I’m thinking about picking up some modern pistol rated armor for if things are weird but not yet full on level 4 weird. I have level 4 ceramics but since they were fast and cheap they are not light.

I have a slickster I could easily set up for either soft or a level 2 plate.

I’m trying to decide if this is a path I should investigate or not so much. I don’t plan on ever wearing it out to dinner or around town in normal times, except maybe craigslist kinds of deals

If you’re going to be wearing plates, I see no reason to get something that can’t stop rifle rounds, especially since special threat plates are the same size, thickness, and just a few pounds heavier

all the ones I’ve looked At so far are significantly more expensive. Also I blew out my back recently. So while I’m rehabbing and losing weight myself I feel like something may be better than nothing

I’d say go with soft armor. Only question is concealable or a full on IIIA BALCS cut or similar?

https://www.ar15.com/forums/Armory/Midwest-Stinger-Level-II-Review-an-affordable-and-concealable-vest-for-weird-times/10-517294/


A proper vest provides a lot more coverage then the little IIIA plates that are out there, and will also be more comfortable because its flexible.



Weights about 4-4.5lbs for a complete Large vest with carrier.

You get both good coverage and easy concealability, so I think thats the way to go as its more versatile over a wider variety of times.



The other advantage is you'd have 2 complete vests (II + IV) vs swapping soft and hard plates out of your slickster. So for example you could be running errands in your II, and have your IV in a vehicle which could be thrown on over the II. Or in a home / neighborhood defense, you could wear IV and lend then II to a friend or family member.

I think a II + IV configuration covers pretty much the whole range of SHTF.

I agree with the above. Although right now, it might be easier to obtain a pair of Hesco P210s in a timely fashion, and those offer a hell of a lot of performance for weighing only a pound and being relatively cheap. I feel as if you wouldn't regret having both options in your kit so it may be useful to figure out which you can obtain in the timeframe you need.

These are the plates I’m thinking about at the moment. Inexpensive for a set and light. Plus the whole here by Saturday thing is appealing. Anybody have a set?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/LEVEL-IIIA-BODY-ARMOR-BALLISTIC-PLATE-10-X-12-1-04-LBS-LIGHT-WEIGHT-3A-TSA-BRAND/274492838469?_trkparms=aid%3D1110006%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20190917065201%26meid%3Ded2d3f5adc0b4188a87eb4337931b404%26pid%3D100935%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D12%26mehot%3Dag%26sd%3D331514658473%26itm%3D274492838469%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2332490%26algv%3DSimplAMLv5PairwiseWebWithDarwoV3BBEV2b&_trksid=p2332490.c100935.m2460

First off, I think you're right on the money. People reasonably want rifle protection and there's a strong assumption that if you're being shot at with a rifle you'll have a rifle yourself, therefore we should all have DA assaulter-style plate carrier loadouts. I think the Year 0 Summer we just went through demonstrated, however, that a lot of normal people need to be concerned about having a plan to get out of town in a relatively inconspicuous hurry. A low vis soft armor carrier gives you a lot of options.

The markings on the back of those indicate they're almost certainly Chinese. Save your money and buy real armor.

Midwest's level II vest is fine, but not remarkable. Depending on which model they're selling (which they aren't transparent about), it looks like it's probably the Force One/Protect The Force GS02 package. Bulletproofme sells the same line, as do many other companies. GS02 is NIJ 0101.06 listed, so there's that. It's made of woven Twaron aramid, so it's much thicker, heavier, and less flexible than modern stuff but since it's .06 it's in a good waterproof cover. If it's all you can afford, I see no reason to feel bad about it. Woven aramid has been saving lives since the 70s and is the most durable soft ballistic material around if it's dry when you need it. Make sure that waterproof cover is not damaged.

Another budget option is Spartan. I wouldn't buy anything else they sell, but that package is legit 0101.06 listed and made by Slate Solutions in Florida, a reputable armor company. Check the CPL, dozens of companies resell their stuff.

If you can afford it I'd recommend getting a better ballistic package. My go-to for the last few years has been Velocity Systems VS33A in their Low Profile Armor Carrier (I don't have this exact newest revision, mine is a bit slicker and is available used from time to time. I can post pics if you want). A few hundred more than either the PTF/Midwest option or Slate/Spartan, but significantly higher performance, lighter, more flexible, and made of Dyneema. Unless you're subjecting the vest to 160 degree heat, UHMWPE will tolerate environmental conditions better than woven aramid.

Odds are really, really strong that, if you get shot, it will be by a handgun.

Level II is comfortable and light and provides good coverage.

IIIa is getting heavy and bulky.

Plates are a whole 'nuther animal. And now spalling is a thing, too.

@PatriotNC thanks for the write up. I have spent a good bit of money on tactical gear this year so trying to do as low budget as possible. I had an IOTV and don't like how restrictive it was. That was soft armor that covered a lot of area. I also have an old Level I (I think) vest because it needs to be doubled up to stop 9mm. It's from forever ago so I don't super trust it, either.

I could spend ~$300 on  stuff right now. I was leaning towards the plates because they were in stock and local. I was also thinking plate sized soft armor because I do have another carrier that came with the hesco 440s but it's not as nice as the slickster.

I would love really light, special threat rifle rated plates but I'm not ready to drop the coin on them right now. I'm making great recovery from my injury but I'm still at the point where I would probably go naked before I threw on 16 pounds of armor unless it was a real emergency.

I'm not supporting using ancient things like that, but unless it's been stored in volatile chemicals, got moldy, or exposed to UV for a prolonged period, if it's woven Kevlar 29 and it's dry it's probably better than worthless. Woven aramid has lots of problems, longevity ain't one of them outside of those provisos. Age means more chances for problems, of course. The NIJ did a study in 1986 with vests from the original 1975 LEAA test program, the first official study of all-day wear law enforcement body armor use. Turns out a few dozen agencies were still re-issuing those ancient vests. The performance was surprisingly good, even in the vests that had chronic liquid damage. The ones which had re-applications of the water repellent treatment were almost as good as new, just a little bit worse BFD performance. Anecdotally, I've seen and heard of shoots of woven aramid panels that have spent 20 years in a basement and came out alright. The mechanical damage caused by wear is also different on woven versus laminates. Long story short, people shouldn't actively seek out 1980s vests and assume they're perfect, but as long as you know what you're dealing with it's not stupid to keep them around.


Fair, fair. The Midwest/PTF level II vest is powerful bang for your buck, with the assumption that you're actually getting the PTF .06 listed GS206 package. I'm always going to go against this new Arfcom fad of buying just as good Chinese armor and recommend people buy anything else.



Personally I put the last few months into getting into better shape and I would still roll with my soft armor only unless it got particularly zesty. And I have poly plates that weigh around 2 pounds per. Godspeed and good luck with the recovery, BTW.

@Rodent

Any brand recommendations?

It looks like my Midwest Stinger II uses the Slate SLSII package.

Point Blank or Safariland.

@PatriotNC, what level II better-than-aramid options are out there for non-LE folk?

For direct purchase new, without convincing a dealer to work with you? Not a lot. BulletProofMe has some laminate options, but I don't know a lot about them. Either people don't seem to want to sell it, or the normal Joe customer base hasn't wanted it. I think it's the latter, personally. When you haven't used armor regularly, there's a tendency to over-armor, buy too much protection and sacrifice mobility. Soft armor has also been on the back burner for a while, since it isn't as cool as plate carriers. Guys bought a lot of steel armor a few years back, and have recently been buying lots of level IV plates. Most of them, if they were being honest, would tell you they're not cut out for regular use and they end up either not using them or replacing them with less protective but more usable options. I hope everybody who has bought and is buying armor recently actually trains and practices with it, regularly, and realistically. You're already seeing it with plates, where there's a lot more special threat and new generation RF2/"III+" stuff from innovative companies like RMA. Maybe we'll see more soft armor options soon, too.