Body Armour

choasactor

New Member
Hi

I am currently doing a study at university into the effect of weight carriage on the soldier and particularly looking whether heavier body armour actually provides less protection because the soldier is less maneuverable. I have a good idea of the academic arguments, but now want to see what soldiers actual experience is.

I do not want to know about protection levels of various body armours, but what I am hoping is to find out where body armours rub, where you get prickly heat, what parts get caught on vehicles and just generally how body armour fit hinders your ability to do your job.

I am interested in all body armour comments, but my study is going to be based on the following armours if you have any personal experience of them.

1. Australian TBAS
2. British ECBA
3. British Osprey
4. Canadian FPV
5. Chinese EBA
6. Danish TYR
7. Russian 6B43
8. US Interceptor
9. Paraclete Alpha 1
10. Pinnacle Dragon Skin

Many thanks in advance...
 

CB90

The Bunker Group
Verified Defense Pro
Hi

I am currently doing a study at university into the effect of weight carriage on the soldier and particularly looking whether heavier body armour actually provides less protection because the soldier is less maneuverable. I have a good idea of the academic arguments, but now want to see what soldiers actual experience is.

I do not want to know about protection levels of various body armours, but what I am hoping is to find out where body armours rub, where you get prickly heat, what parts get caught on vehicles and just generally how body armour fit hinders your ability to do your job.

I am interested in all body armour comments, but my study is going to be based on the following armours if you have any personal experience of them.

1. Australian TBAS
2. British ECBA
3. British Osprey
4. Canadian FPV
5. Chinese EBA
6. Danish TYR
7. Russian 6B43
8. US Interceptor
9. Paraclete Alpha 1
10. Pinnacle Dragon Skin

Many thanks in advance...
On the US side at least, there are so many different body armor sizes and adjustments that can be made by the user that it's hard to control the variables in that kind of study.

Also, the adjustments external to the plate carrier (all the stuff you hang off it, like magazines, grenades, tools, med kit, etc) are highly variable, as the MOLLE system lets you put anything pretty much anywhere you want.
 

choasactor

New Member
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #3
Thanks!

Thanks, I appreciate the information and understand that there are various sizes and therefore it is likely that the fits will be better for some and not for others. Equally I appreciate that external pouches will cause problems.

I have pretty clear evidence from a number of sources which indicate that (not surprisingly) the extra weight hinders mobility, but it also suggests that some body armors are easier to move in and therefore for the same weight, may be more effective.

I could do the study in the lab, but I also am trying to see if the use of forums, such as this, are a good source of information on this kind of issue. It may allow information to be gained which hours of lab tests just won't be able to replicate!

Thanks once again for helping me out!
 

Feanor

Super Moderator
Staff member
Honestly there is a difference in types. The Plate Carriers are a lot lighter and more comfortable then the Interceptor pattern flaks. They are however missing a lot of the kevlar. Personally I stripped my interceptor of the neck harness, neck gator, and the pelvic cover. I wasn't initially issued side-SAPI pouches, and made sure not to ask for them later on. This made the Interceptor quite a bit more comfortable, and easier to wear.

The biggest areas where it was uncomfortable was the sides, which chafe a little, and the back. You start to feel the weight of the flag in your back after wearing it for more then 12 hours. Before that it's not a big deal.

As far as the attachments, I don't use a drop pouch to collect spent mags. I've been taught that in combat it doesn't matter, and the pouch is inconvenient and can get caught on stuff. I also minimize the amount of stuff on the flak in general. Being a machinegunner, I still have regular mag pouches, but I don't put any mags in them unless I know I will be shooting an M-4/M-16. I have on grenade pouch, where I store misc. items, but not the second one. I have an IFAK (it's required). That's about it.

Plate carriers are considerably lighter (esp. if you buy your own, instead of using the issued one). They allow more freedom of movement, and sit better on the body.
 

choasactor

New Member
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #5
Plate Carrier/ IOTV

Thanks very much for this.

Are US soldiers allowed to choose between the plate carrier and the IOTV or is it just specialist units? I know in the British Army they are not allowed to choose.
 

Feanor

Super Moderator
Staff member
Thanks very much for this.

Are US soldiers allowed to choose between the plate carrier and the IOTV or is it just specialist units? I know in the British Army they are not allowed to choose.
We're supposed to all wear plate carriers, but supply ran out of everything but the small sized ones. So a few of us still have Interceptors, or personally bought carriers.
 

Hayal

New Member
Just to let you know, sometimes soldiers are deployed into combat without body army, and in armies like US on Iraq this happend or the IDF in Gaza 2014, here is a quoute from an article of haaerezt. "Troops also complained that there was not enough body armor or even radios, and that vehicles without extra armor were being used west of the fence."
 
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