Some things about choosing a vest

Writer： admin Time：2024-01-07 20:45:40 Browse：231℃

More and more students are choosing to wear bulletproof vests in various tactical training classes. Due to its association with firearms, bulletproof vests are always filled with misunderstandings and misinformation. Many students are also asking me about purchasing vests, so here I will briefly talk about the selection of vests.

The most common question asked by students is "Do I need to buy a vest?" My answer is firmly "yes.". Literally, the protective function of a vest makes it a basic protective device, just like the eye and hearing protection required during shooting. We are fortunate to live in an era where bulletproof equipment is not difficult to purchase and relatively inexpensive. As a student who takes firearms very seriously, whether you are a civilian, police officer, or soldier, you should equip all support equipment related to your firearms. To be honest, a bulletproof vest may be more useful than your sixth high-end AR rifle or fourth fully equipped pistol.

The first thing is, you need to know what you need a vest to face. There are two common types of vests on the market - soft vests and hard vests. Usually, soft vests can withstand pistol bullets, while hard insert vests can withstand rifle fire.

When we talk about soft bulletproof vests, we are referring to the classic "bulletproof vest", which is like the vests that police officers wear every day. They are usually made of Kevlar or similar materials and have a good effect in resisting pistol bullets and shotgun bullets. Another advantage of a soft vest is that due to its softer texture and thinner thickness, it can be easily worn and hidden inside. Compared to the hard insert vest, it also provides a larger protection area for the torso part.

The bulletproof part of a hard insert vest, also known as the insert, is usually made of ceramics, metal materials, or composite materials. They usually only cover the front and rear sides of the body, and of course, you can also choose to have side shields, but I believe most people still believe that those are optional accessories that belong to the "task decision" type.

Personally, it is not recommended to use steel protective panels because to my knowledge, no professional organization or department is using metal protective panels. Ceramic is the most commonly used and currently the best protective panel material.

So what kind of vest should I choose? A soft vest has a larger protective area, but it also limits mobility. Although it may be uncomfortable, it is always stronger than being punctured. At the same time, although hard inserts have more room for movement than soft vests, they are also heavier in weight. Okay, how much it weighs depends on how much money you're willing to spend - just like anything else.

My suggestion is to buy the lightest vest within your affordability. Although your bill may not be happy, your waist and shoulders will thank me. As for myself, I have a soft vest that can be worn inside a T-shirt or with tactical components, as well as a hard plug-in vest that can carry surplus ammunition, communication equipment, medical equipment, and even door breaking tools.

Despite this, a vest still cannot fit 100% of the task scenario. Although those hard plug-in vests may look cool and domineering, don't forget that the biggest threat in the United States actually comes from handguns. So as an armed civilian, your demand for soft low visibility vests may be much higher than for hard plug-in vests.