As I see it, I can have as much water and food as I want, if I can't defend it and someone who's meaner and better equipped then me comes along and wanna take it, it's useless to use gear I can't use effectively. On the other hand, if I don't have any military training or even experience on the battlefield, I can have the best kit available and I'll lose my stuff anyway (probably together with my life and the life's of the people I have to protect). I think that the best way is to buy a weapon to defend your loved ones and yourself, making sure that you know how to work with it properly and then to think about anything else (besides food and water, this is something you need anyways every day so you should buy long-lasting food whenever you have a few bucks to spare). Everything else is luxury and one should buy it like one would buy a luxury item. It doesn't help anyone if you buy an expensive kit first and can't move because you don't have the stamina, training and experience and a weapon you're not comfortable with. I think you should only use gear you actually know how tho use and are feeling comfortable wearing it. If someone comes to you, you have normally the upper hand because you know every corner of your house and it is much worth to be fast and quiet when you're at a place you are familiar with and your opponent isn't. I almost would say that it's more effective than an expensive kit + body armor. But what do I know, I was never in the army or in law enforcement. I only know that I will be shot first when the police arrive on scene and I have body armor and a full kit on me.
I wore a soft 3A as a bouncer when I got out of the military. I didn’t wear it because I was afraid, I actually put it on, on the days it was cold outside. I was the door man. One night it was cold so I threw it on under my jacket to keep warm. Long story short….i got shot by some homies that came back after being kicked out the club. I took one to my left midsection. The cold saved my ass that night.
A Medics Perspective: I can somewhat treat junctional bleeds and pneumothorax long enough to get you to a surgeon, but I cannot treat you if your heart looks like pulled pork....... and neither can the surgeon..... take that as you wish.
I did use body armor during a riot in my town. It was close by, my cop buddy told us no one was coming if we called for help. My buddy and I sat on the porch with body armor, NODs, and suppressed SBRs. When people we didn't know were looking through cars and trying house doors taking advantage of the chaos. We asked if they were lost, and they left promptly. Never made threats or aimed weapons. They wanted no resistance, and rolled out as soon as they saw it was possible. It's great for static defense.
Do you need an airbag, do you need a seat belt, do you need a parachute, do you need a climbing harness, do you need a safety on a rifle, do you need a motorcycle helmet. No but they sure are nice to have. 😅
Admin. You forgot the Maui fire catastrophe. I live on Maui, and while I did not live in Lahaina town, I do have family over there. Immediately after the fire there was extremely limited law enforcement in the area. The local PD was however preventing access to that side of the island. The survivors and others in the neighboring town had no food or water, and of course no electricity. Fortunately good citizens were able to boat supplies in. It was a good week at least before the Feds and the state had any meaningful presence. The locals organized and created a self governing system. It really helps that the folks out there are either all family or like family because they’ve been together forever. Eventually the US government was able to organize aid, but until then the people had to defend and feed themselves (yes there were looters and shots fired.) In the tacticool world guys seem to forget that a natural disaster is THE most relevant scenario to train for.
Did you say "Natural" disaster? It felt like Plandemic Phase 3 to me.. nice to see folk now selling property they would have kept selfishly in their family to our benevolent benifactors.
@@Standefiant I live here and have friends and family who barely escaped with their lives. There were no lasers. There were no DEW. You have to live here to understand how it happened.
My father always told me "son it's better to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it". With that said I'm not much of the larping type but I do want to be prepared for even the most unlikely of events and that's how I look at it!
I’m retired from 33 years of law enforcement. I have body armor. Do I need body armor? Wow, I certainly hope not! I also have life insurance. I really hope I don’t need that.
The gov gooons who are the first wave of gov terrorist to take our God given liberty's are the police. Yet, these fools who make these videos are the ones who lick the boots of law enforcement. Makes zero sense.
@@stevep7346 true, but I don’t want my family to have to use my life insurance. Wait a minute…I think I may be worth more dead than alive. Note to self, cancel life insurance.
Don't forget the battle belt! Takes weight off your shoulders and rebalances them to your hip. Pistol on right, extra mags on left. Think front AND back weight when wearing a plate carrier.
Depends how much armor u wear. There is normal full sets the get the whole torso groin and shoulders. Hell more than a few people have made and use custom sets with even more area protect that were quite effective
@@isaac6077 Sure. But good luck walking through swamps and deserts all day, wearing a full-body kevlar set, or looking like a medieval knight covered in ceramic and steel plates head to toe, weighing you down and hindering movement. There's a point where the soldier becomes less effective, the more effective the armor gets. Then there's also the matter of cost effectiveness. Even the best armor is useless, if you can't afford it.
This is why I don't wear a helmet, Clint Smith said that duh bad guy didn't take his class so he uh is definitely gonna be really bad n not be able 2 shoot me or something
got a steel plate on sale IIIA+, wrapped it with a few layers of duct tape as ive seen tests where the "anti-spalling" coating + duct tape absorbs severe spalling. $120 all-in and I only purchased it because of incoming possible bans. will protect against most military ammo, relatively light, cheap, and still fits in a slick. Advice in this video is accurate: you can juggernaut a Level IV full set if in a defensive/stationary position but if you are mobile, you'll die from the weight and heat if not choosing something lighter. The best advice ive ever seen about kit/chest rig is, "if your rig is more detachable, you can drop what isnt necessary for the situation in the moment"
@@joemama69448thing is, the argument isn’t “body armor OR chest rig”, because they serve different purposes. Chest rig is load carrying gear, and body armor is protective layering. In my opinion from my experience in Iraq, and Afghanistan, slick body armor with chest rig or LBE worn over, or by itself.
I picked up my armor during the summer of love, there was a real possibility of a raving pack burning down people's houses. I would say having qd options for armor is highly desirable, if you can get out quick you can get in quick.
"Need" is a funny word. If politicians are talking about banning it, regardless of what it is or if I cared about it before - I now want to get it for myself. The thing about armor is the same as CCW imo. If you *expected* to need it you should get out of that situation. We carry on the off chance we need it. If I expected I would NEED my armor I would be looking for a way out, but I HAVE it for the off chance. If you don't have a couple weeks worth of water and food, you should skip armor until you do. The point about logistics is massive, you are your own logistics.
You do need it. Do not ever let someone say you do not. It is our right and is actually the final failsafe to corruption as shown in the whiskey rebellion when Washington pardoned the rebels and again when Lincoln pardoned the confederacy post war and allowed them to re enlist into the union military and pardoned them all
Paramedic advice: I'm privilaged enough to get to play this game on the civilian side. I tell everyone: 'your plates are there to stop the threat you didn't know about'. I run a JPC.1 that I cut the front pocket off of. I can throw my chest rigs over it for SWAT/SAR/competition. My belts and bags are also varied by mission but run light because we never know if it's gonna be a 2 hour drug raid or a 7 hour missing person search. Never be afraid to try a gear idea but never be afraid to doff gear, as needed. Remember, you are distributing your load weight over both a surface area AND time.
Well said. I work the TacMed training end of things and I will say you're absolutely correct. First those plates are for the round you didn't see coming. It's buying you that second or 2 to get to cover when a routine call for a cardiac event or structure fire was actually setup as a ambush. I'm sure you've seen and heard about fire, EMS and LEOs being baited into an area with a low risk call only to take fire immediately upon arrival. I say to students regularly from park rangers to SAR or anyone else, if you wear a uniform, you are a target. Be it an unstable person looking for infamy or someone with a general issue with the community of responders. This is a little different from the non-responder side however if anyone had to travel in 2020 or lived in an urban environment. You know that things could go from bad to worse in an instant. I watched the riots kick off in Philly in May driving down a main highway and thankfully had plenty of intel sources that things were going badly. I saw smoke start rising from downtown and got off the highway. A 40 min drive took me 4 hours. I hadn't been traveling with armor at the time because I had hardly seen another person in the road from March until that day. I would drive highway and see 1 other car ever half hour. Then all hell broke loose and I'm in a white SUV with my GF as we are coming back from a class and seeing multiple guns out. People in every direction and I'm trying to get home and not engage with anyone. I wish we had our armor to throw under a hoodie. The next days traveling back we had more hardware, armor on coming back into the city and egress plans. After 2 days riots had consumed the whole city and every cop I knew told me "You're on your own. Don't go out, don't look for a fight but plan to have a way to get to ED and also protect your house. Our response time, if we can if we show up is 4-5 hours for a serious injury. EMS is only running with an escort." This is when med bags got staged even for elderly neighbors who had an emergency or one of the 8-10 neighbors standing outside as a visual deterrent was injured. We had a plan, an evac plan and vehicles even planned for care enroute. After living through that 2 times in a year, 3 times in 3. Armor is always nearby and is fit semi annually for her and I. As well as practice in getting it on quickly. Her and I can have plates, mags and IFAK (already staged) on in under 30 seconds. This is properly fit and ready to go just in case. This is layered with our daily carry and just added additional ballistics protection. We have a higher threat matrix than others due to some things currently in court that we are plaintiffs in. Security is taken extremely seriously and was recommended to do so from numerous LEOs who do higher threat work in LE. I agree as well having multiple kits based on need and threat profile. Actually training and fitting your gear is extremely important. I have watched students come into scenarios wearing full kit down to groin armor, helmet and layers of gear on their chest. (1 student had 5 TQs on his armor setup) within 10 mins into 6 hours of scenarios you can tell who don't actually wear their kit ever. It's sliding forward from overloading it, and they're gassed from a flight of steps, pouring sweat in winter. Some summer classes we've stopped students from wearing so much because we could see hyperthermia being an issue with them moving to start. Red faced, slow to respond to questions and sweating an abnormal amount. That's when we pull them to cool off and no kit if they're going to keep going. This is where gear suggestions and setup comes into training. The guy with 5 TQs, I asked him what armor was he running. Level 3+ 11x14 AR550 plates with side plates. Just in armor and carrier he was wearing 36 lbs. Add in everything else and never wearing it to do light work to get used to it, he found out very quickly that 45 lbs on your chest you're not used to is making you a liability to your team and self. I saw him a year later In another class. He had lighter plates, a more slick carrier and was able to actually jog up steps in full kit. A year prior he got the wake up of a kit based around threat vs always wearing a breachers level of armor for everything.
It’s the little things that get you everyone’s worried about stockpiling ammo, plate carriers, learning CQB, having the top of the line rifles. In reality you will most likely die from disease, dehydration, infection, or exposure to the elements. Trying running an 80lb pack for 3 days with crap boots, minimal caloric intake, or no electrolyte solution. It’s not fun.
Need? No. But I don’t keep a fire extinguisher because I think my house will catch on fire, or keep a medical kit in my car because I think I’ll bleed out on my way home. Having and not needing is always better than bleeding out and wishing.
@@Mitsurifan357 There is still a chance at survival, its not the worst thing you can live rest of your life with (you will be surprised how many people actually survived injuries in past that would be nearly 100% lethal even today right in hospital, like being shot with cannonball).
@@Mitsurifan357 thought experiment: You are getting shot 3 times in the chest by a 556 round. No hospitals to save your life. Do you A. Wear you bass pro shirt B. Wear LV4 plates. 20% chance of internal bleeding Just wondering.
My thought is that if civil unrest occurs, I'm protecting my home and not leaving unless I have to. If I'm just hanging around the house, wearing body armor is totally doable.
I’m glad RU-vid larpers are finally bringing this up. Especially with the long term or moving with body armor. Have you tried bringing body armor camping and hiking with instead of just flat ranging it up? It’s hard (stfu to the guy that’s going to deny it). It’s uncomfortable and gets in the way. Have you tried packing a ruck with it and rucking up mountains and extended periods with it. Once again it gets in the way and takes up a ton of space. It’s 100x more difficult than regular hikes or rucks so for people like Overton and Admin to finally point out the cons of body armor is refreshing. With that all being said, go larp and act like you know what you’re doing because it’s fun!
If you live in the mountains or woods ECT then chest rigs are the way to go if you live in a densely populated city or urban environment with multiple angles or where riots and such could break out id grab the body armor. Have both for different setups. Hiking and long periods of time in body armor sucks but in a situation where I'm going to be shot at or seen is highly likely then getting shot without it sucks more.
The reality is, more ounces means more pounds and more pounds mean more pain. However, politicians do not want you to have body armour. for that reason alone, you need it.
I dont get the Pound Thing especially when Body Armor IS the Difference between being hospitalized or death. Hell the reason Armor wasnt used that much anymore wasnt because IT was useless but to save cost for mass conscription
@@laisphinto6372 The point I'm making is that most successful guerillas/insurgents don't use body for a number of reasons. 1. It is bulky, and shows a particular shape. Meaning it is difficult to conceal, and any reasonably trained security force can pick that out in a crowd before you reach for your concealed weapon. 2. The extra weight. Body armour does not allow you to move efficiently in wooded areas and across rough terrain. If you are stationary long enough for someone to gain a p.I.D on you and hit you square in the chest, you are wrong. Efficient and fluid movement should be prioritized. There is something terrifying about someone who is less-equipped than you having better training and tactics. 3. Lack of utility outside CQB. Look, the vast majority of successful guerilla movements did not hole up in cities and towns. They were in the trees, the hills, and the mountains. Body is only really useful in CQB environments. All in all, despite the opinions I gave, I would still own some for the sake of protecting myself.
The heat and lack of water will take more out than any battle out on the field. I’m in Florida and this is a brutal climate. I do a lot of hiking and carry 6-9 liters of water on long hikes along with my kit. It sucks big time but so does getting dead due to dehydration and exhaustion. This was a really well thought out video!!
I’m probably biased since I was a FAST Marine but I see the purpose of body armor as something you wear for home /bug out area operations. Having the knowledge and ability to set up a defensive position that is sustainable is most important in SHTF. The back of house priorities would be water and food collection, delegation of resource collection among a community if possible. Where the more “sexy” items would be establishing posts with overlapping sectors of fire, establishing egress and ingress points if you have a strong likeminded community you want or can interact with, de-escalation when confronted with outsiders. One of the biggest issues that occurs is you need a lot of people to sustain proper security, and you need a lot of food to sustain a lot of people. There are a lot of not so sexy things to consider but everyone is equally as important, nothing exists within a bubble, but like with exercise you have to isolate one specific area at a time to improve. Spend enough time on every area and you’ll be better off than you were the day before.
Be light, be fast, and most importantly do not be seen in the first place. It's nice to see gun tube discussing reality and not Seal Team fantasy nonsense. Logistics is truly what makes a good fighting force. If their logistics is better than yours, you should probably keep your contact limited.
I really appreciate the emphasis on the thinking man’s game. As Americans were blessed to be able to prepare for the unexpected. But there’s tons of ways to prepare for the worst. Always weigh the pros and cons. It’s easy to imagine how a straight up gunfight would go and how to be prepared for it. But we should also prepared for how else we can survive and thrive. Kit is badass, but maybe survival skills and preparation is likely much more useful in the long term.
A friend of mine was SOF in Afghanistan and his plate took a burst from an AK, which probably saved his life (he described that as "like getting hit in the chest with Mark McGwire's baseball bat", btw). He would still ditch the plates if his job was to hike up a mountain and observe an area. He'd also ditch his pistol in that scenario.
“That stuff’s cool until you’re starving and have bad diarrhea.” Absolutely. All my cool stuff I acquired when I was single. Now I’m married and have 3 kids. Any monies I have to spend on prepping usually go to food, water, and meds. I do have my battle rifle and kit in case it comes down to having to go out and scavenge or hunt/fish
Man, I ain't even gonna lie... you caught me with sitting on the can, taking a dump, while drinking my coffee and watching your videos... gotta hand it to you. You know your audience very well, sir.
When I started driving, at 16 my dad made me pull over in our neighborhood. He told me if I was going to drive a vehicle I needed to be equipped mentally to deal with problems and troubleshoot. He made me pop the hood and check fluids, and even made me pull out the spare and change the tire. That’s my weird story that created the “Changing the Tire” philosophy I’ve pretty much adopted. If you have knowledge and tools for a situation you’re factorially more powerful in said situation. I do see body armor as a necessity. It’s something you should have and train in just in the event you may need it. Currently working towards doing the same with night vision and thermal. It’s also why I’ve started trying to get into paramedic knowledge as well. I think the kit is something that you could get by without having; however, my qualms with soft armor is that I feel like if it’s not rated for a rifle round you’re dismissing much more threat than you may see.
Unironically, the situation I'd find myself wanting body armor the most is where people wear it the least. If I lived in the ghetto or worked a somewhat dangerous job, like jewelry store clerk or bouncer, I would wear soft body armor I can wear under my clothes. Sure, it's only rated for pistol calibers, but that's what I'm likely to face.
I am a product of GWOT and what I do like is it also gave me that “Batman” style of confidence when it comes to falls, throwing yourself around through ditches etc. it protects from more than just projectiles is my point I guess.
This could've been summarized/scripted better, but as a freeflow thought rant style essay it works. A few diagrams on the more technical things would help for people who aren't into the jargon (like me). And if you have a point you really want to drive home, put it in text on the screen whenever it's repeated, get some humor going, helps people focus on the message and remember the repeats.
Laying in hospital because of a sting that somehow managed to inject bacteria directly into my bloodstream i couldn't agree more on what you said about hospitals and medical infrastructure. As a former army medic, firefighter and chemist i would think that i am better prepared for such things than other but still, even small things can get you fucked up bad.
I really appreciate you talking about making a group with like minded people, so many 'prepper' type people think selfishly and completely neglect the human need for community and human nature of working together and the logistic support provided by both
Honestly people need to start trying to connect in these spaces to find like minded folks, because there are few common places where people feel comfortable speaking on such things. I have floated sitting on the corner of my neighborhood with a gadsen with a clipboard to just start a call down list. We need to seek each other out! Eastern GA reporting.
Every person you add also adds potential for your own downfall. As noble as it is to give people the benefit of the doubt, the reality is that doing so can burn you in our present world and if things get significantly worse this only gets worse. Don't assume people have your ideals even if they act like they do because people with personality disorders are great at playing the long game.
@@christianarrington6492 True. Honestly though I don't like the gadsen as a symbol because of it's association with libertarianism which doesn't really focus on that vital community support, at least as much as other antiauthoritarian ideologies which are inclusive of rectifying social inequities. As someone on the left also its kind of sketchy, half the time people flying them are neat and half the time they know the age of consent in each state yk.
small tatical rigs are really great for manual labor that lets you use it. i was in a golf course and kept food and water or tools. it was really nice to have hands free and not have to keep going to a cart for gear
I'm glad one of the things you talked about was physical fitness, it's really not mentioned enough. Also shtf scenario having a way to make clean water (or multiple ways) is really important.
My take is that body armor is a 50-50. Body armor has saved lives, it protects the vital organs and gives soldiers, police etc. the chance to survive an otherwise fatal injury. It dethroned the MP5 due to events like the North Hollywood shootout. However, it is not the end all be all. Not getting shot is equally if not better than taking one to the chest. This requires you to be light and agile, something IOTV and older body armors did not allow. That is why plate carriers offer the minimum amount of protection while still trying to retain maneuverability.
The gov gooons who are the first wave of gov terrorist to take our God given liberty's are the police. Yet, these fools who make these videos are the ones who lick the boots of law enforcement. Makes zero sense.
As someone with limited money I feel like this guy is the most practical discussion. Buying body armor to prep for disaster is near the middle to bottom of my wish list after stocking up on bleach, iodine pills, alcohol, solor cookware, ammo, 10-25lb bags of rice, pasta, flour, sugar, vitamins, and as many potatoes as you can eat in a month or two before they go bad.
Bro I got potatoes that are like a year old. Keep them in a cool, dark dry place they’ll last for a long time. For me I keep them to plant Again. Usually keep about 50 or so to plant again. Bleach expires bubba. I assume it’s for water purification. Get some sawyer minis and or a sawyer gallon kit. Gets all that nasty shit out, and boil it afterwards if it’s known to have viruses. In my area waters clean, I’ll drink right out the creek with a sawyer mini. I got bags of rice and beans and lentils that are like 4 years old and still good. Keep them in a metal locker to keep pests out. I got jars that are like 10 years old looks fine.
Why have body armor? Why not? Having it doesn’t mean you have to prance around in it all the time. Why have it? Because the scenario I’d most likely have to use any rifle for would require mags, IFAK, etc so if you’ve got to carry that stuff you’re expecting someone to be putting Roy rounds back at you. Armor good. Body armor isn’t supposed to be comfortable. Just comforting.
You should do a video on standoff distance. Surviving a fight depends a lot on how close to you it starts. The further you keep the potential threat away from you, the more difficult it becomes for them to land an incapacitating hit. That means, communications at distance of at least fifty meters becomes extremely important, i.e. a bullhorn.
ww1 soldier kit is best for these reasons: tested for 4 years lightweight versatile (its wool so its warm but also breathable) drip can last months in worst possible outdoor conditions simple to repair
@@laisphinto6372 all nations in ww1 except ottomans and Russians abolished peasant, also the equipment would depend on stage of war and the country because even just germany varied greatly from early to late war
Admin, you're talking about WALKING everywhere. Why does NOONE talk about jumping on a bicycle? 1. You can carry more 2. You're WAY faster 3. In some situations you're even quieter I'd love for you to look more into this maybe test it out on the flat range because I think in a potential American disaster scenario that bicycles are SEVERELY under represented in media or thought about in discussions like this video to me it's pretty obvious that it's a superior way to get around over walking even with gear on synch down your rifle if you're shot at ditch the bike and get to cover. The same could be said about motorcycles or ATVs or even the newer electric motorcycles. In some terrain it won't be viable I know that but in a LOT of terrain it will be.
pedalling a push bike while carrying 30kg of kit, a rifle plus clothing and boots is just not practical. Motorbikes are.. and they have been used by infantry units in the past.. even going back to WW2.
@@noahfyan9617 I race bicycles actually. But riding one with "tactical gear" on, a bergen and a rifle, is a bit of a joke. A fat tyred E mountain bike maybe.
7 mags is great but even in training not actual combat I realized how little that is. It goes stupid fast even on semi only. In my free time I rock British MTP webbing and a TAPs
6 in the front, 2 on each side, one in the rifle... And as many as you can realistically carry in a bag. Even if you can't get to your bag, 11 should last you till you can.
Everyone needs to keep in mind a serial number with a production date is woven into all body armor sold in the US. Soft concealable body armor, and a seperate plate rig for a best value win.
I just recently thought someone had broke into my house and had to go clear my house (also the power was out in my neighborhood) and man Ive never been happier I had body armor to put on. It was a false alarm but man I felt just that little more confident going into a very stressful situation
personal (best) opinion: I wouldnt wear Lvl 3 or 4 body armor unless i was assaulting a building or defending it. Lvl 3A and 2 are different stories as theyre good for catching shrapnel but realistically if youre a civilian and you plan on fighting you need to prioritize your speed and maneuverability as those will be the things that prevent you from getting shot in the first place.
Also bare in mind. You aren't in the best peak performance. You aren't physically fit(infantryman) level to just sprint from a to b without getting tired out immediately. Armor is nice but level 1-2 is fine since most of it is small arms fire. There's a chance a enemy may rocked up high calibers but personal protection. Most just flagged with pistols and sub-machine guns or a buckshot.
The first wave of people to take your rights away are the police. Yet the people making videos like this worship and lick the boots of law enforcement.
I love how realistic you put the four mag guys because it’s true in war people think oh I can make that shot or hit those people not so far away . But clearly they never shot at a target that’s been shooting at them back
I'd say the first thing people need to do is start setting back hardtack and dry beans. It's a great food source easy to maintain an easy to make and last a very very very long time
As someone working in the Air Force logistics system, I can confirm how important supply and logistics are. For most of these imaginary preparedness situations, you have to self-revive and self re-supply
Admin is slowly but surely becoming my go-to gun guy channel for a great mix of information and amusement for the average Joe. Even though I'm hobbled by being Canadian, oh well.
I'll tell you the same thing I tell the "Do you really NEED an Ar15?" Crowd... Fortunately for me it is called the Bill of Rights. NOT the Bill of Needs...
I think the Amish are doing pretty great. Invest in community building (*). Support local farmers, learn trades and skills, have a big family, have stuff that works without electricity and is repairable. Learn how to build a community, which is a real challang in this polarized world.
body armor is something we should have, but like everything else, it is a tool in the toolbox, and not always needed in all scenarios and situations as civilians
Hey Admin, I wanted to pop in and say thank you. Life has not been the greatest, nor the best these past couple of years. Content that you have been created as well as the others who are involved with Pepperbox have made things a little brighter. Not going to emo bomb this comment section, just know that you do such an amazing job and amazing content for people to drink their coffee and eat there beer to watch. Thank you.
OEF combat here, 2012-2020 as an Artilleryman. During deployment and field training in a combat arms mos I can tell you that you’ll get used to living in your kit. I hated running my bandolier even in Hawaii which is a jungle. I ran my plate carrier with the basics. 7 mags, two canteen pouches and IFAK. Getting a good prone ain’t easy with so much shit on your chest. I’d opt for a battle belt to keep extra magazines or even placing your ifak and water sources there. Since I’m no longer in the army;and it’s just me, I’m opting for less side protection and more mobility to be able to break contact.
My opinion? Each situation needs it's own consideration. If you're traveling with support, other people, and vehicles, and you expect resistance, go with as heavy armor as you're comfortable. If you're doing short sorties with a small group and you can expect light resistance if any, go with light armor for mobility, because combat should not be your aim. If you're solo or doing recon, wear little to no armor, because contact should be the last thing you should look for; your armor is mobility, your ability to disengage quickly, and your ability to move quietly and in cover and avoid detection.
This is coming from a combat veteran. I hated body armor; the added weight, heat, limited range of motion and worst of all it impacts your speed. The Kevlar was nice only for the NVG’s.
Orders condor chest rig. Drains beer from fermenter into keg. Looks at water purification station with water distiller, smiles. Nods from guy in the forest from that one meme.
believe that minimally decent body armor is necessary, after all, you don't like bullets and you can't trust that you will never be hit in any way and most importantly, never trust body armor too much
Plates make sense for the military because of the hospital logistics. A soldier can take a few rounds to the body as long as the vitals are protected and evac to hospital. For SHTF taking a round in the leg or arm will be fatal over a few weeks.
Bloviation for the algorithm. I’ve always hated body armor since starting to use in the Army. It’s heavy, it’s awkward, it slows you down and it depends on the enemy’s precision shooting skills to hit you high center mass. But that’s a Gen X take - from a guy that lived the Fobbit life in GWOT. I knew guys whose enemies were good shots and hit that tiny plate instead of meat. If you got the muscle and cardio to huff and puff under it and function, get on with your bad self.
It's not about whether they get you center mass or not. The plates provide a level of protection to your vitals that is greater than zero. It still leaves a lot of squishy bits exposed, that is a given. I don't know anyone that thinks a plate carrier or vest makes you invulnerable.
The armor you guys carried was a lot bigger and heavier though wasn’t it? I have some friend in the National Guard that showed me their armor setups, and they were massive.
You should look into what's available now. A simple vest with lvl IIIA soft inserts and no plates gives you protection from shrapnel and 44mag and down around your vitals. I picked up one for about $250 and it weighs about 5lbs without anything attached to it.
Prepared civilians only need low visibility plate carriers. Everything else is for military or law enforcement. You can wear low visibility plate carriers under your regular clothing without drawing much attention, when you need to you can put your chest rig on and you are ready for action.
My body doesn't react well to bullets or small fragments of metal or other things, so body armor is worth it. Full vest with soft armor panels+full coverage helmet.
I live in idaho where we mainly train in the mountains and i've decided to not go with body armor to save wieght and focus more on kit related to hiking and survival. Maybe im uneducated but when youre hiking multiple miles with a constantly changing climate you find the plate carrier to just get in the way
Infantry hikes miles and miles daily in middle eastern hills and deserts with double or triple the weight in gear, kit and plates than a you do in your plate carrier. Train better
Something additional to keep in mind: body armor is good for protecting against more than just bullets. NIJ (National Institute of Justice) studies have shown police wearing body armor fared better in car collisions and similar impact related cases than those not wearing armor. Stabbing, not so much, unless it's the hard level 4 plates or steel plates, those stop stabbing just fine (for the areas they cover obviously).
I did some research on stabbing and iiia soft armor actually will stop a blade from full penetration. In the tests I saw it may slightly poke through, but only enough to cause a superficial minor wound
@MinutemanMedic , that's true, I was thinking more of stabbing implements like ice picks or other similar objects. I spent 2 years researching body armor and it seemed the manufacturers really wanted anyone wearing their armor to be conscious of the fact that they were significantly more vulnerable to stabbing than gunfire. So that may have been largely the result of liability concerns. Especially after what happened to Point Blank armor systems in the class action lawsuit they got hit with. I don't know that for certain (as to whether that was the motivation) and I'm just speculating. But if I were a multi-million dollar company with multi-million dollar contracts on the line- I would probably be *really* concerned about liability.
I think a plausible scenario is a hurricane Katrina situation, with rampant looting and a break down of rule of law. The neighborhood could come together and set up checkpoints at choke entry points while they wait for the rule of law to return. If I was running a checkpoint, I'd want to wear armor.
Wow, this is a ton of stuff to take in. Having lived in Florida since 1966, I am used to being a "prepper"' to some extent as we have hurricanes yearly that take out the power up to a week at worst. stores close, food stores and gas stations now have emergency power but it's pure crazy busy and people want to fight you for your spot in the gas line. So as a husband and father, I have two and one half weeks of food/ water stored up, 25 gal of gasoline for car/truck and generator. We now have a solar generator with solar collectors that run everything except hot water, and central A/c. ( two window units ) stored in garage. the gasoline generator will run both a/c units, lights , microwave, main refrigerator plus dorm size unit. Plus propane . That's been on hand and replenished for 19 years. I read an article that said citizens will begin looting and shooting as they and their families run out of food which may be a week or so. I guess thats where the gun protection comes in. That's covered as well. And all that stuff is even with a government that wants to help, not take everything away like rifles, pistols etc. I am trying to set up a neighborhood "watch" group with my buddies. Are there any suggestions on how this is best accomplished and communication? Thanks so much for your video, truly helped!!
