Current Body Armour - Your Experiences

[chris_furniss]

Hi Guy's

i am a Student at Coventry University and i am currently writing a research report on the current body armour worn by the armed forces. What i am after are your experiences of body armour, what it was like to wear - if you got shot with wearing in etc...

Please email me anything that you think is usefull regarding the topic.

furnissc@coventry.ac.uk

Thanks

Chris Furniss

[Beowulf]

Hi Guy's

i am a Student at Coventry University and i am currently writing a research report on the current body armour worn by the armed forces. What i am after are your experiences of body armour, what it was like to wear - if you got shot with wearing in etc...

Please email me anything that you think is usefull regarding the topic.

furnissc@coventry.ac.uk

Thanks

Chris Furniss

Just MOD?

5678

[FozzieBear]

Hi Guy's

i am a Student at Coventry University and i am currently writing a research report on the current body armour worn by the armed forces. What i am after are your experiences of body armour, what it was like to wear - if you got shot with wearing in etc...

Please email me anything that you think is usefull regarding the topic.

furnissc@coventry.ac.uk

Thanks

Chris Furniss
you might want to add more information as to what body armour your reffering to, the regular BA, the osprey or the kestrel, because all 3 differ a lot, ive worn the regular BA and that is very uncomfortable when moving, ive not worn the ceramic inserts with it thought so i cant comment on weight.

[Sabre]

Hot, sweaty, cumbersome....lifesaving.

[KillerBD]

Hot, sweaty, cumbersome....lifesaving.

^I think this sums it all up, good post :)

[gilgoul]

Hot, sweaty, cumbersome....lifesaving.

You could have added stinky, cause after sweating in it 18 hours a day, it doesn't smell like roses.

[Sabre]

You could have added stinky, cause after sweating in it 18 hours a day, it doesn't smell like roses.

Neither do I though, so I can't really blame that on the body armour! :oops:

[Hydro]

Only used standard CBA minus the ceramic inserts. Heavy and smelly, but you get used to it pretty quickly. Just watch out when you're going ****e on the range after a heavy tab in 35 degree heat, the waft of outrageously foul air coming up into your face can kill the unwary.

[Thomo]

Chris, You'll have better look over on Arrse, as you have posted there too. Also, CBA stands for Combat Body Armour, not Current Body Armour.

[FROGFOOT-MKDN]

Hydro, your last post is SO TRUE. In Macedonia we mostly use balistic vests "Mile Dragic", made in Serbia.

[BadKarma26]

the IBA is fairly comfortable. When I first joined the Army they still had some PASGT armor around and the difference is huge. The IBA is more flexible and form fitting. It adjusts and you can mount pouches directly on it or wear MOLLE vests like my unit over it. Obviously you get hotter and its harder to run wearing it but compared to the old stuff it is good to go. put in SAPI plates (front, back, and side) and it starts to get ****ty wearing it.

[aj-0311]

With temps well over 100F, after wearing it all day you'll get used to it and feel naked without it. You get used to the smell also, but when I got back to the FOB and took it off it felt like someone turned the air conditioner on.
Basically, it becomes a part of you.

[FROGFOOT-MKDN]

As I see in A-stan & Iraq when the weather is hot, the troops only wear the vest, no T-shirts, shirts or else.

[James]

As I see in A-stan & Iraq when the weather is hot, the troops only wear the vest, no T-shirts, shirts or else.

I don't think you'll see that in the U.S. Military. That sounds like some nasty contractor bullsh*t.

[Hippo]

no, ive seen pictures in the daily pic threads of gi's in afghanistan with just body armor and shirts, but not in iraq

[N-G-F-O]

http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=16364&d=1162519864

Nope, just our lot that does that sort of terribl- informal and relaxed couldn't-give-a-****-as-long-as-i've-got-me-rifle attitude.

[FROGFOOT-MKDN]

I have a very recent newspaper photo with two soldiers from Canadian light infantry in A-stan at an OP with Browning 0.5 HMG & they wear only their vests, no shirts or anything else & no helmets.

[Marsuitor]

That Brit photo is probably from after the guys getting rattled out of bunks to stand-to in a double hurry rather than them taking on Sunday-pose out of poor enforcement of regulations.
But every type of dress has it's time, if in the middle of nowhere and you can see folks coming for miles, taking body armor off and getting a little more comfy isn't a problem. Same when operating where there are many locals and you have an image to care of, you don't dress as a total slob then.

As for my experience with BA, X2 to what Sabre said, although i haven't been shot.

[Sabre]

That Brit photo is probably from after the guys getting rattled out of bunks to stand-to in a double hurry rather than them taking on Sunday-pose out of poor enforcement of regulations.

Yeah. In the platoon houses the lads are having to stand to quite often, so the lads who are on 'down time' may be in relaxed states of dress, but their weapons, webbing and body armour will always be to hand.

As for my experience with BA, X2 to what Sabre said, although i haven't been shot.

Neither have I! Thank f***! :oops:

[oldsoak]

Used the CBA with inserts in Cyprus while doing live firing. Very hot, just like your own personal oven - and it felt like you were sweating faster than you could drink. Stiff too, and not in a good way either. Never been shot at wearing it - which is fine by me. Bored is good. Adrenalin junkies can fill in for me anytime.