The rising numbers of public and school shootings have everyone worried. Parents are especially worried, as policymakers and security personnel fail to develop a reliable system for the protection of our children when they are at school.
In the midst of this chaos, many parents have taken the protection of their children into their own hands, and many manufacturers are making body armor backpacks and other protective gear that could make a huge difference in such dangerous situations. So, today we are going to talk about this growing concern. Now, we understand that talking about this issue can be difficult. Even imagining that your child is in danger can make you lose your mind, however, we are going to try to be practical. Unlike others, instead of getting into politics, we are going to talk about effective ways that could help you better protect your children.
The benefits of having your child wear a bulletproof backpack
Now children can’t wear bulletproof vests for life protection at schools. It would have a devastating impact on their minds and would be a massive failure for us as a society if our children had to wear body armor to school. However, with the current situation, there is one way that parents can protect their children without making them stand out, or worrying them too much.
This is where bulletproof backpacks come in. Instead of wearing body armor vests at school, children can carry simple-looking backpacks, which also have ballistic inserts in them to protect your child from getting shot. These backpacks can have multiple benefits.
Firstly, and most importantly, they can protect your child in case they get shot at. Most backpacks will only offer protection from the back, however, that is alright because, in a school shooting situation, children are going to be running away from the shooter and are more likely to be shot in the back. Some backpacks also have rapid deploy panels for front protection.
Secondly, these backpacks allow your children to have body armor, without making them stand out. This is very important because it can be difficult for kids to adjust to social environments where they stand out from their peers.
Lastly, these backpacks are also very comfortable and lightweight. Most bulletproof backpacks use lightweight level IIIa soft armor panels that are light and flexible. In fact, if you don’t tell them, your kind won’t even know that they are wearing body armor.
How does backpack soft armor work in action
The soft body armor inserts used inside a bulletproof vest or backpack are made from Aramid Fibers like Kevlar. Kevlar can stop bullets because of its high tensile strength, which means that you need a massive amount of energy to even slightly stretch these fibers.
To make backpack soft body armor, these fibers are tightly woven together to create Kevlar fabric, multiple sheets of which are then tightly stacked to make a ballistic panel. When a bullet hits these sheets, the Kevlar fibers absorb all of its energy and distribute it over the entire panel, which prevents the bullet from penetrating the body armor and your body.
Smaller caliber bullets that are moving very fast have a better chance of defeating body armor, as they can focus a lot of energy on a very small point, and hence rip through the Kevlar fibers. This is why Kevlar doesn’t work against rifle calibers, however, level IIIa kevlar vests offer excellent and reliable protection against pistol calibers.
RAPID DEPLOY SCHOOL BACKPACK
The Rapid Deploy School backpack is specifically designed to help you ensure your childs protection. With the ability to transform from a backpack to a bulletproof vest, with customizable and removable panels to fit any body type, this pack has more options than ever before.
Made from high quality materials, with comfort and practicality in mind, the Rapid Deploy School Backpack has a 35L capacity, with Mutiple small pockets for water bottles, pencil cases, lunchboxes, and anything else your child may need at school.
What goes inside?
As we have mentioned before, bulletproof backpacks and other kinds of soft body armor have Kevlar body armor panels inside them. So, what is Kevlar?
Kevlar is an extremely strong and heat-resistant synthetic fiber that was developed by a company named DuPont. The polymer owes its high strength to the many inter-chain bonds, which give it a tensile strength almost 10x stronger than steel on an equal weight basis.
These Kevlar fibers are tightly woven to make Kevlar fabric, and multiple layers of this fabric are stacked on top of each other to make a body armor panel that goes inside a bulletproof backpack.
Does body armor expire?
Yes, if you are buying a bulletproof backpack for your child, it is important to know that body armor does come with an expiration date. Over time, the kevlar fibers inside the body armor panels can start to eventually degrade. as it is worn regularly, and exposed to sweat and heat, the body armor fibers can lose their strength and start to stretch.
So, how long does body armor last? well, the expiration dates of different bulletproof vests can depend on the body armor’s manufacturer. Some ballistic vests may have a longer shelf life than others, and if you take proper care of your protective gear, you can even extend the shelf life of your body armor. In general, if not exposed to direct sunlight, UV light, or excessive moisture, level IIIa bulletproof vest panels can have a shelf life of up to 5 years.
Expired body armor does still retain some effectiveness since the degradation process of the body armor can happen at different rates, however, you wouldn’t want to rely on an expired vest in a life-or-death situation.
How much protection will backpack body armor actually offer
Any bulletproof backpack will offer ballistic protection according to the ballistic panels inserted in it. Now, you can use all kinds of soft and hard armor ballistic inserts in a bulletproof backpack however, heavier ballistic plates can be quite impractical. They are heavy and designed to stop rifle rounds, whereas children in school are more likely to face pistol threats.
Therefore, most bulletproof backpacks have soft, level IIIa armor inserts, which can stop almost all popular handgun rounds up to a .44 magnum and prevent severe bodily harm.