Vel Tye is a company providing a full lineup of nylon tactical equipment made in the USA. I was introduced the Vel Tye Police Hugger Tactical Vest by a co-worker almost 4 years ago. He had been issued a new ballistic vest from quartermaster and since our unit wears a BDU style uniform, we’re allowed to wear tactical style vest carriers as long as they are black and we pay for them ourselves. I knew I was due for a new vest myself so I checked out my co-workers new carrier and really liked what I saw. The Police Hugger is made from 1000D nylon, has a mesh inner liner to help keep you cool, and uses Velcro® for attaching the side straps and identification patches. Keep in mind that the Police Hugger does not come with ballistic panels. You have to provide the ballistic panels yourself.
Once my new ballistic vest arrived from quartermaster, I went to the Vel Tye website and followed the drop down menus to order my own Vel Tye Police Hugger Tactical Vest. This vest automatically comes with shoulder mounted D-rings, comm loops, and MOLLE webbing for attaching pouches. I knew I’d be attaching magazines and an IFAK kit to my vest so I also opted for the ½” thick shoulder pads offered by Vel Tye to help cushion the weight of the armor plus gear. To ensure my ballistic panels fit properly, I sent tracings of my vest panels to Vel Tye with my order number. I used a marker and gift wrapping paper for the tracings and labeled the tracings appropriately to make sure it was clear which panel was for the front and which was for the back.
Several weeks after placing the order, my Police Hugger arrived. My ballistic panels fit well without a lot of extra material around the edges. I first wore the vest with no pouches on the front and without the shoulder pads. I did not experience any shoulder fatigue during that time. Once I started attaching rifle/pistol magazines, and an IFAK, I added the shoulder pads.
I wore the Police Hugger for 3 years on pretty much a daily basis for work and training. Its durability has been great. The Velcro ® still has plenty of adhesion, the stitching is still strong and there has not been any seam separation. There are also no thin spots wearing through the nylon. If you need to get yourself a tactical style carrier for your soft armor, you won’t be disappointed in the Vel Tye Police Hugger Tactical Vest.
Like many of you, it was hard to miss the recent spike in attacks on our law enforcement brothers and sisters nationwide. Whether it was an ambush upon arrival at a call for service, just sitting at a stop light, or getting lunch with our patrol partner. I felt it was time to upgrade my armor. I wanted to start wearing hard ballistic plates on a regular basis. I’m not going to get into the combination of soft and hard armor that I am using in this article but, you’ll see an article soon about a nice combination I found later. Once I decided to start wearing plates, I knew the answer was easy and went back to Vel Tye for their Military Hugger Tactical Vest.
The Military Hugger Tactical Vest is very similar to the Police Hugger with the addition of a bottom loading pockets to accommodate hard armor plates as well as side pockets for kidney plates or ballistic panels. The Military Hugger has the same great design and build I already knew to expect. The Military Hugger still uses your soft armor like the Police Hugger but, plate pockets are added to the front a back. It still includes the shoulder mounted D-Rings, Velcro ® closure, comm loops, and MOLLE webbing. I strongly suggest that you get shoulder pads with this vest. The plates add a significant amount of weight and your shoulders will fatigue quickly. The added bulk of plates took some getting used to and I decided that although the Military Hugger has MOLLE webbing, I only carry a single tourniquet on it rather than weighing it down even more with ammo and an IFAK. I’ve been wearing the Military Hugger for about 7 months and it’s still as good as new: all the stitching is good, it’s not developing any thin spots, the Velcro ® is still strong, and it doesn’t sag in the front.
I’ve been very happy with the Police Hugger and Military Hugger from Vel Tye. The soft armor fit nicely. They are durable, snug, and they are made in the USA. I don’t know how many people in my unit are wearing Police or Military Hugger Tactical Vests off the top of my head but, a significant number are and they all have no complaints.
