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Posted: 8/20/2009 9:56:52 PM EDT
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I have had a PASGT helmet for a while now. It is ostensibly to be used as a hurricane/tornado helmet (I may look dumb, but a piece of debris isn't going to crack my skull open). When driving around during a hurricane/tropical storm/tornado watch, I'll usually throw it in the backseat in case I need to park the jeep under an overpass or something.
Anyhow, the question. The helmet has a 1989 manufacture stamp in it. Someone once told me that kevlar breaks down over time and loses its ballistic protection to some degree. I sincerely don't know much about materials, so I'm just asking this here. Is my old PASGT still an effective ballistic helmet? As in, is it still a reliable level II helmet? |
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I think a lot of the concern of Kevlar breaking down was the constant wear and sweat etc. that soft cop body armor endures.
FWIW we used to get a new vest every five years and they were pretty funky when they were retired. We shot a few of them up and they still help up fine to their threat levels. As far as your helmet goes, I always thought they'd be valuable if you ever had to bug out of an urban environment in a car . We trained a lot on methods pioneered after the Liberty City riots in the 80's. saw a lot of film of cars fleeing the riots getting pelted with bricks and everything. If I was driving through a riot area I would want a kevlar and eye protection for everyone in the car. |
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I only thin g I have heard and it was a few years ago. If then vest or helmet bocomes water logged it is not to be issued.
People turn them in alot of them time because they stink from training in them so much. Wish we had training vest and duty vest. Helmets. they just are the suck to run in. |
| I've only heard that about the soft armor, the helmets should be fine. Repeated drops and things of that nature are said to degrade helmets. In any case they don't offer very good impact protection, you may be better off getting a bicycle or snowboarding helmet. But then your neighbors might suspect you of riding the short bus. |
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