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Ladies Forum A place for our female Calgunners to discuss, share and interact without the 'excess attention' sometimes found in online forums.

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  #1  
Old 12-18-2012, 7:48 AM
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Default Body armor question

Ok, I'm going to ask this here and *hopefully* sidestep the more neanderthal responses along the line of "herp derp we need pics durr". I'm looking into body armor, and figured I'd better look for the GF as well. Here's the 'problem.' She's rather busty, what does one do in this situation? Snug sports bra and vest over that, or does anybody make one with cups? To get everything secured inside a vest she'd end up looking like a keg, I'm sure; appearance aside the issue would be that I doubt she'd have much mobility.

Any advice? I'm talking farther down the alphabet than "D" here.
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  #2  
Old 12-18-2012, 7:53 AM
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That made me laugh pretty good. I was looking into the same info with little result. Kinda like trying to find a motorcycle jacket (wife is short as well as an F).
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Old 12-18-2012, 8:38 AM
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Armor manufacturers make armor for female LEOs, I'd start with a call to one of them.

Good luck
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  #4  
Old 12-18-2012, 8:42 AM
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Depending on just how busty she is, plate armor might not be an option. Soft armor would be able to conform to her shape a bit, but would offer far less protection.

Are you looking at plates or just a kevlar weave? Safariland makes the Savvy line, which is specifically formed for women.

EDIT: If you go with plates, you can just get a carrier that's big enough to fit over her breasts and add foam padding to the midsection. That should make the plate lay flat.

Last edited by db42; 12-18-2012 at 8:46 AM..
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  #5  
Old 12-18-2012, 8:50 AM
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Gentlemen, I am here to tell you, as an F cup, what you seek is nearly impossible to find for either armor or riding gear. I ride sportbikes and the gear that is out there for women is either a man's gear just in a smaller size or womens gear geared toward 90lb models who probably don't know how to ride. I had to go custom made.
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  #6  
Old 12-18-2012, 9:09 AM
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Originally Posted by Bugguts View Post
Gentlemen, I am here to tell you, as an F cup, what you seek is nearly impossible to find for either armor or riding gear. I ride sportbikes and the gear that is out there for women is either a man's gear just in a smaller size or womens gear geared toward 90lb models who probably don't know how to ride. I had to go custom made.
Would it be possible to wear a men's size and insert memory foam into the carrier to make it fit more flush? IE: Pad the wearer's midsection to compensate for her breast size and flatten everything a bit?
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  #7  
Old 12-18-2012, 10:27 AM
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Originally Posted by db42 View Post
Would it be possible to wear a men's size and insert memory foam into the carrier to make it fit more flush? IE: Pad the wearer's midsection to compensate for her breast size and flatten everything a bit?
Uh uh, no way. My midsection needs no further padding, trust me on this. LOL
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  #8  
Old 12-18-2012, 8:54 AM
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On my last department most of the female officers went braless under their soft body armor. They told me that it was just more comfortable over a 10+ hour shift.

The supplier did supply soft body armor with contours to accommodate female body shapes, but my partners told me the fit was less than optimal for comfort during a long shift
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  #9  
Old 12-18-2012, 9:45 AM
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That sounds pretty impractical. Plus memory foam gets pretty warm, ever tried one of the pillows? I wake up soaked if I sleep on one.
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  #10  
Old 12-18-2012, 11:57 AM
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Originally Posted by billofrights View Post
That sounds pretty impractical. Plus memory foam gets pretty warm, ever tried one of the pillows? I wake up soaked if I sleep on one.
It doesn't need to be "memory foam" - whatever kind of foam or padding would be comfortable.

I just figure that will be more comfortable than having the plate carrier bounce against your stomach as you walk.
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  #11  
Old 12-18-2012, 3:38 PM
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I have a friend who's a retired cop who ran into this problem, and she ended up having to have a custom vest made. It wasn't cheap, but they were able to make it relatively comfortable.

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  #12  
Old 12-19-2012, 8:29 AM
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When I was a FTO, I had several female trainees grapple with this issue. Two of them were rather busty(one naturally and the other...not so much). The less endowed females just wore male patterned soft body armor. The two more endowed officers wore female patterned soft armor, such as this: http://www.safariland.com/BodyArmor/...ody-Armor.aspx

I can't claim to be an expert in these matters but I recall an eyebrow lifting lunch, where these two busty officers traded experiences and insight, while I did my best to mind my own business. The two definately agreed that finding the right bra was very important for managing conform levels under the soft armor. Neither liked sports bra because of breathe ability issues. The naturally busty officer said that a push up bra was critical to make sure she fit it the right spot in the contour of the female style soft armor. The officer with implants said she had better luck with some sort of adhesive cups that are designed for support while wearing strapless dresses.

It was an eye opening conversation but all in all, I was happier when the topic moved to fitting ankle holsters.
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  #13  
Old 12-20-2012, 2:15 AM
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Can plates be made in shapes other than flat? Maybe this would be a decent niche market to get into? Why couldn't you make formed plates and carriers?

I'm envisioning something along the lines of a spaghetti strap tank top my wife has. The cups are foam and preformed. Her boobs just fit inside, and if she was too small for it, they would maintain there shape, she just wouldn't fill them. If that makes sense. So why not make carriers and plates in this manner? I don't see why you couldn't make women specific armor, just like they do clothing.

Is there just not enough demand? Wouldn't be profitable?

P.S. Not sure how I ended up in the women's forum. Sorry for butting in ladies.
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  #14  
Old 12-20-2012, 6:26 AM
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My wife got hers at bulletproofme.com, Tim helped her get a good fit on a police surplus, concealment vest with a bent k30 plate. Cost $225.00 plus 25 S&H&ins.
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  #15  
Old 12-20-2012, 7:12 AM
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one would think that in this day and age technology would be able to make something comfortable.....perhaps as more demand is apparent, the cost will come down.
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Just use it for an excuse to keep buying "her" guns till you find the right one...good way to check off your wanted to buy list with the idea of finding her the one she wants of course :D
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  #16  
Old 12-20-2012, 12:07 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by movie zombie View Post
one would think that in this day and age technology would be able to make something comfortable.....perhaps as more demand is apparent, the cost will come down.
I have to say that body armor has evovled quite a bit over the last 10 years. Plate carriers are little more comfortable and have geater movement but you sacrifice some coverage. I have one and it is more comfortable. As for cost I wouldn't want to skimp on plates since that protects your life.
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  #17  
Old 12-20-2012, 12:33 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by movie zombie View Post
one would think that in this day and age technology would be able to make something comfortable.....perhaps as more demand is apparent, the cost will come down.
Well I get that, but the numbers of women in LE and the military aren't all that high, I'd wager that's even lower as they go up in cup size. Women with big cans have much better/ easier opportunities open to them,lol.
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Old 12-24-2012, 11:38 AM
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What about dragon scales. With all those individual pieces, it might be easier to contour around curves.
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  #19  
Old 12-24-2012, 5:37 PM
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My boobs are fake, i had larger ones a while back, and when I went for a job change i was able to acc better fitments. Whats her sizing? Honestly soft armors like uspalm are ok. But yes far from ideal to heavier and bulkier plate carriers. But peeks my interest, why does she need heavy hard armor? If its typical home break in soft is good and price point doesnt hurt.

For home i have a piggy rig. Theres a few sites like skd you can shop for. Use a larger plate then her body. Im really small. So yes using larger plate is a good idea however you need to add padding not just for comfort but also help it ride/fit better.

Quote:
Originally Posted by stingray4540 View Post
Can plates be made in shapes other than flat? Maybe this would be a decent niche market to get into? Why couldn't you make formed plates and carriers?

I'm envisioning something along the lines of a spaghetti strap tank top my wife has. The cups are foam and preformed. Her boobs just fit inside, and if she was too small for it, they would maintain there shape, she just wouldn't fill them. If that makes sense. So why not make carriers and plates in this manner? I don't see why you couldn't make women specific armor, just like they do clothing.

Is there just not enough demand? Wouldn't be profitable?

P.S. Not sure how I ended up in the women's forum. Sorry for butting in ladies.
I fit everything fine. Just had to buy bigger then myself to accom my chest. It isnt a big deal. Honestly though if cost is also an issue. Try uspalms offerings. Ive given some as gifts to a few friends. They are good to go.

Last edited by onequickshift; 12-24-2012 at 5:41 PM..
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Old 12-24-2012, 5:54 PM
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  #21  
Old 01-03-2013, 2:01 AM
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Originally Posted by billofrights View Post
Ok, I'm going to ask this here and *hopefully* sidestep the more neanderthal responses along the line of "herp derp we need pics durr".
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Originally Posted by FORD4LIFE View Post
Nowhere is safe from the herp derps!

Maybe the ladies forum should become a NFZ (neanderthal free zone)? Will there be a grandfather clause? Will I get to stay because I was in before the ban?!
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