Originally Posted by
Rex G
Reckoning that the trunk of a vehicle might as well be a thousand miles away, when lead is flying, I made the commitment to wear a Mayflower carrier with IIIA front, side, and rear panels, with Level III/IV ICW plates, for the entire shift, each work day. The front and rear IIIA soft armor panels were 10x12” SAPI sized, to match the plates, which was, of course, meant a bit less total coverage than my issued soft Level II armor, but I reckoned that the dramatically better level of ballistic protection, front and rear, and having IIIA side coverage, was a valid trade-off.
My aging knees certainly felt the increased weight, and, after about six months, my back was really starting to feel it, too, though the long hours during and after Hurricane Harvey probably contributed to it.
The whole experiment ended after about nine months, when I elected to retire in early 2018, rather than late 2018 or early 2019. (I will still use this armor when checking my in-laws’ land for trespassers, who tend to bring hunting rifles with them.)