Question 3

[WhiteBear620]

I always was thinking that when they hit the DHS camp they collected not just the boots and weapons but every thing that was still usable

I'll have to reread it. But I believe they did collect everything useful after the DHS camp was done.
Haven't read the book after that to see what happens next in the story.

Regarding armor, I won't live in it because it sucks to carry that much weight while working in the garden.
But I'm saving up for it and if I was on guard duty or knew I could be heading into a fight, I'd absolutely wear it.