Should I have body armor?

[Watrdawg]

When I first went the armor route 6-7 years ago I ended up choosing a Mayflower APC with soft backers and LVL III/IV triple curve plates. I added a 5.56 placard for magazines etc. Eventually I even added a hydration carrier for the back and a first aid kit. I took a couple of classes that required body armor and made a few changes to my setup afterwards. A couple of years ago I bought a 2nd Mayflower APC and set it up the same except that I purchased LVL IV stand alone plates. All of this I bought from SKD Tactical. There are other sources of course but it was one stop shopping for me at pretty good prices.

Will I ever get into a situation where I'm fighting and requiring body armor? Probably not but just in case I'm set and so is my wife. Kids are gone now so it's just us. Where I could see this coming into play in my area is after a major hurricane and looting takes place hitting my neighborhood. Basically a Katrina situation. We've been hit the last 3 years by hurricanes and have Dorian coming now. Thankfully we have not seen a true Katrina event but it's possible. That would be the most possible scenario right now that I could need to don body armor.

[matemike]

In 2014 I was on a high profile ship that sailed through heavily pirated areas (Malacca Straights) and we had "lock down drills" to practice securing all the ship's crew (170 people) should a pirate attack happen. I was one of the 7 crew members who had to don body armor and begin the lock-down process while seeing that everyone reached the citadel safely. I was in a "defensive roll" and I still would have rather worked without body armor but carrying a weapon than just wearing the body armor and no weapon other than an axe. The body armor slowed me down more than anything and made my job harder. And even more bothering was that I was working crowd control of people on my side but who did not have body armor. I felt guilty about that.

If I were reacting offensively and seeking out the would be attackers, sure, the chest rig and Kevlar head gear would have been worth donning and felt useful. So, if you want to acquire body armor, do you plan to get it for your entire party? AND, do you plan to be offensive? Looking for the fight and attacking?
Additionally, if you buy body armor, are you going to don it a few times a year as well as require your party to familiar with it as well?

If it's TEOTWAWKI I'd say most folks will be defensive for a long long time. Me included. The best offense would be a good defense of trying to stay low, stay sharp, slick, hidden. Not covered in body armor. Save your efforts and funds for spare food, gas, bullets, hardware and tools.

[P2Vaircrewman]

I live about 25 miles west of New Orleans. We weren't impacted by Katrina itself but the aftermath was that a lot of NO crime element moved here and stayed. We have a violent crime rate equal NO and a property crime rate that is higher. Day to day I don't have a pressing need for body armor but I bought some in the event of a similar storm and looting. I would wear it while protecting the dead end street I live on as both protection and intimidation to those who might be out looking for an opportunity.

[grizzlyblake]

There's nothing inherently wrong with spending money on body armor. However, I can't really imagine a situation where I would be stuck at home with my family taking incoming fire and not able to leave.

Maybe someone with specific experience or a more creative mind could throw some ideas out there.

In that same vein though, as someone who uses my EDC G19 as my bedside home defense gun, I've never really been able to imagine a situation where I would opt to use one of my ARs for defense.

Don't get me wrong - I really enjoy playing with my ARs and all the tactical stuff, but if I had to outfit another man living in a situation like me - semi rural or suburban neighborhood, wife and kids - here's what I'd do:

Prioritize supplies like food, water, first aid, consumables like toilet paper and contact solution, etc. Lanterns, kerosene heaters, all that stuff.

Save as much money as reasonably possible and keep debt down/gone. Keep several thousand dollars in five dollar bills at home in a dry bag along with IDs and Passports for all family members.

Keep a 4x4 SUV gassed up all the time to evacuate.

Carry a concealed G19 and keep a spare G19 with mags and ammo around.

Beyond that for firearms, maybe a pump 12ga with an assortment of shells and a 22 rifle. Maybe a deer rifle if subsistence hunting is a remote possibility. That's really getting into fantasy survival mode though.

Body armor would be so far down the list that I don't even consider it worth talking about.



The qualifier is that I basically never follow my own advice and would do well to start with everything I just typed out. At this point I'll be feeding my family PMag sandwiches to survive.

[maximus83]

There's nothing inherently wrong with spending money on body armor. However, I can't really imagine a situation where I would be stuck at home with my family taking incoming fire and not able to leave.

Maybe someone with specific experience or a more creative mind could throw some ideas out there.

In that same vein though, as someone who uses my EDC G19 as my bedside home defense gun, I've never really been able to imagine a situation where I would opt to use one of my ARs for defense.

Don't get me wrong - I really enjoy playing with my ARs and all the tactical stuff, but if I had to outfit another man living in a situation like me - semi rural or suburban neighborhood, wife and kids - here's what I'd do:

Prioritize supplies like food, water, first aid, consumables like toilet paper and contact solution, etc. Lanterns, kerosene heaters, all that stuff.

Save as much money as reasonably possible and keep debt down/gone. Keep several thousand dollars in five dollar bills at home in a dry bag along with IDs and Passports for all family members.

Keep a 4x4 SUV gassed up all the time to evacuate.

Carry a concealed G19 and keep a spare G19 with mags and ammo around.

Beyond that for firearms, maybe a pump 12ga with an assortment of shells and a 22 rifle. Maybe a deer rifle if subsistence hunting is a remote possibility. That's really getting into fantasy survival mode though.

Body armor would be so far down the list that I don't even consider it worth talking about.



The qualifier is that I basically never follow my own advice and would do well to start with everything I just typed out. At this point I'll be feeding my family PMag sandwiches to survive.

Good post and my thoughts are similar about armor. Even for emergency (whether short or long term) situations, I cannot envision scenarios that are probable, or realistic, that would have me and loved ones wearing body armor. What is far more likely, is that we will have trouble getting all those 'boring' basics like clean water, food prep, adequate nutrition, personal care stuff, prescriptions and medical care, means of communication, cash, transportation, tools, shelter, reliable heating and energy sources--on the list could go. I would prioritize all that those things I listed--and that will take you a while and some expense--before I'd even start thinking about body armor.

[Bimmer]

I am a college professor. Short version...

Sometimes laws are such that you can’t get a dangerous student off campus, and our armed officers can’t follow you everywhere.

I see you're leaning towards BALCS cut, IIIA soft armor. Good choice as it balances protection and coverage against cost.

I'm a college professor, too. I deal with a potentially violent student every year or two, on average. We're an open campus, and campus police can't do much, so we're sitting ducks...

(Side note: One of my leftie friends became associate dean and starting fielding student complaints full-time. Then he bought a gun.)

Maybe I'm understanding this incorrectly, but one of the advantages of buying BALCS is that I can put it in a "tactical" carrier, or put it in a "concealable" carrier. It's reassuring that I could buy a more concealable carrier and wear the same armor under a sports coat or whatever.

I can't really imagine a situation where I would be stuck at home with my family taking incoming fire and not able to leave.

I don't expect to "take incoming fire," but I can imagine that one of the local meth monkeys might take a shot at me.

Leaving is not an option. There would probably no way out of the area, and if there were, then it would be a 2-3 hour drive through the middle of nowhere.

If it's TEOTWAWKI I'd say most folks will be defensive for a long long time. Me included.

Me, too, but it's not guys like you and me I'm worried about. I'm worried about the guys who are going to run out of food, water, and batteries after 24 hours...

[RobertTheTexan]

I’m not going to argue one way or the other. I have it sometimes I wear it when I train and that’s when I usually hate it.

Here’s a similar setup to what I have.

PC from Beez Combat Systems. If you aren’t familiar with them that’s ok. They make combat proven kit and manufacturer for mil contracts. They are as solid as they come.

They have a pattern for their NIJ II slick PC. $98 bucks for standard size, $114 total I think and that’s exactly what I paid for mine. This one however will be made to your measurements. I’ve seen this PC 12 yrs old and after multiple deployments by one of our SME’s and it was still 100% serviceable. That was a huge factor in my decision.
Beez Plate Carrier
https://www.beezcombatsystems.com/Cu...arrier_c31.htm


Soft armor - I went with a company called Bullet Proof Me (bulletproofme.com)
They sell Police surplus Second Chance Monarch soft armor that will work in your Beez just fine. It’s in good shape and verified before they sell it. You go through a pretty detailed measuring process to make sure the armor you get is an exact fit.

Level IIIa soft armor
http://www.bulletproofme.com/Bullet_..._Catalog.shtml


If you want to go with hard plates as I did, SKD Tactical Ceramic plates are hard to beat. Less than an inch and the weight isn’t that bad. Check out how well they perform against M855 and M855A1. It is an impressive plate.
Video:
https://youtu.be/gs3ZMoB3msE

Keep your eyes peeled because I bought mine for $157 on sale. They periodically go on sale.
SKD Plate:
https://www.skdtac.com/SKD-Armor-10-...-p/amr.905.htm

You should be very close to your budget with this set up, unless you are in a rush and want it yesterday, and you will have an very solid body armor system.
One last comment. One thing I really like about this setup is that you get some peripheral IIIa protection by nature of how the Second Chance Monarch armor is made and how the Beez PC leverages that design. It’s comfortable and if you want, low vis. I like the slick carriers because I have more than one chest rig configured differently and prefer that flexibility over a more static type set up. Let me know if you have any questions.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Marine Corporal]

I think there are lots of good posts here. The way I see it, if you can afford it, why not? But think about when you will use it. To reiterate some points already said here, “It’s heavy. It’s best for bugging in.” Perhaps in a neighborhood watch in SHTF, it can be very useful.

Now let’s talk about bugging out if you have to. Scrap it. It’s heavy. Really heavy if on foot walking for miles. it will slow you down big time no matter how fit you are. When bugging out, your mission is to watch, evade, and move to your destination. Try not to be seen just like a reconnaissance patrol. You have to be a ghost. And if you cannot be a ghost, you have to be a grey man. Travel light. Don’t wear tactical gear. Keep a takedown rifle or a separated AR in your regular looking pack as a secondary but keep your concealed handgun as a primary. Wear dirty clothes. Grow your beard out. Act just as unprepared as everyone else. If you go out there decked out in multicam wearing a plate carrier, you will be an easy target. If I was a criminal and hungry enough, I would look for the lone guy wearing body armor walking with his family. All it would take is a headshot from my concealed pistol if I can get close enough to take what you have because I would know you have something. And it would be pretty darned easy to get close enough to you because you’ll be tired and not 100 percent vigilant.

Keep your pack light. Take it on a hike. See if you can bear the weight. Putting it on at home and walking around your back yard is much more different than how it will feel on mile number 3. I can say this with experience. I actually took my bug out pack on a hike and turned back around after a few miles cutting it short due to the weight and that was not including my carbine and ammo. When I got home, I scrapped all the luxury items I had. I now have it at just the bare minimum. No toothbrush, no mini tent, no sleeping mat, etc.

If you plan on bugging out to let’s say a family members house, all your supplies should already be there. Get a chest and put it in their basement now.

[Bimmer]

Here’s a similar setup to what I have...

Thanks! This is very helpful...

I think there are lots of good posts here. The way I see it, if you can afford it, why not? But think about when you will use it. To reiterate some points already said here, “It’s heavy. It’s best for bugging in.” Perhaps in a neighborhood watch in SHTF, it can be very useful.

This is the kind of thing that I can imagine... If I need to go next door or across the street to check on the neighbors, or whatever.

Now let’s talk about bugging out if you have to...

If you plan on bugging out to let’s say a family members house, all your supplies should already be there. Get a chest and put it in their basement now.

I'm an experienced backpacker, so I completely understand the weight/mobility issues... (My carry gun when backpacking is an old SIG P230, because it's the lightest gun I own.)


One more time: Bugging out is NOT an option.

Look up Humboldt County — it's one of the most remote/least accessible places in the lower 48. The roads in/out of the area are routinely closed by flooding/mudslides/wildfires. If it's TEOTWAWKI, there'll be nowhere to go but the woods, and things out there are already sketchy.

Our nearest family is 1,000+ miles away. I work at a university... Within our circle of friends, everybody else's "bug out" plan is to come to my house!

[patriot_man]

Yes you should and I don't say this just because I sell armor. I think armor is the grand scheme of things is cheap insurance.

If you get shot without armor, who is going to patch you up? Do you have a group of buddies together for when SHTF and are they versed in tactical medicine? What about surgical skills?