Greetings!

I am looking for a relatively light weight plate carrier that I can include groin protection with- and possibly neck protection- but otherwise remain fairly light.

Ideally I'd go with SAPI medium III+ ceramic plates, have one or two mag carriers on the front with said groin protection with a single clip on each side (no cummerbund) with the assumption that this would be a quick-on option in case of a potential home invasion.

As we assume that most alarm trips are errors, I am the guy who gets to sweep the house (three levels, a dozen rooms, stairwells, etc), ergo I think the biggest risk is to the front from pistol or short barrel fire.

Any suggestions on maximizing frontal protection without using a full size Big Hero 6 replica suit?  I am not interested in a helmet and easy on is a priority.  I'd consider one of those police shields if they weren't so insanely expensive and heavy.

I have some IIIa vests I suppose I could cut up and use as a front panel- to hang down from the hard plate carrier.

I'm 6'2" so I am confused on how to best cover my front torso without going crazy on huge vests, AND keeping the plates high enough to cover my vitals?

I'm sure I'll be in the minority for recommending this, but I'd try to find an IBA.

It's not new or sexy but has some advantages over a plate carrier for your application.

-Soft armor all around in addition to rifle plates.

-Readily available collar and groin protection to add to it.

-Very easy to put on in a hurry since it's a front opening vest.  It's like putting a coat on.  No small buckles to try to quickly secure in the dark.

Like I said, not the latest and greatest but it is fast and adds soft armor.  Leave it open so you can just slip in and close up the front.

Only issue may be finding new soft armor for it if you're not comfortable using older stuff.  I'm not sure if anyone still makes that cut anymore.

Here's a picture I found for reference if you're not familiar with the Interceptor Body Armor (IBA).  They can be found in a few different colors.

Home invasions happen very very  fast. Do you think you'll have time to armor up?

That’s why you sleep in it.

One never knows.

But, when the alarm goes off, depending on which entry is used, I'd expect to have a gun first then don the armor if / when I have a few seconds to listen for where they are at.  I'm not just going to start running down the stairs in either case - if I hear noises I hold the top landing and use the staircase as a bottle neck while defending the family and waiting for first responders.

It's more likely the alarm goes off and I hear nothing - then have to clear the house before canceling the alarm.   That would take several minutes, and I'd have plenty of time before venturing downstairs.

We sleep on the second floor, with the two entrances being one level and two levels down, respectively.

I figure having a plate carrier at the bedside would only take a few seconds with the right setup, and gives me the advantage of not only armor "just in case," but a place for additional mags or a light.

Meh no time or need for armor. Just grab your rifle or shotgun and position yourself to aim down a choke point like a hallway or stairwell. Then wait and eliminate

Thank you for your useful response... lol

Looks like they make longer groin protection for modern plate carriers.

Perhaps a simple PC with front molle attachments and a bigger groin protection to hopefully cover my abdomen and junk!

might wanna consider a better zip code...

B&Es happen in affluent neighborhoods more often than you might think. Most people are too sheltered to realize it.

Leave house clearing for the police. Get yourself a good well trained dog & If you want to verify an intruder is ,(or is not) in your home let the dog loose, he/she will let you know fast!

The interceptor isn't a bad idea. The worst I can say about them is they're warmer than straight plate carriers. Not really an issue for HD. I find them comfortable and they provide a lot of coverage.

Warmer is just part of the deal with full soft armor as you know being an 03

I always felt the Army took a step backwards with the IOTV.  What a mess.  That thing was/is a gigantic steaming pile of shit.

The IBA was great for grunts, especially when command allowed flexibility with the "add ons.

On the HD side...you can go full turtle with DAPS and side plates or pick and choose what you want.

Shhhhh.   Apparently everyone here are either grunts or gearqueers, and thus offering useful insight, much less attempting to answer the actual question for such a LSHD situation would require too much humility - and frankly probably just hurts to think about.

Try to plan ahead?    Nah - just move to a different state!
Try to rationally walk through a scenario?  Shit - just wait for someone else to come save you!
Try to explain my rational for desiring armor?  Fuck that, reading is for pussies.

I'd probably have better luck in the survival subforum...  lol

I don't think I ever wore more than the throat and groin protectors and they seemed to fit my body pretty well. I still run in one occasionally.

I do have a low profile plate carrier that is very nice in the summer.
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While I agree the IBA would be an easy, essentially turnkey item, I never found it fit me well.  Medium was great until I tried to close it - about 1/2 the velcro would seal, never got the buttons to snap.

Large was too long and just overall loose.

They need a "med reg" "med long" etc, like the uniforms

Anyway, OP, if you buy one, make sure the vendor will take it back if it doesn't fit well.

Hey man, I tried.

I gave you advice based on what I've learned from using multiple types of armor.  I've worn IBA's, IOTV's, RAV's, plate carriers, and concealable soft armor.  Of all those options I'd choose the IBA for this application.

Two more people agreed that it could be a decent option yet you've completely ignored it.

I'm not trying to argue tactics.  I don't care.  You know your house and situation, not me.

Don't know what else you want.

OP stated he's 6'2".  I'm 6'4" and wore a large.  Assuming he's of average weight a large should be fine.

The side straps are adjustable for fine tuning the fit.

Fwiw I'm 5-11 and wear a medium interceptor.

It does fit large SAPIs but it's uncomfortable shooting where as large SAPIs without all the soft armor fit fine.

Just food for thought

Shouldn't be too hard to find a couple to try on.  I see them all the time at pawn shops and surplus stores.

OP, if this is for possible home invasion why get groin protection with- and possibly neck protection?  Seems overkill to me.   Take a look at the Banshee it can be thrown on very quick.  And a shield only cost $300 Here.

I can't remember the name of this shield but it was fairly inexpensive https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iRsvs4qTaNg

He's not interested in feedback like that. He wants to clear his house like this:



He won't explain it but it seems based on his training and experience there is a legitimate scenario in which this is best.

lol good luck OP.  I see he's not taking much advice given to him.

This is the most reasonable course of action. I don't have kids; I'm just covering the bedroom door. If the perp doesn't try to enter the bedroom, he gets away. If he does, he'll regret it.

My fiancee and I train together and can clear a building. We're not doing that unless there is no other option.

Dogs, alarms and armored doors are likely to provide the needed time. It only takes a few seconds if you keep it readily available. It's not like it has to be perfectly fastened to provide protection.

It's a horrible idea to go to gunfight without armor. You need a gun, you need armor too. Preferably a rifle and plates.

IDK man. The only advice that he's ignoring is to move, wait for the cops, and not to investigate.

He's listening just fine to answers for his original question when it's answered appropriately for a tech forum.

Yea I guess I read through the thread a little to quick, my bad.  I'm still curious why he thinks he needs groin and neck protection.

I know this is going to sound sarcastic, but I'd imagine it's to offer his groin and neck some type of protection in the event that he gets shot in those areas.  It seems like he's trying for a little bit more than the "the purpose of body armor is to keep you alive long enough to return fire" standard.

Personally, I agree with a bunch of the other posts.  If there's no reason for me to leave the bedroom, I'll keep my ass in there where my wife and I can point two guns at one doorway.  The odds are in our favor there.  That being said, it seems like he's interested in clearing his own house.  I'd say he's entitled to make that decision after being informed that it's a poor one.  To each his own.

For me, I've got kids on the other side of my house.  I'll be headed to them right away.

I agree those are very important parts to protect it also didn't he say he wanted no cummerbund and a simple strap? So why no side plates?  I would take side plates over groin and neck protection in this scenario.
Agree on the second part.

Yup

Damn, wish our DI told us that.  An extra inch or two would have been nice.

Then again I'm a POG.  It stayed in my duffle all day.

Honestly I feel like this is all a moot point.  For me, I feel like body armor for a run of the mill home invasion is overkill...and I'm a huge proponent of "Overkill is underrated".  Now if we're talking rioting in the streets, that's a different story.  I have little experience with body armor, but it seems like everything he wants sounds just like what I read all too often, that beginners tend to over-armor and end up regretting it, the same probably goes with side plates.  So honestly I don't know why he wants what he wants.

I'd venture to say there's no such thing as a "run of the mill" home invasion.

I was bored this morning so I decided to write a more lengthy post on the topic.

Up front, HD vests aren't for everyone or every situation.  I'm not going to address tactics here, just my thought process on armor selection for use in a HD scenario should a person be so inclined.  Maybe it'll help someone, maybe not.  As I said, its just based on my personal thought process.

As far as selection goes, everyone buying armor needs to weigh some options to come up with the best solution to fit their needs. Some things to consider in no particular order: Likely threat, speed of donning, mobility, weight, cost, etc.

You'll have to prioritize your list of wants/needs and go from there.

In a home defense role, speed of donning would be my top priority, followed by wide threat coverage, mobility and weight concerns would be there but not my biggest concern.

Trying a few different setups will help the user decide what is easiest to put on.  Mostly will be a user preference thing.

Since home invaders could be armed with anything from bare fists to whatever guns they can get their hands on, the likely threat is pretty unknown.  Soft armor, in addition to plates, adds additional torso protection from pistol and shotgun rounds.  Same for the groin panel.  Added pistol/shotgun coverage to the guts/crotch is something I'd consider worthwhile.

Weight and mobility are a concern to some extent, but not top of my list.  To me, speed of donning and wide threat coverage trump weight and mobility concerns.  For low frequency/low duration use against unknown threats, I'd be likely to go a little heavier as long as it doesn't slow down the speed I can put the armor on or significantly hamper mobility.

A collar and groin protector wouldn't slow much of anything down yet offer quite a bit of extra coverage.  Of the two, I'd place the most importance on the groin coverage.  The collar wouldn't hurt anything, but the extra coverage is more limited.

I'm of the opinion that plate carriers are often used when they aren't necessarily the best option. Many place weight and cost at the top of their priority list. If those two considerations truly drive your purchase, go for it.  Plates are better than nothing, but the protection is obviously limited.

If weight is the top priority, plate carriers are great.  The threat protection given up for that light weight can be pretty substantial though.  I think this is especially important to consider for use within the US.  Pistols and shotguns are common, not just rifles.  That soft armor isn't just dead weight when the threat of those types of firearms is so likely.

Police officers in the US use plate carriers a lot, but they are typically thrown on over soft armor that is already worn.  A vest for HD should, in my opinion, allow a person to very quickly go from nothing to as much torso coverage as possible.

To me, soft armor and plates is a no brainer for an HD vest if a person decides to use one.  Plates are better than nothing, but I believe there are better options.

In a perfect world the alarm would go off and you would hear a noise you were 100% sure was a burglar. Then one would gather his family into a safe room, such as a master bedroom, lock the door, call police, and wait for aid to arrive.

But we don't live in a perfect world. What if the alarm goes off and your kids don't come running to your room? Maybe your children are sleeping through the alarm or are scared. You get that look from your wife that says "get the kids or an intruder will be the least of your concerns." Maybe the alarm didnt go off but year heard a thud, glass breaking or the dog is barking, are you going to shelter in place and call 911 just because the dog is barking?  The dog is likely barking because it hears a mouse in the pantry, but maybe someone is trying to break in or has managed to bypass your alarm, you just dont know.

So I would say its vital to be prepared to clear your home alone. I do it several times a year when my wife or I hear something suspicious at night. One time it was a shelf that broke in the garage, another time the dog tried to eat some donuts on the counter and knocked over a bunch of stuff, other times we never could figure out what the noise was. I have heard chairs being moved on the deck, could be and intruder, or could be raccoons trying to get into our trash, who knows. Either way I had to investigate.

@sparky-kb
I never understood the obsession with plate carriers. The pros of a PC is its lighter weight and more comfortable to wear. It makes perfect sense if you need to hike 20 miles up a mountain in 100 degree heat. But provides no advantage for home defense, you are going to be waking a few steps in your home which is a comfortable temperature, and most encounters will last all of a few minutes. IMO home defense should be a civilians number on concern, but even if you are worried about SHTF just get a modular armor carrier that allows you to remove the soft armor or replace cummerbunds with a single strap if for some reason you find yourself in a red dawn situation.

Per FBI statistics 97% of shootings occur with a pistol. If someone is breaking into your home chances are if they have a firearm it will be a pistol. So why would you want as much softbody armor as possible? Its light, flexible, and can cover your entire torso, ideal when you don't know if, when, or where an armed intruder might try to attack you. Plates are there on the off chance that maybe they have a rifle, they also provide stab protection and blunt force trauma from bullets or melee weapons.

I personally use a armor carrier with BALCS soft armor. It is only 4 lbs heavier than a lightweight Crye plate carrier, year adds approx. 2 square feet of additional soft armor coverage. I would wear groin, throat and deltoid protection but I feel the extra time it takes to put them on is not worth it. I have a helmet and battle belt but realistically I wouldn't grab them in a home defense situation unless I knew I had the time.

The only one of those that would add to your donning time is the deltoid armor due to having to put your arms through the straps. Everything else is "passively" donned, you don't have to do anything.

My 2 cents on this whole matter is that a soft armor vest is preferable during a home invasion scenario where the likely threats are handguns and stabbing implements. Soft armor, even if not rated as a stab vest, will provide pretty good protection from most stabbing weapons some random intruder would have.

The extra coverage is definelty desirable over the limited coverage offered by plates in a PC, even a PC with soft cummerbund armor won't cover as much as a properly fitted soft armor vest.

I've got cameras throughout the whole house.  All feed back to a monitor in my bedroom.  So in my case, I can just watch the monitor for a minute and have a good idea what's going on.  I've also got the whole house fenced in behind a gate.  Between my pit that lives outside and my bull mastiff inside, I generally know if someone shows up right away.

Guess it depends on the style, the ballistic neck armor I'm familiar with is pretty tight and requires it be secured with Velcro or snaps. Groin armor really wouldn't be much hassle but it doesn't protect a truest "vital" organ haha

Getting shot in the femoral artery up around the groin where a tourniquet can't be applied is not good.

Interesting thread..
Wish I lived in a house large enough to have the time to don armor. If I have a home invasion I will have seconds to respond after the dogs bark..
Good tips on armor though. Having zero experience with any type of armor I’m always reading and learning..

Sorry - I was NOT being snarky with you.  I appreciated your suggestion as it was logical, reasonable and was a legitimate attempt at solving my problem.

My satire was aimed at the multitudes of "wait for the police" type comments above.  Perhaps I should have quoted them for clarity- but that would have taken too long.  !)   But hey, that's fucking Arfcom for you...  lol

As it stands, I have measured myself for plates and have settled on SAPI Large.  Due to the increased weight of these plates I am spending more on some III+ ceramics from RMA that should come in at 6lbs a piece if I recall and handle the most likely threats for suburban Ohio: pistol and 556.

And since I chose SAPI large, that also limited my choices for carriers as I continue to want something without cummerbund for faster donning, and I found a BFG PLATEminus on clearance for $150, so I have that and will buy a groin protector in III+ soft armor for abdominal/ nutsack coverage.

I expect this setup to come in at under 20 pounds with a few mags (double ten speed pouches for 556 and for my go-to pistol, so whichever one I grab i have spares) and a TQ, and just dropping the groin protection leaves me with a capable setup for carbine classes.

Once i get the plates in i will post up some pics.

ETA:  and like you mention, I'm not here to argue tactics either.  I might get shot in the face, I might not have time for armor, I might never actually have to use it.  I might never be in a car accident either yet most of us see the value of buckling up every time time.   So yeah, it would be nice to have some armor while i can still get it, so why not?

And the end of the fucking world!  Dont forget TEOTWAWKI!!!

??

FYI for the "you wont have time for body armor" types, let me explain:

Three story house, approximately 4500 square feet of living space.  Three dogs, small neighborhood and relatively exposed viewing angle of front door.  No drugs, no gang affiliations, all old retired neighbors that are easier marks.

Bedrooms are all on the second floor.

The front door is on the 1st floor, and although it's the least likely of the two entrances to be forcibly entered (most visible,  three dogs sleep near it and potentially would be awaken by voices, movement or cars pulling up), it's also the most dangerous to me as its the shortest path to the bedrooms.

Let's assume the dogs are all dead, its 3AM and bad guys kick in the door:  assume 5-10 seconds to clear the door.  To my watch, it's another 20 seconds to look through the living space of the 1st floor, realize there are no bedrooms and then make the 2nd floor landing at a relatively hurried pace.  Bad guys Listening for movement, shooting the dogs, etc all add time to this.

So I figure I'd have 30 seconds to wake up, grab a gun and think about armor at the minimum.   Now if said Bad Guys stumble over the door, think about where to go, etc would add to that time.

The best case scenario- and IMHO the most likely - is someone casing out the rear basement door of the house, which backs up against a wooded area and is virtually invisible to the street.  Again, assuming 5-10 seconds to clear the door, there are no dogs but it's a large open area with multiple rooms and no lights.  As in, 1600 sq feet of pitch black living space with several rooms....  But lets assume bad guys go straight for the stairs thinking we might be home, it still takes 50-60 seconds to make it through two levels of a dark, unfamiliar home in a relatively direct path without stopping to "clear" the non-bedroom levels to my watch

Having almost a full minute to arm up and man the 2nd floor landing is plenty of time to wish I had armor, knowing the cops are at a minimum of 15 minutes away (alarm, call, no home-owner response, cops notified, cops drive from random distance and then find the house).

Of course, it's still unlikely as far as things go - but that's why we justify our purchases via other means (classes,  zombie apocalypse, buy it while you can, etc).

I hope this helps clarify my thought process.

Sounds like you'd thought it out in some detail. I only wonder how often you are going to hear a bump in the night that you decide doesn't justify calling the cops, but does justify armoring up and methodically clearing your house. Clearing a house by yourself takes a while, especially one as large and with as many rooms as yours. Do it wrong and your armor isn't going to be all that helpful. So either 1. you think there may be a threat to you and you should harden up or 2. you don't think there is likely to be a threat to you and you head directly to check your entrances without clearing the rest of the house unless you see something else amiss. The scenario that falls between these responses is what may have people scratching their heads.

Actual unmistakable attack is another matter and heck yeah you'd want some armor -- but now you're going from a once a year scenario (bump in the night) to a probably-never scenario.

But hey, I have more plates than I could use for every adult in the house, so I'm not saying don't do it.

What I am saying don't do is DO NOT wait for that whole process with the alarm service. If you need a response and you need it fast, CALL 911. At least around here alarm calls with no additional information (video verification, homeowner contact, etc.) are pretty low priority calls -- like "let me finish my Chick-fil-a and I'll be en route to do a property check" low priority. You can be pretty confident that a 911 call from a homeowner who heard their door get busted and their dags get shot is going to get someone in suburban Ohio all the help they can stand in a bit better than 15 minutes.

4500 square feet..Nice..
I have 4 points of entry into my home.
The nearest to where I sleep is 18 feet away. The farthest is roughly double that..
My dogs are pretty alert and may give some prior warning before an intruder is coming inside.
I have seconds to respond..
I wish I had time to put on armor
Nice that you are covering all your options
Anything that increases your chance of survival should be explored..

To play Devil's Advocate:

How do you determine which alarms DO require a call to the cops, and which ones don't - or does it often take time and effort on your part to determine the difference?

After all: "what if?"

And IF the alarm goes off, and it does require you to notify the police... are you going to be holding your cell phone waiting for the alarm company to jump through the hoops (or talking to dispatch while simultaneously giving away your physical position to strangers in the house) and - or are you covering the stairwell waiting for some thieving bastard to wander into your sight line, while you realize your cell phone is still in the bedroom?   Add more variables with spouses, spotty cell phone coverage, etc.    But let's play that game anyway, since you almost seem to be trying to talk me out of a HD setup based on your rationale listed above!  :D

So...   Alarm is triggered by a door or window being opened.   I read somewhere that the vast majority of break-ins are people kicking a door in, or breaking a window to unlock it by hand.   It takes 1 minute for my system to wait for you to cancel after being tripped before actually "going off."  Most companies do this now to reduce the number of false alarms, which as you mention are probably 99% of all notifications.   Once triggered, it takes another 30 seconds to 1 minute for the outgoing call to reach the monitoring company and be routed to an operator.   It takes another 1-3 minutes for that operator to call my cell phone back, wait for it to finish ringing, then for them to try my spouse's phone.   My phone is probably on my night stand as I'm more interested in grabbing a firearm, but my spouse probably has her cell on her, unless she got so freaked out she too forgot it while running to the children - but for the sake of argument let's *assume* she remembered it.  another 1 minute for pickup, confirmation of identity and frantic conversation to convey that yes, this is *probably* a home invasion.

We're now 5-6 minutes in before the cops even get that "go" signal.  And since our area patrols are randomly dispersed through our town, typically 2 patrol cars per shift, it's going to be anywhere from 4-8 minutes or more on full steam before they can u-turn, clear the country roads, 6-lane intersections, etc... longer if someone's in the shitter or stuck in that ineffable line at Chic-fil-A on the other side of town, less if we're just amazingly lucky and the squad car is a street or two over.   So I'll grant you this one:  let's call it an honest 10 minutes for a seriously-bad-shit home invasion.   We both agree here that armor would be nice, and I might have the time to actually get to it depending on the point of entry.

Now, We both agree the likelihood of a true home invasion is likely to be VERY low - yet would any of you encourage someone to not bother buying a firearm for home defense?   Because that's generally the logic I've seen here.   lol.   I tried to be somewhat clear in my multiple posts, but I also understand the urge for us all to share our respective wisdom with others, perhaps at the expense of confusing the issue beyond recognition:   in my experience, virtually every alarm has been a false alarm.   Virtually every alarm is EXPECTED to be a false alarm.   We probably average one middle-of-the-night alarm each year, give or take.   Kind of the whole premise of this thought exercise is based on the assumption that MOST alarms will, in fact, be false alarms.   Since we are probably cancelling the alarm out of habit, and waiting / listening for any signs that would suggest otherwise, that's a great time to take 30 seconds and throw on armor.

Why?

Because as we've both noted, odds are we're thinking this is a false alarm and I get to go clear the house.   Ergo, armor is for the unlikely situation where I am WRONG in my assumption, and get surprised by someone who in the house after I start clearing it because there were no obvious sounds, movement or other signals that it was a true break-in (in other words they were lying in wait or didn't hear ME, hesitated to come in, etc).   We can further over-analyse this by trying to guess as to the mindset of whomever would be breaking into my house, but let's skip that for now as it can be hard to predict the behavior of strangers.  BUT, we both likely agree the chance of a vigilante-style and heading straight for my bedroom to assassinate me kind of attack is the least likely of any scenario - which again implies we're probably going to face a more cautious criminal who may choose to lie and wait, versus trundle straight up the stairs towards me for whatever reason... and this only offers me MORE time to prepare.

Now, why do you think armor would NOT be helpful in clearing a house?

I personally feel like the odds are greatest that I'd turn a corner and find someone looking back at me - or I'd see them coming through the door they kicked in 5 minutes ago before waiting to see who would come downstairs; rather than the serial-killer type who's hiding in a linen closet.
Thankfully, most of our closest are either so large as to be treated like their own room, or so small that a grown man couldn't stand in one and close the door behind and the shower would be a more effective hiding spot!

Funny aside:  one time the middle-of-the-night alarm was a bat in the basement.   That was intense and hysterical at the same time, because I could hear something banging around off the walls and ceiling randomly in the basement so I knew something was there, but it was so fucking quiet I couldn't tell what was going on until it whizzed by me!    Of course, we cancelled the alarm out of habit too.   That's why I only really use home alarms as a wake-up warning, not as any sort of fail-safe.  In my humble opinion, I figure the one time I actually need a home alarm... it will be over by the time anyone shows up to rescue me.

How about getting a reliable alarm that has every door & pane of glass properly sensored!
Not some Slomin or ADT motion sensored garbage.

I'm not responding because I want to argue -- we're just chatting. I hope you take it that way.

If I hear something loud enough to wake me at night then I'll likely sit quietly and listen unless the sound was unmistakable. If I hear an additional noise, I'm calling for help and gearing up.

I also have sensors and cameras on the property -- I have an audio alarm which will alert on my phone if the vehicle sensor is tripped between certain hours so unless someone creeps up on foot I'll have early warning that way. If an unexpected vehicle approaches the house during sleeping hours I'm calling for help and gearing up.

I can ask dispatch to make it a low priority call so I don't have anyone tearing around lights and sirens. I can always cancel the call if it's unfounded. Believe me, people call the cops for the dumbest stuff, and "unfounded" is one of the most common results to a call. Worst case (well, actually BEST case), I'll chat with the responding deputy, offer to top off his coffee, and he'll go on with his shift.

My mind is boggling here -- that's like saying "if your house is on fire would you take time away from pouring water on it to call the fire department, or just wait for your neighbor to smell smoke?"

1. If you rely on your cell phone for 911 service and you have spotty cell phone coverage, fix that.

2. If picking up a phone and calling help isn't part of your plan for an emergency, fix that.

3. If you can't talk quietly into the phone on the 2nd floor in a way that possible intruders on the 1st floor can't hear you but would rather have your phone ringing off the hook...I don't know what to tell you.

4. You'll get no argument from me about hardening up and ensuring anyone who gets close enough to do harm to you and yours is in for a world of hurt. You're getting flack from people for saying you'd rather armor up and clear your entire house than call for help when 1. clearing your house isn't necessary and 2. the two aren't mutually exclusive.

A light on whatever your weapon is much more important than a dong cover on some body armor.

On that note though, everyone that is concerned about protecting their family needs a plate carrier.

If you need to get every door and pane of glass sensored...

You probably need to move to a new zip code, with a good and well-trained dog because he/she will let you know fast.  Add to that, cameras throughout the whole house that feed back to a monitor in the bedroom so I can forget the kids and just cower behind the bedroom door and wait for the police to clear my house for me, every time the alarm goes off (since 99% of them are false alarms).



But yeah, we already have all ~12 ground-level accessible doors and windows wired.  We already live in one of the nicer areas in town, without having a lot of through-traffic.  And a light on the primary weapon.   And dogs!   And we are planning on replacing the two exterior doors with more robust options in the near future.

I suppose I should have tried to be more specific and detailed in my first post in the hopes of keeping this thread on track, but as this is a technical subforum and not general discussion I wasn't expecting so many varied comments beyond the actual gear.   I did mention in a subsequent response, but perhaps was not clear enough that:   I'm not just going to start running down the stairs... - if I hear noises I hold the top landing and use the staircase as a bottle neck while defending the family and waiting for first responders.

It's more likely the alarm goes off and I hear nothing - then have to clear the house before canceling the alarm. That would take several minutes, and I'd have plenty of time before venturing downstairs.

I think others are thinking I want to go bounding down the stairs in my fancy new armor and get into shoot-outs with would-be gangs of thieves under a full moon!   When, in reality that's the opposite of my goals; which are to not have to have the police walk through my home at 3AM every time a dog trips the alarm, a youngster opens a window or a bat works its way into the basement.   After all, virtually every alarm is something silly, so I am just going for an extra little bit when those occur.   I think we're all seeing different movies in our minds, and thus extrapolating more than I was intending from my posts.

I also keep in mind that, even holding the top of the stairs (or the bedroom door if you like) presents you as a target:  we should recall that drywall or a 2x4 at an oblique angle, much less a layer or two of 3/4" plywood (flooring), is no substitute for cover - it is concealment.  

Just my nature to be unable to pass up asking this one burning question.....

Why not just hire a professional security detail......

I know the answer but still had to ask

The only armor I would use in your situation is a plate carrier with soft armor cummerbund and Tubes so you can put it on in under 5 seconds. Then a hand held shield level 3a with window, which will cover way more than groin and neck protectors and can cover your whole head and even legs if you crouch. If you can afford a shield with a light, even better. A shield is WAY faster and more effective than putting on big soft armor.