Posted: 8/14/2026 8:45:08 AM EDT
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I was recently issued my new body armor and carrier. I have always been on both sides of the 5 year rule. I had to laugh because my new armor says "5 years begins from date of issue not manufacture". I had to laugh. If it rides around in my truck for 5 years, unused and unworn, its still as good? Anyway, I was issued some type of PointBlank armor panels. Very thin and very cheap feeling. They are also very stiff. I laughed when I noticed they are level 2. The set up is puzzling as the panels can be removed from the carrier, but the "trauma pad" is sewn into the carrier. Weird. The outer carrier I think is a PointBlank product. It seems poorly thought out and a nightmare to fit the "carrier" into. I always wondered why some manufacturers use the vest inside a vest system. Anyway, I am seriously considering just turning this junk back in and ordering my own armor. Our agency allows us to do this. In the past I think I had a Safariland outer carrier. I am unsure who the manufacturer of the armor was. Do any of you guys furnish your own? Im 20 years in and I am at the point where always getting the cheap shit is kinda getting old. I mean, our supply folks didnt even take the time to order the correct radio carrier. Years ago I just started ordering and providing all my own stuff. It is almost always better and more comfortable than what the agency provides. That said, who do you guys like for body armor? I think my first issue set was PointBlank and it fit and rode like pure T shit. I cant see this rig doing any better. |
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Point blank makes good armor, but their outer carriers are mediocre as hell. Odd you got level 2 though. They will break in with use and become more flexible. The panels will last a long time. It’s just the warranty that expires. Guys have tested 20-30 year old vests and they work like they should. |
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When I first started back in '02 they gave me whatever was on top of the stack that covered most of me. I think that crap was was made in the late 80's. I had a new vest that the academy fitted us for and gave to us. I chose to wear that instead and threw the old ass vest in the trunk. They still buy us level 2 stuff and I have to pull teeth to get the fitting guy to give me extra overlap on the sides. I keep the extra trauma panels and layer those in the front and back. I am in the same boat as you, 24 years in and tired of the cheap skating by the bean counters. |
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If you are active duty LE, especially in uniform, why would you wear anything less than IIIA?? There are multiple handgun rounds that you may actually see on the street that level 2 is not rated for. 28 years in LE, and I've had at least 6 or 7 different vests issued to me, and all were IIIA (the newest standards switched the names from IIA, II, and IIIA to a new naming system, but the ratings are close to the same rated rounds) Current is from TYR tactical and its one of the best outer carriers and most comfortable vests I have ever used. Safariland gold was good for plain clothes use. Protec "Cover6" was great for heavy entry armor. Second chance was comfortable, but it was made with spectra, which did not stand up over time like kevlar. I have personally shot vests that were 20 years old made with kevlar that stopped 44mag, 10mm, and 357sig with no penetration. And the Zylon scandal was legit. I shot Zylon vests that were still within the warranty period that failed against rated rounds. |
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Level 2 can be fine, depending on the armor package. The data on your setup is the key. Go research it and look at the rounds it is rated to stop and at what velocities. See if it is certified to the FBI standard...its high and often hard to reach for most armor. For me, I tend to just want armor that fits and isn't heavy or thick. YMMV. |
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35 years ago I bought my own soft armor because we werent issued any After coming back from Afghanistan I bought my own plates and plate carrier because we werent issued that either. Some things are worth spending money on, even if you cant write it off like I did back then. |
*post contains personal opinion only and should not be considered information released in an official capacity*
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| I started on the job in 1982 and vests weren’t issued so I purchased my own. It was ill fitting and uncomfortable but I wore for a couple of years before my agency bought us all top of the line custom fitted vests. I took my old vest out and decided to test it. I duct taped to a big bucket of spackle and shot it with some FMJ 124 dr 9 mm ball ammo. It punched right thru both panels and the mud. Things that make you go, hmmm. Now I am a Dupont Survivors Club member. Not by choice. |
Sun, Fun, and Guns
| Body armor doesn't go bad. The manufacturer just won't warrant it past 5 years. I still have my old point blank IIIA. I'm sure it still works. I've never heard of a vest failing for a round it was rated for. Other than the second chance zylon, or something like that. It's no longer sold. |
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Originally Posted By fergus556: Body armor doesn't go bad. The manufacturer just won't warrant it past 5 years. I still have my old point blank IIIA. I'm sure it still works. I've never heard of a vest failing for a round it was rated for. Other than the second chance zylon, or something like that. It's no longer sold. Kevlar doesnt go bad... its the only vest I would wear much past the warranty date... Zylon was bad, like really bad. Failing against light loads 3 years after issue kind of bad. But spectra is also not kevlar, and I have shot spectra vests with failures against rated rounds in testing, only a few years after the warranty date. On the same note, I have also shot well used and abused kevlar vests, that were over 30 years old that still worked, with zero penetration from multiple hits from multiple rounds on the same impact face... |
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I pretty much guarantee that your trauma pack is removable in some manner or another, carriers are designed to be washable. Pointblank makes good stuff, how soft or rigid it is is based on the material used to make it. More rigid materials can be a lot thinner and lighter, I prefer them over soft materials that weigh more. I would want a IIIA personally, and I would add at least one of the larger sized rigid trauma packs. Not sure what is available now but they can do a lot. Fairly sure I am alive thanks to my external vest (crash) so I might be rather opinionated. Also was the T&E person for our external carriers back in the day- and Pointblank was the company making them if I recall correctly. You certainly could do a lot worse than Pointblank. Do some actual research on what material was used. Back in the day I wore Spectra ( very thin but somewhat rigid), Twaron, and who knows what else. Lot of fibers beyond just kevlar that are used. |
a loaded gun won’t set you free, so you say…