HG2 Side Armor Panels 5″ x 7″ Level IIIA/HG2

Safe Life Defense vests already provide full side coverage by design — these panels are for when you want more than that. They add a second layer of HG2/Level IIIA protection over the ribs, and they are the answer when the threat assessment says the sides matter more than the weight does.

Safe Life Defense Vests provide full side coverage by design. But sometimes, you may need additional coverage. Introducing Safe Life Defense Side Armor Panels!

This HG2/Level IIIA Multi-Threat armor defends against handguns up to .44 magnum, shotguns up to 12 gauge slugs, strikes and slashes!

Includes 2 side armor panels to be used with Safe Life Defense Tactical Side Straps (straps not included).

Overlap, not a gap-filler

This is the distinction worth being precise about, because most side-panel marketing implies your vest has a hole in it. Safe Life Defense vests do not. What these panels buy is overlap — a doubled layer across the seam where the front panel ends and the arm begins, which is the narrowest and most awkward part of a torso to protect and the area most exposed when your arms are raised or forward.

If you already wear a IIIA vest and are wondering what the next upgrade is, closing that seam is usually a better use of money than a heavier front panel. The front is already the best-protected surface you have.

What HG2/Level IIIA multi-threat covers

Handgun threats up to .44 Magnum, shotgun threats up to 12-gauge slugs, and — the part a straight ballistic panel does not address — strikes and slashes. In healthcare, court services, retail and corrections settings, edged and improvised weapons are a far more common contact threat than gunfire, and a panel that stops a round may do nothing against a blade.

What it does not cover is rifle fire. These panels are not rated for rifle rounds; that needs rifle-rated armor such as hard plates or FRAS® flexible rifle armor. If your threat assessment includes rifles, these side panels are not the item that answers it.

Choosing between our two side panels

These are the standard-weight HG2 multi-threat panels. HYPERLINE™ panels are the low-profile alternative at 0.29 lbs each — lighter and thinner, which matters because the failure mode for side armor is never ballistic, it is a panel left in a locker on a long shift. Both are Level IIIA; choose HYPERLINE™ when weight and thickness matter most.

Either way, they fit with Safe Life Defense tactical side straps, which are what hold them at the correct height against the ribs. A loose side panel rotates and ends up protecting an armpit.

Under 18 U.S.C. § 931, possession of body armor by a person convicted of a violent felony is a federal offense, with a narrow employment exception; some states add restrictions. Purchase is otherwise unrestricted for most people in most states. See the full soft armor range, or talk to us before outfitting a team.