Science

Backpack carries books and stops bullets

Amendment II's Ballistic Backpack
Amendment II's Ballistic Backpack

In the wake of last week’s horrific shootings in Connecticut, we’re sure to be seeing a lot more products like this cropping up. Made by Salt Lake City-based body armor company Amendment II, it’s called the Ballistic Backpack, and it’s designed to protect its wearer from bullets.

Although the backpack could conceivably be used by anyone, it’s no doubt intended largely for use by school children – previous models even came with pictures of princesses and The Avengers on them. The idea is that it will protect the user (or part of them, at least) as they’re running away from an attack, or serve as a shield if held up between the user and an attacker.

Most of the pack is made from ordinary polyester, but its back panel is lined with a layer of the company’s proprietary RynoHide material. Developed in partnership with the University of Utah’s Nano Institute, RynoHide utilizes carbon nanotubes applied to textile threads to stop bullets. It is reportedly lightweight and flexible, and has a minimal amount of back-face deformation – this means that it pushes into the body less when hit by a projectile.

Buyers can choose between two levels of protection, depending on what sort of firepower they're anticipating. They can also send in their existing backpack, to be retrofitted with RynoHide.

The Ballistic Backpack has a capacity of about 1,257 cubic inches (20.6 liters), and features a water bottle holder, exterior pocket, headphone exit port, and an interior organizer panel. It sells for US$300.

Of course, even the most bulletproof of backpacks won’t protect you if it’s not on hand when an attack occurs, nor will it cover anything other than your back if it’s being worn at the time. How about it, is this backpack a good idea, or does it offer a false sense of security? For that matter, is buying products like this an appropriate response to last week’s event?

The comments board is open.

Source: Amendment II via SuperPunch

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5 comments
MrGadget
If they can retrofit this material into a jacket, it would be more useful.
Mark Martino
It's great that a product that protects against bullets comes from the same geographical area that is responsible for most gun related inventions and a large percentage of the ammunition sold in the U.S. Maybe if the people who work in that area can make money from products other than guns and ammunition, they won't need to advocate for them as much.
I hope so because the other direction is not viable. If everyone were to arm themselves, the material costs alone would drive up the price of every other product we use, possibly to the point of sinking our economy.
Oztechi
Backpacks only protect your back, most people die because they got shot in the head or chest, so this is almost useless.
The answer is to have less guns in the hands of ordinary people and only in the hands of military and law enforcers. Do your research and look at the link between levels of gun ownership in various countries and gun deaths: more guns = more death.
Until America stops being dictated to by groups like the NRA, more innocent people will die. The question is how many..... before you wake up and realize that more armor, guards, and guns are not the answer and never will be. The right to live should take precedence over the right to bare arms (and use them to kill other innocent citizens).
capn_jack@bellsouth.net
I did not see the Newtown massacre crime scene, nor do I ever want to, but I can guess that none of the children had their backpacks anywhere near themselves. Most kids have either a locker or a designated place to store them while in class. I applaud the idea, but I think it needs more work.
I have an idea; What if there were trained dogs around the school? They would be friendly to the kids, but if they smelled gun powder or any number of explosive chemicals, they would bark loudly and not allow them access. Only the police or their trainer or teachers with specially tuned whistles could control the dogs. This may at least deter the bad guys until help could arrive.
DRUMURPHY
What in the world are we becoming? Wonder if they will have an NRA model with a pouch for concealed carry?