Powersports Armored Vests
Body armor is a crucial part of safety gear that is often underestimated. Many riders think that careful riding can prevent lots of accidents, and this is true, however, body armor can save your life in an emergency situation. Such safety gear as an armored vest, roost deflector or roost guard is a must-have equipment you should not drive without if you want to keep the most vital areas of your body protected from serious injuries in the event of a crash. The right armored vest will ensure great impact and abrasion protection for your chest and back in case of an accident.
An armored vest is designed to fit over your torso and can be worn over a shirt or sweatshirt. Engineered to protect both the front and back of your body, it leaves other parts of your body like arms and shoulders uncovered for a more comfortable driving experience. Besides, an armored vest features special vents to keep you cool in hot weather conditions. Along with optimal coverage, they make the armored vest an ideal solution for summer riding. It can be also used all year round, providing the perfect mix of protection and comfort.
An armored vest can make a difference to the safety of your driving experience, however, its efficiency depends on the way it fits. To allow your vest to do its job properly in the event of a crash or fall, it must sit tightly on your torso, yet not restrict your movements. To ensure that, most armored vests come with straps that can be adjusted to achieve the right fitment. The straps are equipped with special fasteners, which makes it easier and faster to secure the armored vest and allow you to take it off in less than no time when you’re off the vehicle.
Today’s market offers plenty of armored vest styles that differ in color, design, etc. However, with this variety of models, all of them have the same basic construction which consists of a hard outer cover, impact-absorbing layer, and inner lining. The outer shell is usually made of special plastic or other lightweight materials that are durable enough to withstand the impact of a crash and protect your chest and back from a serious injury. The second layer is impact-absorbing foam that redistributes the impact to reduce its effect on your body, while the soft inner lining is for your comfort only.
Just like other powersports body armor available on the market, armored vests can be certified to different standards. They vary from country to country, although, there are several basic international standards an armored vest should meet. In the United States they are determined by DOT regulations, whereas, European countries use another certification, which says that powersports body armor should be CE approved. The latter one is considered to be the most popular international standard, which is why even if your armored vest doesn’t have a CE-approved label, most likely it is engineered and designed with this standard in mind.
