Awakening to the startling sound of breaking glass or the crash of your front door being kicked in at 2:00 AM is rarely a good thing. If you are a responsibly armed citizen, your first reaction would be to jump up out of bed and grab your pistol. After you or your spouse dials 911, you would quickly gather the remainder of your family in a secure location and wait for the police arrive to take care of the problem . . . in a perfect world, that is.
In the real world, criminals engaged in a home invasion use speed, surprise and violence to get what they want, and most of them are armed. Police response times average 7 to 10 minutes or more for Priority 1 calls from the time the call to 911 is placed to the time that officers arrive on scene. Knowing this, one would be wise to have some sort of kit they could quickly don or grab that would contain essential items to aide themselves in combating such a threat.
US PALM has developed a great new product aptly named the Defender Handgun ($100 to $350 depending upon size and number of armor panels). The Defender is a nearly perfect household companion, providing the wearer with Level IIIA soft armor protection in the front panel (certified to withstand up to and including .44 Magnum), with pouches and pockets designed for your specific handgun, extra magazines, cell phone, flashlight and other emergency gear. A second soft armor panel for the rear is also available as an accessory for added protection. The carrier is also capable of accepting user-provided rifle protection plates, boosting the level of protection up to Level IV.
The Defender is constructed using lightweight and durable 500 Denier Cordura nylon, with all seams bar tacked for added strength. An adjustable nylon waist belt with Velcro closure and padded, adjustable shoulder straps make this carrier simplistic, easy to don and very user friendly.
At the top of the carrier, just beneath the wearer’s chin is a small pocket designed to hold a cell phone, a set of keys or a similar sized item. Beneath that is a sewn-in holster that will fit most of today’s full-sized semi-auto pistols, both with or without a mounted light. Beneath the holster are three universal magazine pouches that will accommodate spare magazines, flashlights, a small can of OC spray, a multi-tool or similar sized items. The holster and all pouches utilize nylon webbing backed with Velcro, fully securing your essentials. The rear panel includes a grab/drag handle and two generous pouches that run horizontally that are also secured by Velcro.
I’ve grown very fond of the Defender over the last few weeks. It’s not full-coverage BALCS-cut or concealment-cut body armor, but it provides a cost-effective option that is lightweight, comfortable and offers ballistic protection that shields vital areas, which is a whole lot more than a T-shirt does. It carries my Glock pistol with a Surefire X300 weapon light mounted. I’ve added a Surefire 6PX handheld flashlight and two spare magazines. I use the top pocket for my cell phone, where it sits charging overnight. I’ve pre-adjusted the straps to fit over a T-shirt and can literally don the Defender in a matter of seconds. It’s always better to have and not need, than to need and not have.
The Defender is available in Black, Coyote, Multicam and Ranger Green in sizes S, L and XL, and in both right- and left-handed models. All US PALM Defenders are made right here in the USA. For such short money you absolutely cannot go wrong. See it at your local retailer, or for more information contact US PALM, Dept. OT; Tel: (480) 398-3395; Web: www.uspalm.com
