Ballistic vest as part of your prep

so far as I understand it from talking to ballistic vest dealers, as long as you hold a valid PAL then you are legally allowed to purchase ballistic armor. You do not need a "special license" as a police officer or security guard. further more there is a vast difference between kevlar and plate armor. Plate (lvl 3+) is designed to stop anything in the .30 caliber family from 50 yards out. lower velocity pistol ammunition wouldnt make a scratch. Kevlar on the other hand is more designed for small calibers such as .22 and 9mm, and if you are lucky maybe a .40 s+w, as well as puncture and cut protection. Military uses plate. Police and security use kevlar.

Again, to my knowledge, you are legally allowed to buy up to lvl 4 plate armor in Canada as long as you hold a valid PAL license. You may be asked why you need it by the vendor, and a simple answer would be "so i dont get shot by an idiot who forgets to control his muzzle direction while at the range beside me"

feel free to correct me, but thats what ive been told by the vendors in my city.

[edit: for the record I am in Alberta]

in the alberta law there were a lot of loop holes to allow people to buy them. they may or may not stand up in court. but from what i remember you had to apply for the paper work to buy the vest legal. saying that, i don't have the info any more at my finger tips. having a PAL or owning firearms for sport/hunting etc was in there somewhere as one of those loop holes.

Up until The end of 2012 you could buy them in AB legally from shops. My local army surplus had them. Now you can still buy them but you have to have a clear criminal record and then you have to get a liscence.

It is legal to purchase a ballistic vest, panels or plates for personal wear if you have a valid R/PAL in Alberta. If you decide to go the route of personal body armour, be sure to talk to somebody who has extensive experience with such kit to ensure you get the most suitable gear for your needs without having to blow through time and money casting about for the right equipment.

There is as much work involved in the support elements of body armour as there is in the armour itself. An ill fitting carrier or vest with the best armour in the world will still be of little value when you actually try to wear it for its intended purpose.

As of last year they are illegal in Nova Scotia as well.

You can get a permit, good luck if you are a civilian.

I can't fathom the ridiculousness of making a piece of passive safety equipment illegal.

you can purchase a vest no problem, but they have to be registered with the government

I have four vest's, one is a double. (double layered tactical vest I wore in Northern Ireland years ago). They're stored on hangers and they will stand the test of time whether you get them wet, leave them in the sun or even get shot in one. The companies that produce them are the one's that give them a shelf life. No real return customers if a vest last a lifetime.

Something to note, in BC, is that anyone with a PAL is allowed to purchase and possess "body armour" for the purpose of protection at work. This is geared towards Security Guards etc... but as long as the place of employment has an exemption, it is possible to buy, own, and use a vest without registering it.

H

yeah in ontario anyone can own and wear a vest, as long as they do not have a criminal record that could relate to wearing a vest I.E. Robbing a bank or selling drugs ect. Bulletproof vests are not a weapon they are a form of protection. If you tell a police officer that you wear a vest because your cautious or concerned about your safety they really can't do anything other then ask you why you would be concerned about your safety, which in turn you can just say" you never know!" end of discussion. I have seen an urban myth floating around saying its illegal to own a bullet proof vest in Ontario because it would prevent law enforcement from taking you down. That is pure myth and don't believe one word of it, an officer can quickly react and shoot someone in the head if they have suspicion that they are shooting at an "Armoured" individual! that being said make sure you know the expiry date of the plates in a vest when buying used as they may no longer offer the desired protection wanted. This goes for all plates kevlar,ceramic,metal, ect.

Quick note...if you are going the vest route, you had better start running with it on. In fact you should add the gas mask and 80 pounds of kit and do a couple of 14km runs...

Quick note...if you are going the vest route, you had better start running with it on. In fact you should add the gas mask and 80 pounds of kit and do a couple of 14km runs...

How many people can do 14km runs just in fatigues while carrying a rifle these days?

We did PT in full Battle Order, it was not fun. However, most regular forces units have banned the practice in recent years due to the number of catastrophic injuries incurred due to a moment's fatigue driven inattention. Even when fighting in full battle rattle, I rarely ran more than 300m at a time. Why? Honestly it was because of the requirements of manoeuvring in the battle space and the fact that we often had MRAPs/RWA to get us to the Op-Site. Even when we were running "high speed low drag" I was still rigged up with about 50lbs of kit in my GP rack (8 primary and 3 secondary mags, torch, map, compass, GPS, FMP, IFAK, MBITR, NODS, 2l H2O, 1 Frag, 1DDM, SOCP Tool, Leatherman, five zap straps, a few mars bars, folding knife, 2 TL-IV SA/MS plates, 2 ball gate carabiners) and that was my second line gear for the most part. The rest (3 mags primary, 2 mags secondary, hissatsu knife, service pistol, dump pouch, self aid pouch/EE kit, GP pouch with spare batteries, misc stuff) were on my first line. For more discreet stuff I had a separate carrier in which I kept 3 primary and 2 secondary mags, MBITR, Dart, Hissatsu folder, IFAK, 2 ball gate carabiners & the same type of TL-IV SA/MS, weight? 25lbs. Its as much about how your wears as how much of it you wear. A properly set up first and second line often feel like they weigh much less when worn.

I do not speak of these things from within a vacuum, this is all stuff I was taught or figured out for myself.

A lot of guys think that you have to go out and knock yourself out in this stuff, but the truth is you just have to be in good shape then train in and acclimate to the rack and know how to move in it. If you're Infantry or Special Forces, then you need to have more endurance in it, yes, but as preppers, you have to be more focused on learning the basics of use and getting good with them, know how to manoeuvre and get comfortable in it for longer periods of time. If one starts talking TOPP/MOPP, one has a whole new set of training, kit and problems to contend with.

I am a big proponent of a good rack and the ability to move in it. I will pick it over layering every time, its just one thing to grab and go, leaving your hands free faster for trouble.

Also, big difference between plate carrier and ballistic vest. A plate carrier holds the armour plates and often has molle for you to add gear to on top so you have it all in one easy to grab package (often with rescue straps so your friends can pull you out of harms way if you can't do it yourself) and vests are dedicated kit that only carry the armour inserts and not much else. I say if it's legal in your jurisdiction, get the plate carrier and armour.

-S.

Nothing illegal about owning them in Ontario.. I have several different types.. from Kevlar to Ceramic plates. Good personal vest in the Kevlar dept. is Second Chance. Any man who will take a .357 magnum with full load shells and point blank himself in the chest to prove his product saves lives gets my business.

Maple Leaf Pilgrim: My point was that one shouldn't go out a buy a vest without at least understanding how it will affect your LB ability. As for Mars bars, I was always more of a fan of Big turks..

Anyone ever bought from this company? I remember watching a program on them several years back. They are known for there clothing line which is bullet proof to small calibre firearms. The Owner personally wears the line, and takes shots to show its ability. Essentially looks like everyday wear from casual to business suits. Slight weight increase.

Pricey..but perhaps an option if weight/physical ability is a concern?

http://miguelcaballero.com/en/

Maple Leaf Pilgrim: My point was that one shouldn't go out a buy a vest without at least understanding how it will affect your LB ability. As for Mars bars, I was always more of a fan of Big turks..

...

Then why didn't you say so?

-S.