Facebook Twitter InstaGram YouTube
  • STORE
  • ABOUT
  • WEAR GEAR
    • Pouches
    • Gloves
    • Footwear
    • Belts
    • Protective
    • Clothing
    • Packs/Bags
    • Vests / Platforms
    • Misc
  • EQUIPMENT
    • Admin-Intel
    • Electronics
    • Tools
    • Illumination
    • Medical
    • Hydration
    • Comm Gear
    • Dive-Swim
  • CUSTOMIZE
    • Info
    • Materials
    • Webbing
    • Elastics/Cord
    • Hardware
    • Prototypes
    • DIY-Stores
  • ARTICLES
  • WEAPONS
    • Rifles
    • Pistols
    • Optics
    • Holsters
    • Slings
    • Stocks
    • Accessories
    • Blades
  • MORALE
    • Morale Patches
    • Amusement
  • LINKS
  • CONTACT
  • SEARCH

Protective

TacArm ACU Ballistic Elbow and Shoulder Pad Inserts

Details
Category: Protective
Created: Saturday, 05 January 2008 05:11

SPECS:
ACU Ballistic Elbow Pad Insert- Threat Level II - 5" x 6" - 4.5 ounces
ACU Ballistic Shoulder Pocket Insert- Threat Level II - 4" x 5.5" - 3 ounces

I had a chance to check out the knee pad inserts earlier and luckily I now also have a set of elbow and shoulder inserts to show you guys. In the same concept as the knee pads, these pads are made to fit inside ACU pockets with no sewing or mods required.

Both are rated Level II protection (24 kevlar layers) so offer great frag protection and can even defeat a .357 Magnum pistol round. Of course the bruise after that would be quite a sight, but it sure beats getting shot normally. The pads fit into their designated pockets fairly easily, yet fill them up enough to prevent shifting. As with the knee pads, it doesn't matter which direction the pads are inserted, which is nice to not have to worry about. I recommend picking a consistent insert direction to help with breaking in flexibility, but the user does not have to worry about any protection loss if they forget.

The elbow pads go into the ACU elbow pad pocket, as you probably guessed. This area is wider than one might first think of an elbow area to be to give some wrap around coverage. The placement is actually mostly on the forearm instead of the middle of the elbow to make arm usage less restricted. The result is good coverage on the forearm and enough on the actual elbow joint to keep it protected as well. The upper part of the elbow is unprotected so consider this when doing a backwards elbow strike. Although the Tacarm elbow pads will keep your elbows from getting scraped or stabbed, If you bang your elbows a lot, adding in some simple foam elbow pad inserts in addition to the ballistic pads would be in your best interest. This way you can have both ballistic protection and some blunt force protection. The price of the protection is some minimal added weight, less breathability causing heat, and slight decrease in mobility/comfort.

The shoulder pads go into the shoulder/bicep pocket. Rather than being a common physical impact point like the knees and elbows, the shoulder pads are geared toward specifically adding more ballistic protection. Some may find these a less obtrusive alternative to the full size standard issue bicep armor pads. Although the Tacarm pads offer less space coverage, they are lighter and don't come in contact with any joints to keep comfort as high as possible. Since most users are used to having something in their shoulder pockets, adding in the ballistic pads is quite a non-event and hardly noticeable when worn. Depending on your pocket contents, the Tacarm pad may be useful as a pocket divider in some cases. The main down side is loss of some pocket space and some minimal weight added.

They may be simple, but I find all of the Tacarm ballistic pads to give great protection options. Since they use the existing pockets, they are not a hassle to take in and out multiple times in one day to adjust as the mission requires. The more you use them, the more flexible they become allowing them to become less noticeable to the wearer. Also keep in mind these pads will work with many military tops out there such as the SKD Enhanced Combat Shirt (BDU) and the, Tactical Response Uniform (TRU), any that are ACU-like. For those in high risk areas that want some extra protection, but don't want to be weighed down with too much "fluff", I highly recommend checking out what Tacarm offers.
<www.tacarm.com>

  • Prev
  • Next

Random Articles

IMAGE Strikemark SM-1
Thursday, 12 January 2012
I had a chance to beat up on the Strikemark SM-1 not long and wanted to spread the good word. There are plenty of hard steel targets out on the... Read More...
IMAGE Garrett Industries (designed by Tucker): Silent Thunder Pistol Holster
Sunday, 12 October 2008
<www.gimagclip.com> This isn't the most intuitive section placement, however I thought it was the best place until I make a holster section.... Read More...
Fairfield SWAT Competition
Friday, 22 August 2008
Fairfield SWAT Competition I got word of the Fairfield SWAT comp through a patch order and wanted to show some local support so hooked them up with... Read More...
Viking Tactics Pistol 1.5 Class
Tuesday, 30 September 2008
Viking Tactics Pistol 1.5 Class Back at shotshow 2008 I was fortunate enough to meet up with Kyle Lamb and was quickly able to determine he was a... Read More...
IMAGE GERBER COMPACT SPORT: Multi-Plier 400 Needlenose, low priced multitool.
Monday, 17 July 2006
For my first multitool experience I got my Dad a Leatherman Wave for christmas and thought it was a pretty neato take on the ol' swiss army knife... Read More...
IMAGE COUNTY COMM A&P Aircraft Mechanic's Key Rings
Thursday, 06 December 2007
These rings weren't exactly tools so I decided to toss them here in the admin area. They are made from stainless aviation cable with brass screws and... Read More...
IMAGE ESSTAC Boar Chest-Rig Kit:
Sunday, 01 July 2007
Esstac brings us a sweet chest rig setup with lots of modular pieces to allow your kit to be further customized to your needs. Main functionality is... Read More...
IMAGE PIG Full Dexterity Tactical (FDT-Alpha) Glove
Friday, 11 January 2013
SKD keeps cool guy stuff coming with their PIG line, this time some smooth operator gloves. With a lot of carbon fiber punch-the-wall kind of stuff... Read More...

MSM STORE

If you find this site useful, please check out our store to say thanks! We have a good selection of morale and tactical accessories.

image

©COPYRIGHT MIL-SPEC MONKEY 2023 MADE IN USA