Imagine yourself in the line of fire and wearing some loose ballistic vest. It will not only distract you but may even give you further discomfort from what you are already are carrying. Body armor plates inserts are already hefty and you don’t want to bother yourself with another thing, right? Plus, you are going to wear this for eight hours straight or even more when duty calls.
In order to obtain your proper fit, figure out what and where you will use the vest. How often will you be using it? Are you going drive a lot, or bend, kneel, or lift? Are you on foot patrol, sprinting, or running? Can you easily and quickly get a hold of your weapon if placed on a belt? Etc., etc…
Try to go over your daily activities to understand and further have an overview of what you really do. Sometimes our work becomes so routinary that you don’t exactly know what your job is. Therefore, before you order your body armor plates, take the measurement of your torso and chest. Ask someone to do it for you. Start with the circumference of your torso and chest, then the distance of your clavicle, that is half inch above your duty belt; and for the back part, measure from the neck to just above your duty belt. Do this while standing. You must also get the measurement of your torso seated. Lastly, starting from your clavicle, run the tape measure down to just above your duty belt.
When the vest arrives, try it on right away. Make sure to try it with your duty belt. See how it feels; is it comfortable, to heavy or to tight? Don’t forget to adjust the shoulder and the torso straps. The right fit will be the vest should be just above your duty belt in front and in your back. Then try to reenact your work activities. Go to your car, move around, just do what you always do. Then find out if you are comfortable with your vest. How’s the fit of your gear and belt? Do some jogging, bending and lifting. Then lastly put on your uniform. Does it fit over your vest and tuck your shirt? If you feel comfortable with your duty belt along with your vest and uniform then you just got the perfect fit for yourself.
This is the importance of ensuring that your armor plates and vest are a perfect fit.
