Hello, everyone.

What are the more concealable options for body armor?

I see a bunch of stuff around .2" but I'm assuming it would be about as bad as my current vest.

I haven't received it yet, but I just ordered an AR500 concealed vest. Level IIIA .25in thick. I chose IIIA because it will bruise me less, and because it was thinner than the cheaper stuff.

I suppose I should post pics once I try it out, etc.

There are some posts in the Armory on this. Seems many of the companies cater to LE and personally I was not able to find much testing results or reviews, and finding it to buy was proving difficult.

Regardless, AR500 is very well tested in youtube videos ... if someone found another system more comfortable, cool. I felt it was a safer investment for me.

Soft armor sucks. It's hot and bulky. If it's not bulky, it's still hot. Aramids are insulators, and while UHMWPE is not, the material it is sealed in is not permeable.

The only thing that might be more comfortable would be something like the Crye LVS, which has no seperate carrier and is formed to torso shape. Not being able to throw your carrier in the wash has got to suck, though. I have worn out or stunk out multiple carriers over the years. Elastic and Velcro do wear out. That and the high cost is why I never took the plunge on the LVS soft armor concept.

I can tell you that heavy plates, like anything made out of AR500 steel, suck mightily. No matter what, if you have 18 pounds hanging on thin straps over your shoulders, it is going to be miserable within 30 minutes.

I have a concealable level 2 soft vest that is 5.5mm (.21 inches) thick that I got from Bulletproofme.com. It is concealable under a loose button-up shirt, but it just gets too hot to wear outside in the summer. 

I also have a minimalist plate carrier with LW level 3+ plates from Infidel Armor. Both plates together weigh 8.5 pounds, and that is about as much as I can handle for all-day comfort walking around at a rally or training with. Those plates are in no way concealable. 

You definitely want to be able to pull things apart and wash the carrier, even if just in the bath tub.

What do you do? How do you currently dress? Pics would help.

Hello again. Sorry for the delay. I've been dealing with a pressing matter.

I'm seeking either steal plates thinner than AR500 lightweight level 3 (.21)
or soft armor similar to what Dangler described in this thread.
https://www.ar15.com/forums/T_6_10/256508_.html&page=1

For those who don't want to click he described $3k IIIA the same thickness as thin cardboard (Which i assume means a good bit thinner than 0.20")
made in Phoenix, however I've been unable to find further info.

I have options for my bulkier clothing and shirts but am shopping alternatives for my stuff that can't hide standard options. so far the LVS, and Hardwire IIIa have been the closest.

Does it HAVE to be IIIa or is IIIa just what you're hopimg to get as concealable as possible? There are lots of II and IIa vests with sub .2 thicknesses that will stop almost all common handgun threats. There aren't that many people who carry a full size .357 sig or .44 mag.

level 2 would have to be stab slash and spike proof under .17 to be any more useful than what I managed to dig up with google. i presume that's the greater pipe dream
as i can't find references to anything like that. I've at least got Danglers post teasing me with the IIIA and enough metallurgical knowledge to know plates under .21 should be reasonable.
A level 2 plate around .1 thick should be doable with the steel from the III+ lightweight plates, I just gotta find the turd who did it and whine bitterly about their poor advertising after giving them my money >.>

The Point Blank Alpha Elite is what won the FBI contract, and is the lightest / thinnest that I'm aware of.

IIIA is 0.20" thick with a V50 of 1870fps .357 SIG.

Costs around $1000.

http://www.eliteproven.com/

The other option would be the Survival Armor Paladin, similar thickness with 1900fps V50.
http://survivalarmor.com/products/paladin/

How did this work out for you, fit, comfort, and concealabilty etc?

I was looking at some reasonably priced soft body armor to wear under plain clothes with side protection if possible along with minimal footprint under my various clothes - shirts , jackets, etc..

Why would you want a plate carrier style system for soft armor? A proper concealable vest offers way more coverage in a thinner profile.

Any feedback as to some reputable and good ones out there?

Point blank, safariland, ABA, etc. Look at stuff cops use. If you wear it all day it needs to do certain things, fit right, allow reasonable motion, be thin enough that it won't like out of your clothes too much. Police departments have budgets, so ones with big budgets get good stuff. Look at NYPD or other large agency issued stuff. If you live in the heat avoid PE based laminates or "Hybrid" armor. I have used a few, lots of good brands are out there.

Thank you, chances are slim but I’d hope some local shops have some for me to try and get fitted properly etc.

I’ll look into those

Gov issued me concealable armor with Velocity plates.  Super thin, super light. love em.  Lightest I've ever carried.  I'm going to hate turning these in when its over because they are pretty pricey if you can find them.  


https://www.velsyst.com/7-62x39-api-bz-multi-hit-stand-alone-rifle-plate-518.html

This irrational heat fear about HDPE not standing up to environments humans live in is just nonsense.

There is no place on planet earth that humans can inhabit where your laminate/ PE armor is going to fail due to heat.

Modern laminate materials used in ballistics have been used in plenty of hot places for years no without a single issue.

Please show us an example of what conditions are necessary to make such a ballistic fail.

and FYI, PB, Safariland, etc. all use hybrid materials in all of their best selling ballistic packages.

A car in the Texas sun can get to be 180 inside. That's hot enough for the polymer chains to lose their unidirectional structure. If you live in most of the US you are fine, but I don't.

Hybrids dont handle ageing or contact shots very well IIRC

I've studied this in great detail.  And so have others; there's a good paper on it here.  As it turns out, the temperatures in parked cars are generally 20-30°C (36-54° F) higher than the ambient temperature.

The study above was done in Australia, where daytime temperatures peaked at around ~40°C, or 105°F.  Temperatures in their car peaked at ~68°C or ~154.5°F.  

It does not appear to be reasonable to expect temperatures of 180°F in any parked vehicle.

Having said all of that, the thermal stability of polyethylene-based armor materials has also been studied extensively.  As it turns out -- and this is a rare fortuitous coincidence -- they are completely stable below 70°C.  And at temperatures slightly higher than 70°C, they're stable for up to seven hours.  Temperature peaks in parked vehicles don't last quite that long.

So I don't think that you have much to worry about.  Even on the very hottest Texas days.  

If you are worried nevertheless, store your armor in the trunk of your vehicle.  Temperatures in the trunk are not much higher than outdoor temperatures -- generally within about 10°C.