Bulletproof Vests?

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I wear concealable soft body armor 10+ hrs a day, 5 or more days a week. It's not required, but with all of the shooting going on around here, I'm starting to look at Dragon Skin.

My biggest complaint with the soft armor is that it stinks. Really. It smells like a cat peed down my shirt after just a few minutes of wearing it. Every time I move, I get a waft of it through the shirt neck. I've tried just about everything to get rid of the stink, but nothing has worked.

If you buy one, get fitted. US Armor has fitting instructions on their website.
 
I recommend looking elsewhere. DS is less is a no-go; a case of the product failing to live up to the press release.
 
The only laws regulating them I'm aware of are laws that make it illegal to wear one while committing a crime. Some companies and distributors have internal policies restricting sales to sworn personnel. But there are plenty of places to buy them.
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Hahahaha this is great!

If the guy is breaking the law already, do you think he cares if wearing the vest is illegal or not?
 
Oh, on vest expirations...

Vest warranties expire; warranties which, seemingly, differ from nation to nation. The US standard being 5 years.

Vests... Well, there are older vests (>5 years) which have been tested to adequately stop rated ammunition and newer vests (> 5 years) which have been tested to not stop rated ammunition. Not even talking about the tests themselves. Which tests and under what conditions, etc?

Best of luck in the decision making process.
 
There seems to be some fascination with body armor, and I'm not sure where it comes from.

I have IIA body armor. I bought it about 4 or 5 years ago to wear while ROing the shoothouses on the range.

I've never once worn it outside those circumstances. Even though it's designed for daily wear, it's still hot, bulky, and restrictive. If it weren't a mandate from their superiors, I know a few cops wouldn't wear it every day. I know one supervisor that had to yell at or even write up a few subordinates they constantly caught working without it on.


If I had a job that carried high risks of danger, I might wear it. Even then I might not wear it every day.


Do your risk assessment. And if you want some, go get it. I'm not aware of any laws against body armor other than ones that attach when accused of committing criminal acts. Your locality might have one, so don't rely on the internet to answer that question. Make sure for yourself.
 
ok, here is my take.

I have never worn a bpv. I have only worn a flak jacket. It was 20 lbs of discomfort. The interceptor body armor was more comfortable, but it weighed a ton with the sappy plates in them. If your vest fits you, you are heavier, and you don't bend as well, but you don't have that much limited movement (unless you are wearing plates, I can see how they really affect your movement). I think I could go back to a flak jacket without any relearning curve in movement, but I did wear it for 18 hours or more a day for over a year. I literally slept in it for the first 2 months in the desert.
 
I believe that there are a Just In Case addition to your SHTF gear... Laugh all you want people, but if you feel you need a gun for personal protection (we all do) then how can you say it isn't wise to purchase a bullet proof vest as further assurance that you will come away from the encounter? I will honest here, it is unlikely that you will ever need a vest or that you will have time to put it on, but it does go part and parcel with a preparedness mindset.
 
ok, here is my take.

I have never worn a bpv. I have only worn a flak jacket. It was 20 lbs of discomfort. The interceptor body armor was more comfortable, but it weighed a ton with the sappy plates in them. If your vest fits you, you are heavier, and you don't bend as well, but you don't have that much limited movement (unless you are wearing plates, I can see how they really affect your movement). I think I could go back to a flak jacket without any relearning curve in movement, but I did wear it for 18 hours or more a day for over a year. I literally slept in it for the first 2 months in the desert.
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A flak jacket is not the same thing. A level IIa vest weighs maybe 2 pounds at most and is actually very flexible. They get hot, so I'm not saying they're comfortable to wear, but it's not the weight or flexibility that are the issue.
 
Actually, the large flak jacket the military issues is 18lbs. I weighed it. Just like the kevlar helmet is 7 lbs, the saw is around 18 (with ammo attached) the m16 is approx 8 (with mag in) and the gas mask is around 3.
 
I lead a very low risk life style. ;) I don't mind strapping on a handgun and reload, but wearing body armor in addition to that crosses the fine line between prepared and paranoid.
 
Ehhh...

Just me talking here, but I hate wearing those things! I wear a vest all week for LE work... It is hot in the summer, cold in the winter, holds sweat in like a plastic bag, and isn't so comfortable.

I sure don't wear it when I'm not at work, but that's just me talking here.
 
I can't see wearing body armor every day just because you "might" get shot - the only time I feel it would be warranted is if you are in a High Risk category that has been previously mentioned, such as: taxi-driver, liquor store clerk, cop, etc.


So... with that being said, I would feel more comfortable going to the indoor shooting range while wearing body armor.
It's not that I fear for my life while I am there, but, they occasionaly let in some bozo's who don't know what they are doing, and you have to keep a carefull eye on them to assure that there are no accidents.
 
I purchased some body armor, and used to wear it to the range when I just started shooting. I mean, for a beginning shooter, wearing body armor in an environment where bullets flying through the air is NORMAL made good sense to me.

That lasted about a week. Now it's just part of my collection of military and otherwise 'tacticool' paraphernalia.
 
The only laws regulating them I'm aware of are laws that make it illegal to wear one while committing a crime. Some companies and distributors have internal policies restricting sales to sworn personnel. But there are plenty of places to buy them.
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Hahahaha this is great!

If the guy is breaking the law already, do you think he cares if wearing the vest is illegal or not?
__________________
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as an aside, and kind of related post, just like with firearms, felons are not supposed to own body armor and are restricted by law from doing so
 
as an aside, and kind of related post, just like with firearms, felons are not supposed to own body armor and are restricted by law from doing so
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Felons can't own kevlar? Really? Since when, the North Hollywood robbery?
 
"Violent felons" cannot own body armor unless there they can prove a legitimate, employment based need.

18 USC 931

Sec. 931. Prohibition on purchase, ownership, or possession of body
armor by violent felons

(a) In General. - Except as provided in subsection (b), it shall
be unlawful for a person to purchase, own, or possess body armor,
if that person has been convicted of a felony that is -

(1) a crime of violence (as defined in section 16); or

(2) an offense under State law that would constitute a crime of
violence under paragraph (1) if it occurred within the special
maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States.
(b) Affirmative Defense. -

(1) In general. - It shall be an affirmative defense under this
section that -

(A) the defendant obtained prior written certification from

his or her employer that the defendant's purchase, use, or

possession of body armor was necessary for the safe performance

of lawful business activity; and

(B) the use and possession by the defendant were limited to

the course of such performance.

(2) Employer. - In this subsection, the term "employer" means
any other individual employed by the defendant's business that
supervises defendant's activity. If that defendant has no
supervisor, prior written certification is acceptable from any
other employee of the business.
 
seems fair enough to me violent bank robber with a vest he's not owning it because its tacicool is he:uhoh:
Wearing body Armour if stopped by the police I would assume the person is up to no good its not normal and linked to guns etc not what you want to deal with :(
 
seems fair enough to me violent bank robber with a vest he's not owning it because its tacicool is he
Wearing body Armour if stopped by the police I would assume the person is up to no good its not normal and linked to guns etc not what you want to deal with
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Then it's a good thing you're not a cop. You can't jump to conclusions like that. Everyone has a different set of circumstances and you need to think outside of the box. He could have had a traumatic experience as a hostage and now he likes to wear body armor. Maybe he's on his way home from work as an armored car driver. Jumping to judgement and detaining someone who hasn't broken the law is not only unethical, it's also illegal.
 
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expvideo said:
Jumping to judgement and detaining someone who hasn't broken the law is not only unethical, it's also illegal.
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It's tyrannical and disguisting. Doing something JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN is the HEIGHT of hubris.

I have 2 Kevlar (army surplus) vests and 2 (army surplus) PASGT helmets. I got the whole package for under $250 and IF the SHTF then perhaps they may be the margin...

You just never bloody well know what you are going to need and it seemed stupid to be able to get all of the above for under $250 and not do it...

If I had lots of cash, I would have 2 x ACH helmets or Levell III PASGT Helmets, 2 x Modular Tactical Vests, 2 x Level IIA concealable vests and 2 x Level III concealable vests. Not to mention an array of night vision and thermal equipment. Maybe I am a geek or something... :(
 
If I had lots of cash, I would have 2 x ACH helmets or Levell III PASGT Helmets, 2 x Interceptor Vests, 2 x Level IIA concealable vests and 2 x Level III concealable vests. Not to mention an array of night vision and thermal equipment. Maybe I am a geek or something...
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No. You just like military gear. There's nothing wrong with that.
 
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