Load bearing soft armor carrier vs hard plates

[Le Français]

For those of you who use or have used load bearing molle-type carriers for soft armor in patrol work:

Do you also carry a plate carrier with hard plates? I don't see how a plate carrier could effectively fit over a vest with equipment on it.

Do you plan to remove the soft armor vest and don the hard plates if the situation warrants it? If so, do you keep essential equipment attached to the plate carrier at all times, or do you also plan to swap certain items from vest to vest (the portable radio comes to mind)?

I personally do not like the idea of having to swap vests. In this one respect, I think that having a traditional duty belt + slick carrier/concealed armor is better than a load bearing vest, although the latter has many advantages.

What are your thoughts?

[Gray222]

Soft armor under a shirt, when on a hot call I'll throw a plate carrier on over top, only thing I move is my radio mic to the PC.

Swapping vests is a no go.

[Lon]

I used to carry a separate PC w hard armor with me to throw over my soft armor. MOLLE carriers are a no go for us. I decided to ditch the PC and replaced the trauma plate in my soft armor with a IMPAC Special Threat rifle plate. I got the ~5x8 one. That way I always have some rifle protection every time I’m wearing my soft armor. All our cars have hard armor/helmets in PCs in the trunk for when I have a bunch of extra time to throw it on.

https://www.safariland.com/products/body-armor/ballistics/plates/special-threat-plates/impac/impac-special-threat-plates---rifle-threat-plus-PT_IMPAC_RT+PLUS_STP.html#sm.0001g63yo2sendf2t0k2n 5x9n0b1k

My PC was a Pig Brig slick PC. Easy to put on if you had time.

[Le Français]

Using rifle-rated trauma plates in with the soft armor full-time may be the best solution. Thanks, Lon. (If anyone has more input, please share.)

[ST911]

Plate carriers over soft external armor suck unless the external is slick. Even when slick, plate carriers move and contour isn't quite right. Best solution is concealed, body-contoured soft armor with plate carrier donned on demand. Swapping isn't a realistic option, and swapping from external soft armor into a plate carrier provides less coverage overall.

Also: A vast amount of cops out there are wearing improperly fit body armor. Even if measured for the individual rather than generic (L/XL), manufacturer templates are cut for comfort and not protection, ending up undersized and/or gapped. If panels measured for concealable carriers are dropped into external carriers, it's even worse. Manufacturer suggested fit should largely be ignored, panels returned and recut as needed, and fitting must consider external carriers. External carriers should also be cut to the panels, or have integrated suspension systems to hang the panels properly.

[Lon]

Using rifle-rated trauma plates in with the soft armor full-time may be the best solution. Thanks, Lon. (If anyone has more input, please share.)

I went back and forth and back and forth and finally decided to go this route. Patrol guys rarely get to pick the time and place for a gun fight. So I figured I would make sure I always have rifle armor on. The only thing I might change on my soft armor is to get rid of the elastic straps over the shoulders and go with non-elastic straps since the hard armor makes the front panel heavier.