Insurrection Survival

Body armor.

Inspired by @1misanthrophile todays topic is protecting your meaty bits. There is a lot of ground to cover here, so this will be a single topic day.

Armor comes in two types with about a zillion configurations.

I will try to demystify so you can make choices based on your circumstances.

This comes with the disclaimer that all armor is hot, heavy and restricts movement to a greater or lesser degree. I will try to point that out as I cover types.

Train and hydrate.

No armor is completely "bulletproof". Knock that out of your head right now.

Armor is designed to resist bullet strikes and only completely protects in certain circumstances.

If you get hit where the armor doesnt cover, obviously, its gonna be a bad day.

Soft armor is probably what you are thinking of when you hear "bulletproof vest".

Generally made out of kevlar, aramid and various plastics it is lighter, somewhat concealable and flexible.

Most soft armor is designed to protect from hand gun calibres.

Some soft armor is also rated for slashing and stab protection, but not all. Make sure you know.

This is generally what patrol cops wear on duty.

It is lighter, generally 6-10 pounds total. Not super heavy, but it will take time to adjust to the weight.

Good armor will have a wicking layer to help keep it cool, but you still need to hydrate about 4x what you are used to.

Downside.

Rifle rounds zip through this like it isnt there. That includes 5.56, which is the standard assault rifle round of american enforcement.

Hard armor normally comes in the style of a plate carrier. There are approximately 8972563219u37 different styles of carrier.

The essential point is the carrier holds hard steel/ceramic/polyetheline that cover your torso.

These are heavy, hot and miserable.

They will, however, stop a rifle round.

If properly rated, they will even stop thirty calibre "sniper" rounds used by american enforcement.

.308 is the most common, though you will see other varieties.

If you go for plates, spring for anti-spalling coating

Spalling is where the bullet strikes the plate and shatters, throwing fragments. Ussually right up into your face/neck or outward into your arms/shoulders.

This can be as bad as getting shot. Be aware.

Body armor, hard or soft has a rating. Learn the ratings. Know what your vest can handle or what you want it to handle before you buy.

IIIA is the bare minimum I can reccomend to anyone in good faith. It will stop most hand gun rounds.

For rifles, you MUST have hard plates and a rating of IV is reccomended.

Do your research on this. It is literally life and death.

I will return to the cardio discussion one more time. Train with your vest/plates. You have to be able to wear it for hours and still run.

This is a big topic and you should put in your own research. I hope this serves as a decent introductory primer.

As always, I am happy to field questions and if you have insight JUST POST.

This concludes Insurrection Survival body armor.