How To Store Body Armor

After purchasing a set of body armor, some individuals might have the question on how to store their new body armor, or even how to care for it. Doing these two individual tasks are essential for body armor since it can possibly increase the longevity of the armor, help the durability of it, and overall make the armor more reliable for when the time comes that you wish to use it. But, how does one go about storing and caring for their own body armor?

The Basics of Body Armor Upkeep

Let’s start off by covering the basics of how to care for your armor. Normally, the basic body armor has the following components: A front and back carrier, front and back ballistic panels, soft trauma insert, and shoulder/waist straps. A good way to become more comfortable with understanding and knowing your body armor would be to view it on a purchasable website, for example:http://americanarmorassociation.com/. This website has a large selection of different handmade bulletproof vest that will help you become accustomed to how the armor should look. The first task that should be done with new and old body armor is to check to see if the vest is adjusted to your current body size. When the time comes to use the vest, wasting time is not an option. Always have your vest preset for the best comfort and fit. After this, check to see if there are any tears, frays, or scuffs that appear on the armors outer surface. Tend to these defects as needed, but remember that all body armor is different. Depending on the make, it can be advised not to patch these problem areas.

After the minor exterior issues have been found, noted, and taken care of, we will move onto the actual plate that will go inside the body armor. First, you would want to lay the armor down on a flat surface to allow for easier handling. After, you will remove the plate from the front/back panel and place it on a cloth to avoid scratching/damaging the surface of the plate and anything that you might be working on. It is recommended to use a damp cloth to wipe away any grime or smudges that are covering your armors plate, however, you will want to stay away from cleaning products as they may cause deterioration of the plates outer exterior, thus weakening the plates effectiveness. After you have finished wiping over the problem areas, you will want to take a dry cloth and slowly dab any wet spots that remain on the plate. When the plate is dry, reinsert it back into your body armor panels and prepare to store it away.

The Basics of Storing Body Armor

When storing your body armor, there are two big factors that everyone should be cautious of:water and ultraviolet light (UV light which comes from the sun). An adequate location to store your bodyarmor would be an area that is away from moister, humidity and light. Purchasing a chest to lock your armor away in would be an adequate idea, however if you have a dresser that you can place the armor within, this will work fine as well. So long as light and moisture cannot reach the armor, it will be considered stored away correctly.

Care and proper storage for body armor is essential to helping increase the longevity of the armors useful life. By simply taking a few minutes every two to three weeks to make sure that the proper care is being given towards your body armor can make large differences towards healthy body armor and damaged armor. So, in the end, take around 20 minutes to do the tasks mentioned above and save yourself struggles and money in the future.

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— Alexander W. Fowler