Early Types of Armor
The need for body armor has been recognized since early human history. To respond to changing threats and remain wearable it has taken many forms.
One of the earliest forms of soft body armor was animal skins. While relatively lightweight, they eventually gave way to other forms of armor offering more protection.
For centuries what followed though was heavier armor. For instance, the ancient Greek soldiers protected themselves with bronze plates. And in the 8th century, chain mail was introduced. This shirt of interlocking metal rings weighed 14-30 lbs. and was used for hundreds of years in one form or another.
Probably the heaviest body armor though was the medieval suit of armor. From about 1200 to the 1600s, medieval knights seeking greater protection encased themselves in whole suits constructed of metal plate armor. While this armor was quite effective for the threats of the time, it was extremely heavy weighing about 60 lbs. Despite its weight, what eventually led to the suit of armor’s disappearance was the advance of gunpowder firearms.
In contrast to the suits of armor, the medieval Japanese used silk for protection. It was even considered for use as ballistic protection in the United States as late as the early 1900s. This natural fabric was strong yet lightweight and provided effective protection against low-velocity weapons. However, it couldn’t stop the new higher velocity firearms of the time and was determined to be too expensive.
Then during WWII, in another step toward softer body armor, the military began using the flak jacket. It was constructed of ballistic nylon, which is a particular weave of nylon. Still, the flak jacket was hardly like the concealable, lightweight ballistic vests used today. Also, while the flak jacket helped shield personnel against munition fragments, it wasn’t up to the task against most rifles and pistols.
Modern Ballistic Vests