Hard armor is a term used for armored vest and plate carriers. Soft armor, which includes rebreathers, gas mask, soft gloves, and goggles, are generally used for protection in combat by police officers, military and civilians alike. Today, there are two types of armor. One type is hard armor, which includes protective gears such as gas masks, bulletproof vests. The second type of armor is soft armor, which includes bulletproof vests and soft gloves, which are used by non-professional tactical soldiers.
Gas masks are used to protect the face and head from chemical agents or poisonous gases while soft body armor is used to prevent injury from firearms and other projectiles. These vests are composed of an inner liner (gas barrier) and exterior padding. Outer padding is usually made of nylon and has several pockets on each side for storing ammunition, bulletproof vests, tactical flashlights, gas masks and other items. Interior lining is usually made of reflective material and is designed to be bulletproof. Tactical vests and body armor are typically worn by law enforcement personnel in the line of duty and protect them from being shot at close range.
Soft armor’s range from five to twelve inches in length and are often seen on snipers, who use them to increase the distance they can shoot a rifle at. The advantage of this is that the bullets will be impacted by the softer plates at longer ranges than would hard plates, which would be impacted by bullets with a shorter velocity. This makes soft armor a good choice in less combat oriented situations, when one wants to shoot a weapon long distances. Hard armor is a good choice for closer range protection, especially for snipers and other weapon users, who need to hit their target at greater speeds.