Body Armor -- Any civilians wear it?

I used the search function, but couldn't find a discussion regarding this topic.

I'm a motorcyclist (own four bikes, zero cars), and I always wear motorcycle body armor. A simple extension of that is to wear ballistic armor. I have III+ body armor (pretty much all pistols, but not rifles outside of a .22) but I don't often wear it. My armor is also stab-resistant over some more important areas.

Anywho, my question is this -- does anyone else have armor, and wear it when carrying? I can see many advantages, and not too many disadvantages.

Well, if you're really concerned about getting shot/stabbed then I guess you could. I'm sure ballistic armor would help if you had to lay a bike down as well, but most of them don't have sleeves.

If you live in a high risk area for shooting, or have a high risk job, I'd say sure. The problem with class IIIA armor is it's hot, heavy and fairly uncomfortable. Not for me.

Wear it? No. Too hot and heavy.

But - I do have a level III ballistic insert in my laptop bag. You can turn any backpack, diaper bag, briefcase, etc into a ballistic shield.

BulletProofME.com Body Armor / Bullet proof Vests

No, just no. Gets way to hot with a vest. Plus it restricts body movement and most vest print under lighter shirts.

Bullet Proof Clothing by BulletBlocker - bulletproof backpacks, Body Armor, bulletproof jackets

This is hidden armor in the clothes.

I wore armor for 20+ years. I would have to knowingly be going into a threatening situation to wear it again. Everyday? Absolutely not!

I wore a level IIA while doing bail recovery and working as an armed guard, IIA alone was hot, sticky, smelly after a few days of the carrier being unwashed. I would never wear it outside of those two situations, unless I took on a job that had similar or higher risks of being shot. Unless maybe it was just that damn cold out.

Yeah, I'm not worried about the heat, weight, or printing -- remember that I'm wearing this under motorcycle armor, so I'm already used to those negative attributes.

Thanks for the input -- I'm glad to see no one thinks I'm nuts for not wearing it.

As it stands I only really wore it when going to the range (yeah, seeing bullet holes sideways through the dividers... not good) and whenever I went to a bar. Now that I'm a little older and a lot more cautious, I never go to either of these places. (Oh, and I don't drink in public, so when I went to bars it was for the cheap food or because I went with friends.)

I do at work on occasion, but not for my personal daily activities. Here in South Texas it gets very hot and I'd be more likely to die of heat stroke with a vest than a bullet without one, even a IIa.

I have a plate carrier also, but I don't even throw one on if I'm checking my house. My plates will take a stab, but I don't see too many vests that will that are still concealable and lightweight. Admittedly, I don't stay up to date on soft armor all that much, so I really don't know what all is out there. My guess is even the best ones available would be quite heavy and stiff compared to even a level IIIa.

The one nice thing about a vest though is that it will absorb some hits whether those are from a blunt object or fists. At least for me though, the trade offs just aren't worth it. I don't even like wearing a second shirt over a t shirt…

Nope. My paranoia level hasn't gotten that high yet.

This almost falls into the "Stupid People doing Stupid things in Stupid Places at Stupid Times" case to wear body armor. Me I don't and will always get off the X when shots are fired (I may be the first firing) as I am always carrying CCW, and have already seen and tracked what is around me when going out in public.

I have 2 sets of body armor. 1 level 3a and another flak type vest. I acquired both as I have never been too concerned about getting in a gun fight that I felt the need to buy a vest. If the S ever HTF and we were in TEOTWAWKI situation I would strap it on, but until then I dont feel the need to run around wearing a vest..... unless of course mission dictates.

Although a vest and other 'equipment' are certainly important for protecting one's self, how would you look after a home invasion...that you survive...but you meet the police wearing a vest, shooting glasses and gloves, and shooting muffs with two-way communication to the wife who is also dressed in a similar fashion?:rofl:

If I were in a line of work that dictated daily danger, it would certainly call for as much protection as possible. I would think, however, that the daily routines of the normal citizen would not require the protection of body armor. I'm just sayin'...

This guy did:
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