How To Wear A Bulletproof Vest (Best Tricks For 2018)


how to wear a bulletproof vest best tricks for 2017
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There’s no shortage of protective clothing items to choose from as a prepper, but no matter what new gadget or gizmo comes up, one of the most reliable and trustworthy items will always be quality bulletproof vests. Bulletproof vests are one of the best ways for protecting your chest from firearms and other attacks, but believe it or not, there are a lot of preppers that don’t know how to wear a bulletproof vest.

That may come as surprising news to some of you, but others are probably nodding along and starting to turn beet-red. However, don’t start freaking out or feel embarrassed! Although they’re one of the most common clothing items around for preppers, that are a lot of people out there that have been wearing them wrong without any idea they’re doing so.

Wearing a bullet proof vest incorrectly could cost you your life, so it’s critical that you wear it the way it was intended.

If you were never taught how to wear body armor and want to change this to ensure maximum survival in a  SHTF situation, keep reading on.

Understand how bulletproof vests work

Before diving too deep into how to put on a bulletproof vest, it’s important to understand just how they work. Having as much knowledge as possible about all of your gear will give you a better idea of how it was made and why it functions the way it does, and consequently, you’ll be much more comfortable with it out in the real world.

For starters, did you know that bulletproof vests aren’t actually “bulletproof”?

Instead, bulletproof vests are bullet-resistant. There’s no such thing that’s totally bulletproof, but bulletproof vests help to drastically rescue the impact of shots that would otherwise cause serious bodily harm.

It is possible for bullets to get through a vest, but the chances of this happening are extremely slim. The chances of a bullet hurting you while wearing a bulletproof vest is too small to even worry about, but it’s also important to remember that just wearing a vest doesn’t automatically turn you into some sort of machine that can take a dozen rounds totally carefree.

You still need to enact proper safety and concern when dealing with a threat, but should you get hit with a bullet, you’ll have considerable protection against it compared to if you weren’t wearing anything.

Bulletproof vests are made out of either woven or non-woven fibers, and because of the way they’re put together, they stop a bullet from penetrating the vest in a very similar way to how a net stops a tennis ball in its tracks.

A bulletproof vest causes a bullet to turn, slow down, and mushroom so that it never has a chance to hurt you. However, the faster and sharper a bullet is, the higher chance you have of it making its way through the vest and into your body.

Proper care for your vest

Like any article of clothing or tool, it’s important to keep your bulletproof vest in tip-top shape. This will ensure that the vest works to its maximum ability for as long as possible, and it’s just a good habit to get into if you haven’t already.

The first thing to know is that you should never get your bulletproof vest wet. You might be traversing some woods and come across a creek that you need to tread through, but before you even think about doing this, you need to take off your vest if you’re wearing one.

There are certain bulletproof vests that don’t perform nearly as well after being submerged or soaked in water, so the last thing you want to do is get it wet, come across an assailant, and have your vest fail.

Some vests have been designed with water-resistant materials that allow them to go through these conditions, but even so, avoiding water when you can is a good idea.

Furthermore, when you aren’t wearing your vest, hang it up so that the vest dries properly. Ballistic panels on a vest have multiple layers of fibers that allow it to be bulletproof, and if you throw a vest on a bed or area with it being all crumpled up, the fibers will form in a manner that they aren’t supposed to – potentially degrading the functionality of your vest.

How to wear a bulletproof vest

Alright, so the reason why you came here – how in the world do you properly wear a bulletproof vest?

Wearing a vest isn’t exactly a science, but there are a few things that you’ll want to keep an eye out for to ensure that you’re protecting your body as much as the vest will allow.

First off, and perhaps the most important, ensure that your vest is covering all of your vital organs. This includes your heart and lungs, so adjust the vest until it’s covering these areas on your body as much as it possibly can.

This will likely cause you to wear the vest higher so that your stomach is exposed, but that’s okay. A bullet to the stomach won’t be a fun time, but it’ll be far less serious than taking a bullet to the heart or lungs.

Wearing a bulletproof vest up higher will likely be more uncomfortable for women, but then again, comfort really isn’t your primary concern if you’re in a situation where you need to wear a bulletproof vest. Some discomfort is to be expected, but this convenience will be far outweighed by the fact that you get to live if a bullet happens to hit your vest.

Final Thoughts

Bulletproof vests are exceptionally great tools to own, and we recommend all preppers to get their hands on one if they haven’t already. You might not think you have any need for one now, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry. It’s impossible to know what the future holds, and honestly, that should be reason enough to add one of these vests to your collection of items if you don’t own one.

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