what do you want? Extra weight, extra protection? Or, lesser weight, lesser protection?
