Choosing Your Plates and Plate Carrier

This article will cover the technical aspects of choosing your ideal plates and vest.

SIZING

When choosing a vest and plates, one of the first considerations should be verifying your ideal sizing. Although sizing is fairly universal, there may be some variation between brands.

It is recommended to first figure out what size plates you should wear, and purchase a vest that matches that size. Plates must be a certain size to provide ideal protection of your vitals, while vests tend to be fairly adjustable.

Use the reference below for figuring out roughly what size plates you should purchase

From Next Day Armor

Plate sizing is a balance between choosing a set with optimal vital coverage, and avoiding too much compromise on mobility and comfort. Generally, these sizing guides are designed for those who have to wear these plates for prolonged periods or in combat situations, such as LEO and military. You may be inclined to go for a larger plate size if coverage is more important than mobility or weapon shouldering comfort.

An important consideration is that military plates such as SAPIs and ESAPIs have slightly different dimensions. i.e. a size Medium plate is 9.50"x12.50," but these are still compatible with vests designed for "normal" plates that, in the case of size Mediums, use 10"x12" plates. This applies for just about all vests, so don't be concerned if your SAPI/ ESAPI plate size is slightly different.

Some vests also are compatible with multiple unique sizes of plates, such as the Gen 4 IOTV and others which have more forgiving retaining systems. Please don't hesitate to contact us for info about compatibility, or any other technical questions

Many will find themselves on the line between two plate sizes for their given body type, and it is up to your discretion and expected use case which you should choose.

PLATES

PERFORMANCE

Plate performance can be rated by a few different metrics, but we will focus on the U.S. NIJ standards for armor plates, usually level III and IV, along with the less defined III+ and IV+

There are also caveats for defining performance, such as whether or not the plate is Standalone or ICW.

Many military and LEO plates outperform level 3 or 4 standards, but aren't explicitly marked as level III+ or IV+ as these aren't defined NIJ categories. Military plates also use their own testing standard so they do not have any marked NIJ rating, although their metrics can be equated to NIJ standards, and generally exceed them.

STANDALONE VS. ICW

-Standalone

A standalone plate does not require IIIA armor behind it to function at its rated performance level. Standalone plates tend to be slightly heavier/ thicker than ICW plates as they contain more material inside. Standalone plates can still be used in vests with soft armor, and may provide more protection in these cases. For example, some plates are rated level III standalone or level 4 when paired in conjunction with IIIA soft armor.

-ICW

ICW (In Conjunction With) means a plate needs to be in front of IIIA armor to perform to NIJ standards. This can be in the form of a soft armor insert placed in the plate pocket, or with built in IIIA armor in your vest. In some cases, level II soft armor may be adequate behind an ICW plate, although this generally wont provide peak performance.

From EnGarde Body Armor

LEVELS

-Level IIA, II, IIIA

These are the levels of performance usually found in soft armor and helmets, with IIA being the lowest and IIIA being the highest performance. Level IIA and II soft armor is generally lighter and more concealable, and usually found in low-vis covert vests. These levels of armor don't stop rifle rounds, but level II and IIIA can stop 12 gauge buckshot and even some slugs.

-Level III, III+

Level III armor stops the majority of common intermediate rifle rounds, and some larger calibers. Level III+ plates don't have a defined NIJ category or universal standard, except that they outperform level III. A common metric for level III+ plates is the ability to stop "green tip" M855 or M855A1 rounds, the military's standard issue lead or steel core ammunition, respectively. Although these aren't armor piercing rounds, they tend to be able to penetrate subpar level III plates.

-Level IV, IV+

Level IV plates are the highest level that NIJ standards rate for. These can stop high caliber armor piercing rounds, such as .30-06 M2 AP, also known as "black tip." Level IV+ is how we classify plates that exceed the level 4 standard, which usually means they can stop significantly more M2 AP rounds than the NIJ standard requires.

-Stab Rating

While hard armor plates are stab-proof, soft armor is not, unless it is rated for such with additional internal layers, usually a high grade plastic. Standard soft armor provides some level of protection against low power stabs, and more against slashes, but it is not designed with these threats in mind.

PLATE CURVATURES & SHAPES

Plates come in a variety of shapes/ cuts, and choosing your ideal cut may be a challenge as they all present different advantages and disadvantages. For curvatures, it is more straightforward.

From Next Day Armor

SIDE PLATES

This article focuses on front and back plates, but side plates tend to have different rules. Side plates are generally single curve or flat, and almost always square shaped. The advantages of multi-curve and chamfered edges for front and rear plates are minimal for side plates, and can even be negatives, given the small area they cover and lack of benefit from compound curvature or edge cuts on the sides of your torso.

SHAPES/ CUT

-Square/ Full Cut

This plate shape provides the largest strike face and overall the most protected area, but it has some drawbacks that have caused it to fall out of popularity. Due to the lack of chamfered upper corners, this plate can be a nuisance when shouldering a rifle. While this makes them somewhat undesirable as a front plate in combat, they still can be decent rear plates with greater coverage, although this is rarely seen as they are less commonly produced.

-SAPI Cut

SAPI plates are the most common plate shape, and are a good compromise between shouldering comfort and protection. These plates have moderate chamfers on the upper corners to accommodate weapon shouldering with minimal protection compromise. This plate cut is named after the military's "Small Arms Protective Insert" which popularized this shape.

-Swimmer's/ Shooter's Cut

Swimmer's and shooter's cut plates are similar, oftentimes one and the same, but may have some differences depending on the brand. The overall consensus is that these plates have more steep chamfer cuts that maximize comfort for shouldering rifles, but in turn tend to have the most coverage sacrifice.

CURVATURES

-Flat

Flat plates are largely out of style, as they don't conform to the shape of the wearers body. These are generally the least comfortable and bulkiest option, along with being less expensive.

-Single Curve

Single curve plates are more comfortable than flat plates and hug the body. These are seen as the economic option compared to multi-curve, or for those who may not find much benefit from multi-curves.

-Multi-Curve

Multi-curve plates are generally seen as the golden standard, and provide a shape that is, for most, as comfortable and form-fitting as possible. These tend to rest more of the weight on the chest, which can help alleviate strain.

VESTS

VEST TYPES

Vests can be classified in a few different ways, with the main categories being overt plate carriers and covert low visibility vests. Plate carriers can be further distinguished between those that contain soft armor and those that only have plate pockets. Low-vis vests tend to not be plate carriers and only generally carry soft armor, although most have additional small pockets for very low profile ballistic upgrade inserts.

These aren't steadfast rules, as there are many exceptions to these classifications with the options out there. There are also quite a few different names used to describe the same types of vests, and we list all the synonyms we know of.

PLATE CARRIERS

-Full Coverage/ Heavy/ Full Spectrum Armor Carriers

We consider full coverage/ heavy plate carriers to be those that contain a form fitting pocket for built-in soft armor, which extends past the plate and provides additional protection to the torso. While these generally aren't as breathable and comfortable as carriers that only have plate pockets. These excel when expecting pistol/ shotgun threats, or fragmentation. The majority of our inventory is composed of these vests, as they tend to be the better option for most use cases, at least if you aren't SOF. While there is heavy debate on whether or not the weight is worth it, there is a reason the military and law enforcement value soft armor coverage.

-Standard Plate Carriers

Standard plate carriers are vests that do not contain a pocket for wrap-around soft armor and are designed to carry hard armor plates. Some have cummerbunds that accept soft armor or side plates. These are more common for people who have to wear their carriers for long periods at a time, or in situations where low weight and comfort is more valuable than coverage. High speed, low coverage plate carriers tend to be more popular due to their use by special forces, but the weight savings compromise protection, and this drawback may not be ideal for most users.

-Slick/ Covert/ Low-Vis Plate Carriers

While we generally use "covert" to describe vests that only contain soft armor and no plate pockets, there is a subsection of plate carriers designed to be as low-visibility as possible, generally called "slick carriers." These are functionally the same as standard plate carriers, but tend to be made of thin materials and have little to no external molle straps, to reduce the profile. These are rarely ever as concealable as a true covert/ low-vis vest with only soft armor, but can stop rifle rounds when equipped with the proper plates.

LOW-VIS VESTS

Standard low visibility/ covert vests tend to be thin and light vests that only have soft armor inserts, and are not plate carriers. While these do not carry standard full size plates, most have internal pockets that carry small "ballistic upgrade plates," usually less than 1cm thick which usually do not provide rifle protection, and only provide slightly higher performance against center mass shots.

These low-vis vests are generally level IIA, II or IIIA, with IIA and II generally being the thinnest and most lightweight, with some reduced effectiveness against larger calibers or higher penetrating ammunition.

Thank you for reading. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us!