Levels of soft body armor

It has already been proven effective that soft body armor can and have saved lives of those people serving for the public such as military, Army and those police officers we often see every day.

As of today, there are six different levels of body armor or ballistic vests; appropriate name for this is the bullet resistant vest. Each category has its own characteristics that make it more or less useful to certain job groups and especially to the civilians who are confused on what type of body armor do they need. It is very important to study the chart of armor levels released by the National Institute of Justice and understand the levels f protection one type of body armor gives before you make your final decision. Let us take a look at the first three levels of soft body armor.

Level 1 – this level of protection is already obsolete because our types of ammunition today had a higher velocity. This can no longer protect those in the army or even in the military. There is still who uses this but before actually deciding to buy this type of body armor, it is best to know the level of protection with which you will need. Observe your community and what dangers or threats are you experiencing. By this, you will now figure if this type suits you.

Level IIA – aside from its purpose, the threats in level IIA, this also serve as protection from the level I threats. This was one of the most common level of protection worn but with the development of newer and lighter weight materials for a body armor, level II and level IIIA body armor are now appropriate.

Level II – this protects the wearer also from both the level I and level IIA threats. While this is usually worn as a covert style, some organizations prefer to use it as an overt style armor.

Level IIIA – this is the highest threat level in soft body armor. it is usually worn as over style armor because of its weight and the thickness of the ballistic panels. However, modern advancements have developed lighter materials for the same level of protection.