Yeah as an archer you will do best with a dagger for a backup weapon thanks to all the pre 40 skills you should have with them.
Plated leather you just can't go wrong with, all the rest of the C grade light armors are so-so really for set bonuses. I went through C grade in Dwarven Chain since I had a set of it and wanted to save all my mats and adena for crafting my Doom set.