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Originally Posted by Langy
I don't know how you can do it with low-TL items, but the high-TL method is to make it flexible until it is struck by a sharp enough blow - like a bullet or a punch. The armor then temporarily becomes rigid, then moments later the armor is once more flexible. We're just starting to come up with armor like this in the real world, but it's still very much on the drawing board. In GURPS it's normally TL9.
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The Chinese worked out how to do it about 500 years ago. They had a type of scale armour with each scale shaped like the Chinese character for mountain (the armour was called "mountain armour"). When assembled and interlaced through each other the scales formed a star-shaped pattern. The construction flexes in one direction but not the other. When struck it "shock hardens" on impact. I've tried making a few reconstructions and the scales have to be precisely shaped and carefully fitted together but it works wonderfully. Low Tech will cover this variant. Now tell me how to make mail armour rigid and still function like mail - I'll even let you use shiney super-strong ultra-light wire.