Low Cost Body Armor

I am looking for body armor, preferably something concealable, I'm sure my kids would be super impressed if I had a big camo vest but I can imagine scenarios where I would like to not advertise what I am wearing. I found some interesting stuff from china on ebay but thought I would ask someone with more experience in these things for advice.

 

I would be interested in this also, BenP. I am thinking something like the cops wearing under their clothes.

 

If it's really cheap it probably doesn't work.

 

I can get AR500, if there is something on there you like, PM me, and I might can save you a little money.

 

Don't Bet your life on cheap

 

bulletproofme.com

 

body armor made by rigid norms
Made in china
Reading the small print "do not wash,not water resistant, avoid hard impacts,no chemical cleaning"

 

Cheapest armor is , don't be there..
Situational awareness .
Body armor that uses ceramics is only good for one shot and it shatters .
Laminated Steel plating however can take significantly more abuse.
Keep in mind this incident,,,
An officer was dealing with an altercation and drew and fired several rounds at almost point blank range on a very large fellow using a .40 and it didn't stop him ,the fight got into close bodily contact and the man shot the officer once from the side in the ribs and killed him with a .22 ,an area there was no armor .
There are time when perp is so pumped on speed the shock of a bullet is not realized, and the perp is not stopped. Hence the invention of the 1911 .45 acp . And this provided to people required to be in this conflagration .
A shot in the inner thighs, abdomen shoulders neck head can be as lethal and usually will stop a normal person, but these are places no armor is usually applied .
Flack jackets alone assume medical help is right behind you and assumes people will aim center mass . But if you've been at the range ,even in a static situation on still targets the hits are all over the place. More so during a real fire fight.
Best to not even be there.

 

I agree. This is one small precaution among many.

 

The bodyguard looked cool the advertisement should have read Chicago & Compton ready wear.
Weight and protection looked good.

 

The company that I recommend is Infidel Armor. I have no ties to this company. I just like their product.
Infidel Body Armor, Bulletproof Vests and Plates for Sale in Texas, Tactical Body Armor, Bullet Proof Vests, AR550 Steel and Hybrid Composite Plates
Gafarmboy

 

Sorry to self-post, but two weeks ago I just updated the #1-ranked guide to body armor for preppers, including some picks for the cheapest yet still acceptable products (namely the base AR500 level 3+ and a Hesco 4400 for level 4) cc @BenP. Ended up doing deep data on ~90 armor plates.

Happy to answer any questions about armor, especially since I just finished 100 hours of research on it!

 

Me? I like 'Active Shooter' body armor. Just keep in mind that most of the people I know who already own body armor of one brand, or another very seldom wear it. Why? Probably because most of the lower priced armor is invariably hot 'n heavy; and once you add any sort of trauma plate, now, you're really talking weight!

 

+1

 

Law enforcement and military here! Everyone is going to know you have a vest on unless it's the middle of winter in North Dakota!

Concealable body armor first off is expensive! Next I have never on my 20+ years law enforcement and military seen anyone who can actually not see the body armor on them! Unless your wearing a heavy coat people are going to know!

 

I will second this. My old level II Aramid is only 3.6mm thick. A button down shirt used to hide it nicely. My GF at the time used to poke me to see if I was wearing or not.

 

Early medieval armor was leather before it was steel.
A friend of mine built some armor for Ren fairs, using a fabric coat and sewn on leather patches over lapping like snake skin.
Th leather was soaked in hot bees wax for added strength. It could tolerate blade strikes well but thrusts were another matter.
Making a cast of your torso and a cast from that one could make a leather or other moldable material and pressing them together.
My though is that if one had a significant truss as it were it might tolerate a great deal of abuse better than bare skin.
Flexibility is a whole other issue as well as the weight and heat.

 

Your talking survival here! You want to lay low and not draw attention to yourself a concealed vest also costs more money! Have less protection and don't conceal as well as stand alone rifle plates will! So why buy concealed vest?

I know nothing three combat tours in Iraq Marine infantry I lived 24/7 for 21 months in a vest with plates, 18 years law enforcement Federal with the BIA/NPS and now do search and rescue on southwest Texas. I have to wear my stand alone plates now so to there comfort, cost and mobility over the more costly that's gives you less protection soft armor that over heats your body.

I also have the choose to wear the soft armor or the Hard armor everyone picks the hard.

I can buy a level 4 full kit for under $500 that's front and back plates with a carrier.
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