Concealable body armor

[ATN082268]

Does anyone have suggestions for concealable body armor? I live in east Tennessee and it can get pretty hot and humid here, so I'd like something which has a good balance of comfort and protection. Thank you.

 

[Tommygunn]

I am no expert in body armor, but from what I've seen, vests rated to stop pistol rounds are the most concealable and are those worn by policemen beneath their uniforms.
They're not really "concealable," per se, but just unobtrusive. I've seen police wearing them and have noticed that their uniforms did not conform to their bodies and had "seams" around the shoulder for the officer's arms.
I think you're posting this because of the horrid event in Chattanooga, right? This shooter used a rifle, from what I hear, and perhaps more than just one. For defense against rifle you need a vest which carries ballistic plates of some modern high tech composite, and this will not be concealable. They are worn outside clothing.
If you are tring to protect yourself against a rifleman with anything concealable .... I doubt you will have a lot of luck, unfortunatly.

 

[Telekinesis]

Most concealable armor is only pistol rated, and with almost all of the vests I have seen (including ones I've worn), "concealable" is a relative term. As far as comfort goes, that's relative as well, and you are not going to want to wear it for any amount of time during the summer. One small nit to pick with Tommygun's otherwise good post: rifle armor does not have to be worn outside of your clothing (but good luck hiding it under anything short of a sweatshirt/jacket).

As far as soft armor goes, 3A is the highest level of protection you can get, but level 2 gets you covered for almost everything that 3A will cover, but with a lighter weight/thinner vest. One thing to remember about vest ratings is that "blackface deformation" is a parameter when getting an official ruling as to what rounds a vest stops. That means a level 2 vest may still actually stop a pistil round that it is not rated for.

A good place to look for a vest would be Bulletproofme.com. Take a look at their police surplus vests as those are usually good deals.

 

[hso]

You have to define what you want to protect against to get a meaningful response.

If you want to stop 9mm and below you get the lightest and most comfortable armor. Go up from there to address heavier/faster calibers.

 

[Evil-Twin]

I am more interested in the need. and the threat level that would be necessary as a civilian to wear body armor every waking hour...If IM a bad guy, and Im willing to kill you, and I'm10/ 15 feet from you.. i'm putting two in your eye socket, so much for body armor.. so on that particular day, odds are one in 100,000 that a gun assault will end up in your death. 97.5 % of the civilian population never see the need to draw a weapon in defense of their life.
So my question to you, is what makes your life style so dangerous that you need body armor..because your threat level is way above that of the average citizen.. IM not trying to be a jerk, IM just curious why you would be willing to wear body armor daily, and why your concern is so high....

 

[Joaquin Walking]

Tommygunn,

Excellent quote-you're a smart guy.

 

[Joaquin Walking]

I've read that there is a Columbian company that is considered one of the best makers in the world of body armor. Unfortunately I can't remember their name. If you ask around you should be able to find their name.

 

[TRX]

Even if your body armor doesn't stop the bullet completely... if you can reduce the punch of a .40 or 9mm down to .32 or .22 levels, you're way better off than no armor at all.

 

[rcmodel]

Why is anyone worried about it??

Unless you are in the business of going in harms way, like a cop, or a solder in combat??

Anyone in civilian life who thinks they need to wear body armor and smell like a goat all the time is harboring a disunion of grandeur.

And tilting at windmills!

I have been shot once in 71 years, and that was an accident in the Army

rc

 

[leadcounsel]

Why is anyone worried about it??

Unless you are in the business of going in harms way, like a cop, or a solder in combat??

Anyone in civilian life who thinks they need to wear body armor and smell like a goat all the time is harboring a disunion of grandeur.

And tilting at windmills!

I have been shot once in 71 years, and that was an accident in the Army

rc

RC - I generally agree with you but doesn't this statement make counter to any notion of carrying a weapon or having one for home defense for us lowly civilians?

 

[armoredman]

If you want to own and wear armor, and can afford it, go for it. I can tell you from years of doing it professionally - body armor plain flat out sucks in high heat. When you rig a hose from the AC vent in the vehicle to run down your neckline for relief, you will understand. We did that in one armored truck I worked on - dark red metal seems to attract Arizona sunlight. But vests get lighter and more comfortable all the time, so weigh the pros and cons. Also, be aware, a full coverage vest will affect your CCW setup, as the vest will make you "wider" right above your pistol, especially if it's kept close to the body in a typical CCW setup. The contour style won't, but will leave your sides open.
As for rifle, yes, you can get rifle proof armor, and actually a LOT cheaper than a top line IIIA soft vest. AR500.com sells level III plates with heavy anti spall coating that get pretty good reviews.

http://www.ar500armor.com/plate-carriers/plate-carrier-packages-w-armor.html

They sell a concealable carrier, or you can use one like this one, which I do personally have.

http://www.lapolicegear.com/bpg-lowvis-plate-carrier-large.html

I got it, adjusted it to work under a shirt, (the shoulder pads had to go), put in my AR500 Level III front and back plates, and went to the range. I shot for about 2 hours or so, and picked up my brass. I am a fat, old, out of shape man, and that wasn't as much fun as it could have been. 15 pounds of steel is not real comfortable. But, I can say I did it, and I still have the setup...though I have zero idea when I would find it useful. BTW, the Advanced Shooters Cut on the AR500 plate did allow me to shoulder my rifle easily.

But unlike the naysayers, I say, go for it, see what works, that fits your budget and doesn't eat you alive in summer. if you can make it work, good for you. If you can't, don't feel bad - that stuff can be a huge pain in the patoot.

 

[TennJed]

RC - I generally agree with you but doesn't this statement make counter to any notion of carrying a weapon or having one for home defense for us lowly civilians?

I dont think so. There is a comfort / safety balance. Carrying a gun is not really an issue that would interfere with you quality of life. There are enough holster / gun combinations that a person carry a gun, anytime, anywhere and not give up mobility or comfort.

Not the same with body armour, particularly in Tennessee in July. Heat indexes of 100+. Humidity that will make you pour sweat sitting in the shade.

We all have to balance our quality of life and our safety. I could never leave my house and eliminate the threat of a car wreck. But to live in such fear is not a very good life (to me)

People are free to wear body armour, but i think most people would consider it an extreme, unnecessary thing to do.

 

[rcmodel]

RC - I generally agree with you but doesn't this statement make counter to any notion of carrying a weapon or having one for home defense for us lowly civilians?

I said nothing like that at all.

What I was trying to convey is that unless you are in a high risk profession, your chances of ever needing hot and stinky body armor is lower then your risk of getting in a tragic car wreck on the way to church, or getting killed by lightening while mowing your yard.

rc

 

[JERRY]

I wear body armor at work. I work night shift. even at night in the summer time a concealable vest will make you hot with any sort of exertion. its not the weight of the vest or the flexibility and so forth; its the fact that even the best carrier and undershirt do not allow it to breathe as one would such as a uniform shirt carrier.

if you want to wear a vest I'm all for your right to do so. however, cops have been trying for decades to find a way to be comfortable in concealable armor, and at best it will be tolerable.

on a side note, get professionally fitted if you want any sort of comfort. you can get luck with generic sizing, but that is luck.

and yet another thing.... as Telekinesis mentioned, BFD plays a role in threat level ratings. a level IIA vest is not rated for a .44 magnum, but it will stop it none the less.

as with any concealable armor, anyone looking at you close up can detectable even the thinnest armor under summer type shirts. the biggest give away is the back across and near the shoulders.

 

[zerobarrier]

I said nothing like that at all.

What I was trying to convey is that unless you are in a high risk profession, your chances of ever needing hot and stinky body armor is lower then your risk of getting in a tragic car wreck on the way to church, or getting killed by lightening while mowing your yard.

rc

I think the point leadcounsel was trying to make (correct me if I'm wrong lead) is, doesn't the comment you said in post #9 sound an awful like something an anti-gun activist would say about concealed carry? Minus the smell part. If he wants to wear armor then so be it, its not hurting anything. Except maybe his comfort level.

You can get a empty body armor vest and insert ar-500 plates. It will be very heavy, but concealable under a jacket. In TN you will get very very hot. They really aren't the most comfortable things.

 

[hso]

Just because a statement is true, but not to someone's liking does NOT make it a propaganda pitch any more than tossing out the accusation "That's what Antis say" is appropriate.

Not everyone has the same real world experiences and explaining what the problems with a notion may be more useful in an individual making an individual decision.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

In my career, I have been issued 4 different ballistic vests. I have yet to find one that is comfortable. I can't imagine any are cool to wear in the summer. I will be glad when the day comes that I don't have to wear one for 12+ hours at a time.

 

[old lady new shooter]

Can regular people buy body armor? In every state?

 

[JERRY]

yes, to an extent, no. you'll have to look at the body armor laws for the states you're concerned with.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

I recently saw a guy at a gunshow selling out of date used vests from a major city's PD. He was getting a couple of hundred bucks for them. I would guess he either got them out of the trash or bought them at a city surplus sale for a little of nothing.

 

[Zardaia]

Nobody in my unit ever wore their IIIA until it was mandated. Not too bad in winter but awful hot the rest of the year. Not concealable at all, short of heavy cover garments. You'll look "odd" to all and anyone familiar with armor will peg it on sight.

That said if you want it then go for it if you can afford it. If nothing else you can get one that'll hold rifle plates as well. If it doesn't work out wearing just the kevlar every day, add some plates and set aside for a prep and training.

 

[leadcounsel]

I dont think so. There is a comfort / safety balance. Carrying a gun is not really an issue that would interfere with you quality of life. There are enough holster / gun combinations that a person carry a gun, anytime, anywhere and not give up mobility or comfort.

Carrying a gun is FAR more inconvenient and problematic than a passive concealable vest.
First there's the practicality of it. 2-3 pounds on your hip or elsewhere, which is never "comfortable," (you just learn to adjust and ignore- but you have to buy different fitting clothing and a variety of carry rigs for sure), carry licenses and gun licenses, knowing the carry laws, and disarming when you go into arbitrary gun free zones like schools, businesses, federal installations, blah blah blah. In some, you have to plan ahead since you can't even have the weapon in your car, like if you're going to a VA hospital or onto a military base.

Next the legal implications of using a gun - good grief there are volumes of books on the topic.

The vest if far more practical, and since you are far more likely to be injured in a car accident, these have been shown to prevent car accident injuries for law enforcement officers. Costs less than a gun and training, requires no training, and you're not going to get sued like you might if you mis-use your gun by accident.

From a logical and useful standpoint, I would say that a concealable vest is FAR more likely to be of use and more convenient to any random individual.

Most of us (myself included generally) have it backwards, and carry a gun but no vest - with the right mindset of self defense - but realize that if the aggressor has the jump on you and scores a vital hit, the game is over. A vest protects 50% of instant death or 'survivable shots' to your vitals.

 

[armoredman]

Now that's a different and refreshing way to look at it.