Picking out the Best Armored Clothing
Covert armored clothing is probably the fastest growing trend when it comes to personal armor. But, the fact that the invention itself is relatively new means that picking out the best armored clothing is not familiar to everyone.
In the broadest sense, there are three features that you should look for when buying armored clothing:
- Coverage Area
- Protection Level
- Comfort
And the importance is exactly in that order. You need to be certain that the ballistic panel is wrapped around your body and not only a square in the front. Also, it should be made with ballistic protection of an adequate level.
For domestic purposes, more than 9/10 crimes are committed with a 9mm pistol. But, as there are many criminals or those down on their luck sporting a .44 Magnum, having NIJ Level IIIa panels is probably the most prudent.
Finally, the sole point of wearing armored clothing is that it is easier to wear and more comfortable than wearing a vest under your regular clothes. Items you buy need to be comfortable enough to be worn for the whole day.
Staying Covert
Information is often as important as weapons or armor, and that works in the opposite direction as well. If an attacker doesn’t know that you are protected, they are more likely to aim for your center of mass. This makes any rough encounter survivable.
With armored clothing, this is relatively easy. Items like the AH™ Armored Hoodie looks and fall the same way as a regular hoodie. The only way to know that it is armored is to lift it up or wear it.
Also, the relative thinness of the setup means that you will be able to wear other clothes on top of the armored ones, or beneath. With such a combination, you can easily incorporate concealed carry arms and be completely ready for an encounter while seeming like a simple passerby.
Optimizing for Defense
There are three categories of situations where you might want to use covert armored clothing:
- Personal protection
- Protecting other people and venues
- Surveillance and reconnaissance
Personal protection is somewhat straightforward. You should pick up an item that resembles something that you would regularly wear and wear the armored variant from now on.
Recon missions are similar, but instead of trying to match the armored clothes with your own wardrobe, you will try to match it with the people on the street. This is a very effective way to hide in the crowd.
Finally, protecting other people or venues can be tricky but is one of the biggest advantages of armored clothing. In colder weather, something like the APJ™ Armored Puffer Jacket can seem like simple winter-wear. But, you can unzip it and cover the person you are protecting, saving their life even from direct shots.
Combined with their comfort, such armor can be ideal for close protection officers because it can make the client feel at ease and casual while knowing that they are protected.
