Overview
Bodyguard Armored Backpacks come in three flavors: Elite (25 liters), Switchblade (40 liters), and First Responder (40 liters). The main differences between the three are size and purpose, with the smaller Elite bag and larger Switchblade having a non-tactical profile compared to the tactical First Responder.
All three designs use the patented Switchblade deployment system (U.S. patent 11,181,343) that has two pull straps to instantly convert the otherwise normal-looking packs into front-and-rear plate carriers. The design allows users to discreetly carry their armor with them until it’s needed.
It’s not the first backpack-style body armor, but the Bodyguard setup is pretty sleek. While there are some eccentric ideas floating around when it comes to hidden/portable armor, these backpacks keep it simple for the user.
Regardless of the bag’s size, it can host two hard armor plates that are 10x12 inches or two soft panels measuring 11x14 inches. You can even use a stacked combination, which is an option for some types of armor, thanks to a separate pocket just for soft armor.
There are two plate options you can buy with your backpack. There’s a soft level IIIA panel designed to stop up to .357 SIG and .44 Magnum handgun rounds. Or you can pick a lightweight hard polyethylene level III+ plate designed to stop rifle rounds up to 5.56 NATO, 7.62 NATO, .308 Winchester, and .30-06 Springfield. You can also opt to just buy the backpack and use your own plates.
As far as uses, I can see a lot of options for the Bodyguard lineup that range from first responders and private security to daily commuters, travelers, students, or even range safety officers. It would also make a solid go-bag or bug-out bag you can keep handy in your car or home with some basic medical, survival, and self-defense essentials.
Specs & Features
For our testing, I selected the Elite backpack because it’s the trimmest option that’s closest to my own personal day bag that I use for hiking, commuting, and travel. The pack is similar in size to my 24-liter 5.11 Rush 2.0 backpack that I’ve used extensively.
I also opted to test the polyethylene hard plates with this pack. They eat up some of the internal space, but the plates are relatively lightweight at just 3.24 pounds on my scale and bring a lot of protection (more on that later).
Let’s do a quick rundown on the basic specs for this bag and these plates:
- Dimensions: 17x12x8 inches
- Bag Weight (With 2 Plates): 10.63 pounds
- Bag Weight (Without Plates): 4.14 pounds
- Single Plate Weight: 3.24 pounds
- Polyethylene Plate Rating: Level III+ (NIJ Standard 0101.06)
- Caliber Protection: 5.56x45mm NATO, 7.62x51mm NATO, .308 Winchester, .30-06 Springfield
- Additional Protection: “Special Threat” tested to stop six spaced hits of M80 7.62x51mm NATO FMJ at a velocity of ~2,780 ft/s. Slash proof and stab resistant.
- Bag Material: 600D Cordura fabric
- Warranty: Eight year (ballistic plate guarantee), five year (plate warranty), one year (bag manufacturing warranty)
- TSA Compliant: Yes
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MSRP Range: $349 to $1,047
The Cordura fabric used for the bag is the kind you would find on military and LEO-type gear items. It’s tough, water resistant, and rip resistant. One of the key areas to check on any backpack, much less one that carries armor plates, is the stress points. This bag has triple staked stress points with extra heavy stitching along the straps and grab handle.
I want to draw special attention to the waist belt, clips, and compression straps. The waist and shoulder straps host metal quick-release clips. The compression straps along the sides also have quick-detach hooks. Both features are helpful when you need to rapidly remove or open the pack. This makes the bag easy to open and easy to remove in an emergency.
The front chest panel has amply MOLLE attachment points and a Velcro panel for patches and identification. Two Velcro straps ride over the shoulder straps as part of the Switchblade deployment system. You grasp and pull up and over with both straps to deploy the front armor panel.
The waist strap has Velcro attachment points on the sides so you can secure the pull straps after deploying your chest panel. A series of three breakaway magnets seal the chest panel compartment. These automatically reseal after you deploy your front panel.
Finally, we get to the metal, water-resistant YKK zippers. These are far more robust and thicker than your run-of-the-mill backpack zippers. This is what I would expect to see on a backpack designed for heavy weight and rough use.
Currently, the Elite and First Responder backpacks are only offered in black. The Switchblade pack can be had in black or gray.
Wearability & Use
I selected the Elite backpack for testing because it best hits my requirements when it comes to a body armor solution meant for daily use. It’s discreet – or at least more so than most options – and it offers significant levels of ballistic protection.
The waist strap and clips do hint at the more tactical/self-defense side of this pack. Still, there is no MOLLE on the exterior or branding that suggest the bag as something more than your everyday backpack.
From a wearability perspective, the bag is relatively comfortable. The armor plates rest snugly against your upper back when not in use, and that keeps the balance and weight close to your body. If I had to nitpick any feature, it would be the strap on the Elite pack.
On the one hand, the straps are a normal size for an everyday backpack – minus the Switchblade deployment straps. My minor complaint is the design of the shoulder straps, which are 1.62 inches wide and 0.33 inches thick. This is thinner than tactical packs like my 5.11 Rush. That pack has straps that measure 2.69x0.56 inches. This helps with displacing weight on your shoulders, but it does have a distinctly tactical look to it.
Personally, I would prefer wider straps for added comfort given the weight, but it’s not an uncomfortable design overall. The other models offer wider shoulder straps to accommodate the larger pack sizes.
The Switchblade deployment system really surprised me. I was hesitant to deploy a hard ballistic plate over my head with any amount of speed. I imagined whacking my noggin on my first attempt, but the plate carrier proved easy to size and deploy after just a little tinkering.
The instructions suggest that you test the deployment several times for break-in purposes after setting your strap lengths. Personally, I have long arms and found my first adjustments worked great. There were zero retakes for either the video or photo shoot depicting how this backpack works.
You will absolutely need to use the waist strap before deploying your front plate. That strap holds the bag to your body. Attempting to deploy the front plate without the strap will quickly turn your backpack into an uncomfortable hat.
Luckily, the waist strap is designed to ride above your hips. This means it doesn't interfere with any of my concealed carry holsters. The plates that came with the Bodyguard pack also have a shooter's cut, which gives me a normal range of motion and allows me to shoulder a rifle. Overall, I can see myself carrying this pack every day with little issue.
The quick release clips on the shoulder and waist straps are another win. They’re easy to remove quickly, even when they’re under pressure. This makes it possible to drop the entire pack quickly in an emergency even with the armor deployed.
However, once deployed, your backpack is staying on your back unless you want to drop your armor. That’s the one downside of this type of system. My final nitpicky complaint is the lack of a water bottle holder on the Elite pack. The Switchblade offers a bottle holder, and I think it helps the pack blend in a bit more while also having a daily use function.
Ballistic Testing
You can’t really test ballistic protection without getting ballistic, so we just had to shoot the plates that came with Bodyguard backpack. I opted for the hard polyethylene plates. Soft armor has its advantages, but backface deformation and caliber limitations are two of the major downsides I’ve encountered during previous testing of soft armor.
Related: Everyday Armor – Premier Body Armor's Phoenix T-Shirt (Ballistic Test)
Since a backpack can easily conceal hard armor, I think that’s the best way to maximize the performance of this type of gear. Polyethylene is also lighter than water and will even float – a plus if you’re into aquatic activities – but it really highlights the weight-to-protection ratio that comes with the material.
I elected to shoot the provided plate with three rounds: 55-grain M193 5.56x45mm FMJ NATO, 123-grain 7.62x39 FMJ, and 150-grain 7.62x51mm FMJ NATO. This covers the vast majority of common rifle calibers. All rounds were fired at a range of just 15 meters per NIJ standards for testing rifle ammo. I used a water block as the back support so the armor would have a weighted backing that still offered a level of flexibility.
The plate easily shrugged off the 5.56mm round that I put into the top right. It also fully absorbed the heftier 123-grain 7.62x39mm AK round with minimal backface deformation.
I inadvertently placed the 7.62x51mm NATO round about an inch away from the impact of the 7.62x39mm AK round. That’s a heck of a of a lot of impact in a small area, and we did see sizable plate deformation on the backface. However, the plate both stopped and captured all the rounds we tested.
One of my favorite features of lightweight polyethylene armor is that it tends to capture the entire bullet in the ultra-dense layers of polymer. This limits the risk of splatter, spalling, and ricochets you get with steel plates and sometimes even with hard Kevlar or ceramic plates.
Related: Is .40 S&W a Dead Cartridge or Still Relevant? (Ballistic Test)
I’m a fan of polyethylene, but it does have one Achilles’ heel. Specific rounds like green-tipped M855 5.56x45mm NATO can penetrate the softer polymer. To demonstrate this, I pulled out an unused polyethylene plate and shot it with both the 150-grain 7.62x51mm NATO and the much smaller green-tipped M855 62-grain 5.56x45mm NATO.
As you can see, polyethylene isn’t perfect, but it’s very effective at stopping most rounds. Overall, the armor that came with the Bodyguard backpack performed just fine.
Pros & Cons
Here’s my short list of the pros and cons for the Bodyguard Elite backpack with level III+ polyethylene plates:
Pros:
- Rugged build material and design
- High level of ballistic protection
- Quick release clips make it easy to take off
- Non-tactical appearance
- Easy, fast, reliable deployment system
- Soft and hard armor options
- Adjustable design
- Doesn’t interfere with concealed carry firearms
- Decent storage space
- Relatively lightweight
- TSA compliant
- Product warranty
Cons:
- Slightly thinner shoulder straps
- Only offered in black
- No water bottle holder
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Must remove armor to access backpack
Final Thoughts
Just like any concealed carry firearm, selecting body armor that fits your needs is a game of give and take. The Bodyguard line of backpacks isn’t a perfect solution for all armor needs, but it’s a highly portable and discreet option that makes it easy for people to keep armor handy every day.
The Switchblade deployment system works, and it works well. I also appreciate that the design allows you to choose whatever armor panels or plates you want. That’s a nice nod to those who may already own armor and just want extra options for carrying it with them.
