http://www.redferret.net/?p=25638

closest thing in SR is the body armor bag in Arsenal.

well, hell. Checking the company that makes them reveals this:

http://www.bulletproofvestshop.com/product...-Bag-Black.html

Given the upheaval in the middle east, i may start looking into getting myself one and some handguns to go with it.

There's a lot of concealed wear armor vests that provide the same level of protection.

vests do not cover your face and arms. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/spin.gif)

K, there are separate armour pieces for that, too.
The briefcase doesn't even cover your torso reliably.

I almost bought a set of bulletproof luggage a few years bag. My gf thought it was pretty silly, if there were terrorists at the airport, not getting holes in our clothing would be the least of our worries...

Yes my dear, the bulletproofing is for the clothing (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Which might need a license, probably not allowed to go on a plane, might give you annoying attention at security, and is inconvenient to wear.

By comparison, bulletproof luggage has almost no downsides.

Whether the armour needs a license or is allowed on a plane depends on the country you're in (and I believe the case will raise questions, too).
And it's certainly less inconvenient to wear than a briefcase with similar added weight (and in fact, I believe the added weight would be heavier than the vest since the briefcase aims to cover your whole silhouette), same way as it's easier to wear certain weight in a well-fit backpack than in a briefcase.
Also, wearing personal armour is certainly less inconvenient than eating a stray bullet because you weren't fast enough to take cover behind the armour unrolled from the case or because it ricocheted and hit you from the wrong direction.

I've heard of Kevlar Backpacks being suggested for schoolchildren.

And one Gun Control Group demonstrated the "Protective Ability" of school textbooks to encourage "Gun Free School Zones" in Colleges and Universities.

Guess so, seems the company also makes armored clothing (their jeans jacket makes me think of the old SR standby that i keep adding my characters).

Kevlar is pretty worthless without a plate. A single high powered (.40, .45, .357, .41, etc) round to center mass will result in catastrophic blunt trauma if all your wearing in kevlar. I'm talking broken/cracked ribs and massive bruise. This is because the kevlar will keep the bullet out of your fleshy bits, but will not slow down or spread the impact than a couple of inches. The reason is to pass the test, the armor can allow the round to penetrate no more than 7mm.

Class IIIA should be what your going for if you want good pistol protection. Get one that is also certified for stab protection.

Broken ribs and massive bruise is still better than a bullet hole.

Also, are there class III concealed wear vests?

Very true, but most people use a 9mm. The plate also makes the vest a little less concealable as it's more rigid and bulky than just the vest. A very loose shirt would help with that, but that provides hand grips for hand-to-hand combat (A bigger concern when firearms aren't as available or likely.). Checks and balances I guess.

I thought the .45 ACP had a bit of an issue with penetration due to low velocity. The TDI Vector gets around this by rate of fire, doesn't it? Or am I thinking old brass and powder here?

Re: .45 ACP Pen.

I believe in Norway several lend-lease tommy guns were having problems due to all the heavy winter clothes that people were wearing (granted, this is when heavy winter clothes meant tens of pounds of wool and fabric, not a gortex shell), to the point where at longer ranges some of the rounds didn't even penetrate, and at shorter range they were substantially less "knockem dead .45"

The .30 Carbine round bounced off of winter coats at 150-200-yards. Of course, it's a pistol round fired from a carbine barrel, and wasn't really designed for such type of shooting.

And, having a Swiss Army Surplus Mountain Greatcoat from the '50s or '60s (15-20 Pounds of Canvas and Fur!), I can certainly see how it would be good as armor.

Note use of gambesons and similar padded armors in the late medieval to renaissance era. Not much more than wool and linnen, but they'll dissipate quite a bit of blunt force.

And silk for use against arrowheads and early pistols... Yeah, you got penetrated, but it didn't go far inside, and you just pulled on the shirt and *POP*, so you don't have festering clothing in the wound, either.

I assume your unique perspective comes from not living in the West, where people don't routinely wear body armor, and not really understanding the issues of convenience, which has much less to do with weight than bulk and heat.

Oh of course it's much more convenient to haul a heavy, and, what's worse, useless, case with you at all times than wear concealed armour if you're as worried about your security as
suggests.
Also, protip: concealed armour is called concealed for a reason.

Fatum, look at the facts. I have no chance of getting a license for body armor, even if i did it wouldn't allow me to wear it in an airport in a foreign country, and concealable armor really isn't concealable under my typical vacation uniform which is a t-shirt, and this weight issue you keep bringing up with bullet proof luggage really is non-existant, and the usefulness of a luggage shield is obvious.

But hey, keep on trying to convince people to wear body armor when flying. It's hilarious (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

There are class III concealed vest on the market. Also the .45 ACP rounds used today tend to have noticeably greater ft-lbs of energy. The 200 grain XTP +P rounds I use in my carry weapon have roughly a third more power then classic ball rounds. Even current 230 grain ball rounds pack 5~6% more energy. Also light plates are normally only 1~2mm thick and don't effect the concealability of a vest. They do however add weight. The choice comes down to are you willing to trade taking more damage if your ever shot for the lighter carry weight.

To use SR terms, class III armor is just barely enough to keep the heavier pistol rounds in the stun (extensive bruises) rather than lethal (broken bones) range.

Glue books to the inside! Make it more penetration-resistant, while giving yourself and any possible assailant something to read as well. Suggested reading would be the Little Book of Calm.

Where did I say anything about wearing it specifically when flying? Maybe about wearing on vacations? Are you arguing with yourself again?
Try to haul a 6 kg briefcase with you at all times. It only seems to be light for the first fifteen minutes, this I am saying from experience.
And no, usefulness of a 175 by 40 cm shield that covers you from one side is hardly obvious, minding that as a bystander you're mostly getting ricochets anyway.

IIRC, the development of the .38 round in the 20's was in response to the lackluster penetration of the .45 ACP. Police used to carry 1911's and could not take down mobsters who were wearing WW1-surplus flak jackets. The .38 had enough velocity to penetrate, and further research on stopping power gave rise to the .357.

I was very sad today when i asked one of my SWAT buddies if you could even obtain a license for Class III (or any body armor for that matter) in CA... he said its super illegal, and if you get caught with it, your ass is going to jail. I really hate CA sometimes, I know you can have it in AZ, had to leave my damned SKS and class 3 wpns there when I left (IMG:style_emoticons/default/frown.gif) .

What the hell are you doing in Kalifornia? When I read it split off to become it's own nation-state, I chalked that up as GOOD news.

I read an interesting article about a 'home-made' ballistic vest. They reproduced kevlar using something like silicone gel mixed in with... ceramic chips? I can't remember. I always wanted to test it, and it sounds reasonable to me. Price should be under $200, but definitely hotter and heavier than the real thing (and still not class III).