While the ballistic panel may stop the bullet, it doesn’t necessarily prevent serious injury. While NIJ Standard–0101.04 allows no more than .44mm blunt trauma indentation, the force of the bullet against a flexible ballistic vest can still inflict bruises, broken ribs and other life-threatening injuries. Trauma packs can help protect against such injuries.
Blunt Trauma
A ballistic vest is designed with ballistic panels that insert into a carrier. The carrier often has additional pockets to insert trauma packs for extra protection against blunt trauma. The pockets are usually located to cover your most vulnerable areas like the sternum.
Trauma packs are available in soft or hard styles. Soft plates are constructed of the same materials as ballistic panels, giving you extra protection against blunt trauma with minimal extra weight. Hard plates are manufactured using metal, ceramic or rigid plastic. These materials give you more blunt trauma protection, but add more weight than soft plates.
Coverage
Another important element in getting the protection you need is making sure you are covered.
The ballistic vest that offers the most complete coverage is called extended coverage. It covers your front, back and sides. Contour style provides a more basic coverage. It protects your front and back but not your sides.
Proper fit is also critical to getting the coverage you need. Be sure to follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for sizing. A vest that’s too small may not leave you properly protected. If you’re tall, you’ll be glad to know that some ballistic vest styles come in long versions as well. For details on getting the correct size see the next lesson on comfort.
Learn even more about Ballistic Vests. Continue on or click any of the links below to go directly to that topic.
