Looking to do a high coverage concealable iiia setup that I can also put level 4 plates over.

Thinking of doing the Crye LVS iia vest with side 6x9 iiia panels.   Now in terms of going up to level 4 and still keeping to a clean and somewhat lower profile (e.g. not hanging mags etc off, lower profile straps) I'm trying to decide if I want to go with an LVS cover and LVS plate holder combination, vs just keep the plates in some some other rig to throw over the top if it comes to actually wanting level 4 (but assuming you didn't want to lose the iiia coverage)

Anyone tried any of these in combination?  Or have any suggestions?

Nope.  Not much that I could find a couple years ago either when I needed new soft armor.  I would have thought they were looking at breaking into the CONUS LE market but when I called Crye w some specific questions, they were pretty clueless.  All the big names in LEO soft armor publish specs regarding weight per sq in, thickness, sizing but I couldn’t get any of that info from them.  I called PB, they sent a rep who sized and fitted me and I ended up w PB alpha elite like last time.  

https://www.militarymorons.com/gear/crye8.html

+1 with what was mentioned above...made a little splash when it came on scene, but didn't really seem to gain too much traction.

You can't go wrong with soft armor from Point Blank or Safariland. Safariland's Hardwire line is some of the thinnest and most flexible IIIa armor on the market. I have a set of the SX armor and it's night and day how much lighter it is compared to a 100% woven vest. I'd run hard plates on top of that for some added versatility.

Links to places that sell point blank armor to civilians?  Am military if that helps.

The LVS is reportedly a stiff plate-ish type material, rather then a flexible fabric like regular soft armor.

I'd find a nice Level II or premium IIIA ultra thin.

Stinger Level II ( 0.19", V50 .357 1660fps)
https://midwestarmor.com/products/stinger-ii/

Clipper IIIA (0.21")
https://midwestarmor.com/products/clipper-iii-a/

With LEO/MIL certification, you can look into:

Amor Express Razor 2 Gen 2
Point Blank Alpha Elite
Survival Armor Paladin
Safariland (look for thin and flexible models)


Basically, don't get anything over 0.21" - and try and get as thin as possible, even if Level II. And then look for vests that are as flexible as possible as that further improves comfort and concealability.

Great feedback all.  Thanks!

This is not quite right. I don't own an LVS but I know a few guys who do and I've gotten to try it out. It's definitely formed polyethylene and relatively stiff, but it's not that much stiffer than Safariland Hardwire 74 and lots of guys are wearing that. When I tried it, I didn't find it particularly comfortable but I also had a bunch of visceral fat. The friends I have who own and regularly use the LVS were in much better shape and found it very comfortable.

EDIT: To answer your specific question OP, the guys I know using the LVS usually keep it in the undershirt configuration and have their plates in a quick-don carrier. Nobody has experience with the plate hanger thing, sorry.

The LVS is compelling for a lot of reasons. The insert-as-vest thing is no shit, if you're not fat the base vest absolutely disappears under a properly sized button-down and sometimes even a slightly big t-shirt. It's denser than Hardwire 68 or Alpha Elite/Alpha Black and it's thicker than Razor, but all of those are going in undershirt carriers. Matter of opinion whose undershirt carriers are the best, but they're all higher profile than the LVS. It's a legit .06 listed ballistic package, of relatively high performance. Again, Hardwire 74 or Alpha Black are going to do better against the silly stuff so if that's the concern, you have to plan accordingly. It's also much more off-the-shelf scalable than any other soft armor I've found. Unless you want to pay list price for Point Blank/Safariland/AE's underwhelming outer carriers to put your undershirt inserts in or wait 14 weeks for Velocity to build you an undershirt carrier for LPAC panels, nobody offers the quality options Crye has with the LVS. And you can buy it without jumping through dealer hoops.

I'm planning on replacing my Velocity soft armor stuff with an LVS config in the new year. I'd have done it already but it's just too damned expensive, no getting around that.



It is possible to buy PB/AE/SL from a dealer without credentials, but the shop has to want to spend time on a single-unit purchase and also be sure you're not a shitbag. Having a CCW helps but it takes more than that, there's plenty of BLM/Antifa types who are merely proto-felons with no record. Shops that make most of their money selling to local LE agencies aren't going to want to have been the guy who sold armor to a cop killer. Go in, be honest with them about protecting your family and business, show you're civic-minded and have grounded references in your local area with serious people, and it'll probably work out. But you'll be paying list.

+1 on as thin as possible. My Velocity armor is 0.22" and it just barely does it.