Guides

Stand-Alone vs ICW Armour Plates: A UK Buying Guide
Stand-alone vs in-conjunction (ICW) hard armour plates explained for UK buyers: ratings, weight, cost and how to choose. Read more...
ESAPI vs SAPI Plate Sizing Explained for UK Buyers
A UK buying guide to ESAPI and SAPI hard armour plate sizing, the standard size chart, and how plates map to NIJ levels. Read more...
How to Set Up a Plate Carrier: A Beginner Guide
A UK beginner guide to choosing, fitting and setting up a plate carrier, with plain-English NIJ rating advice. Read more...
What RF1, RF2 and RF3 Mean Under NIJ 0101.07
A UK buying guide to the NIJ 0101.07 rifle armour ratings RF1, RF2 and RF3, how they compare to old NIJ levels, and how to choose a plate. Read more...
NIJ IV vs NIJ III+ rifle plates: which body armour do you need?
NIJ III+ vs NIJ IV rifle plates compared for UK buyers: threat coverage, weight, cost and which hard armour fits your use case. Read more...
Ceramic vs Polyethylene Rifle Armour Plates Compared
Ceramic vs polyethylene rifle armour plates compared on weight, protection rating, durability and cost. A UK buying guide. Read more...
Do you need body armour, a risk-based guide — R Supply Store
Do you need body armour? A risk-based guide
A practical, risk-based way to decide whether you need body armour, and which type and level suits your situation. Read more...
Body armour and PPE glossary — R Supply Store guide
A glossary of body armour and PPE terms
A plain-English glossary of the body armour and PPE terms you'll meet while shopping: NIJ, UHMWPE, MOLLE and more. Read more...
What bulletproof really means, body armour myths — R Supply Store guide
What 'bulletproof' really means: five body armour myths
No armour is truly bulletproof. We bust five common myths about levels, coverage, weight and stab resistance. Read more...
How soft body armour stops a bullet — R Supply Store guide
How soft body armour stops a bullet
How woven fibre armour catches and slows a bullet by spreading its energy, and why that's different from stopping a blade. Read more...
K9 body armour for working dogs — R Supply Store guide
K9 body armour: protecting working dogs
What ballistic dog vests are, how K9 armour is shaped for movement, and what to look for in a working dog vest. Read more...
Stab and spike resistance explained — R Supply Store guide
Stab and spike resistance explained: SGS and VPAM Level 5
Stab vs spike protection and what SGS and VPAM Level 5 ratings actually mean for knife- and needle-resistant armour. Read more...