Do you need to wear a body protector under your air vest?
The answer is, it depends. There are now air vests on the market that have been specifically designed to be able to be worn alone. We call these low-profile air vests, and they've been designed to fit close to the body. You can still wear things underneath, such as a quilted jacket or whatever the case may be.
You don't NEED to wear a body protector underneath. If it is one of the traditional models, then they may have been designed to require a body protector underneath or at least to fit better with a body protector underneath.
The key is fit. However you're wearing it, it needs to be fitted for the way you're wearing it. In terms of what's safest—I always tell people the safest is to wear both, because there's not a lot of overlap between the capabilities and limitations of each product. So by wearing both, you're getting the most coverage. But some of my clients prefer to wear one or the other.
There are definitely air vest options out there where you can wear them safely without a body protector underneath. It's just important to know what coverage you're getting and what coverage you're losing by doing that.
