Protective body vest

A multi-section, one-piece garment for protecting against impact upon a human torso when worn by an athlete during sporting activities, the multi-section, one-piece garment comprising:

• a vest sized and shaped to be worn on a torso of an athlete, the vest being donned and removed in an over-the-head, pullover manner, the vest comprising an anterior portion, a posterior portion, a pair of lateral portions and a shoulder portion, the vest having a multi-layered padding in the anterior portion and the shoulder portion and/or the lateral portions and/or the posterior portion of the vest to protect the torso of the athlete, the multi-layered padding having three layers, wherein the first, or outer layer and the third, or inner layer of the multi-layered padding sandwich, or are joined at a seam to provide a shell for, the second, or middle layer, the second layer being formed from a padding material for protecting against impact to the torso, the posterior portion and/or the lateral portions and/or the shoulder portion of the vest being comprised primarily, if not totally of material that provides for the cooling of the underlying torso.

A multi-section, one-piece garment for protecting against impact upon a human torso when worn by an athlete during sporting activities, the multi-section, one-piece garment comprising:

• a vest sized and shaped to be worn on a torso of an athlete, the vest having a multi-layered padding to protect the torso of the athlete including a chest, an abdomen, a pair of lateral regions, a shoulder area and a back, the vest further comprising a shoulder portion, an anterior portion, a pair of lateral portions, a posterior portion and an offset opening or offset openings, the multi-layered padding having three layers, wherein the first, or outer layer and the third, or inner layer of the multi-layered padding sandwich, or are joined at a seam to provide a shell for, the second, or middle layer, the second layer being formed from a padding material for protecting against impact to the torso, the shoulder portion having a pair of oversized apertures located at the lateral most regions for receiving the arms, each oversized aperture being sized and shaped to permit full movement of the arm, the offset opening or offset openings being offset from the medial line of a human torso to protect the heart against impact;
• the vest having a fastening device or devices, the fastening device or devices being fastened to secure the vest about the torso.