BulletBlocker clothing?

[Abbey]

https://www.bulletblocker.com/fortressfleece.html

Anyone have first or second hand info about this company and their products? Or similar brands?

I’m curious about pairing something like this with a laptop backpack with IIIA panel for a bit of extra protection in low risk environments. In a higher risk scenario, I’d GTFO and/or prefer real armor with rifle plates. But I don’t need full armor in my day job so wondering if something like this is worth it for extra insurance.

I’m wondering how well it works as an actual fleece (is it decent Arc’teryx like quality or look like a homemade fleece), and how it drapes with the added weight of the panel - particularly if you opt for the full wrap.

 

[Crippledtrigger]

I've been looking a buying a couple sheets of the surplus bank hardening materials they put behind teller stations. They come in 4 x 8 sheets and are rated from level 2 up thru rifle rated. You can find them for a couple hundred bucks a sheet and then cut custom back pack liners and sell seperate and make a shit load of money.

My problem is weight for full sheets and getting it home . I found 6 sheets of the rifle stuff for 400 bucks. You could easily get 3 grand a sheet by just cutting rifle plate sizes.

Just a thought. And completely useless as an answer to your question. Sorry

 

[QuietM4]

No thanks. The bullet may not kill you, but the massive blunt force trauma and blood clots have a pretty good chance.

I carry a IIIA panel in my backpack I constantly travel with. It's not a perfect solution, but it is simple. TSA friendly and light...I forget it's in the bag most of the time.

Jesus Tap Dancing Christ, I just saw the price...$800. Nope.

 

[Abbey]

QuietM4, what panels do you use in your backpack? That might be a good option as I could use any pack. And no TSA hassle? Even in CA? I fly to San Jose or SFO regularly.

DuckDuckGo-ing this today (dammit, that just doesn’t work as well as saying “google”), there seems to be a lot of talk about bullet resistant clothing in the last couple years but most of the products I see are expensive, cheap looking, or both. Or gimmicky like designer looking suits with panels sewn in. I’ll pay for a quality product but just haven’t found anything that meets all of my requirements.

And what is up with lifestyle products that try to look tacti-cool? If I wanted a bug-out bag with molle on every exposed square inch, I’d buy a real gear bag. I want a work laptop bag and jacket to fly under the radar and not make someone call HR because they think I’m hiding guns at work.

 

[QuietM4]

I think a lot of those "bullet resistant" clothing co's are just taking advantage of people who don't know about the armor world. I spent a few years in the design/mfg of tactical armor products for MIL/LE and civilian, and a lot of those companies use the cheapest material available. I get suspicious when the website won't show a photo of the "ballistic insert", or what part of the torso it covers.

My IIIa panel is from Armor Express. I've used a lot of their product in the past, and it's top notch. It's a Seraph soft armor custom cut into a 10x12" panel (it was part of a custom order, they don't offer it as a product). I carry it in a Arc'Tyrx Blade 20 backpack...it wasn't designed to carry armor, but the backpack happens to have a zippered compartment that houses a rigid panel that gives the backpack it's shape, and the panel fits perfectly.

There are plenty of other products that make what you seek...just make sure they list the panel as "NIJ 0101.04" standards...any NIJ certified IIIa panel will protect up to 44 magnum. There are a lot of "backpack panels" on the market.

I've never had an issue with the TSA. Their own website says it's OK to travel with armor. I've only been questioned twice about it...most x-ray operators don't even notice it's in the bag. It x-ray's the same as a pad of paper...it's really just a bunch of fabric pressed together.

Check out Life Safe.

 

[thom]

AR-500, in Phoenix, has backpacks that has a space for their armor.

 

[Ranger1]

I remember back in the day we would do force on force and my ar500 plates were the best. Live ammo hitting you will definitely wake you up.

 

[XNARC]

I saw a few Oakley backpacks fitted with stab and ballistic panels on Botach Tactical for under a hundred bucks

https://www.botach.com/oakley-enduro-20l-2-0-backpacks-w-battle-steel-level-iiia-ballistic-flexible-panel/

 

[Suck My Glock]

Jeez,...30 years ago, when I was attending college, I just bought a used LAPD vest at the gun show, pulled the panel out from the carrier, placed it in the back pocket of my soft-sided briefcase that I took to classes. In a pinch, just use your arm to clutch it to your front while drawing the pistol from within,...nothing fancy and just $30 bucks.