Kilts with Body Armor

[Riverkilt]

Biting my tongue about the politics of American boys being in Iraq.

The fact is they are.

Watched "Over There" last night and had an idea.

G.I.s now have body armor for their torso.

Why not their bits and legs too?

How difficult would it be to insert body armor panels in pockets inside a kilt apron and kilt pleats? Maybe a kilt like the Union Kilts leather with Roman type panels.

Something to improve the odds of protection and deflection from bullets and IED shrapnel.

Yet still with enough freedom to allow them to run and flop to the ground as needed.

Would have to be flexible enough to let them sit too.

Thought I'd read where the technology of body armor was soft enough now to allow that flexibility.

Looking for function, not beauty.

Any experts out there that can enhance this baby idea?

Ron

[Jimmy Carbomb]

Not difficult to make at all... but a little much for the "real world" over here!

You find some nut over there that's willing to wear it, and find me a source for the material needed, and I'll do it! I'll buy it all, of course, but I don't have the time to track down the stuff.

I keep picturing Clint Eastwood with his pancho, and the cast iron lid strung over his chest!:-D

[Shay]

I've worn some body armour- and I think that 'soft enough to move' materials wouldn't quite work if the material was just hanging.

Think of it like chain mail- it won't really stop a projectile unless there's something to hold it in place, and the hanging portion of a kilt would basically be carried along the bullet or shrapnel's trajectory after a short length.

You can read a little more about soft armour here. I'm just following a train of thought here, I know that's not what you meant.

Hard armour pieces are just that- hard. The take the impact into themselves and shatter or disperse it over their area. They are heavy, I believe made of ceramic, and need to be pretty thick. There is, as far as I know, no bullet-stopping body armour that bends. (Technically, Kevlar slows bullets because it bends to absorb the momentum) I vaguely remember the armour I had to wear was an inch or so thick, counting the covering fabric. And hot as hell.

However, if like you say- a gladiator-type skirting could be comprised of hard armour pieces held together with Kevlar 'joints' that would work except for the problem of cutting into the troop's legs- the hard parts would have to be perfectly tailored to each soldier (yeah, that's happening sometime soon) so when they sit, squat, and run, they're not catching the edges on the back of their knees. I guess it could be done on a one-to-one basis, but you'd need special machinery to sew the Kevlar fabric that would make the cost prohibitive.

By the way- body armour does have a spot over the family jewels for both men and women. Which chafes like hell for the fellas, but better that than... let's just say it's better to chafe.

That's my thoughts, anyway. Take them for what they're worth.

(PS- There are American girls there, too)

[Rigged]

The ancient Roman soldiers wore a skirt made with leather panels to deflect swords and arrows.

Kevlar panels worn over, under, or built into a kilt might work. I suspect that such an outfit might be more practical than BDU trousers in some war-fighting situations.

[davedove]

While the flexible panels might stop penetration of a bullet, depending on the material, it would do absolutely nothing for the impact. As Shay was saying, part of the function of the armor is to disperse the impact over a greater area. So, while this is an interesting concept, I don't feel it would be at all practical.

[Archangel]

What a fascinating discussion.
I started thinking of Samurai type panel but Shay "hard" experience serves to outline the evolution of armour. We're not talking about slash and cut primarily but projectile. History shows that as that technology developed so did armour to the body plates as noted.
However, history shows us that lo-tech should always be kept in mind. The Florida natives quickly learned that flint arrows fired into breastplates did just as much damage when the shrapnel flew up and under the gorge and helmet. In that light, the original post may have value. Would there be a value in an armoured kilt of some sort to minimize the lo-tech booby trap damage? Its purpose would not be to protect against any firepower.

[Doc Hudson]

, but you'd need special machinery to sew the Kevlar fabric

Actually, an ordinary sewing machine can be used to sew Kevlar fabric, up the the thickness limitations of the machine. The needles pierce the weave, not the actual filaments.

The problem come in with the thickness of layers. Most kevlar vests have at least a dozen layers, and go far up the scale to an inch or more, like the one you wore. I think any industrial sewing machine capable of sewing that thickness would do the job.

[Shay]

Oh! I just know if we ripped the suit somehow, it had to be sent out special. Good to know! Maybe I'll make myself a Kevlar bra for really cold days.

[Doc Hudson]

Oh! I just know if we ripped the suit somehow, it had to be sent out special. Good to know! Maybe I'll make myself a Kevlar bra for really cold days.

Be sure to put a tartan cover on it. That kevlar might be a tad scratchy on tender skin.

[Sir Robert]

Davedove was saying that soft armor does not soften the blow, au contrare mes ami.

Soft armor catches the bullet and transfers a huge percentage of the energy 90 degrees to the line of flight by bunching up. Imagine throwing a softball at a sheet on the close line drying. No matter how hard you throw that ball it uses up its energy puckering up the sheet. Now make it 12 sheets. See what I mean?

What you may not see on TV is the "NUTGUARD" on the body armor. In Iraq it is there. The nutguard is an upsidedown tombstone shaped kevlar flap that hangs down in front to the knees. It is in fact the front half of an armored kilt.