Home Defense Series - Body Armor

Defending your home from armed or otherwise dangerous intruders is a situation no one wants to find themselves in - but just like any other emergency situation, you prepare the best you can for it now, regardless of its likelihood or potential outcome. Read on as we delve into the ins and outs of ensuring you’re ready for whatever - or whoever - may attempt to invade your home.

We’re about halfway through the series! Congrats to all who have kept up with us so far. By all certainty, do not think we only focused on the important stuff first. I guarantee there’s at least a few things you’ll be able to pick up by continuing on with us, as we delve into another topic we happen to know a thing or two about. And if you’re here, you’ve likely read a few of our many other articles on body armor, so we’ll keep this one a touch shorter and focus on the important points.

You could say we have something of a strong opinion on the matter of body armor.

Step 4: Body armor

Of course we were going to talk about this.

Body armor and home defense - do they go hand-in-hand? Well, let me ask this: have you ever watched a televised SWAT raid on one of those shows where a camera crew follows police around? Do those guys ever go into houses without body armor or ballistic shields?

Needless to say, body armor can be one of your best friends in a close-quarters situation. Bullets lose velocity and energy with distance, and are far more devastating within the close-range confinements of your home. Of course, there are some considerations as to whether or not body armor is actually practical in your specific situation. Let’s explore a few of these: 

The time it takes to put body armor on:

When seconds count, so do priorities. You need to make sure you have yours in line prior to a home invasion - not during. By now, hopefully you understand that pattern, because it’s going to keep getting talked about. If an intruder will be at your bedroom door in approximately 5 seconds, what’s your plan? Are you going for the firearm, or body armor? More than likely, the answer is a firearm. But if an intruder is going to be there in say, 30 seconds rather than 5, how does that change things? Maybe body armor becomes a bit more realistic of a priority. Or maybe getting all of your loved ones together is a higher priority. As we said, only you can truly determine the most proper order of action based on the amount of time you estimate being allotted to you.

You see, self-defense is all about priorities. And the act of putting on body armor is generally not instantaneous, or even as quick as racking a firearm. Expect to take a moment to get your armor on and positioned, especially if you haven’t trained to put it on quickly. Prepare for the event of something getting snagged or something not fitting like it should, and adapt. Training consistently in your kit will take most of the guesswork out and leave you better prepared to operate when you’re groggy at 3 AM, compared to if you put it on once when you bought it then proceed to throw it next to your bed and never touch it again. Don’t be that person. Train in full kit.

Should you train in full kit? The answer is a resounding YES.

Body Armor and mobility:

So you’ve successfully equipped your plate carrier and body armor, and you’re ready to go running and gunning - right?

Wrong. Don’t even think about it.

Plate carriers, magazines, and body armor add additional weight to your body - noticeable weight. Weight that your body isn’t used to carrying around on a day-to-day basis. Your body needs to accommodate that weight, and will do so by influencing your mobility white mobile. This is where remaining in good physical condition and training come into play, big time. Plate carriers, helmets, and tactical gear can be awkward. Actually, let me rephrase: They are awkward. I still remember the first few times I tried shooting prone in full kit - it felt so ridiculously unnatural. And then attempting to run, especially with a poorly-fit carrier… whew boy, not a good time.

Take those levels of awkwardness, add an unhealthy lifestyle with little cardio and poor muscular strength, and you’re going to have a hard time even walking around in full gear. Individuals who are unhealthy, disabled, less agile for any reason, and so on will want to be certain these potential disadvantages are taken into account when preparing for home defense. If you can identify something that can be improved, worked on, or adjusted for, do it ahead of time. Train ahead of time.

Struggle with training and shooting? You’d be amazed how much being in shape makes a difference.

And again, train with your full kit at the range. It doesn’t make you stupid, it doesn’t make you a Bro-vet, it isn’t “stolen valor” or anything stupid like that. It’s practical. It’s smart. And anyone telling you otherwise is an idiot. I hate how many people I’ve seen completely tailor their equipment, habits, and training around worrying what other people will think of them and/or how they look.

Types of Body Armor

Body armor comes in all sorts of flavors: Size, weight, and material all come into play and can differ drastically, depending on your needs. If you only anticipate handgun-rated threats (which most shootings these days consist of), you may be fine with some flexible, lightweight Level 3A body armor. If you want rifle-rated protection, such as Level 3 or 3+, expect to spend some decent money for lightweight armor. If you want something more affordable yet reliable, a good Kevlar-lined steel plate like those offered by us will be one of the best options for you: They are rated to take numerous hits, Kevlar protects you from bullet fragmentation, and the likelihood of you wearing heavier armor for 8-10 hours isn’t likely.

Oh, the options.

Let me reiterate: STOP listening to the people who tell you you’re stupid for purchasing anything other than Level 4 armor. Unless you’re taking on the military or your old neighbor with his surplus M2 AP ammo, 99.9% of shootings - including home defense shootings - will be easily covered by Level III or less. Not to say there isn’t a place for Level IV, but let’s cut back on the “anything else is useless” comments, shall we?

Wrapping Things Up

Like we said, this article was going to be a bit shorter than most. I rant to you guys about nothing but body armor all the time, so I’d rather use this series to be a bit more comprehensive on all aspects of home defense; not just body armor. Join us in the next article as we discuss challenges specific to defending your home in the middle of the night!