Safe Life Defense Tactical Enhanced Multi-Threat Vest (with 221B Tactical Maxx-Dri)

In full transparency, Safe Life sent this one out to me, and you're going to see why — it's pretty cool. This is their Tactical Enhanced Multi-Threat Level IIIA+ body armor. That was a mouthful. What is it? A carrier designed for almost any occasion: it's rated against bullets — they tested it with Liberty Civil Defense 9mm — it's got pliable soft armor you can swap out for a higher protection level, and it's also slash and stab resistant. Somebody comes at you with a knife, this thing stops it.

The really cool part: they custom-made this one for me, and you can do the same on their website. 2A Patriot Ranch logo on the front, 2A Patriot Ranch across the back, and the ID patches are swappable — if you're a medic or sheriff's department, you can run whatever name tapes you have, straight from the company instead of hunting down a separate patch shop. I think that's the coolest part of the whole thing.

Setup-wise you've got MOLLE and PALS everywhere, attachment hooks for mag carriers or a med kit, thick shoulder straps that distribute the weight — I wore it all day filming the EAA Witness video and it was not cumbersome at all — plus six-point adjustable comfort straps, nylon hook-and-loop side wraps, and comm cable straps up top. It's made from water-resistant nylon, so if it starts raining on you, you're fine, and it's NIJ 06 certified for those of you that want the fancy technical jargon. Inside there's padded nylon mesh to keep you cool, and the soft armor pulls right out through good hook-and-loop if you want to swap in Level III+ or Level IV plates.

Safety details matter on something like this: there's a buddy drag handle on the back that pulls out so somebody can drag you out of a bad spot, then lies back flat, and the whole thing dons and doffs fast — sides and top both rip away, so a medic can get it off you no matter what position you're in.

This is the one I keep in my truck. I don't need my full duty-kit loadout riding around every day, but for those situations where I might need armor, I'd rather have it than not have it. My normal setup on it is a three-mag M4 pouch and two P320 pistol mag carriers — I kept it slick for the video so you could see the carrier itself.

One more thing that takes it up a level: the Maxx-Dri vest from 221B Tactical. I could not be more of a fan of this brand — we covered one of their assault packs last year. It's a honeycomb-textured layer that keeps 3D airflow moving across your body under your carrier, keeps the straps off your shoulders, and helps with sweat and weight distribution. It throws on just like a plate carrier and it's how I start every hot-weather wearing day. If you keep armor in your vehicle and live in a hot climate, you can't beat the combo.