Hogs Tooth *7.62*
New Member
I push peter, more sweeter, and more completer than any peter pusher around
Posts: 39
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Post by Hogs Tooth *7.62* on Jan 6, 2014 21:18:20 GMT -5
As I have gotten more into the game I have learned a headset is pretty much a must on a medium, to large field. what would a decent radio/headset combo be? How does it work? Where can I buy it?
Next, I have been using a cheap vest to get me by. I have had a large spurt of money come my way and want to invest in a better loadout. which should I go with? vest, plate carrier, or chest rig? What brand? and Where can I buy it? I live about 20 minutes from camp grayling and the Fredrick army surplus store, do they have decent stuff there?
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Post by Knief on Jan 6, 2014 22:03:38 GMT -5
It would be a lot easier to answer both of these questions if we knew more about what you wanted out of your equipment. How big are the fields that you play on and what sort of radios do the guys you play with use? What all do you want to carry with your load bearing gear? If you're the kind of guy who runs with three mags and a dead rag, you're going to need a different set up than a guy who wants 10 mags, 3 pistol mags, dual radios, chemlights, a snack, 100oz of water, an extra set of gloves, a first aid kit, and a pack of condoms. Gear, especially, is a personal thing and you want to buy the equipment that suits you best. We can help you find it, but we need to know more about what you want out of your gear. We're also going to need an approximate budget.
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Hogs Tooth *7.62*
New Member
I push peter, more sweeter, and more completer than any peter pusher around
Posts: 39
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Post by Hogs Tooth *7.62* on Jan 6, 2014 22:20:01 GMT -5
First off I saw you were an Administrator and my heart skipped a beat for a second. Anyway, I run 4 lm4 Mags, soon 3 G-Series mags, a g18,and I carried 3 Coleman propane tanks and a bag of bbs in my back pack,2 500rd speed loaders and 2 bottles of water, and 2 boxes of condoms (never know how many women you will find on the field) I play in moderately wooded area with some tall grass fields. In simple terms they just use Walky-Talkies with head gear attached.
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Post by Gimpalong on Jan 7, 2014 9:54:23 GMT -5
Hey Ethan, Your best bet is to browse our Gallery Section and see if you can find something that suits your taste. These threads will give you a fairly decent overview of the many, many different types of Load Bearing Equipment (plate carriers, vests, belt kit, chest rigs, etc) that are available. Post your Tactical Vest/LBEPost Your ImpressionsODA 561 Gats and GearAs Knief said, you need to figure out what type of rig will best suit your needs on the playing field. When I am evaluating what sort of gear I need, I make a list of what basic things I will nearly always carry onto the field. This list looks something like this: Primary rifle magazines (x8) Secondary pistol magazines (x2) Hydration HPA tank for Polarstar Radio Extra, loose ammunition, tools, batteries, snack Speed loader (x2) Once I've made that list, I can then figure out what pouches I'm going to need based on what I'm carrying. Below is what I've ended up with: Mayflower APC BFG 10-Speed (carries three primary magazines) T3 Kangaroo Pouch Insert (carries three primary magazines) Flyye MBITR pouch (carries radio) Esstac KYWI Single Magazine Pouch (carries 1 primary magazine, two secondary magazines/speed loaders) Pantac Dump Pouch Eagle Industries Grenade Pouch (keep my kill rag safe!) Source ILPS Bladder stored in the back plate pocket (holds water) Flyye Yote (holds HPA, extra batteries, extra BBs, etc) This rig gives me a lot of options to scale up for longer games by adding extra ammo, water, food, etc or scale down for small games by carrying fewer magazines, less water, removing the Yote pack, etc. Buying gear is often difficult because it is a personal thing and what works for someone else may not work for you. Consequently, you may want to go to a few games and ask people if you can inspect their gear or even use their vest or chest rig for a round or two to see if that sort of set-up will work for you. A lot of us have spent hundreds of dollars over many years buying and trying out different rigs to figure out what we like. In the past three years alone I've owned an SPC, JPC, EPC, APC as well as an SKD UCR, SADF chest rig and an ATS chest rig. The point here is not that you need to own a lot of rigs or that you need to spend a lot of money. Ideally, you should be able to find a rig that is affordable and does what you want it to so that you can save, rather than spend, money. A big part of that is evaluating your budget and your own personal needs before settling on a particular type of rig (plate carrier, chest rig, belt kit, ALICE gear, etc). Once you know that you want, say, a chest rig, you can start evaluating the various options out there based on your budget and the different features that different chest rigs offer. One final bit of advice I'd offer you is to buy your gear from a quality manufacturer. If you buy cheap "All China Made" ACM gear (think TMC, Emerson, Weekend Warrior) you may end up with something that isn't built well and that might fall apart after a years use. If you buy something from a real manufacturer (Eagle, LBT, ATS, TT, Mayflower, SKD) you'll get something that is generally hard-wearing, but these can be expensive. Replica gear manufacturers like Pantac and Flyye also produce solid gear that is properly put together and won't break down after only a few uses. Anyway, enough with my ramblings...
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Abbot
New Member
Duck season...
Posts: 746
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Post by Abbot on Jan 7, 2014 10:50:35 GMT -5
You forgot to mention Condor, Gimpy...
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Post by Pagan on Jan 7, 2014 10:53:09 GMT -5
You forgot to mention Condor, Gimpy... I don't think he forgot to.
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Abbot
New Member
Duck season...
Posts: 746
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Post by Abbot on Jan 7, 2014 11:09:06 GMT -5
I personally would have gone more into the "Don't buy ACM, and especially don't fall for the Condor train!"
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Post by Gimpalong on Jan 7, 2014 11:12:13 GMT -5
I didn't forget to.
Condor is, in my experience, pretty well built. I never had any issues with my Condor stuff breaking and it appeared to be 1000 denier cordura and well stitched. My experience stands in contrast to a lot of other folks who will probably be along shortly to yell "Condor sucks, blah blah!"
The thing about Condor is that they make bad replicas of real kit. For example, their MBSS is kinda "meh," and their "MOPC" is basically a really bad 6094 knock-off. Now, if you like the look of the MOPC, no biggy, but if you're trying to have it stand in for an SPC or 6094 then, well, it's just not quite right. Condor is weird in that they try to replicate real designs, but then replicate those designs really, really badly rather than getting it right. Or maybe they try to take multiple designs (6094/EPC/SPC) and combine them into a rig that looks a bit like each, but not 100% correct for any.
If Condor works for you, then by all means! It's affordable and does the trick.
That said, given the choice between Condor and, say, Flyye or Pantac, I'd go with the latter.
The other thing I failed to mention is that a lot of quality gear can be found used on forums, in surplus shops and on Ebay. I've found Eagle magazine pouches (slightly beat up, but functional) for like $10 on Ebay.
My absolute bargain basement recommendation for people who are buying gear for the first time is to spend $30-$45 and get an entire set of ALICE LBE. For less than $50 you can buy the belt, two LC-II magazine pouches that each hold 3 magazines, two canteen pouches, the Y-suspenders, a pistol magazine pouch and maybe even the compass/bandage pouch. Toss on a buttpack for $10-$20 more and you've got a loadout that is not only authentic (no replica gear) but is super tough, looks sweet and works for nearly any impression between 1981 and 1999.
Airsoft is one of those hobbies where if you cheap out on something, you'll likely end up buying the same thing again down the line. It saves money to buy decent stuff right from the get-go rather than buy something cheap that isn't quite right and then want to replace it down the road.
Trust me, I've owned all of the brands I mentioned above from Condor to Weekend Warrior and from LBT to Emerson. I've bought cheap; I've bought expensive. My wallet has cried many, many times.
If I'd been smart I'd have stuck with ALICE gear back in 2006...
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Hogs Tooth *7.62*
New Member
I push peter, more sweeter, and more completer than any peter pusher around
Posts: 39
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Post by Hogs Tooth *7.62* on Jan 7, 2014 12:47:45 GMT -5
Thanks for all the input. I have heard mixed feelings about condor and I know they are a relatively big name when it comes gear. I have also looking into Hunts Tactical Sewing, he gives a good deal for a chest rig and I've been thinking about going down that road so I know where and who made and that it can be trusted.
Also there is a surplus store 20-25 minutes away from me and I'm not real sure what they will have. I also don't want to be buying something that has had been used 10 years ago then sat in a moldy box for 2. ill make sure to check E-Bay too.
I'm starting to try to move into the MILSIM side of things and I have noticed that a lot of little things can really bring a load out together.
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Hogs Tooth *7.62*
New Member
I push peter, more sweeter, and more completer than any peter pusher around
Posts: 39
|
Post by Hogs Tooth *7.62* on Jan 7, 2014 12:55:32 GMT -5
Some other factors I'm looking for are comfort, crowdedness, and ventilation. I am most likely going to be playing about 3 days a week this summer so ventilation is really a big key at the moment because even if its not comfortable I will eventually digress. Also id like it to look nice and organized with a lot of little things, but not too much to the point of "I cant move my arms" or "I cant reach my mags"
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Post by Coldwave on Jan 7, 2014 13:19:49 GMT -5
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Abbot
New Member
Duck season...
Posts: 746
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Post by Abbot on Jan 7, 2014 13:27:30 GMT -5
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Post by Chubbs on Jan 7, 2014 14:06:01 GMT -5
Some other gear to possibly look into is Phantom Gear. I got a CIRAS with all my pouches in an evike "kit special" for $135 on one of their sales. I believe all of their products are 1000 D cordura. I know that my CIRAS is 1000. Just another brand to look into if your looking for some nice gear but don't want to break the bank too badly.
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Post by Crapshoot on Jan 7, 2014 14:14:10 GMT -5
If you want good ventilation, there are plenty of options. You could get a JPC, which has a skeletal cummerbund, High Ground PC/Ferro Concepts PC, which have mesh cummerbunds, TAG Banshee, which the cummerbund can be removed, and endless amounts of chest rigs. You could also look into an H-Harness, which keeps your gear on your waist and you have nothing on your chest.
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Post by Puma1 on Jan 7, 2014 16:00:37 GMT -5
I also ran a Condor MOPC a while back, and I'm regretting selling it now. At one point, i carried 12 magazines up front, an admin pouch and 2 pistol mags on the front. I miss that thing
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