Wore the Testudo II around for about an hour.
It hurts my legs.
It does occur that if I lost about 100 lb. then put the armor on, I'd be about 80 lb. easier on my legs than I am now without armor.
As is typical with body armor, it interferes with getting the stock mounted and the sights aligned. Even the stylish squared up stance which puts the armor where it does the most good.
That might just mean I need to figure out how to mount the gun, but it's irritating.
At present it looks like the armor will have the ammo, because it's an ammo carrier first like most chest rigs, on the vest and the sundries will keep living in the 5.11 Tactical Purse where they can actually be reached.
That is, when I am going to wear the armor, otherwise the ammo will stay in the purse as the this is still the grab bag.
It boils down to "how much time do I have to get ready to repel boarders/looters?"
An alternative to the purse that works with the armor is a "battle belt" but I am skeptical of a belt carrying all that loot without suspenders. There might be a way to tie the belt to the vest, but I'm not seeing it from a cursory search.
I can easily see a situation where I have more than one set of "go-gear" depending on how much time presents itself. I kind of have this going on already.
The home defense rifle has a single mag in it and that's what gets grabbed in the least amount of prep time scenarios. Grabbing the purse would require a couple minutes. Grabbing and donning the vest even longer.
The idea of static vs dynamic defense was mentioned in comments.
I'm old, fat and crippled. Static is kind of the default. Notice what I said up top about weight, I HAVE 100 lb. of lard that could be lost. That should be lost. The crippled part of the equation makes that very hard.
I also have to keep reminding myself that the main reason for getting this was because Charles Schumer said it needed to be regulated or banned. It's the same reason that I want banned features on as many guns as I can reasonably get and am eternally disappointed that not every one of them possesses ALL of the verboten features.
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If your home defense rifle is an AR-15, it isn't hard to make a duplex magazine using a pencil and 100mileanhour tape. Gives you a little bit of an edge, I reckon.
ReplyDeleteI used the technique at the link: https://westernrifleshooters.wordpress.com/2010/09/18/bracken-in-praise-of-duplexed-ar-mags/
What? No tacticool head bucket to add 5-15lbs?
ReplyDeleteIn a static defense, having the ammo and other heavy stuff in a grab-bag rig rather than dangling off of you is an option. Well, be nice to have a bag with 6-12 extra mags in it anyways.
But in most home defense scenarios, 2-3 mags will be fine. If you have to battle-armor up, well, that's kind of not most scenarios. I really don't see where you'd be doing run-and-gun for more than 1-2 house distances anyways, so weight, though sucky, isn't really a big factor.
Wearing the stuff while doing normal chores will be a great way to get your body used to it. Just don't re-injure yourself.
As to buying stuff because it makes some people's heads hurt? I so understand that. Every time I hear someone whine about Gun Larping it makes me want to get one of those leg-strapped holsters like the SWAT guys wear. And the urge to bunker-armor up, full Level III with some Level IV stuff, including neck, shoulder, upper arm, thigh armour (a full 3/4 suit of Level III) and some tacticool grieves and vambraces, comes up regularly (yes, including the helmet and tactical hockey mask) just because someone says I shouldn't have them.
Wouldn't mind a Gatling, either. One of those Colt Bulldogs in .45-70 would be nice. And, of course, the money to feed the little darling, too. All because I keep getting told by know-it-alls that Gatlings are fully automatic machine guns (no, they aren't, they are a collection of semi-automatic guns twirling around a common center..)
This coming election is going to be interesting, both state-wide and nation-wide.
Someplace around here I have my old kevlar helmet...
DeleteI'd love to see the neighbors laughing at me if I wore my Testudo while mowing the lawn.
When I first started SCA fighting, I did helmet padding testing by wearing the helmet while on a riding lawnmower and hitting all the low branches.
DeleteOkay, I admit it, I'm weird...
We all have to make those 'choices'...
ReplyDeleteIt doubles as an exercise weight vest, but will probably get strange looks when you go out for walks. Maybe you can wear something baggy over it.
ReplyDeleteJust a couple of weeks ago I saw a guy jogging in my neighborhood in Houston, wearing a plate carrier. Shorts and running shoes, so it definitely looked like a conditioning tool. Saw another guy fastwalking with a very tactical vest on the week before. There are some folks around here taking conditioning seriously.
ReplyDeleteI bought the version of that carrier without the side armor. I haven't worn it with the hard plates, just the soft and the trauma pads. It's pretty heavy and stiff just with those.
Don't forget to get some shirts and jackets that are a couple of sizes too big so you can wear a cover garment if you want to. Goodwill has lots to choose from. Think of it like buying pants a size bigger so you can carry IWB comfortably.
nick
Uh... I don't think they make a couple of sizes bigger than me...
DeleteFor the sound of someone in or breaking in, just grab your favored firearm. For a disturbance in the yard, field or neighborhood, use a grab or battle bag. The one I use is made by USPeacekeeper. It has two interior pockets, one in back that hold a pistol, in my case a G19. The main pocket is a "golden minute" trama kit. Out side pockets hold two G17 mags, four 30 rd AR mags, and a pocket for your radio.
ReplyDelete