Body Armor Guide: 10 Things To Know Before You Buy It

In this video we're going to discuss body armor. Now there are quite a lot of options to choose from and after having collected various body armor over the years, there's a lot of things I'd wish I'd known before I started down the path of purchasing armor. So what I'll do in this video is go through the 10 main considerations you should factor in when determining which setup is the right one for you. I've tried to boil the information down to these primary points. Purpose of body armor, understanding NIJ ratings, spalling, types of armor material, cuts and shapes of armor, sizing, weight and maneuverability, how long will body armor last, pricing, what armor is right for you, and I'll give a final conclusion. Now after having gone through all of these items, you should have a strong enough understanding of the core basics of body armor to help you decide what option is the right one for you. I'll also provide additional links in the description section below if you'd like to do deeper research on some of these points along with links to all the products we'll cover if you want to pick up any of these items we'll cover. So let's jump in. Purpose of body armor. When body armor is discussed, it's typically in the context of protection against being shot by a firearm. Now there are types of armor that can protect against knives and other sharp implements, but most of this video will be focused on protecting you against gunshots. While their design is to prevent bullets from entering vital parts of the body, there are quite a number of considerations you really need to consider which will determine what type of body armor you want to purchase. The primary purpose of body armor is to protect the vitals, hearts, lungs, diaphragm, and head if you have a helmet. In an engagement, body armor keeps you alive and in the fight. According to the FBI crime statistics for 2015 to 2019, the overwhelming majority of homicides in the United States were from handguns followed by knives or cutting instruments, which leads us to the next point, NIJ ratings. Understanding NIJ ratings. The NIJ or National Institute of Justice is the research, development, and evaluation agency of the U.S. Department of Justice. In the context of body armor, they establish the minimum performance requirements and testing methods for the ballistic resistance of personal body armor intended to protect against gunfire. Now they released a report in 2008, which I'll provide a link to in the description section below that details body armor classification levels. They are 2A, 2, 3A, 3, and 4. One rating they don't cover, which you'll often hear is 3+, which is not an NIJ rating, but rather a vendor rating, which we'll discuss briefly. So let's cover what each of these ratings entails. Type 2A protects against 9mm in .40 caliber Smith & Wesson. Type 2 protects against 9mm in .357 Magnum. The rest of this video will cover these next three ratings, which are what most body armor dealers sell. Please note the examples I show are truly based on standalone armor and not ICW armor, which means in conjunction with. Now each of these gets a rating independently of being combined with other armor. Type 3A protects against .357 SIG and .44 Magnum. For this rating, the armor must protect against .357 SIG full metal jacket flat-nosed bullets with a mass of 125 grain and a velocity of 1,470 feet per second and against .44 Magnum semi-jacket hollow point bullets with a mass of 240 grain and a velocity of 1,430 feet per second. Type 3 protects against rifles. For hard and soft armor, the rating must protect against 7.6 2mm full metal jacket steel jacketed bullets, which is U.S. military designation M80 with a specified mass of 147 grain and a velocity of 2,780 feet per second. Type 4 protects against armor piercing rifle rounds. For hard and soft armor, the rating must protect against .30 caliber armor piercing bullets, which is U.S. military designation M2AP with a specified mass of 166 grain and a velocity of 2,880 feet per second. Now it's important to note that these standards are based upon a specific velocity we just detailed. If a bullet travels faster, the armor may not stop the projectile even though the bullet has a weight defined for this rating, just something for you to keep in mind. Now one other classification of body armor you'll often run across that isn't defined by the NIJ is a 3+. These ratings are typically proprietary to a manufacturer and exceed the requirement for the level 3 armor according to the manufacturer. Bullet splash is what most shooters will call spalling. When a projectile hits armor, the bullet will essentially disintegrate and send fragments out to the sides. Now this is obviously problematic as you don't want high velocity pieces of metal going into your neck, your face, your eyes, your arms, your leg. An artery could easily be cut this way and the wear would be incapacitated. Manufacturers get around this issue by adding an anti-spall code which is designated to keep wearers safe from the fragments after a bullet has impacted against body armor. You'll see companies on their website using proprietary names for their solution to bullet splash which captures the fragments after impact. There are AR500s you can find on the market that may not offer this level of protection and will charge an additional fee to prevent fragmentation after impact. So when shopping options, be sure whatever armor you pick up, it has this feature. Types of armor material. Let's look at the different types of material most often associated with body armor. Again be sure to check the NIJ rating before making a purchase on any of these body armor materials to understand what armor level you're getting to meet your specific needs. Now the first one is Kevlar. This is a lightweight and flexible option. If you're wear under a shirt or jacket and concealability is important, this may be the best solution. For these reasons, this option is very popular with law enforcement. Many officers will wear this under their shirt and this type of armor is typically rated for level 2a, 2, and 3a which will protect against handguns and knife attacks. There's a lot of options on the market ranging from concealable armor you can wear under a shirt or under a jacket to slide into armor plates. You can put in your backpack. Steel. Steel is a very cost effective material for hard armor. It is commonly used in level 3 body armor and is often used for targets when doing target practice. Now the advantage it offers is that it can take multiple hits and is still usable. The downside of this option is the weight and if you're going to consider wearing body armor on a daily basis, this is probably not the direction you're going to want to go. For example, if you want to step up to a level 4 plate, that would weigh about 13 to 15 pounds per plate. With two plates and a carrier, you're well over 30 pounds which would severely reduce mobility and inevitably lead to fatigue and back pain. If you're on a budget though, this is probably your best bet. Now most of my armor is actually level 3 as my budget in the past has been somewhat limited, so while there's nothing wrong with it, you need to know and you need to think twice if you foresee you're going to be wearing this a lot. The big upside is long-term durability, the ability to take multiple rounds while still working, and it is durable even if it is dropped. Plus they are typically the thinnest of the body armor options when you get into body armor that stops rifles. And just be sure to get the anti-spalling options when purchasing this for the reasons we mentioned earlier. Ceramic. Ceramic is lighter than steel, it's thicker, and it's more expensive. Now ceramic composite armor plates are placed in body armor plate carriers and worn to protect against bullets, projectiles, fragmentation, shrapnel, and even stab threats. The U.S. military issues ceramic plates to the infantry in conjunction with Kevlar. Now the downside is that most ceramic composite body armor plates cannot withstand multiple hits to the same area. Composite ceramic armor has a shorter shelf life and is less durable than traditional steel plates. Fortunately the price of these plates has dropped over the years and if I were to step up from steel this would be my next option I would seriously consider. Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene. This is a newer technology for body armor. It's more expensive than ceramic but it's slightly lighter and less thick. You can actually float this in water. These like ceramic can take multiple shots but unlike steel once they've been shot and like ceramic they're compromised and no longer usable. Now out of all the options this is your lightest and thinnest option but the most expensive. If I anticipated I was going to need to wear body armor for any lengthy amount of time I would give this armor type serious consideration. These particular plates the Gladiator Solutions Level 3 and Level 4 plates have round dispersion technology which is a proprietary approach that evenly disperses kinetic energy from a round's impact to reduce compromise and trauma. Cuts and shape of armor. You've got three main styles for cuts. The first one is a sappy style cut and this one is a bit more rectangular with corners cut at the top to give you mobility. Out of most of the armor I personally have this is the most common cut and it gives a wearer mobility and movement. The next one is swimmer or advanced shooters cut. With this cut you get a lot more range of motion at the top of the armor but less coverage. The next one is a square cut which I would not recommend. I don't have any armor I would carry in a plate carrier with this shape and is not commonly recommended as it limits your range of motion but I do have this square cut kevlar I would recommend for something like a backpack insert. Side plates. There are also side plate options if you want to protect the side of your chest. Of course these add weight and again make sure your chest rig is okay with being bulkier but it is an option if you want it. Now for shapes you've got flat versus curved. I wouldn't really recommend the flat shape as these are not comfortable to wear as curved armor will fit toward the contours of your body. Sizing. The sides need to go at least nipple to nipple. You can measure this width and have a solid idea of the width of the body armor you'll need. For the height most plates scale proportionally with the width of the plate. The wider the plate the taller the plate. With your plate carrier you can adjust the straps to raise or lower the plates to ensure you have it high enough so that the top is at your jugular notch. To find the notch trace your sternum up until you reach a soft spot. Pressing down on it will make you choke. Again the primary goal of body armor is to protect your vital organs so that the plate size you pick should cover your chest. Weight and maneuverability. So now that we've covered a lot of the technical considerations let's start discussing some of the decisions you need to make when deciding which armor to purchase. One of the first considerations is weight by NIJ class rating. In order from heaviest to lightest you have Stihl as a heaviest, Next Ceramic, then Polyethylene, and then Kevlar as the lightest. The weight difference between Stihl and Ceramic and Polyethylene is huge with Stihl weighing more than double the weight of these two options. Again when considering which plate you want to add to a carrier for your chest rig don't just focus on pricing, which we'll discuss momentarily, but give serious consideration to the impact that weight will have. If you're carrying 30 pounds of Stihl class 4 plates you're going to be fatigued and experience reduced mobility. How long will body armor last? The short answer is how often has it been used, how well has it been maintained, and stored. The National Institute of Justice sets a standard of five-year service for body armor plates. Because ballistic material is a great overtime, soft body armor should always be replaced after five years, and Stihl plates can last well over 20 years, and again based on how they're used and how they're stored. Both Stihl and Ceramic plates normally come with five-year warranties, although tests indicate Stihl plates can often be used longer than Ceramic composites, which might shatter if dropped or can be damaged by extreme changes in temperature. Pricing. I purposely brought the discussion of pricing up toward the end of the discussion as many people rush to this part first without considering all the other elements we've discussed in this video, namely weight and NIJ rating. When I first started shopping for body armor years ago I didn't have the information we covered in this video. I made some poor decisions and got body armor that is too heavy and it doesn't provide the level of protection I want. When we look at the main armor options for plate inserts for a carrier, it really comes down to primarily three options. From cheapest to most expensive, the order is Stihl, Ceramic, and Polyethylene. In light of all the elements we've covered in this video, don't let your decision come down to just cost as I did when I first started buying body armor. Having too much weight but not enough protection will result in you probably having to re-buy body armor in the future. It's best to go with the right option for you based on your expected needs before you buy it. What armor is right for you? Based on what we've discussed, what is the right body armor setup for you? It comes down to several factors and how you anticipate using the armor. Do you want your armor to be concealed and not stand out? Then Kevlar might be the right approach. Do you want something that is durable? Still may be the direction you want to go. Do you want maneuverability and speed in a situation where a rifle may be involved? Ceramic or Polyethylene will be better than Stihl. Do you expect you'll face armor piercing rounds? Then you'll want to step up to level 4 plates. Now remember, the higher the level of protection you have, typically the heavier and bulkier the plates get. There are always trade-offs. Hopefully this video gives you enough information to help you determine which setup is the right approach for you. I'll post a link to all the items we've discussed in the description section below. If you have any thoughts or feedback, please feel free to post them in the comments section below. As always, stay safe out there.