Personal protection

Protection for the head, eyes, hearing, and joints. This is the category where certification matters more than price.

What to look for

With eyewear, the difference between protective and sunglasses lies in the ballistic certification, which indicates resistance to high-velocity fragment impact. Lens colour is not a matter of aesthetics: clear lenses are suited for low-light conditions, smoke-tinted lenses for outdoor use, while yellow and orange lenses enhance contrast on overcast days.

With hearing protection, the choice is between passive and electronic. Passive attenuates everything, including voices. Electronic cuts the impulse of the shot while letting ambient sounds through — which is exactly what is needed by those who must hear their teammates while protecting their hearing.

With helmets, check whether the shell is ballistic or ABS: the latter protects against impacts and serves as a mounting platform for visors and accessories, but offers no ballistic protection. Accessories — NVG mounts, rails, covers, counterweights — have specific interfaces that must be verified.