How to Measure Females for Body Armor Clothing

Understanding on how to measure yourself for a body armorclothing is very very important as this determines the comfort and fit that you will be experiencing once the body armor is done and is ready to wear. You will be wearing your armor for eight hours or more and you will be the one to decide if this armor will give you comfort all throughout your duty. The way an armor fits you is subjective and is different from one person to another.  Therefore this needs thorough consideration and perfect measurements to be sent to the manufacturer or supplier.

Body armor can be summed up into four things, these things are the ones be considered: better fit and comfort, appropriate range of motion, freedom of movement when maneuvering, running, driving, firing, etc, less weight and bulkiness.

Manufacturers will give guidelines and instructions on how to measure yourself. Here are some of these. These can be found on some of the manufacturers or suppliers’ manual.

Do not attempt to measure yourself. You need a companion or a buddy to measure you up. There might be some glitches in your measurements if you prefer to measure yourself. You might not get the correct result.

Wear a light shirt while being measured and the type of bra that is used when you are on duty. This would provide the best fit for your body armor.

Do not over measure. Instead use the “1/2 inch” rule. Round down to the nearest ½ if there is a need to do so. You might want to inhale more rather than be out of breath, right?

Follow the instructions on getting the right measurements found in your supplier’s manual. Or better yet, go to the suppliers and let them take your measurement. In that way, too you can go see a sample of the body armor they are selling and can examine the materials being used and all other properties to consider when buying body armor clothing.

Constructing Body Armor

How are body armor clothing being constructed? Well, it all depends on the type of body armor clothing you are talking about and also the materials used to make that body armor. let us explore more.

Typically a bullet resistant soft body armor is constructed by a multiple layers of ballistic fiber or other ballistic resistant materials that are assembled together to form a ballistic panel. This is basically the general point of manufacturing the body armor.

This ballistic panel is then inserted into the “carrier” which is then constructed of conventional garment fabrics such as nylon or cotton. At times, this ballistic panel are sewn permanently into the carrier while other times, it may be sewn but at a removable basis. We may think that the overall finished product is very simple to make but the truth is it is very complex to manufacture and construct as this is a life- saver vest.

From one manufacturer to another one differs in how they assemble the ballistic panels. Some instances, the multiple layers are bias stitched around the entire edge of the panel; in others, the layers are tack stitched together at several locations.

Body armor intended for routine use is most designed to be worn beneath the uniform shirt. Again, manufacturers tend to design different methods of attaching armor to the body. Stitching is a way to assemble the fabrics, may it be assembled together at the edges of the panel or even in the entire ballistic panel. There is no current evidence that stitching may impair or degrade the quality of the bullet proof vest in stopping bullets from touching the body.

Manufacturers have their own way of manufacturing this soft body armor clothing so as long as the level of protection is not forgotten and is taking into consideration.

Tips in Buying Body Armor

In buying the right body armor clothing for you, it is best that you have some guideline and tips to help you decide and choose what body armor type is best for you. Here are some.

There is always that general rule of the thumb that you have to buy a level of ballistic performance that stops, at a minimum the round carry in your service weapon. This rule is as relevant and true today as it was when body armor was first available. However, be advise though that this is just a general rule. There are many factors and variables that you should consider when buying a protective gears for yourself. Variables include its composition, shape, caliber, mass, angle of impact and impact velocity. The NIJ or the National Institute of Justice has classified six classifications of body armor.

Before deciding that you will buy that specify body armor, make sure to try it first. if you are buying from an online shop, then it is better to read their Return and Exchanges policy for you to know what are their terms and regulations. Always understand that there is a tradeoff between comfort and protection. The more comfortable the body armor is, the lesser ballistic protection it offers.

Armor designed to defeat armor-piercing rounds may provide protection only against a single-bullet impact on the ballistic plate. Body armor cannot be expected to provide adequate protection from ballistic threats that strike too close to the edge of an armor, or too close to another impact. Make sure that if a situation happens that the bullet proof vest was hit by a bullet or damaged in any way, replace it right away. There are times, when you are very lucky that some manufacturer can replace it no cost but still it is subjected to rules and conditions.

These are just some tips that will help you in purchasing your body armor clothing.

Testing your New Body Armor

Your new body armor clothing is your protection against whatever accidents may happen to you. This is why it needs to be ensured that it is properly tested and is working at all maximum conditions for a better performance in situations that you really need to wear your own body armor.

the National Institute of Justice or NIJ has their testing program and standards to basically determine if that particular body armor is fit to be released into the market and is fit to be used by our soldiers in the Army and Military.

NIJ’s body armor compliance tests body armor using independent testing laboratories to determine compliance with the requirements of NIJ.

The chronograph measures the bullet velocity to ensure that each test round is within the range required by the standard. The body armor being tested is mounted on a clay-backing material whose consistency is controlled.

The armor is tested after being sprayed with a measured quantity of water for 3 minutes on each side before being mounted on the clay. Both the front and back of the armor are tested, and, if present, tests are conducted on groin and coccyx (end of spine) protection panels.

Ballistic limit testing which is called the V50 testing is a statistical test developed by the US military to evaluate hard armor of homogenous construction used to protect vehicles. This V50 testing is done by specified bullets being fired to determine the velocities at which the bullets do and do not penetrate the body armor. What is good with V50 ballistic testing is this allows manufacturers to evaluate various designs against one another to optimize their design in the future.

There are so many testing done to a new body armor to ensure that this is fully functional before being given to departments which has personnel that uses this. It is made sure that whenever one is in a warzone or battle, they can be protected because they have used the new body armor clothing.

How to Determine the Right Body Armor

With all the types of body armor clothing available in the market these days, who would know the right way to select the body armor for himself? Many people do not know how to determine the right body armor that would fit their needs and at the same time be comfortable when he or she wears it.

A study by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation has shown that wearing a protective vest increases a law enforcement officer’s survivability chances by 40%. This means wearing the vest at all times on duty. Selecting the right body armor are the same, whatever your circumstances. Here are a few tips and guidelines to selecting the right body armor for you.

1.       Determine the level of protection. Determining the level of protection you need will be the first major factor in choosing and buying the right body armor for yourself. There is a general rule of thumb that you buy a body armor that can protect you from your own work guns. Although this is not already internationally accepted since there are already advanced ammunition today, it is still best that you know the level of threat you are facing so that the body armor to counterfeit that will protect you properly.

2.       Covert or overt bullet proof vest? – this question means to how will you wear it. If you wear it at all times possible, you will need to buy the covert bullet proof vest. Covert vests are only built to a maximum of NIJ level 3 A but can be upgraded for a specific circumstances. Overt bullet proof vests are normally capable of having full sized strike plates inserted both front and rear.

3.       Determine if you need other accessories for your personal vests like strike plates, collars or groin protector, decals, emblems or pockets. Remember, that vest also come in a variety of colours and sizes. So you can choose from them the right accessories to your body armor clothing.