quote:

Originally posted by sgalczyn:
call me a skeptic - but this seems to be a feel-good item with very limited utility. Great marketing to tug at the heartstrings, but not very useful.

So what is too prevent harm to the legs, head, front of body, etc? And, is the protection valid only for handgun rounds and likely not effective for rifle calibers?

Well, most shootings are with a pistol.

Question - If you are getting shot at, would you prefer something to place over your head / vitals, or would you prefer just to be a bullet sponge?

I'm not saying these are high percentage use items, but police wear body armor. Soldier wear body armor.

I consider this like a fire extinguisher. Hope to never use it, will likely never use it - but if I need it, I'll be glad to have it.

Both my kids and myself have backpack inserts - pistol only, but it's far better than nothing.

Duct tape trauma plates to them.

quote:

Originally posted by 220-9er:
With all due respect, have you considered and minimized the other risks?
This chart puts it in perspective.

http://www.aei.org/publication...ood-in-their-mouths/

Amen, brother.

Get them a helmet, too.

“Approximately 475,000 traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) occur in children <14 years old annually.1
Children ages 0-4 years are at highest risk for TBIs.1
There are an estimated 64,000 hospitalizations annually for TBI in children.2
TBI in children may be been associated with $1 billion in total hospital charges annually.3
Approximately 2 out of 5 traumatic brain injuries among children are associated with participation in sports and recreational activities.4,5
TBI from unintentional trauma is one of the primary causes of death among U.S. youths.”


http://www.braininjuryeducatio...ury-in-children.html

Guys, yeah, it may be a little over cautious to put plates in your kids' backpacks.

But these are his kids. He wants to protect them. Are the odds of a TBI better than the odds of getting shot? Yes, much greater risk.

Kids aren’t going to wear a helmet for dear ole dad. I just ain’t going to happen. He may convince them to keep a plate in their backpack. It’s just added protection and a little bit of peace of mind for him.

Maybe we can stop flipping him shit and give him useful suggestions for what he is looking for.

Off and on over the years I’ve thought about getting plates and a carrier. Not for daily use but as part of the kit for SHTF situation.

4-5 years out from retiring and moving across country, I am trying to limit (somewhat) what I’ll have to drag with me. I’m done buying guns, got all I could use and more. Like many of us, my ammo stockpile would make regional if not national news if I were to ever do something stupid.

The “Defense budget” that used to be spent on guns and ammo, has been freed up for other things. With the prices on rifle certified plates seeming to have come down quite a bit and most of my other, higher priority, “wants” fulfilled I find myself perusing armor again.

Since I am a fat-boy (48” pants, 2-3X shirt) I am concerned about “one size fits most” carriers and a Backpack might be a “better” option.

Still in my “research and planning” phase but timeline may be getting accelerated with current rumblings in DC on the topic.

quote:

Originally posted by lkdr1989:
Just buy a "hiking" style backpack that has a camelbak/water bladder sleeve and then get a Level III or Level IV plate to stick in.

This is the route we went. Simple, strong backpacks then insert light weight 3A plates.

Sure it will only work on pistols or knives but perhaps most importantly it's something to get the kids thinking and practicing what it means to carry concealed -- meaning specifically not running your mouth and showing things off to your friends.

I found 3A hard inserts for @ $40 each, so I though it would be a valuable training tool.

OP, don't fret the haters here - most of them carry only when it suits them because it's statistically unlikely to ever need a gun and likely spend all day bowing & scraping to SWMBO.

Back OT, a pistol rated plate for a small backpack will weigh less than a pound and be virtually un-noticeable to the wearer. It fits easily in any backpack with a laptop holder or in some of the specially made Vertx backpacks. I have a 10x12 pistol rated one in mine and while I travel, it goes everywhere with me - airports, planes, etc.

I went with the Maxpedition here https://www.maxpedition.com/pa...ared-citizen-classic

I went with the black and put a 7.62 rated plate in the pocket. yeah, it's heavy, deal with it.
Goes into work with me and sets at my feet all day. Just another layer. Only had it about 3 months now. shows no wear inside or out and is really pretty incognito. Reasonably priced.

After a law suit by the widow of a friend many years ago, the largest maker of ballistic vests changed their advertising from "bullet proof" to "bullet resistant."

It's more than semantics.

"It's more than semantics."
Yea but the difference is really not relevant when buying body armor. Any armor you buy should be NIJ rated and tested. And you should make a conscious decision about what level protection you are buying. And within those ratings you will get the performance described.
Me personally in a backpack see no reason for pistol rated plates at least for anyone who is of the stature to carry a rifle rated plate.
I've bought a lot of armor over the years but recently had decent experience for LIV plates with Ar500armor.

Leatherback backpacks:

Leatherback Civilian or Tactical

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jljV0Qx0zTk

Kid Demoing Leatherback Backpack

What do the Israelis do to protect their kids? Instead of exclusively using technology they use humans trained to recognize threats among other methods. They seem to be ahead of the curve when it comes to this stuff.

Each to his own when protecting kids. In my opinion, time and money is better spent on mental preparation and talking with your children.

I’m pretty sure my old math book would have stopped most pistol rounds...

I thought about taking some old soft armor and sticking it in a bookbag.

I had a spare AR500 III plate that I stuck in a laptop bag, it's heavy for a kid.

I've no experience with bulletproof backpacks but I would suggest a couple of door stops for barricading interior doors if need be and a couple of large ball bearings for breaking windows for escape.

quote:

I’m pretty sure my old math book would have stopped most pistol rounds...

No kidding. By the time the kid gets all their books in the backpack, it'll stop an RPG... but they'll fall over backwards if they try to stand upright.

quote:

Originally posted by craigcpa:

quote:

Originally posted by RHINOWSO:
^^^^^^^^^^^
For sure, but if you can give yourself or your child an edge for $100-200, why not?

Exactly.

Getting them to carry it is the strong consideration.

Because with all the books carried, the backpacks are heavy enough without an armor plate and probably capable of stopping all handgun rounds and many rifle rounds?

quote:

Originally posted by chongosuerte:
I’m pretty sure my old math book would have stopped most pistol rounds...

But everything is electronic now - no books. The backpack is mainly for a computer, notebook and lunch.

I’m looking at the plate inserts. Thanks all.