Hey guys I have a first spear strandhogg PC size medium.
I have large hesco L210 plates in it.

Look for IIIA soft armor inserts for both front, back, and side panels.

Not here to discuss why I want or need them, I wear IIIA for work and have PC to go on top for work. We use safariland stuff and it’s awesome. Don’t think I can buy backers from them though.

I want my at home / training / for fun PC to have it all in the carrier.

What is a reputable brand to get soft armor backers and side panels for ?

Thanks!

Is your PC MBAV or standard SAPI cut?

I understand what size your plates are, but that's not my question.

I know the strandhogg is frequently seen in MBAV.

Also, are you looking to get the best of the best or do you want to go with the most affordable option? The variable is thickness, but more importantly for a PC, weight.

Will the soft armor ever be stored in a trunk, or will it always be stored inside where it will never see extreme temperatures?

It's standard SAPI cut.

I would want the best bang for the buck. not the cheapest but not anything crazy. I would prefer lighter and thinner. If I have to pay for it then I would rather do that then have large clunky soft armor.

It will only see extreme temps when training. I shoot in snow and heat up here in Michigan. It will be stored inside otherwise.

These are going to be the best
https://www.velsyst.com/products/plate-backer-soft-armor-inserts-sapi-dyneema

Velocity is a tier 1 manufacturer and these panels are all NIJ certified.

Note that they're dyneema, this is why i asked about extreme temperatures. They're much lighter than aramid kevlar, but they would also not do well if stored in a hot trunk.

I linked you to the manufacturer site to not get slapped for pushing a vendor, but google will find you a number of good resellers.

They also manufacture cummerbund inserts but you'd have to confirm whether they have your exact cut for those.

Alternatively, you can look at their aramid varieties just to compare. They'll be a little heavier but a little cheaper. But their aramid options are still great.

If you want to look at a budget option, take a look at Stealth Armor Systems. They're one of the cheapest but still reputable brands -- though they'll weigh more and be thicker.

https://www.tacticalassaultgearstore.com/level-iiia-plate-backer-set.html

Great price for certified soft armor

That's not a great price. Let me explain why.

For exactly the same price you can get Velocity Systems in aramid or dyneema. Both of which are thinner and lighter than TAG's set (actually made by Armor Express) which I presume is aramid, and in my opinion, Velocity has a better name than Armor Express in soft armor, when it comes to build quality.

But let's talk facts.

Thickness
Velocity dyneema is 0.22" thick
Velocity aramid is 0.27" thick
TAG's is 0.32" thick

Weight
Velocity dyneema is 0.99 lb/sq ft
Velocity aramid is 1.18 lb/sq ft
TAG is 1.53 lb/sq ft

If they're the same price, which they are, the answer is obvious.

My bad, I figured Velocity armor would cost more than the generic Armor Express set

thanks for the replies, i'll have to wait until some the the third party guys restock the velocity armor

Of course TAG sell to us lowly civilians while the other company only sells to LE/MIL, which make TAG the choice.

Here's another option for soft armor, pretty cheap.  From Spartan Armor.

Two soft armor plates, and a carrier for $281.12 right now (cheaper than it was back in Jan, when it was $299).  You might be able to get a discount code somewhere as well.
https://www.spartanarmorsystems.com/spartan-armor-systems-flex-fused-core-iiia-soft-body-armor-and-spartan-dl-concealment-plate-carrier/

edit
0.35 in thick
1.14 lb

Not certified, and still not great.

The stuff I usually suggest to people on a budget is This stuff It's made by applied fiber and has many resellers, it's .27in thick, aerial density is like 1.2 PSF and it's fairly flexible aramid. It's a little cheaper than the velocity and if you're going aramid instead of dyneema this is the better value. Though the velocity dyneema is fantastic and I can't talk it up enough.

I really don't know jack about armor and I'm not shy to admit it.  But the Spartan soft armor I linked to "Spartan Armor Systems® Flex Fused Core™ has been tested by an independent NIJ credentialed laboratory to verify that it meets NIJ level IIIA specifications" and is "Tested And Passed In Accordance With NIJ-std-0101.06 / MIL-STD-662F".  The one you linked to says "The IIIA PLATE BACKER is a soft armor that is NIJ 0101.06 compliant".

Can you help me understand if the Spartan soft armor I linked is really not "certified"?  The one you linked doesn't show it to be "certified" either, just that it is "compliant".  I guess to me if it was tested to the same specifications and passed that test AND/OR if it is compliant with the requirements, then it seems like it meets the criteria to be certified?  I think it's probably just semantics and they are both equally "certified"?

NIJ certification is not just "we tested this and it met the specs", it includes randomized ongoing batch testing and production/raw material oversight. You also have pretty much no way of knowing what exact testing methodology the company used if it's not on the NIJ Certified Products List -- the NIJ requires testing of a lot of samples of soft armor, and has a strict regimen for testing enviromental degradation due to heat, humidity, and other factors. This is because of the Zylon scandal back in 2004-2005, where Second Chance (one of the most reputable armor companies in the US at the time) sold a bunch of vests they knew would not retain ballistic protection over time, losing protective qualities in less than six months from manufacture due to normal wear. There's a lot that goes into making sure the armor you buy works properly, and people have literally died because armor manufacturers cheated the system.

The NIJ maintains a list of what armor packages are certified at this location. To see the model Sawlaw1 linked, search for Applied Fiber Concepts and look at model AFC-T3A-525. Applied Fiber Concepts is the OEM for a lot of soft armor -- if you control-F search for the AFC-T3A-525 it shows up under 59 separate listings. You also may notice that there's a bunch of Hesco (3XXX/4XXX) and Tencate (DXXXX) model numbers on Applied Fiber Concepts listing, because AFC buys plates from Hesco and Tencate.

Spartan Armor has only one IIIA package listed, the Slate Solutions SLH IIIA. Slate is similar to AFC in that they OEM a lot of armor for people, and they're both based in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area. The package you linked is NOT SLH IIIA, though -- it's far too thick and heavy.

Good info, thank you.

I went back to Spartan's website for anything else.  They do have a page for their NIJ certified armor (and the one I linked is not listed on that page):
https://www.spartanarmorsystems.com/nij-certified/

Sounds great except that what you said isn't true. Velocity just relies upon channel sales, like many in the armor business (Hesco, etc.), meaning you can't buy direct from them.

Multiple online distributors of Velocity have the referenced soft armor in stock and ready to ship, even to "you lowly civilians".

Please don't smear without facts or research. A 5 second google search gave me the results below (For $298).

https://aotac.com/collections/soft-armor-1/products/copyready-to-ship-sapi-soft-body-armor-inserts-by-velocity-systems
https://www.optactical.com/vesykesoarpl.html