A deltoid guard has a body-conforming surface and can be removably attached to a body armor component by an expandable, releasable connector to facilitate articulation and expansion and contraction relative to the body armor component. An expandable strap is located on one side of the deltoid guard to retain the guard against the wear's body. A bicep guard can be attached to the deltoid guard such that the bicep guard can articulate with respect to the deltoid guard. The deltoid guard includes an opening to receive ballistic material. An identification panel can be removably attached to the surface of the deltoid guard.

Ballistic and athletic personal protective equipment utilizing rigid panel(s) featuring designs for improved cooling employing “stack effect” airflow in combination with optimized wearer contact surface geometry. Improved ballistic and athletic personal protective equipment designs contain rigid panel(s) for protection of wearer from impacts, ballistic threats and the like. The equipment is provided with spacers arranged to provide a stack effect powered airflow between rigid panel(s) and wearer, cooling the same. The spacers are further designed, dimensioned and arranged to provide optimal heat transfer and mass transfer efficiency from wearer to cooling air within the protective equipment system, providing optimal cooling effects. The system is simple, light, and inexpensive, providing improved wearer comfort and safety from hyperthermia for optimal performance at elevated temperatures.

A base layer for use in hazardous environments, such as smoky environments, the base layer (1) comprising a composite fabric (100) comprising a breathable membrane layer (101) having a multiplicity of pores and a breathable fire-retardant fabric layer (102,103) having a multiplicity of openings, the breathable membrane layer laminated on at least one side to the breathable fire-retardant fabric layer with an adhesive (104,105).

A tension memory system that provides a mechanism allowing a user to set an appropriate amount of tension in wearable equipment on an initial wear cycle and then hold that setting through multiple wear cycles. The tension memory system allows for faster, more repeatable fit to enhance wearer safety and comfort. The tension memory system may also include additional functional features, such as storage or an integrated holster. The system is low-profile and may help to extend the life of wearable equipment such as armor carriers, ballistic vests, and other safety equipment.

To make available clothing that supports the wearer's muscles to enable capacity for and flexibility in movement to be improved in situations such as during sports, during heavy lifting, or being under nursing care. Clothing involving the present invention is furnished with an upper-body piece for covering at least a portion of the upper half of the body, and an upper-body support unit formed on the upper-body piece. The upper-body support unit includes an upper-body first support section situated in sites following at least a portion of the psoas major muscles an upper-body second support section situated in sites following the supraspinatus muscles, and an upper-body third support section situated in sites following the teres major muscles.

Aspects herein are directed to an apparel layer system configured to provide variable levels of insulation, warming, or air permeability. The apparel layer system comprises a first layer of material and a second layer of material both extending in a first planar direction. A third layer of material is positioned between the first and the second layers of material and is selectively affixed thereto. An adjustment mechanism coupled to the second layer of material can be mechanically manipulated to shift the second layer of material between different positions or states to achieve variable levels of offset between the first and second layers of material in the first planar direction and in a second direction perpendicular to the first planar direction.

Aspects herein are directed to an apparel layer system configured to provide variable levels of insulation, warming, or air permeability. The apparel layer system comprises a first layer of material and a second layer of material both extending in a first planar direction. A third layer of material is positioned between the first and the second layers of material and is selectively affixed thereto. An adjustment mechanism coupled to the second layer of material can be mechanically manipulated to shift the second layer of material between different positions or states to achieve variable levels of offset between the first and second layers of material in the first planar direction and in a second direction perpendicular to the first planar direction.

A wearable airfoil garment for reducing the cyclist aerodynamic drag. A garment material is elastically tethered between two or more anchor locations on the garment. The anchor locations are positioned and arranged to form transient, self-adaptive, body-conforming airfoil surfaces on the garment. The self-adjustment of the airfoil surfaces preserves the cyclist's comfort as well as the aerodynamic efficiency. The airfoil surfaces change in a body-conforming manner in response to the movements of a person wearing the garment. The aerodynamic performance of the garment is adjustable to the preference of the wearer. Garment airfoils constructed with seams suitably placed to trigger transition of boundary layers.

The present invention relates to a strap component and strap component system. The strap component has a first strap component piece and a second component piece. Each strap component piece has one or more teeth, each teeth having a base with a base width, a tip with a tip width, two side surfaces extending from the tip to the base, and a hole extending through both side surfaces. The first strap component piece and second strap component piece may be arranged whereby the one or more teeth of the first strap component piece and the one or more teeth of the second strap component piece are vertically staggered. In this arrangement, the holes of all of the teeth may be aligned whereby a connecting member may be configured through the holes to connect the first strap component piece and the second strap component piece.

Provided herein in some embodiments is a resistance-training system including an upper-body garment having a first section of a single-layered construction and a second section of a multi-layered construction. The single-layered construction can include a first fabric layer. The multi-layered construction can include the first fabric layer, a second fabric layer, and a resistance-providing layer in-between the first fabric layer and the second fabric layer. The resistance-training system also includes a lower-body garment having the multi-layered construction, optionally with a different resistance-providing layer than the upper-body garment. The resistance-providing layer of the upper-body garment and the lower-body garment can be configured to provide resistance to one or more user movements for a user donning the resistance-training system.