Lawful Carry: Spec-Ops Over-Armor Vest

In recent years it has become necessary to carry more gear—ammo, magazines, medical kits, etc.—because bad guys tend to hunt like wild dogs in packs. The average cop will carry two reloads on his duty belt, a SWAT cop will carry more on a load-bearing vest, and military personnel will carry much more as mission needs dictate.

Over-Armor Vest was designed to wear over soft or hard armor.

Recently S.W.A.T. received a vest from Spec-Ops Brand, specifically their Over-Armor™ Vest (OAV). The vest we received for test and evaluation was black, although it also is available in tan, coyote brown and ACU.

The OAV is a load-bearing vest that slips on over standard body armor (hard or soft). The wrap-around design increases cargo capacity, but offers a well-balanced way of carrying a lot of gear. There are four adjustment points that allow the OAV to fit over all existing U.S. Military body armor systems.

Front of OAV

This load-bearing vest is made from heavy, durable 1000-denier Cordura® nylon and also uses heavy nylon thread and webbing. A YKK #10 self-sealing zipper is employed to close the vest. The zipper has a heavy nylon cord for a sure grip with or without gloves. At the top of the vest there is a nylon strap with a snap to help the vest remain closed when under stress and heavy use. The OAV is covered with rows of PALS webbing (Spec-Ops refers to these as Grid-Lock loops), both front and rear for attaching MOLLE pouches. This will enable an operator to configure the vest to his personal preference or mission needs.

Rear view of OAV

At the top of the Grid-Lock webbing there are large hook & loop areas for attaching name, insignia etc. The shoulders are fully adjustable and have welded D rings on each side for attaching extra gear if needed or to provide weapons mounting points, keeping weapons secure but available for instant use.

The Over-Armor Vest was designed for the individual who plans to go into harm’s way and is already wearing soft or hard armor. While this would be a good piece of kit for military or SWAT cops, I think that it would also be great for a patrol officer who may be the first on the scene of an active shooter incident and needs to grab his long gun and move quickly. Suggested retail of the OAV is $149.95.