r/canadaguns • u/pooshlinger • May 01 '26

Gun and gear reviews Body armour?

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Im wondering if anyone has much knowledge or experience on body armour in Canada, specifically BC.
I do alot of shooting on crown land and in my area theres alot of other shooters in close proximity, so Im mainly just concerned about ricochet or stray rounds, or the odd crazy hillbilly when Im out in the forest.

Im leaning towards a soft vest as opposed to plates just for more coverage and being concealable if need be. A carrier would be cool and Ill end up buying one eventually but in a situation that I need to be wearing a vest, it screams “shoot me”.
However soft armour really only goes up to NIJ 3A. I like the idea of level 3 plates in a carrier just for the fact that 99% of shooters out there are shooting rifle rounds and shotguns, protection from just pistol rounds is kind of irrelevant in this situation.

On another note, Ive heard LOF defence is good, wondering what other options there are out there and where I can find them. Im aware that Canarmor is a heaping load of chinese shite.

Soft vest for peace of mind or blow the budget on a nice carrier and some plates?

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u/Dry-Meringue-8744 May 01 '26

Is it still not illegal to wear body armour? looked this up and no you dont just a permit or valid pal

It depends on what other people are shooting and the NIJ level you need. if you dont have the right NIJ leval it is pointless

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u/pooshlinger May 01 '26

In BC, a valid PAL is an exemption from the body armour control act. Theres also no mention of exemption from use. A body armour permit allows you to only wear it while using it for intended purpose on the permit example only at work if you’re an armoured vehicle guard. To my knowledge, i dont believe there is any clauses restricting a PAL holder from wearing body armour wherever they please, unless in a building or location where its prohibited.
If i am wrong, please correct me and cite your sources so i can dig deeper.

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u/4r4nd0mninj4 May 01 '26

As far as I'm aware, your understanding is correct. From what I recall, the act was designed to allow police to stop, identify, and charge gang members openly wearing body armor around the lower mainland. 🤷‍♂️