I'm unsure as to what a "protection" vest is. If you are talking about a Plate Carrier, then there are soooo many options.
Example of a PC:
http://www.eagleindustries.com/product.php?productid=344&cat=49&page=1You can go with Real stuff, or clone stuff. Naturally the real stuff is more expensive, but that doesn't mean its not worth it.
Clone GearClone stuff can vary allot, personally I only trust 2 companies when it comes to clone gear. Pantac, and Condor. Both are 1000D Cordura products, meaning they are super tough(Eagle Industries uses 1000D Cordura). Condor is a little cheaper than Pantac but you will notice it in the actual quality of the gear. I like my Condor gear but the buttons start to wear down and if I had zippers on my pouches I have replaced them because they broke. These problems mostly happen with large multi purpose pouches that you would use for carrying everything that doesn't already have a pouch(like BB's dead rags, Maps if you don't have an ADMIN pouch etc etc). However I have friends who have had their Pantac pouches for several years without these problems. So you should decide, is the extra $4-$10 worth it? I think it is, but I'm not you. I would highly recommend that you stay away from OEtech products if you plan on using your gear for several years. The stitching seems to come out after a year or two. They are also only 500D Cordura, in most cases. This means that the OE tech stuff is half as durable as Condor or Pantac stuff is. I think someone would be crazy to not spend the extra cash on Pantac or Condor stuff. (note, this is all based on OEtechs older stuff, I have only had contact with a newer pack that they made and it still didn't impress me in the slightest....).
Pantac:
http://redwolfairsoft.com/redwolf/airsoft/AdvanceSearchResultor in the US
http://www.airsoftsmith.com/store/index.php?cPath=31&osCsid=bucp1hdsmtm44ur136sc9mpj12Condor:
http://uscav.com/search.aspx?Search=Condor&TabID=548&os=1&CatID=5230 Real GearOk I cannot comment on this stuff as much as I can on the Clone gear, but I'll just give you an overview of the gear and stuff.
Eagle Industries(EI), primary producer of gear for the US military. Very nice products, but extremely expensive.
http://www.eagleindustries.com/home.phpHigh Speed Gear Inc(HSGI), nice gear, comparable to EI in both quality and priceing....
http://www.highspeedgearinc.com/Dimondback Tactical(DBT), Good gear maker, they make some different pouches than anyone else in the buisness, overall great gear company. Pricy....
http://www.diamondbacktactical.com/Tactical Tailor(TT), awesome gear, inovative gear, what started out as a Army grunt making mods to Alice packs in his barracks is now a world renown tactical gear buisness. Gear quality is as high as the other big 3, but at a much cheaper price! This is really a gear site made for soldiers, by an ex soldier.
http://www.tacticaltailor.com/index.aspxThats just a basic overview of most gear, there are a bunch of others that I didnt name too. I hope I helped, but remember you get what you pay for(unless its TT, because they rock). Remember when buying gear, don't look at the color... Retailers usually have a color toolbar when you click "add to cart", or on the actual page before you click "ad to cart". I also didnt even get into ALICE or surplus gear, but you should also check that stuff out at your local surplus store, or military base.
sticks