No they cant be seen when the chest is on mate, and armoured up none of the strap system can be seen. The reason I did it this way is the poppers are on 6mm high blocks. Which in turn gives the lip on the chest plate something to hit against to stop the chest moving upwards, so not just relying on the poppers as I have quite a big chest. I tried it on the inside (the back is done that way) but prefered this way, it works best for me. I feel more secure like that.