As was the case back when armor was actually invented, you can get different items for different situations and different parts of the body. The most commonly used piece of body armor today is the vest, and this is commonly worn by many different types of people; the military, law enforcement, and all types of security personnel to name a few. Less common items of body armor include hard helmets, shields (as might be used by riot police for example), and even complete riot suits.

In times of crisis or uncertainty, even politicians and high profile personalities from many countries will be advised to think about wearing some kind of protection. Personal ballistic protection is sadly, increasingly worn by ordinary people to protect them during the course of their work in busy cities. The kind of nylon fabric worn to protect wearers began its evolution in the flak jackets that were first worn in the Vietnam and Korea battle fields.

Now, the latest in soft body protection is fabric that can successfully defend the wearer against stabbing and shooting. This type of soft body armor has even passed the "California ice pick test." There are different levels of protection from ballistic attacks; level I, level II, level IIIA, level III and even level IV.

Comfort and Protection
Today's body armor, aside from looking very different, also feels different. For the most part, it is fairly comfortable (imagine sitting in the car trying to drink your coffee in a metal suit). However, modern armor does share one inconvenience with its ancient counterpart, in that in hot weather, things can get pretty sweaty in there. But in all, that's a small price to pay when you know that a possible aggressor is going to be thwarted in his or her attempts to hurt you. Some body vests have small slits at the side to allow for sweat evaporation, but of course this means that you'll have less protection in those areas. It might be a better idea to opt for the full vest and wear an absorbent cotton shirt underneath to wick sweat away. In order to prevent sweating the backing material of vest often consists of Coolmax. This material prevents sweating. Coolmax is more or less the same material as Nike and Adidas now use for their sports wear. A perfect fit of the vest is also very important for the comfort of wearing it.