Modern Body armor clothing

Bodyarmor clothing, apart from airmen flak vests, has not been given much attention by the U.S. military throughout history.  This has been due to a combination of technology, money, and a lack of being “sexy”, or “digitized.”

The technology to develop effective body armor clothing that men are capable of actually moving around in has only come out in the last 20 years.  It must be remembered that the issue of body armor clothing is not only stopping a bullet, but also displacing 500 to 1000 foot pounds of bullet energy in such a manner that it won’t crush the upper torso and liquefy the innards of the wearer.

Materials Used by Body armor clothing

Kevlar and Spectra allow the ability to stop low energy rounds, usually up to about 44. Magnum caliber, but will still result in broken bones.  Developments in ceramics are what have made it possible to stop .30 caliber, and even one claim of .50 caliber Armor Piercing ammunition. The only drawback to ceramics are that they are rigid, which restricts mobility, are still relatively heavy (between 4 and 10 pounds per plate), and their method of dispersing energy from a round is by shattering, which makes each plate a one-shot deal.    

Concerns in Body armor clothing

The biggest problem with body armor clothing is getting sized comfortably.  The PASGT vest is very stiff and comes in “one-size-fits-all.”  This results in vests that are too big or too small, too long or too short, and the vest tends to shift around a lot while moving, especially when you put something like a ruck on.  They are very hot in the summer, but can be of some insulating value in the winter, as well as providing some back support with heavier loads.  Females with significant endowments can also encounter problems with Body Armor Jackets.