Choosing
How to Choose Concealable Body Armor
· 6 min read · Andrey Sokolov
Concealable body armor is worn under clothing every day. Choose it by five questions: what to protect against, how many hours to wear it, what to cover, which size you need and whether there are documents. For the city a soft Br1 or Br2 vest is usually enough.
How to choose concealable body armor: five questions
| Question | What to choose | How to check |
|---|---|---|
| What to protect against | handgun - Br1 or Br2; all our models stop knives and fragments | the class in the listing and the documents |
| How many hours to wear it | all day - a lighter vest | weight in the model listing |
| What to cover | chest and back only, or the sides too | where the protective packs sit |
| Which size | by chest size and height | measurements taken per the guide |
| Are there documents | certificate and test report | number, expiry, model |
Which class to wear under clothing
Under clothing you wear a soft vest. A hard plate cannot be hidden under a shirt. So the choice is simple: Br1 or Br2.
| Class | Against | How GOST 34286-2017 tests it |
|---|---|---|
| S | knife | a bayonet strike |
| S2 | fragments | a shot with a steel ball that acts like a fragment |
| Br1 | 9×18 handgun, such as the Makarov | shots from a Stechkin pistol |
| Br2 | more powerful 9×21 handgun | shots from an SR-1 pistol |
All our models stop knives and fragments. Class S is the simplest soft protection. Br1 and Br2 packs are thicker and stronger, so they stop a knife strike and a fragment too. More in our article about knives.
For everyday city wear most people pick Br1: the vest is thinner and lighter. Br2 stops a more powerful handgun, but the vest is thicker. We compared the two classes in detail.
A soft vest will not stop an assault rifle or rifle bullet. That takes a hard plate, and a plate cannot be hidden under clothing.
Hours in the vest: weight and thickness
A concealable vest stays on from morning to evening. By evening an extra kilogram pulls on your shoulders. A heavy vest ends up being left at home.
COYOTE has packs on the front and back and weighs 1.4 kg. DARK ARMOR M-3 also covers the sides. The Br1 version weighs 2.6 kg, the Br2 version up to 2.9 kg. Br2 has more layers, so it is easier to spot under a thin shirt.
We make both models from UHMWPE, a strong polyethylene fiber. For the same protection it weighs less than aramid (Kevlar), and it hardly absorbs sweat. We compared the two materials in a separate article.
Coverage: two panels or all-round
Only the pack inside the vest protects. The carrier fabric and side straps stop nothing. So check where the packs are.
- Chest and back. That is COYOTE. It has elastic straps with hook-and-loop on the sides. Under clothing the vest is barely visible.
- All-round, with sides. That is M-3: packs sit in the side flaps too. The sides are covered, but the vest is wider. There is a plate pocket on the front; the plate is sold separately.
How to choose? A lot of time in crowds or worried about a strike from the side - take a vest with sides. If the main thing is that nobody sees the vest - take chest and back. Which clothes hide a vest best is in our tips on wearing it under clothing.
How to choose a concealable vest size
A wrong size shows right away. A big vest bunches up and slips. A tight one rides up and leaves your stomach bare. Either way, part of your body has no protection.
| Model | Sizes | Height |
|---|---|---|
| COYOTE | M (48-50), L (50-52), XL (52-54) | - |
| DARK ARMOR M-3 | S-L (44-48), XL-2XL (50-54), 3XL-4XL (56-58) | 168-176 or 184-197 cm |
| DARK ARMOR M-3 Big Size | 5XL-6XL (60-62) | - |
Between sizes or an unusual build - we make the vest to your measurements and charge nothing extra. For women we cut any model to a woman's figure. A separate women's model, VALKYRIA, is on the way. A step-by-step guide shows how to take your measurements.
Documents: what to check before paying
Before paying, ask for two documents:
- Certificate. It shows the model, the classes and the expiry date.
- Test report. It shows who tested the vest, when, and what they fired.
Ours is РОСС RU.32623.ОС10.04969, valid until March 10, 2027. We put copies in the box with the vest and send them before payment. The scan is in Documents.
We also shot our Br1 pack ourselves at a range in Astrakhan. We fired several pistols and a carbine - the pack held. The video is on the home page. This is our own check; it does not replace the GOST test. Other questions for the seller are in our article on checking a manufacturer.
How much concealable body armor costs
| Model | Class | Weight | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| COYOTE, black | S2, Br1 | 1.4 kg | $367 |
| COYOTE, beige | S2, Br1 | 1.4 kg | $389 |
| DARK ARMOR M-3, sizes 44-58 | Br1 / Br2 | 2.6 kg / up to 2.9 kg | $400 / $456 |
| DARK ARMOR M-3 Big Size, 60-62 | Br1 / Br2 | - | $478 / $567 |
On marketplaces the same vests cost more: the platform's commission is built into the price. We ship by CDEK to a pickup point. If a similar vest is several times cheaper, ask for the test report. The savings usually come from the protective pack.
Mistakes when buying
- Trusting a class without documents. «Br2+» and «NIJ IIIA» are not Russian classes.
- Buying a size «to grow into». A big vest slips and leaves the sides open.
- Buying a heavy vest for the city. People quickly stop wearing an uncomfortable vest.
- Expecting a soft vest to stop an assault rifle. That takes a hard plate.
Not sure - call us free: 8 800 101-76-37. Tell us where and under what clothes you need the vest, and we will suggest a model and size.
Frequently asked questions
Which concealable body armor is best? The one you will actually wear. Pick the class, then a lighter vest, then the exact size.
Can you wear concealable body armor every day? Yes, that is what it is made for. A civilian in Russia needs no license to buy or wear it. Details in the rules for civilians.
What class does concealable body armor have? Usually Br1 or Br2. Our concealable vests stop knives and fragments in any class.
Does concealable body armor protect against a knife? Ours do: all models stop a knife. COYOTE and DARK ARMOR M-3 also have class S in their certificate.
How much does concealable body armor weigh? COYOTE weighs 1.4 kg, DARK ARMOR M-3 from 2.6 to 2.9 kg. The higher the class and the larger the coverage, the heavier the vest.
