Level Peaks

Combat readiness begins long before deployment. It’s embedded in the gear soldiers wear. From moisture management to mobility and interoperability, these foundational elements turn combat clothing into critical enablers of mission success.

Level Peaks, founded in 2007 by former users of the very systems they now develop and supply, has built its reputation on that lived insight. Today, the company is recognised as a trusted partner to frontline forces and procurement leaders, delivering innovative, field-proven solutions that move as the mission demands.

That trust is earned through enduring collaborations with some of the world’s best-performing brands. Level Peaks’ longstanding collaboration with Crye Precision reflects their shared commitment to co-developing equipment around the unforgiving demands of the harshest operational environments. Together, they are pushing the evolutionary envelope of mission-critical systems beyond minimum standards to meet the realities of modern conflict.

One of the defining strengths of the design philosophy is that integration is not an add-on but the foundation. The “system-of-systems” approach as a guiding principle assures every element, from base layers to ballistic protection to outer shells, is engineered to interact seamlessly with body armour, load carriage, weapons, communications systems and sensors. Compatibility is not enough. It is their true cohesion that lowers cognitive burden and allows soldiers to adapt faster, move lighter, and focus entirely on the mission.

“You can sew a garment from a pattern,” says CEO Chris Willis, “but unless you know why the seams are placed the way they are, how the layers and stitching interact under load, or how materials behave and degrade under prolonged wear, you’re just guessing. You won’t get close.”

Level Peaks’ designs are grounded in years of frontline feedback and shaped through continuous development cycles. Whether in extreme climates, high-tempo movements or prolonged engagements, the designs deliver sustained performance.

“We won’t put our name to anything that doesn’t serve the end user. It doesn’t leave our hands if it isn’t fit for purpose,” states Gordon Park, solutions team coordinator and BD manager, highlighting the company’s promise to its customers.

Certified to Adapt with Agile Innovations

Military procurement often follows a rigid, standardised process, designed more for predictability than speed. Level Peaks navigates that structure with a distinct advantage—responsiveness. It stays in close orbit around the user, collapsing traditional feedback cycles into real-time collaboration. Where others deliver pre-packaged solutions and wait for feedback to work through procurement chains, Level Peaks turns every deployment into a live dialogue—and every iteration into a forward-moving step.

Through what the team calls spiral or sprint development, design cycles are compressed, not compromised. If a seam rubs, a pocket pulls or a fastening point proves unreliable in the field, it’s not pushed to the next product round. Instead, it is adjusted and rebuilt. It’s this closeness to the wearer and refusal to design in a vacuum that keeps Level Peaks in sync with operational reality.

“We could spend hours talking about threads, nylons, and material testing, but our focus isn’t just on individual components,” says Willis.

“We test and deliver performance at the system level. It’s not just about whether one pouch meets Defence or Military Standard A, B, or C; it’s about making sure the entire system holds up in the environments it’s built for.”

Nowhere is that philosophy tested harder than in the air domain. Aircrew systems face aviation-grade scrutiny where minor design adjustments, like shifting a harness strap or refining load carriage integration, trigger the same engineering protocols required for aircraft structural changes. Level Peaks stands among a select few companies certified to execute these modifications independently, without relying on third-party validation. That design authority allows them to deliver rapid, compliant improvements without sacrificing precision or jeopardising readiness and safety.

Speed, however, never replaces discipline. Every modification undergoes closed-loop accountability, returning to the end user for final evaluation. Agility does not outpace oversight; it strengthens it. Every fielded system must meet full compliance, align with mission parameters and protect the operational safety envelope.

Lessons learned under the intense scrutiny of airworthiness flow directly into Level Peak’s land systems programmes. Standards sharpened in aviation environments—where margins for error are microscopic—raise the bar across all product lines. This transfer of engineering discipline gives Level Peaks a tangible edge: solutions that outperform expectations, whether worn in the air, on the ground or across the spectrum of modern operations.

Proven Protection

Over several years, Level Peaks has delivered next-generation ballistic personal protective equipment (PPE) for a specialised end-user community. The programme, awarded through a highly competitive, multi-vendor process involving some of the defence sector’s most established suppliers, demanded more than technical compliance and operational understanding.

Level Peaks’ solution stood out because of how it applied experience to design. From the outset, the team approached the challenge with a practical understanding of battlefield realities. They knew protection alone was insufficient. Effective PPE had to integrate hard and soft armour with load-bearing configurations, support mobility under load, reduce fatigue, accommodate gender-specific fits and sustain performance over long-duration missions.

The programme became a real-world validation of Level Peaks’ system-of-systems philosophy. Rather than engineering isolated products to meet MIL specs on paper, the team designed an interoperable kit—ballistic plates, carriers, pouches and weight-distribution systems—engineered to work as one adaptable unit under dynamic combat conditions. Every element was evaluated under stress: how materials responded to heat, sweat and extended wear, how weight shifts impacted endurance and how seemingly minor design choices could drive major differences in comfort, survivability and operational effectiveness.

Critically, Level Peaks managed the entire lifecycle in-house— from concept and prototyping to user trials and final production. This end-to-end control created a feedback-driven process, not an assumption-driven one. User input shaped iterative refinements at every stage, ensuring that final delivery matched real-world needs rather than static specifications.

Today, the ballistic PPE system developed through this programme equips over 2,000 personnel across active deployments, delivering proven protection shaped by operational realities, not design assumptions.

That same approach defines Level Peaks’ broad reaching defence and security portfolio. While clothing and ballistic systems remain core, the company’s capabilities deliver against many of the operational problems faced by today’s modern soldiers and frontline emergency services. From innovative on the person clothing and protection to the most sophisticated uncrewed systems, every solution is shaped by operational insight and built with integration in mind. This full spectrum of modern warfighting capabilities is delivered with an unwavering ethos, ensuring that every design begins with a clear understanding of the mission, its demands, its context and risks.

Always Ahead, Always Accountable

Being named Combat Clothing Supplier of the Year is a milestone for Level Peaks, not a finish line. It marks a path defined by continuous refinement across the Army, Navy, Air Force and specialist Police units, recognising that each domain demands tailored solutions shaped by distinct operational realities. Within these environments, mission profiles, roles, and user needs diverge even further, requiring equipment that is not only domain-specific but role-adaptable.

Level Peaks’ commitment to purposeful design extends far beyond combat clothing. The company invests heavily in advancing personal protection systems that address every point of human vulnerability from joint protection and respiratory defence to cranial, ocular, auditory and maxillofacial coverage. Each element is engineered not as an isolated product, but as part of an integrated protective ecosystem. Breathability, waterproofing, comfort and mobility are calibrated as interconnected factors to ensure optimal performance without compromise.

Another major area of innovation the company is exploring is developing female-specific systems—a long-overlooked need across the defence and tactical sectors. From next-to-skin undergarments and footwear to tailored combat clothing, body armour, and load carriage solutions, Level Peaks is designing gear that meets the physiological and operational needs of female personnel.

Sustainability is woven into every design. From forward-thinking material selection to design processes, all aim to enhance immediate operational performance and meet evolving standards for environmental responsibility and long-term durability.

The mission remains personal for Willis and Park. “We were the customers once,” says Willis. “That’s why we understand what the end user needs. That’s why we’re obsessed with getting it right.”

For Level Peaks, accountability is not an added value. It is the foundation—earned on the frontline, proven by the mission and built into every stitch, system and solution delivered.