It’s easy to be prepared for an emergency you see coming, but that’s the thing about emergencies: you rarely do. That’s why we try to maintain a simple mindset in our approach to gear reviews–it’s not just about the quality of a product or how much it costs, it’s also about how feasible a product actually is in real life situations. It’s long been my belief that a firearm that digs into your hip everyday will eventually find itself left in the glove box, a pocket knife that you can’t easily open with one hand will find its way into a drawer, and any piece of kit that weighs you down or makes you uncomfortable will work it’s way out of your pack or off of your belt once the novelty of the purchase wears off. It’s just a fact of life: when something makes our lives harder, we tend to lose interest in having it around, even if it could save our lives in the event of an attack.
In today’s world full of news reports about mass shooters, terror attacks, and armed thugs, the need to be prepared is more prevalent than ever, but because we have a lot to do in our busy days, it’s also important that being prepared doesn’t compromise our ability to function or make us stand out in a crowd. Walking around in full battle rattle like you did in the streets of Fallujah might offer a great deal of protection, but being the guy with visible tactical gear also makes you a target (and tends to ruffle the feathers of your coworkers).
When it comes to ballistic protection in an emergency situation, discretion is key. Any shooter worth his salt will prioritize high-threat targets over the civilians he came to massacre, making a guy in a flak jacket the first to be put down in many situations, rather than the last. That’s where quality ballistic protection that doesn’t add significant bulk or weight to your day comes in: you need something that doesn’t compromise your ability to function like a normal person but that can protect you when bullets start to fly, and in that regard, one of the best best products on the market is, without a doubt, the Crye Precision Ballistic Soft Armor Insert.
The concept is simple: slide the insert into your backpack or shoulder bag and it creates a layer of ballistic protection between you and the guy with a loaded 9mm and a few wires crossed in his brain. The insert is thin and light enough to just keep in your pack everyday and forget about–until you need it, that is.
Just one of these inserts can turn your old JanSport book bag into a ballistic vest that’ll stop most pistol caliber attacks, giving you the protection you need to get out of harms way, or to intervene if the opportunity presents itself. The only real downside to these inserts is usually the cost associated with them: ballistic protection you can stow in you book bag and forget about will usually run you about $300 retail. Fortunately for us, that’s where our sponsors over at the Crate Club come in.
This week, the Crate Club is having a huge sale on Crye Precision Ballistic Soft Armor Inserts – and when I say huge, I mean damn near half off. You can grab your insert for just $179.99 for as long as the Crate Club’s stockpile lasts–making this the perfect gift for students heading off to high school or college after the summer break, frequent travelers, or for anyone that prizes safety and security but doesn’t want to make a target out of themselves with higher profile protection.
