r/canadaguns • u/r33zzy63 • May 31 '26
Buy recommendations Looking for body armour, thoughts on this?
Anyone have experience with this brand/carrier? Looking for a vest without spending too much, this was the cheapest level 3a I could find while searching around. Other recommendations appreciated.
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u/K2LLswitch May 31 '26
Much cheaper than a level 4 setup, but obviously much less protection. If 3A is all you want, not a bad price. A plate carrier without armour isn’t much less.
What is your intended purpose?
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u/EliteDuck May 31 '26
Adding on to your comment. The only option for NIJ-approved level IVs in Canada are the Aratech ones, as importing anything over 3+ from the US is against ITAR. They're heavy af (8 pounds each, if I recall correctly).
Real talk. If you get shot with a full power hunting round, even if the plate stops it, you are going to have broken ribs and possibly have some internal damage. 3+ is more than enough (especially for LARP), are cheaper, and lighter.
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u/dannysmackdown Jun 01 '26
To be fair there is a pretty big difference from broken ribs and any sort of penetration from a rifle round.
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u/marston82 Jun 01 '26
You’re talking as if surviving being shot with 308 is some sort of inconvenience because of broken ribs or collapsed lung lol. I’ll take that over dying any day of the week.
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u/HappyCan7250 Jun 01 '26
Just grab some AR500 gongs and slap em in a plate carrier. If your feeling real cheap just hang em over your shoulders with the chains from the kit. DIY bulletproof vest hack!
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u/DFA_Wildcat Jun 01 '26
He keeps the mall safe and is worried about multiple 338 Lapua rounds to the back. Is the carrier big enough to hold two plates duct taped together?
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u/ecclectic May 31 '26
It's cheap compared to what other folks pay for cosplay gear. Do what you want, if it makes you happy.
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u/FedInformant May 31 '26 edited May 31 '26
I bet its not even certified. Save your money and get something decent. Otherwise what's the point. Your buying it just in case, well what if just in case happens and then your shit tears and falls apart or the plates dont perform as advertised.
Get yourself a crye or ferro concepts carrier and then get some plates. You dont gotta buy it all at once. Figure out what size plate you are. And then get the carrier to fit the plates. Level 4 plates in canada arent actually certified FYI. And I think there are only 2 companies selling certified level 3A.
I purchased a carrier from LOF local to me in Edmonton. Its nice, but probably not better than crye or ferro. And then i bought level 4 ceramic multi- curve from AI Tactical. I purchased one extra and shot it multiple times with my 308 hunting rifle and it held up well. But its not certified and Who know about consistency.
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u/EliteDuck May 31 '26
And I think there are only 2 companies selling certified level 3A.
Just HESCO now. Millburn Mountain Defense had 3+ plates made in Canada, but they went bankrupt.
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u/MydadisGon3 May 31 '26
oh look another cryebaby telling everyone that their setup sucks and they need to have the cool guy larp gear instead for only double the price!
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u/FedInformant May 31 '26
What are you talking about? He hasn't bought anything. He's asking for advice so im giving my opinion.
Why buy PPE that is likely not made to the standards its advertised to be? Are you going to tell your friend to buy an unvetted parachute because its a good deal?
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u/MydadisGon3 May 31 '26
the company in the post does sell certified armor, Idk about the exact vest in the photo but making a recommendation out of an assumption without any research is dumb af.
the OP is clearly looking for 3a armor specifically, and yet you started recommending level 4 amour instead which has a completely different use case. why did you do this? probably because you're a cryebaby and cryebabies are dumbasses.
im sick and fucking tired of people telling everyone to buy the highest end carriers on the market because "your life depends on it" like the fucking carrier is the PPE part of the gear. your ferro carrier wont take a bullet any better than amazon garbage if you can't afford any plates. Armour matters, carriers do not, anyone who argues otherwise is a basement larper.
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u/FedInformant May 31 '26
You can find which companies and plates that are actually certified here. https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/equipment-and-technology/body-armor/ballistic-resistant-armor
Ali express claim to have certified plates. They dont. Just because the comany claims to have plates built to NIJ standards. Doesn't mean they are.
Op can buy whatever he wants, but I went on a body armor deep dive a few years ago so im just sharing my experience, and limited knowledge. And what I wish I would have done. If your buying plates, you may as well buy good plates. No different than steel toe boots, or hard hats or anything else that your safety relies on. Theres lots of scams and gimmicks in the Canadian market in regards to body armor.
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May 31 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/MydadisGon3 Jun 01 '26
You only live once, if you need a plate carrier, you spend the money on a legitimate, certified carrier
your armor matters, your carrier means literally nothing. a ferro or a crye will stop a bullet equally as poorly as the chinese amazon garbage if you dont have any plates. This is the issue with any kind of gear/gun sub, people mistakingly believe that just because the cool guys run one type of setup, that must mean that it is the undisputed best and everyone who doesnt is wrong.
when I was in Ukraine (Once as humanitarian aid and once as an instructor Via the CAF, i never fought there but spoke with many front line soldiers) it was pretty common for troops to purchase shitty carriers off amazon because two 50$ carriers would last longer and for more missions than a 300$ one.
This is NOT one of those things you cut costs on, a life saving self protection piece is not a cost cutting measure. It’s a life saving measure, you spend the money.
this exact sentiment, when talking about a piece of fabric that has 0 protection qualities, is exactly the frustration I have when talking about the crye/ferro fanboys. you want to buy a carrier you like, go for it. but don't goad/guilt people into spending twice the money on things that aren't important just because you're favorite youtuber tells you its the best from their basements
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u/pooshlinger May 31 '26
https://www.reddit.com/r/canadaguns/s/EhRkl0gVbl
I made a post about this earlier this year and got a lot of great feedback from the community on the topic of body armour, hope this helps
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u/Geralt-of-Rivai May 31 '26
Check out Canarmor or AITactical, they have good stuff at good prices. Canarmor has a quality similar set for 599$
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u/SJHardware May 31 '26
Both Chinese
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u/Geralt-of-Rivai May 31 '26
S&J Hardware is great too! That's where I bought my Aratech plates from!
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u/GhostOoOooo May 31 '26
AITactical does actually have steel plates that are fully made in Canada, but they're steel. The spall coating does look surprisingly decent going off of the marstar test video, though.
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u/EliteDuck May 31 '26
Anything not explicitly stating NIJ approved (or anything in the "good" section) is Chinese, or made in China then imported+modified (coating, label, etc) so they can say they're made in Canada.
Good:
NIJ Approved
NIJ Certified
NIJ Compliant
Not good (weasel wording/borderline false advertising):
Tested in a NIJ facility
Tested to NIJ standards
Tested in a NIJ approved facility
Passed NIJ testing
Literally anything other the the exact phrases in the "good" section.
Alternatively, search the model and/or manufacturer here: https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/equipment-and-technology/body-armor/ballistic-resistant-armor
If they don't show up, they aren't approved/certified/listed as compliant by the NIJ.
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u/AdministrationOk1083 May 31 '26
I think I was nearly a grand all in for a vest and ceramic level 4 panels. That's not bad
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u/Water-Foul May 31 '26
If you are going to cheap out, buy good plates and a cheap rig. Unless its absolute china garbage, most of the plate carriers you'd get at a surplus or airsoft store are completely serviceable for a range vest, or something to have in an emergency kit. If you're getting it for security work remember that a more expensive rig will be more comfortable and breath better so you might not regret the investment in the summer months. But yea, never cheap out on plates, there's certain things that need to be quality.
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u/EliteDuck May 31 '26
It doesn't explicitly state NIJ approved. It's garbage. Very, very likely it's imported Chinese plates with coating/labelling added on in Canada, meaning it's technically made in Canada.
Get IIIA, III, or III+ HESCO plates from LOF or 911Supply.
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u/NoGrapefruit1213 May 31 '26
I genuinely want to know why we’re buying this stuff? As a guy who loves tactical stuff I want one but also have no need for it nor do I want to dump lots of money into something I’m likely to never use id rather spend it on ammo or firearms
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u/yolo_swagdaddy Jun 01 '26
Rather have it and not need it… already running drills in a PC, might as well train with plates in. And crown land has the tendency to attract irresponsible people who don’t care where their rounds end up. Even expired plates are better than no plates if you ever find yourself in a situation.
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u/Unknownuser010203 May 31 '26
May i recommended the direct action spitfire plate carrier if you have the coin
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u/ThePoeticJester Jun 01 '26
Get your gear from somewhere like 911 supply or somewhere legit and not for security. Besides garbage equipment the markups are stupid
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u/Beautiful_Exit3867 Jun 01 '26
Fairdcanada carries some good stuff. I have their comp 28 vest with stab resistance and some lvl 4 plates for security work from them or check out guardian outfitters they have tested their lvl 4 plates and have it posted on Instagram.
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u/TheArchitechs Jun 01 '26
Carcajou Tactical has a super nice plate carrier that ive been using. Its Canadian made by vets in Gatineau and thats who id reccomend for a *cheaper* option thats still proper quality. It stands up well to my crye JPC 2.0
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u/FastRunning200 May 31 '26
I have no feedback or suggestions.
Just don’t have your buddy test it out on you