armored messenger bag

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http://www.instructables.com/id/Armored-messenger-bag/

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Armored messenger bagby Culturespy on August 14, 2010

Table of Contents

Armored messenger bag ........................................................................................................

Intro: Armored messenger bag ................................................................................................

Step 1: The armor ..........................................................................................................

Step 2: The bag ...........................................................................................................

Step 3: Measuring the armor and cutting .........................................................................................

Step 4: Make a simple sleeve for the armor plate ...................................................................................

Step 5: Securing the plates ................................................................................................... 1

Step 6: Value Added Extras ................................................................................................... 1

Step 7: Important information for everyone! ....................................................................................... 1

Related Instructables ........................................................................................................ 1

Comments ................................................................................................................ 1
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Intro: Armored messenger bagFirst caveat, this is not a cheap project. The bag is about $140 plus tax and the armor plates will run close $200 for new ones. You'll need access to a sewing machinand a few other minor things as well. All told it's close to a $400 project.

If you are a journalist, work late nights in retail or the restaurant industry or live in a bad neighborhood you might have very rational reasons to want something like thisyou are in law enforcement or military service you've already got what you need. That being said...

In all seriousness, there really is no reason most of us will ever actually "need" anything like this at all. This Instructable is for entertainment purposes only, as in, noteven educational purposes. Building, owning or using body armor may even be illegal where you l ive. If you have been convicted of felony you are likely prohibited froowning or usingballistic armor.Committing even misdemeanor offenses while using body armor in some cases may elevate those infractions to much higher levelcrimes. Please to not build something like this and use it at any sort of protest or even while you on a graffiti run. If you get caught but weren't in real/serious troublebefore, you will be when your bag is searched and found to be armored. This is in fact my giant disclaimer and warning. If you build this, you are on your own.

This Instructable is how I armored my bag to level IIIA+.

Image Notes1. From all appearances, just a regular bag.

Step 1:The armorIf you don't happen to have extra armor laying around you'll need to source some. I used standard run of the mill level IIIA armor with a small trauma plate. It's rated tostop "most" handgun rounds. The specs rate it to stop up to 9mm and 44 magnum. Though, it is important to note a few critical things.

A. That isn't a guarantee. Armor fails.

B. Unless you don't think getting kicked by a horse is a big deal, taking a hit from a 44 magnum even if your armor stops it will really get your at tention. That's an awfuof kinetic energy to absorb.

C. Armor wears out. Getting a cheap, beat up, surplus vest may not ultimately be a great idea. They wear out over time. If you are sourcing it and at all and serious abarmoring something you may as well just buy new plates. They aren't terribly expensive compared to the value of not taking a bullet.

In most of the United States you can legally buy this type of armor everywhere from uniform shops to eBay. It's easy to find if you look. It is possible to get it inexpensibut again best to NOT buy budget body armor if you are going to buy it at all.


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Image Notes1. Serial number is under my hand.


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Image Notes1. Typical approximate arrangement in a standard plate carrier.

Step 2:The bagI used a standard messenger bag from Chrome Industries in San Francisco. It's a rugged and very well built bag. One advantage for this project is that it has a "floatinliner. So there is an easily accessible space between the part that carries the cargo and the outer fabric of the bag. It's stitched on the side next to your back but held iplace withVelcroon the other.

An added bonus beyond ease of installation is that it will also be easy to remove the armor for any reason from, it's heavy to I'm going to the airport and have no idea TSA prohibits this sort of thing nor do I wish to find out even over the phone.


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Image Notes1. Holds the floating liner in place.

Image Notes1. The liner is fairly self contained within the bag. Keeps things dry.

Step 3:Measuring the armor and cuttingThis was the hardest part of the project. Ballistic armor is predictably difficult to cut and you'll want to measure carefully so you don't mess up and ruin your project or fthat you need to now spend more money to finish it.

I didn't make a pattern, just laid out the pieces and marked where to cut with chalk. Not at all tricky.

You might use large, sharp sheers if you have them. Whatever is handy and very sharp. Probably not going to cut it in one go. I have no idea what armorers use to cuthis stuff. Probably big sheers or some industrial cutting machine.

I used a rotary cutter and sheers.

Image Notes1. Many many layers....

Image Notes1. Not something easily cut even without it being anti-ballistic material.


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Image Notes1. Eyeballing the cut and marking it out.

Image Notes

1. It looks about right....

Image Notes

1. Test cutting.

Image Notes1. Not easy.

Image Notes1. The second cut.


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Image Notes1. Trimming the tail. None of these cuts will be visible.

Step 4:Make a simple sleeve for the armor plateIn the interest of longevity you'll want to make some sort of sleeve or cover for the armor plate. Nylon or rip-stop are probably best. I used an Instructables T-shirt foradded robot protection.

This is very straight forward. Just follow the photos and the notes.

Image Notes1. Make a chalk line.


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Image Notes1. Sew it.

Image Notes1. Check it.

Image Notes1. Trim it.

Image Notes1. Yes, you should have left an opening.

Image Notes1. Hey it fits!


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Image Notes1. Turn it right side out.

Image Notes1. Just sew it up. No one is going to see it anyway.

Image Notes1. Trim it again.


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Step 5:Securing the platesI planned on using velcro to secure the plate but was fortunate and managed to fi t it well enough that it isn't necessary. Other bag designs might require some sort ofanchor and it's probably still a good idea. Though, I did note that my original plate carrier that these came from didn't have velcro or anything either.

Image Notes1. Protected by Robot!

Image Notes1. It fits! ...and far better than I expected.

Image Notes1. Close up the velcro.

Image Notes1. Nothing to see here.

Step 6:Value Added ExtrasIt fits pretty well and as long as no one has reason to thoroughly look inside the bag no one would have any reason to think it's armored. The weight isn't as noticeableI thought it might be either. Ballistic armor in general isn't too heavy until you get into military combat models.

I did add velcro for patches on the strap facing up and slightly forward. Right now it holds and IR reactive US flag patch that lights up pretty bright when viewed with nivision. Probably not necessary but it makes you visible to authorities that would be the most likely people using night vision and identifies you to at least some extent asomeone who isn't hiding from them. If you already know any more (or less), that explanation of these patches should be sufficient either way.

As an after thought, other than the fact that I have blasted my project across the internet, there really is no way anyone would suspect the plate in it's t-shirt casing isanything other than padding. If someone isdismantlingyour bag deeply enough to figure that out, you've got worse things to worry about anyway.


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Step 7:Important information for everyone!A friend of mine sent me this link. It's about as good a visual explanation as you'll get short of first hand experience. I hope this clears up any questions about the armoitself and Give a better idea of what a person wearing armor might experience if they are unfortunate enough to need it.

A very special thanks to Don at Box O' Truth for putting this out there for the benefit of all of us.

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot16.htm

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Comments

50 comments Add Comment view all 64 commen

cancersux says: Mar 25, 2011. 1:05 PM REP

Is this the citizen, mini metro, or metropolis? I have the citizen.

Culturespy says: Mar 25, 2011. 2:18 PM REPIt is a Citizen and any Citizen should work. I've also armored and roll-top "Ivan" since writing this. I t was a complete no brainer and required no cutting fitting. Any ballistic plate should do. It's got a couple obvious places to slip the armor in.

http://www.chromebagsstore.com/bags/packs/ivan-rolltop-pack---medium.html?c=116

DCTribble says: Mar 11, 2011. 6:43 AM REPBody armor for civilians:

http://www.bulletproofme.com/
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ilpug says: Jan 7, 2011. 9:49 AM REPi find it funny that they make it illegal for law abiding citizens to buy protective devices.

skipernicus says: Jan 11, 2011. 7:54 AM REPThe reason is that sometimes law abiding citizens become criminals. And armored criminals are a big hassle for everyone.

johnzilla says: Feb 10, 2011. 10:18 AM REPCriminals can get anything they want anyway. Mansions, cars, boats, planes, do you really think they have a problem getting personal armor oranything else they want to get?

Laws only apply to law-abiding citizens. Laws that infringe on basic human rights like self-defense only hurt those who already follow the law andhave absolutely no effect on those who don't follow the law.

skipernicus says: Feb 10, 2011. 11:13 AM REPMaybe that is true, but still, there is no reason to make it even easier for them.

Culturespy says: Feb 10, 2011. 12:44 PM REPIn most of the US civilian use of body armor us perfectly legal as long as you are a convicted felon. Use of body armor by law abiding citizein no way endangers anyone. A stronger case can be made for it as a passive deterrent to violent crime in the same way ballistic resistantglass protects bank tellers, clerks and other at risk law abiding citizens.

Culturespy says: Feb 11, 2011. 9:51 AM REP

Yikes! Typo! I did indeed mean "NOT" a convicted felon.

johnzilla says: Feb 10, 2011. 12:10 PM REPWhat you're missing: making it "hard" for criminals means infringing on the rights of people who are not criminals. If you think law-abidingpeople should be harmed and have their rights infringed for doing nothing wrong "just in case" there's really nothing more to say.

skipernicus says: Feb 10, 2011. 4:52 PM REP@Culturespy: I think you mean "aren't" a convicted criminal.

@Johnzilla: It's not a black and white issue. If I have to go through a background check to buy a rocket launcher, so be it. If it was a freefor-all, which no checks for anyone, even the smallest crimes would be committed by people with firearms, body armor, and no tags ontheir mattresses. The idea that the way to stop outlaws is by giving up rule of law is a sound idea, but the result is less ideal than how whave it now.

Culturespy says: Feb 11, 2011. 10:20 AM REPYou make a very cogent point, though another might be that committing a crime while using body armor carries a much higherpenalty, as it should. In this way the rule of law is in no way infringed nor are the rights of law abiding citizens to defend themselves they choose to without trampling on the rights of others. Further while I think it's fine that body armor is openly obtainable I wouldn'thave an issue with needing a background check to buy it in the same way firearms are restricted.

Though, no amount of background checks are going to stop anyone from obtaining much of anything they want if they are willing toignore the law. Something criminals routinely demonstrate they are not only willing but pleased to do.

I think it's also kind of an argument by extension as well as a Red Herring to combine an argument for body armor regulation withfirearms regulation. While cladistically related, they are functionally on opposite ends of the spectrum.

This discussion could go on forever with at least one point we can agree on, "it's not a black and white issue."

skipernicus says: Feb 11, 2011. 1:32 PM REPAgreed. Now lets get back to building cool stuff!

Culturespy says: Jan 11, 2011. 9:13 AM REPThat is a slippery slope.

Wally_Z says: Dec 10, 2010. 10:58 AM REPGood luck finding armored plates as a civilian. Try some methods like stacked issues of magazines or phonebooks. Even if a civilian could find plates, thestarting cost for them is around $300.
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rustygray says: Sep 30, 2010. 1:00 PM REPMy friend and I started looking for things we could locate around the house or school that would slow or stop 9mm and .38. We discovered that 8 regularnational geographic magazines duct taped together would stop, meaning 0 penetration, a standard .38 or 9mm. We also discovered that a ceramic tile mixin the batch was effective for .45. .357 and .44 made it through but I am sure they released plenty of energy before exit. This was purely academic.......Do not try it other than to prove to yourself.

Now that said, I work in an office of cubicles, and people get fed up with corporate crap and you might have an active shooter scenario. As I cannot bring mlegally purchased and registered firearm into the office, I have discovered that a tightly packed reem of printer paper will defeat or slow most hand guns. Stoss one of those in your back pack or bag. I keep a few at my desk to elevate my monitor and "just in case" .

PS I think the armored bag is a great idea. I know IDF sells them on ebay, from small bags to full body shields that fold up into a messenger bag size.

Until the liberals let us defend ourselves, we will have to maintain the passive resistance.

Dude567 says: Sep 30, 2010. 9:46 PM REPIn BC body armor is becoming/is illegal for the reason of reducing gang members wearing it. You can still get it for if you are a body guard or securityguard. So warning, if you are in Canada this may be or become illegal see above comment for legal bullet resistance

Vissy says: Oct 1, 2010. 7:39 PM REPSo if the guy above walks around with more than seven issues of National Geographic, he's a criminal?

The gangs wont stop wearing them. I wish politicians were smart enough to know that criminals who break major laws wont obey t iny ones either.

Great bag idea. I did my bedroom from the windows-down in 3/8 plate steel (yes, 3/8ths. Four of us couldnt lift it. We didnt see the guy who delivereit. We assumed catapult, magic, or worm-hole). I drilled holes where the studs were, then countersunk them, used hardened drywall screws-goodluck finding them in town-then put my new drywall over the steel, then ran cheap regular drywall screws through the drywall into other holes in thesteel I put there for that purpose (attaching to the old inner drywall. I lined up 1/16th holes in the new drywall with the holes in the steel by packingthem with Prussian Blue chalk, then slapping the drywall with my hands up against it.

Helps that I bought 4'x4' drywall squares (I dont have a truck to fit 8'x4' pieces), they are much easier to manage.

Dude567 says: Oct 2, 2010. 8:37 AM REPNo walking around with 7 magazines won't get you in trouble most of the time (you might get in t rouble if they are pistol mags or playboy and yoare under age.) But wearing a bullet proof vest is not a good idea if you don't want to get in trouble.

needs_more_to_do says: Nov 4, 2010. 10:43 PM REPReally guys...

ima_dimwit says: Nov 10, 2010. 9:50 PM REPWIN!!

Dude567 says: Nov 8, 2010. 7:12 AM REP

?...

Zephyris says: Sep 30, 2010. 2:37 PM REPSurely the performance of bullet proofing is severly reduced when not held against a body? I thought a key requirement of this type of armour was a semi-solid support behind it to help prevent ripping on impact...

Culturespy says: Oct 8, 2010. 11:04 AM REPhttp://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot16.htm
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14/15


arty says: Oct 1, 2010. 7:01 PM REPYou got it backwards.

Imagine an arrow hitting a sheet; is the arrow more likely to penetrate if the sheet is hanging on a line or pulled tight around a tree?

The same applies on the other end of the gun. The reason the shooter isn't hurt is because (s)he recoiled with the gun. Periodically people get brokenbecause they back up against something solid before they pull the trigger, then have no place to go during recoil.

One of my favorite pictures is of someone with a ducktail firing a .468 Mag. Under recoil his hair is lifting off his head like a starched wig. His feet nevermoved, but his body recoiled about 18". Try putting your feet together before you fire... under recoil you will step to the rear or fall down.

I recently read something about how ballistic armor fibers get shorter and fatter when hit, therefore, my statements may be true but irrelevant. Beware.

Culturespy says: Sep 30, 2010. 7:39 PM REPThe Chrome bag fits pretty close to the body. It can also be easily pulled tight on the f ly. They're made for bicycle messengers who need to adjust the fwith one hand while riding. The chrome bag is more solid than the plate carrier(vest) this panel came from.

darknessfalls says: Sep 21, 2010. 8:29 PM REPso the US flag is the thing that glows under nightvision?

thematthatter says: Sep 23, 2010. 8:38 PM REPits an IFF patch. Identifies Friend or Foe when under nightvision its restricted to US military.Pretty much means he (or she) is a bad @ss for owning one.

Mistwalker says: Sep 30, 2010. 7:12 PM REPI spent thirty seconds with google and found them available to the general public for $12.50.

http://www.1800nametape.com/infrared.htm#INFRARED

darknessfalls says: Sep 24, 2010. 2:18 PM REPi think you could find them (or similar ones) at a army surplus store

Culturespy says: Sep 24, 2010. 10:35 PM REPThis one was purchased on base. Not sure where you might find one otherwise. There's a lot of stuff floating around out there i f you want it andknow what to ask for.

Culturespy says: Sep 22, 2010. 9:45 AM REPYeah, it's a little hard to describe but essentially that's it.

darknessfalls says: Sep 21, 2010. 8:32 PM REPand its too bad Chrome doesnt even seem to sell that design anymore, its pretty sick bag design

Culturespy says: Sep 22, 2010. 9:44 AM REPThey only made a handful of this design. There are other patterns but this has a couple advantages some obvious some less so. One thing inparticular is that it doesn't have a black liner. So no high contrast, eye catching, black stripe across the back and having a light colored interior makit much easier to find things.

onrust says: Sep 30, 2010. 12:44 PM REPCHROME bags rock

UltraMagnus says: Sep 30, 2010. 10:40 AM REPwouldn't it have been cheaper to just buy a roll of aramid rather than a vest to cut up?

Culturespy says: Sep 30, 2010. 11:12 AM REPNo, it's pretty expensive stuff and you need something very specific. So if you bought the wrong type, say you either picked out fabric meant for epoxylaminate or someone in a warehouse grabbed the wrong thing when picking your order, you'd probably never know until you found out the hard way. Italso requires some pretty specific layering. Something I didn't disturb or re-arrange when making this.

Better to just cut to measure a known element.
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15/15

Ripcode66 says: Sep 30, 2010. 11:00 AM REPNice how-to! Thanks!

lordofthedonuts says: Sep 21, 2010. 9:50 PM REPThat's nice, now I know a little bit more how to sew armor.

But a messenger bag?How could that even be remotely useful?

Chances are the bag won't be at the right spot to protect any vital organs.You should wear the vest you bought instead of tearing it appart.That is, If you're not a hipster in the gaza strip...

Next project: IED proof fixed gear?

Ok i'm being sarcastic but i'm serious about the reasons, really; why? Just because you could ? You carry puppies in a warzone?

brycem says: Sep 30, 2010. 8:31 AM REP"Why" is because of things like the recent UT shooting (28 Sep2010). This is to cover your head or torso in a surprise situation. The idea is if you're lyindown trying not to be a target, you can put it between you and the shooter to provide at least some minimal cover. Yes, full armor would be better but itnot practical on a daily basis.

However, I'm not sure how much cutting into armor will degrade it. I know the manufacturer would freak out if they saw this.

Culturespy says: Sep 30, 2010. 10:13 AM REPCutting the armor doesn't degrade it.

hammer9876 says: Sep 30, 2010. 7:27 AM REPOurs is not to ask why. Ours is to say, "Dang it! I wish I had thought of that!"

hawkfrost64 says: Sep 24, 2010. 6:47 PM REPIED proof gear? Are you serious????

pneu6 says: Sep 23, 2010. 2:36 PM REPYou have no idea how many times I'm sitting in class and thinking: "Dang, I wish my bookbag was bullet-proof." No, I'm not kidding. We had a lock-dowdrill today...

timntek says: Sep 28, 2010. 8:06 PM REPDude me too it wasn't a drill either :(

Fizzxwizz says: Sep 23, 2010. 9:42 PM REPThat's crazy! My school had a lockdown yesterday!

pneu6 says: Sep 24, 2010. 4:14 PM REPHaha! that's weird. I guess there's some law somewhere...

Fizzxwizz says: Sep 24, 2010. 10:29 PM REPActually, it wasn't exactly a drill. There was an armed robbery in a neighborhood right next to our school. Although everything turned out finedon't think they've found the guy.

zascecs says: Sep 25, 2010. 9:58 AM REPo_O you might be having another lockdown soon...

Fizzxwizz says: Sep 26, 2010. 8:32 PM REPfun...

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