Load-bearing body armor

• Steps involved in fighting are registering an attack, self=protection from incoming fire, preparing and positioning weapons, returning fire, and finally chasing the enemy when they start feeling the return firepower.

• Under these conditions, a soldier might want to unload unnecessary gear such as sleeping gear and food, but will want to keep ammunition clipped on for returning fire, and may need other supplies such as water, and first aid.

• This implies two layers, a "permanent" layer with the ammo that might also include body armor, and the less critical layer with supplies.

• The load-bearing component of a military pack system has to be body armor. Weapons, water, ammo, and short rations need to clip to that, and the load bearing body armor components need to conform closely to the body, like an exoskeleton, to properly distribute the weight. It also needs to extend the original ALICE system so that the loads can be carried w/o the body armor.

• The pack itself with long-term supplies has to clip to the body armor with quick release clips at the shoulders and the small of the back where weight is transferred to the body armor.

Pack designs

Frame pack

• Hip belt transfers the weight to the front
• Frame transfers the weight downwards to the hip belt
• Straps hold the frame to the back

Advantages

• Weight is transferred to where it is best supported
• Frame acts as a column to support weight
• Pack load can extend upwards where carrying is most efficient
• Straps or mesh allows air circulation
• Sacks can be lashed or strapped to the frame

Rucksack

• Weight pulls downwards from the straps

Advantages

• Low center of gravity
• Easy to organize

Tube pack

• Bag is tube-shaped, or "D-shaped"
• Structure can be a stiff foam sleeping pad the circumference of the bag
• Weight is divided between straps and belt
• With a small load, the pack resembles a rucksack where the top is folded inwards.
• The sack can be increased in height above where the straps meet and connect to the bag
• Side pockets can be added

Advantages

• Physical maneuverability of a rucksack
• Extensible from small to large
• Light weight as it uses existing equipment for structure
• Unbreakable

Layers

Short (inner layer)

• Weapon
• Ammunition
• Water
• Short rations
• First aid
• Radio communication

Long (outer layer)

Supplies

• Tent
• Sleeping bag
• long rations
• medical supplies

Outer layer connectors

The sack needs at most four quick-release connectors and possibly only three to connect to the body armor, or the short layer.

Body armor simulation

The LBBA model, through vector analysis, seems to support a solid-body, perhaps "old school," version of armor, as the weight from the pack, or correctly, the sack, pulls (or pushes):

• Downwards to the "triangle" in the small of the back
• Backwards from the shoulders
• Downwards and backwards on the muscle in front of the hips.

The ideal body armor is solid, and it seems that a single piece model would provide both the most protection as well as the best weight-carrying support.

The single-piece body model is well developed for the curing of extreme injuries to the back, and these kinds of body braces are available for every body type. It seems that they could easily be modified for this development, and the molds could probably be adapted for actual body armor manufacturing. As an advantage, this kind of armor would be specifically peace-keeping in nature, as it only benefits load-bearing soldiers, and would have no benefit for para-militaries or enforcers.

Here is a page of images collected from the web (that are outside of this wiki's scope) that show the practicality of producing single piece "old school" body armor.