I have never had to wear body armor, but coincidently, I was about to purchase some.
Having trained/taught defensive shooting for over 15 years now and being a devout concealed carrier, it seems to make sense to train with and wear a vest at least in certain circumstances. Particularly as most defensive shooting techniques taught today assume a stance appropriate for body armor. Also, for those occasions where one cant legally CC (concerts or Garlic festivals for instance), it would be nice not to feel totally naked in an unknown crowd should another ‘event’ like El Paso occur.
I am looking at some things online, mainly soft, Kevlar, level IIIa or IIIa+ with the pockets for ceramic plates as an option, but with the idea in mind that this, like the CC, is covert and not obvious (not outer wear). So most wear would probably be without plates, but I could range train both with and without.
Appreciate any input/product suggestions from operators or people with experience using this.
You really do not want to walk around all day in the heat wearing body armor. Prickly heat rash can be brutal. And the chances that you are going to end up near a shooting are nil. If you have already seen a mass shooting event...the chances of being in another are less than nil.