First Spear: SST vs Strandhögg

[Phaedrus/69]

I hope this is an appropriate place to ask this; I made several searches of the forums and didn't find a better location. I am planning to get a better plate carrier and am fairly well set on First Spear. My first thought was to get a cummerbund retrofit kit for one of my current carriers as I think the tubes appear to be much better than velcro or buckles. But while the retrofit kit looks great, it won't fix the other issues with my budge carriers (eg mediocre Chinese build quality, poor shoulder straps, mediocre PALS webbing, etc). My next thought was maybe to go with the SST & w/an Overlap cummerbund, upgraded shoulder pads and the PIG pontoons. Well, maybe I'm outsmarting myself but once I get everything to upgrade the SST it seems like I'm not saving much cash vs just getting a Strandhögg.

For reference I have two plate carriers now, fairly inexpensive ones. One is set up with Level IV ceramic/PE armor and the other is Level III+ ceramic/PE. I did just get one of the nicer multi-curve plates from RMA which feel enough better fit-wise that I'll likely get another one. Neither of my current rigs have real cummerbuns and I'm not presently running side plates. Generally I wear them to the range and to train, and of course keep one handy at home to grab in case of an emergency. My feeling was been that the speed of donning the simpler armor outweighed the extra protection of side plates, etc. But now I am wanting a bit more protection, and it seems that a better carrier with tubes would be at least as fast my stripped down carriers. In a home invasion scenario the layout of my place would likely allow me to keep opponents in front of me but on a shooting range there's a greater risk of a round coming in from the sides or rear.

Protection is the main priority but a big part of spending $500 or more on just the carrier would be to have a rig that is comfortable as well. I won't be humping through the valleys of Afghanistan or anything so I don't pouches for comms or space for six AR mags, but an admin pouch for a cell phone and flashlight would be good. Normally I keep a couple of AR mags on the carrier and a couple of pistol mags. I've got a lot of stuff that First Spear sews for Hill People Gear so I'm really leaning towards them as they do quality stuff and are American made.

So I'm curious if anyone here runs a Strandhögg or other First Spear rig? If so, do common commercial Level IV ceramic/PE plates fit well in the versions made for SAPI plates? How is the comfort of the carrier? Are there any downsides to running tubes that I need to consider? Should I consider a different First Spear carrier? I'm not super interesting in buying a bunch of new plates so I want something that will fit my RMA and LAPG plates if possible (although I will likely add side plates and/or soft side panels- the latter being a big draw of the Overlap cummerbund).

Thanks for any info you can provide!

 

[ClicheBro]

You need to ask on lightfighter or a gear bullying Facebook group.

 

[Rexster]

I cannot think of a downside to the Strandhogg tube system, except that lining-up the tubes might not be so simple, if done during time of emergency-induced stress. I keep my Strandhogg stored, in a dust-proof container, with its IIIA panels installed, and my best set of plates are kept in a more-accessible Mayflower carrier, with IIIA Kevlar backers, that I believe can be donned just a bit quicker/smoother when under stress.

When it comes time to remove a plate rig, the Strandhogg tubes are quieter than Velcro. The Strandhogg’s tubes are virtually silent, if I remember correctly.

I have no way of knowing which carriers would fit your plates. Your plates are probably significantly thicker than my Velocity Systems Level III plates. Others may be able to answer that one.

 

[Phaedrus/69]

Well, just a quick update! I'd say it's a mixed bag. I ordered my Strandhogg v3 in black and just over a week later they emailed to tell me it's out of stock with an eight week lead time. That bummed me out but I decided to see if they happened to have it in Manatee, my second choice. They did, so it went out right away. The carrier itself is terrific! Great design, fantastic construction. With carrier in hand I decided to get a placard, the mag inserts and a few other things. Again, eight days pass and I'm told that half the items are out of stock in Manatee but I could sub OD green if I was in a hurry. Well, the placard was Manatee and the insert Green so I figured being inside the placard it wouldn't show, so I took the subbed color instead of waiting two months. The order then arrived in a timely fashion.

Then I decided I'd order the soft armor inserts for the Overlap Cummerbund. Well, turns out they won't sell those to anyone without MIL or LE credentials. First Spear does have some product lines that are stated to only be for GOV entities, and it's clearly stated. But no mention is made that armor for the cummerbund is GOV-only. Frankly, this is a really crappy business practice IMO! Setting aside companies that won't sell to civilians, I think if that IS the policy it should be stated up front. It's reasonable to assume a fair amount of people wouldn't buy a $177 cummerbund if they knew that not only would FS not sell armor but that they use a custom cut not readily available. Fortunately, a couple companies do sell soft armor specifically made for FS and it looks like my Level IV ceramic/PE side plates will work fine. Still, it's not great to be $1,100 into the kit only to realize they won't sell you the rest.

All that said, at all times FS CS was courteous and professional. The products themselves are stellar! I do think it's poor business practice though to take order for products that aren't in stock, especially given the ability to electronically manage inventory. I don't know how often it occurs but I've placed two orders so far, and both were backordered. And I think they should be more transparent about what they'll sell to civilians and what they won't. Maybe I missed it but a careful examination of their website doesn't mention this at all.

For anyone considering a similar setup my RMA Model #1155mc Multi-curvel Level IV ceramic/PE plates fit although it's somewhat snug. My Strandhogg v3 carrier is sized M which takes medium SAPI-cut plates. The same plate slid into the back panel much more easily, just the minor variation in each panel I suppose. Anything thicker or larger will probably not fit. However, there's a separate compartment behind the plate bag for backers which is nice. For whatever reason, First Spear seems to put the hook side where most brands put the loop side so some things that will work with more carriers will need some adapting to a Strandhogg.

All in all I love the Strandhogg v3, and even with the extra time and legwork on my end to set it up I think it will be a great carrier. Still, if I knew about these issues ahead of time I probably would have purchased something else.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Gooof info, thanks!

 

[Phaedrus/69]

The 3rd carrier I bought was a low profile model by Shellback Tactical. It's a great minimalist carrier but I didn't like the velcro cummerbund. So I got an elastic one from Blaze Defense that uses First Spear Tubes. I'm quite impressed! You stick the Tubes on the front, then adjust the velcro on the back. One test fit, then tweak the position on the back- when you're happy then stick down the capture flap.