Abstract: The present invention provides a protective body vest for protecting against impact upon a human torso when worn by an athlete during sporting activities. The protective body vest comprises a multi-section, one-piece garment or vest sized and shaped to be worn on the torso of an athlete. The garment includes multi-layered protective padding that automatically adjusts for varying body sizes and can be customized by the wearer based on safety, comfort and athletic performance concerns. The body vest further comprises a shoulder portion with oversized apertures for receiving a wearer's arms, an anterior portion, a pair of lateral portions and a tapered-design posterior portion. The body vest further comprises at least one opening located off set from the medial line of a wearer's torso and at least one flap or overlap to cover the region of the offset opening as well as the vest area about the offset opening.

Abstract: This invention concerns a protective body vest for protecting against impact upon a human torso when worn by an athlete during sporting activities. The invention comprises a multi-layered, one-piece garment comprising a vest sized and shaped to be worn on the torso of an athlete with a protective padding that can be customized by the wearer based on safety, comfort and athletic performance concerns. The invention further comprises a shoulder portion with oversized apertures for the arms, an anterior portion, a pair of lateral portions and a posterior portion with a tapered design in the inferior-most region. The invention further either utilizes an offset opening or offset openings located off set from the medial line of a human torso to protect the heart, or is donned/removed in an over-the-head, pullover manner. The invention may further utilize an overlap or flap to cover and protect the region of the offset opening.