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Post by gato on Mar 6, 2021 16:20:14 GMT -5
When I worked patrol I wore soft body armor, of the wrap around variety. The armor provided by the county was quite bulky, so I invested in lighter grade stuff, my main concern being the stopping a hit from a low caliber street gun or even my own weapon. (Back then, it was mainly cheap .25's and .38's in the hands of the bangers). What most folks don't realize is how HOT it gets being wrapped in body armor, when the ambient temperature is in the 90's. We had A/C in our patrol cars, but to do real police work, you gotta drive with the windows down, to hear what's going on "out there." So, as I sweated in my Kevlar burrito, I would fantasize about a hook up: vacuum cleaner hose to an A/C vent that at the other end, would blow cold air down my uniform shirt, between vest and my T shirt. Looks like all these later, someone actually go around to doing it. i.postimg.cc/QtGDZh31/Vest.jpg |
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Post by LesTele on Mar 6, 2021 16:28:22 GMT -5
I must resist.......... I must resist..........
I must resist.......... I must resist..........
I must resist.......... I must resist..........
I must resist.......... I must resist..........
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tmc
Wholenote
Posts: 907
Formerly Known As: tmc
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Post by tmc on Mar 6, 2021 17:04:15 GMT -5
Looks like a mobile version of Barbarella's excessive machine.
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Post by k9bigdog on Mar 6, 2021 17:21:38 GMT -5
Damn I would've loved to have had that. I mostly used to wear the outer carrier for my panels because at least I could take it off when I need to cool off a little.
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Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Mar 6, 2021 18:06:10 GMT -5
NASA skinned that cat for their space suits by incorporating a water recirc system of small hoses into the suit and a pump/cooler in the PLSS for EVAs. Worked really well.
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Post by NoSoapRadio on Mar 6, 2021 19:18:29 GMT -5
Thanks for doing what you did back then. You guys don't get near enough credit for, well -- you know.
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Post by Ragtop on Mar 7, 2021 5:31:56 GMT -5
First thing I did when I retired was toss the ol' body armor. It was worn out anyway (from wear, not from bullets...).
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Post by LTB on Mar 7, 2021 7:08:37 GMT -5
I don’t know how ya’ll did it in the hot summer time thank each one of you for your service
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Post by Goodyear57 on Mar 8, 2021 8:51:09 GMT -5
And once your t-shirt was soaked with sweat it stayed wet for your entire shift. It didn't matter what material it was made of (cotton, wicking material, ribbed, etc.) On the flip side, your body armor kept you warm in the winter. That was a real plus because I hated wearing a coat in the cruiser.
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Post by gato on Mar 8, 2021 9:19:11 GMT -5
Some of the lady patrol deputies I worked with felt "constrained" by the bulky body armor they were issued. In the logistics bureaucracy, females were just considered smaller versions of men, so the armor wasn't female oriented.
Those women who were more "gifted" complained about being squashed, as if between two sandwich advertising boards. Gone was the narrowed waist of their anatomical structure, so they did look a bit like Teen Age Mutant Ninja Turtles, with a head poking out the top. One of the ladies I partnered with occasionally, confided that she and her pals, wore especially sexy undergarments in order to feel more feminine when strapped with all their gear.
Maybe things have changed, in the body armor structure since my days in the field.
Note: the department logistics folks did come up with a "Sally Browne" equipment belt for the women, that was a slimmed down version of the Sam Browne that the guys wore.
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Post by jazzmastertele2020 on Mar 8, 2021 10:21:06 GMT -5
Reminds me of years ago in college, there were a couple highway patrol guys in one of my economics classes. One night they were talking about a buddy of theirs who rigged up his own hoses to run under his uniform just like that picture, to escape the brutal CA heat.
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moose0130
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Post by moose0130 on Mar 8, 2021 13:40:51 GMT -5
We use 'cool shirt' water recirculating system in the race car. Same ideas as the NASA comment above. Ice and water in a small cooler/pump in the back of the car connected to the shirts. I was co-driving in a rally in Prescott AZ a few years ago, first time with the system and couldn't get it working. Temps were high 90's, rally car doesn't have AC and you have to keep the windows up when on stage. Heat exhaustion is a real risk. On day two we figured it out just as we started a stage. It was GLORIOUS to feel that ice water running through the shirt under our fire suits and helmets. I drove in New England Forest Rally a few years back without the system and it was rough. July in Maine is hot AND humid - I lost almost 15 lbs over 2 days despite drinking water constantly. Anyway, I suspect it's not practical for law enforcement but I sympathize with the heat management challenge. coolshirt.com/product/black-coolwater-shirt/ |
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