TFB Review: LA Police Gear's Atlas Plate Carrier & Level IV Armor Plates

At the time of this writing, the LAPG Atlas Plate Carrier has been listed for $79.99-$99.99, while the original price of $249.99-$269.99 is crossed out. The Atlas Plate Carrier is constructed of 500D Kodra and is well designed for simplicity when setting up. The shoulder straps are adjustable, and include quick-release buckles at the front, although there is also a version available without quick-release buckles. The buckles are covered by the Kodra material, but there are cutouts on the sides that provide direct access to the release tabs. The shoulder straps also come with a pad placed in between the fore and aft plate carriers, however for my 5’ 10” 200-pound build, I removed the pads to bring the plates higher on my torso.

Despite the word “police” in LA Police Gear’s name, they don’t limit their business to law enforcement officers or agencies only and include sales to private individuals as well. On LAPG’s Level IV armor page, they sell armor to individuals where not prohibited by state law. If you live in a state that outlaws body armor sales to citizens, then LAPG would need LE credentials for the sale. However, if you live in a free state, LA Police Gear’s Level IV plate armor is an option for you.

I weighed the LAPG Atlas Plate Carrier with and without the cummerbund equipped with the provided side plates. The whole kit with the cummerbund, two side plates, and front and rear plates, the Atlas Plate Carrier weighed 18 pounds, and without the cummerbund and side plates, it weighed 14.5 pounds. Comparing that to my AR500 carrier which weighs 19 pounds with only a front and rear plate, the weight savings were noticeable when donning the LAPG Level IV armor, and even after adding the Level IV side plates, I was still a pound under my two AR500 plates. Individually, the front and rear plates even came in under spec, at 6.36 pounds, while the side plates were spot-on to spec.

During my time with the LA Police Gear Atlas Plate Carrier and Level IV Plates, I found that the treadmill was the most productive in ascertaining the carrier’s strengths and weaknesses. Even though the added weight made me expend more energy (obviously) the carrier was very comfortable. I had cinched the straps to a nice balance of snugness while not restricting my breathing. During my mile run, I noticed that the hook aspect of the hook and loop method of coupling the small side straps was grabbing my shirt, so I had to adjust my shirt several times. From a police or security standpoint, this plate carrier would be worn over a tucked-in shirt, so even if it wouldn’t pull up a uniform shirt, it would most likely cause a wear point on the shirt. This issue has a cheap and easy fix though, which is to merely cover the exposed sections of hooks with straps of loop sections, which are readily available online, or at Walmart or Hobby Lobby DIY stores.

I hadn’t noticed at all during my run, but afterward, I noticed that the shoulder straps had come loose, and the rear section of the carrier was hanging lower on my back than when I’d started. For the most part, the shoulder straps are a set-it-and-forget-it affair, so for a whole $6, users can purchase a 12-piece set (you’ll only need two) of 1.5 inch tri-glide sliders to keep the shoulder straps right where you want them. I did look locally and wasn’t able to source them and due to vacations, I wasn’t able to order them in a timely enough manner. Thus, in some of the photos, the excess straps are hanging loose, behind me, but there’s more than enough room to tuck the excess into the recess on the back panel. The drag strap on the rear panel has a strip of velcro for attaching to the big patch of velcro so it stays available but out of the way.

The Atlas Plate Carrier and Level IV armor plates from LA Police Gear are great options that are competitively priced. Despite finding the issues with the shoulder straps and velcro couplers, they have very cheap and quick fixes. The Atlas carrier covers all the expected modularity checkmarks, and the laser-cut MOLLE panels are easy enough to work with when setting up desired pouches. You can find the Atlas Plate Carrier HERE. The 10×11.8 inch Level IV ballistic plates can be found HERE, and are regularly priced at 179.99-359.98, however at the time of this review, they’re priced at $119.99-239.98. The 6×6 inch side plates can be found HERE, and are regularly listed at $99.99. You can also visit LAPoliceGear.com to see the rest of their product lineup.