Who makes the best of the best in the custom fitted, soft / all day / concealable sort?

I have a chunky, heavy, bulky setup for hard plates already.

But something you could wear under regular clothes would be fantastic.

quote:

Originally posted by 46and2:
Who makes the best of the best in the custom fitted, soft / all day / concealable sort?

I have a chunky, heavy, bulky setup for hard plates already.

But something you could wear under regular clothes would be fantastic.

It's hit or miss. I've had 5 vests, I think. My first was IIIA, and was the most comfortable. But the name escapes me. Maybe Point Blank. It was like a glove.

My next ones were all thinner, but none as comfortable. It all comes down to how good the person measuring you is. My getting fatter probably didn't help any, though.

Edit: I think this is the current version of the one I liked most:

http://www.pointblankenterpris...?product=hilite-male

I have IIIA vest that I wear on duty. I can't imagine wearing it under civilian shirts, every day. But, it is a real concern, now that you mention our present uncivil cities. I would encourage anyone to seek proper fitting (e.g. tall size) and to purchase one extra carrier. Also consider undershirts as part of the system. You will sweat through the undershirt, and cotton is less than comfortable for me. (I do like the idea of external armor, as one suggested, for situations that can be foreseen, such as traveling through a known area of concern.)

I have a II-A Point Blank and a III-A Second Chance vest - the Second Chance is easier to wear and more comfortable for long hauls

note that they do require maintenance and a decent amount of care to maintain their protective levels

Para,

You should look at highcom personal defense kit.

Lvl4 ceramic 4sas7 plates front and rear for 310 shipped. Includes a u.s. made plate carrier. Their plates are usually 190 a piece so u are basically getting the carrier for free. Plates are about 8lbs a piece. NJ rated to stop 30.06AP.

I personally just bought this for my bday present to myself. Should have it in about 8 days.

Note they do require you to send them a picture of your passport for ITAR reasons.

I do not know if you could wear them all day but I personally think lvl3 or soft body armor is worthless in today's rifle world. Ar500 plates weigh more and don't stop M193, which is like the most popular rifle round in america...

Also there was a very informative thread over on ar15.com. I apologize if linking other sites is not allowed but the thread has some great info.

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_1...ol_me_on_armor_.html

Personal defense kit
http://highcomsecurity.com/col...?variant=19417959108

I've been looking at US Palm and their Defender series https://uspalm.com/product-category/defenders/ for some time. Have heard very good things about them.

Check out the Armor 101 section at AT Armor. They do a good job of explaining some of the armor technologies.

My advice do a lot of research first and pay particular attention to your threats. There is a lot of weirdness in the armor industry right now and the standards are not as clear as they could be. For example to get Certified as NIJ 101.006 level III plate the plate only has to stop 6 rounds of a specific .308 FMJ (M80). For a plate to be certified to level IV it only has to stop one bullet, a 30-06 AP round.
Manufacturers will often have their plates independently against other common rounds. But, not always. The soft armor portion of the NIJ standard doesn't require contact shots for certification whereas the FBI standard does. It can get really confusing.

If conceal ability is a must you might want to start with a soft vest (Level II or IIIA) and add something like a paracelete speed plate plus or similar "trauma plate" for limited coverage rifle protection. Velocity System's Shadow works has some very interesting concealable solutions as well.

Thank you for bringing this up Para. I have been on AR500's site quite a few times and never pulled the trigger. It seems like our hand is being forced on this one. Fenris great call, I didn't even think about that but it greatly improves your odds of surviving even at home.

Some of this armor is heavy, what is your physical condition, make sure you can move effectively.

How much time do you plan to spend wearing this armor?

What armor will take multiple hits and be light enough for walking and jogging over an 8 hour period?

quote:

Originally posted by Ronin101:
http://www.galls.com/concealable-armor

That reminds me, be sure to check the websites sales policies. Some sites will sell to anyone, others will only sell to LE/MIL/EMS/FIRE

I have a Second Chance IIIA with shock plate, four sided coverage. Since I'm a little guy 5'6" at about 160 lbs the sides are almost to my arm pits giving me that extra coverage. I have two carries one in white light weight to go under a shirt go to town and other is dark blue with molle all over it (extra magazines/flashlight/First Aid) that's my go to a riot carrier. I just change carries, takes next to no time to do it. But around here in Baltimore, head shots seem to be the norm then body shots just in case (that's the boys on the corner) most are sneak up or in a crowd pull and shoot. They for the most part leave the civilians alone and are getting to be much better shots. What I fear more then getting shot where I travel is the Muslim who decides that it's time get on the news by attacking an old white guy and since he is most likely a "jail house" convert doesn't own a gun and uses a knife or hatchet as the weapon. Chris

We are on the same page. I just ordered over the weekend Level III plates from AR500 and a couple of Level III plates to put in backpacks as well. Ordered Mayflower plate carriers from OPTactical.com. Have not received yet so I can't comment on quality yet but from all I read they are quality products.

Me thinks group buy???

tagged

quote:

Originally posted by P226RN:
Me thinks group buy???

Great idea. I'm in.

My wife has a U.S. palm defender. She wanted it for her birthday when she was pregnant with our daughter. It is very well made and they have several videos on YouTube where they shoot a defender and it stops .44 magazine even some shotgun rounds. They have several setups available, we went with the Mollie version so it could be configured as needed. I am thinking of getting another one for myself.

I believe Georgia gun store in Gainesville sells the US Palm stuff if you wanted to see it firsthand.

quote:

Originally posted by SIG4EVA:

quote:

Originally posted by P226RN:
Me thinks group buy???

Great idea. I'm in.

I'll be watching too.

I have level iii rifle steel plates in a carrier and it's way too heavy. If I had time to get it on, I will but it's not something I keep around. It's next to the bed.

My old level II vest is what I keep in my trunk. It's older and heavier than my newer level IIIA issued vest (Point Blank Alpha Elite).

The thinner and more comfortable body armor will cost way more.

If it's for everyday wear then a IIA or II should be good enough for most handgun rounds you'd expect to encounter. You just have to find a local retailer that will sell to non LE. A fitted one is definitely better than an off the shelf one.

IIA will be thinnest and most comfortable. I'd still wear mine if it was allowed by policy but it's not rated to stop our duty round.