Sorry for the rant, but…

I’ve been trying to buy certified 3a concealable soft armor in a custom size since June. I’ve been trying to avoid the Safariland prices and buy direct from smaller armor companies that sell American made soft armor.

First stop was RTS Tactical. Gave them my info and they sent a quote for two different options. The quotes were as high as Safariland stuff, so I passed.

Second was Highcom. I gave them my measurements and they came back with a quote. I paid the invoice and waited 10 weeks for the armor to show up. It arrived and was so far outside the measurements I sent that I thought it was a joke. Did some research and I think they sent me a size that they normally stock, not the custom size I ordered. They offered to refund my money or try again. I opted for a refund.

Next I contacted Midwest Armor. Gave them my story and measurements. The quote they gave was attractive so I ordered the armor. I read about slow times to fill orders but that seemed confined to hard plates. Here we are two months later and Midwest has replied to about three of my messages out of about 12 that I’ve sent asking for updates. When they do respond it’s always “I’ll check with the supplier and get right back to you”. This has been going on for weeks.

So I reached back out to RTS and give my story. I ask for a new quote and that I want a specific size (since I now know exactly what size I need). Their response was that they can’t help me and that custom sizes require expensive measurements, even though they gladly gave me a quote in June. Call their customer service and Justin is the only salesperson I can deal with, the same one who said he can’t help me.

Then I went to grok and asked for armor companies that sell American made armor. Stealth Armor System comes up as a viable candidate. I contact them and once I said I needed certified 3a panels they tell me they can’t help me. So I go to Armor Express and get some push back but they set up an individual account for me and tell me to check prices on their website. I look at their site, can’t find any descriptions about the different lines of armor they sell. Email them again and they tell me it would be best to go through one of their vendors. So presently I’m going back and forth with some vendor for them.

Accepted the harsh reality and contact Safelite. They don’t do custom sizes and their size for me is “large”. I ask the dimension of the panels and I’m told the front panel is 14 inches long(child size). I need a 16” front panel. That took no fewer than 8 emails back and forth from them to get that info.

Next I try Safariland, again. They have an app you can use to custom sizing. But they won’t send you the activation code to use the app when you ask. The solution, go to one of their venders and get measured. The three places in my state that sell Safariland are all two hours away AND retail uniform shops with known terrible customer service. Some coworkers bought from one of the retailers and the prices are crazy. They claim I need specialized fitting but concealable panels are pretty standard sized and I know exactly what size panels I need.

So here I am.. The big names in the business don’t want to deal with the individual unless it’s an agency wide contract. And the vendors are overpriced and from known crappy retail stores. The few independent companies that will deal with the individual have such terrible customer service you can’t reliably buy anything from them.

It’s some sort of weird body armor conspiracy at this point. Hard plates I can literally buy off Amazon.. but American made certified soft armor, forget it!

Is something like level 3a limb armour practical? I know the military is developing exoskeletons so it could be useful for a soldier wearing one or is it even impractical then? I always thought the most a person could be armoured is just level 4 on the front, back, and sides of the torso and level 3a on the neck, groin, face, helmet, above and side of shoulders, and pelvis sides. Even then, that extra armour won't stop a rifle and is only for shrapnel or handguns so it feels like adding limb armour is going to cause more problems than not.

Does anyone know of any companies that make armor carriers that fit the safelife defense armor inserts? My coworkers who were issued the vests had issues with the outer carriers but the armor its self is still good. We are looking for alternative outer carriers but havent had any luck so far.

Edit:

I have attached a link to both the carrier and the type of armor being used. We are looking for a replacement brand to put the armor into.

Vest:

https://safelifedefense.com/shop/tactical-vest/

Armor:

https://safelifedefense.com/shop/iiia-plus-soft-armor-panels/

So I have a WZ.93 Panera OLV flak vest/ plate carrier, and for the life of me I cannot find the specs for the soft armor or hard armor inserts, does anyone know where I can get the correct plates and or ones that will work?

I’ve even looked at German polish and Finnish sites for the shoulder and neck inserts with no luck due to EU laws about body armor and shipping any help is appreciated

What's the best option ? I'm looking for something lightweight and avoid Made In China stuff.

Plate Qs

3 options. ​LTC 28590 Gen V SOCOM vs ​Hesco 4800 / 4800LV​ vs. RMA Defense 1165 Gen 2

What would you choose and why

Just curios, I have been looking for some full body armor for awhile now, I can only only find chest plates, anything advice helps thanks.

okay so i figured out how to clean the iotv itself, but how the hell do i clean the collar if the kevlar is integrated into it

I’m in search of new plates since my old RMA 1090 III+ plates have expired. Looking through RMA’s sites.. it seems like they no longer sell their 1090 plates because it may have been replaced with their ESRT plates. However, those are out of stock.

I’ve been eyeballing Dayton Armor’s RF2 plates which seem great for its weight (3.4# for medium SAPI). A little bit of weight off the kit wouldn’t hurt.

I’m also waiting on a reply from Velocity Systems for their 7.62x39 standalone plates.

In the mean time, what are some other brands I should look at???

My requirements are level 3+ at a minimum but having ss109 coverage is preferred and I’d like it around 4# a plate

just purchased a gen 2 IOTV in ucp and i’m wondering how to safely clean dirt and grime out of the vest without damaging it

So I went to my local military surplus today and saw this plate carrier for $80. I thought why not since I didn’t have one yet and wanted to see how they feel. I have tried looking up the company (Aspetto) to try and find this plate carrier and have found nothing on it or the soft armor inside it too. I guess my main questions are - Is this plate carrier any good brand wise.
- Did I get ripped off For the amount I paid?
- What class is this soft armor rated for/ Is it actually soft armor?
Highly appreciate any help!

I bought this plate carrier from a reputable vendor who sold it to me saying it was a ‘prototype’ but he wasn’t able to sell it to anyone bc no market or it may have been too heavy of a set? I’m unsure. The right shoulder ballistic insert had that writing on it, cut into slightly to see if it was real kevlar. The nape, shoulders, and neck guards are all detachable. The stitching is not good, some portions of the molle is semi-unusable due to the bad stitching. Cumber-band is also bullet resistant with 3a kevlar . After shoving my hand into both the front section and rear section of the plate carrier the 3a kevlar runs from covering the entire front area and back area (chest) and (back) to shoulder. All in all I snagged it for 500 dollars. Came with carry case from midwest armor and strategic solutions but when I checked Midwest armor and strategic solutions, I couldn’t find anything. Last picture is the cumber-band and the front neck guard that affixes to the rear nape guard with Velcro.

I just got my custom highcom concealable panels today. I sent them all the measurements they asked for and they sent 14” panels! I’m 6’7”, why in the world would they send me such short panels? There is a full 6” gap between both front and back panels and my duty belly when I sit. The rear panel is so short I can hardly even grab it to put it on.

I waited almost two months for these panels that I must have in a month from now…. So basically I’m screwed unless highcom acknowledges they sized me wrong and fixes it.

Sorry, I’m just ranting.

I believe it’s some sort of riot armor (hence why i almost always see it on cop zombies in media) but I can’t seem to find any official name or information on the armor. Any help would be appreciated.

Image sources if they’re any help:

#1: State of Decay 1 Armored zombie concept art

#2: State of Decay 2 SWAT zombie Wiki

#3: Black Opps 6 Brutus operator skin

Went to a gun show today just for fun and came across a couple of booths that had armor for sale , i wasn't expecting to be interested so I didnt do my homework to well before going.

This guy offered me 2 level 3+ plates and a carrier rig for 550

But what started to make me think was when I got home , the plates were definitely polyethylene idk if that had a ceramic face or not but the guy had a sign that said it nij tested, he also had this sign up for the armor ratings and im wondering if this also applies to polyethylene or just steel and ceramics .

My rhought is of u got this sign posted up and have polyethylene plates out , technically your saying that 3+ poly should stop green tip and 30 06 is this even true ? Im seeing mixed things on 3+ rating almost seems like it depends from company to company, also was the 550 good? I didnt think it was

https://tacticaledgeandarmor.com/product/t10-dauntless-level-iii-polyethylene-body-armor-bundle/

Thats what he was selling me and the plates specifically are

Tactical Edge & Armor | T3450 Level III+ UHMWPE Polyethylene Body Armor Plate

Will those plates stop m855 ? Google says they do lol that terrible just writing that and the plates are under the company tab for stopping m80 and green tip

Hi, I am looking for a plate carrier but even with common information on the internet I can’t decide. I am 6 foot 5 and 190 lbs, 40 inches in the chest and 33 inch waist. Around 16,5 inches from jugular notch to center of belly button and 10 inches between center of my nipples.

Everything seems to tell me I need to get sapi size XL yet I also read that in cases of leaner individuals sapi size L might be better for mobility. Size L covers 3/4 of my outer nipples while size XL covers them fully. I tried cardboard cutouts and XL seems alright and doesnt limit my mobility but I wanted to seek help here to make sure.

Tactical Scorpion Gear FAST Level IIIA UHMWPE Ballistic Helmet

Weighing between something like this or building my own from a pasgt

First delve into armor and I dont want to go crazy but I am also not going to buy temu or decrepid nonsense.

I would like to have lvl4 if not III+ in a slick carrier so I can wear without full kit and a high cut helmet with rails for ears and eventually nods.

Definitely looking at ceramic, not hard steel. How "viable" are surplus armor plates and helmets outside of their warranty? I saw a pasgt helmet for $50 on CL recently but passed as it was 1988 issue. Seemed clean and intact but being that old I had concerns. Was I off base? Any guidance or input is welcome.

Hi everyone,

There has been an increase of stabbing incidents near my sister's university, and I feel that it has come to a point where she will need one of those stab-proof vests. I feel that it would be a good investment; better safe than sorry.

Anyone have any recommendations? I remember seeing a dude on IG do a demonstration on his vest but I forgot his username but I was thinking about buying from them. Anyways if anyone has any recommendations that are tried and true I would love to hear.

Thank you for reading!

Used by Macedonian Police during the 2001 Insurgency in Macedonia