Post by Abbot on Mar 2, 2015 19:11:20 GMT
Setting up a Kit
Alright, so now that you’ve got an airsoft gun, you now want to set up a kit. Good thoughts.
Purpose of a kit: The purpose of a kit is to blend in with the environment, have the ability to carry a load that pant pockets wouldn’t be able to carry, and be able to carry it comfortably, protect from unwanted pains and aches (and sometimes dangers), and to be durable enough to sustain the amount of use and abuse you intend to put it to.
Performance vs. Looks
The old argument. Some say that performance is more than looks, and this is true. However, there is an extent to this. For instance, I would rather buy a car painted dark blue than one painted purple. But it all comes down to what you need it to do. So my belief is to buy the best performing gear you can afford, but be sure you can stand the look of it. Like, you know, polka dot camouflage, stuff like that.
Cost
As the saying goes, “The bitterness of poor quality lasts long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.” It truly comes down to how much you’ll be using/abusing it, and how much you’re able, or willing, to spend.
Say your budget is $40. You obviously can’t afford Crye Precision combat pants. I mean, they have those built in knee pads, and they’re highly adjustable and very highly comfortable, but you really can’t afford them. So instead, you go and buy some cheap TMC Combat pants (Crye replicas). Then after one game, you rip them. So sad. But guess what? You get what you pay for. Now say, you were smart and instead bought some used (or new) Propper BDU/field pants. They will last you for a very long time (seeing as they’re the issued set), be pretty comfortable, and will not bust your budget. That’s good thinking. Now later down the road you can always sell them for a good $30-40 for the set, and then spend a little more (like maybe $20 more), and now you buy a high quality set. And so on, and so on.
Now gear is a different animal entirely.
With gear, cheap stuff will rip much faster than a pair of pants or a shirt. So naturally, you should dish out a little more for this, and never buy cheap stuff, like a TMC or Rothco plate carrier. Always buy either RS stuff, or good repro brands like Flyye or Condor (Condor’s on the edge, though…)
Setting up the Kit
Now that you’ve got an idea of budget and how to spend, what should you spend it on?
Pants
Pants are much more important than your jacket. A jacket never makes that much contact with objects, but pants are constantly being slid on, etc. So these are very important. eBay is your friend! Look on ebay for some propper pants, or maybe some pants that have been issued. Or just go to a thrift store, they sell tons of camo gear and for cheap. I know a guy who picked up a multicam BDU set for $10 at a thrift store! My advice would be to either buy the issued stuff, or just buy a pair of Propper’s from evike or somewhere.
Jacket
Jackets are not all that important. They don’t rip too often and come in abundance. Again, look on ebay or a thrift store for a used or issued or propper jacket. If new, just go to evike or some other Airsoft site.
Shoes
Hikers. If you don’t have a good pair of hiking boots, this would be a good investment. The worst thing is when you have snow, water, or a rock stuck down your shoes… Tall “jungle” or “combat” boots are not necessary at all. Even the SOF guys prefer hiking boots to tall combat boots as they’re much more comfortable and just as durable.
LBV or Load Bearing Vest
This is probably one of the most, if not the most, important part of a kit. I have been in games with mags and gear stuffed into my pockets because I didn’t have any vest or chest rig or anything, and it’s not fun at all. Be sure to get a color other than black!
Chest Rigs
These are probably your best bet if your new to gear. Usually they’re cheap (like $20 or under for a decent one), and have enough pouches to hold anything you’ll need. My brother’s first chest rig was a $20 NCStar AK Chest Rig on an Airsoft site. Nothing fancy, held all his stuff, and never ripped on him. The Molle Chest rigs are nice, but only useful if you decide you’d rather not use a plate carrier. One downside: They offer no protection for your back or upper torso.
On ebay, I’ve seen some RS (real steel) Chinese or Russian AK chest rigs go for $15 or less.
Vests
Well, they carry your mags, and few other objects, but overall they’re pretty basic. The main problem with vests is that with a heavy load is they will pull forward on your back, rather than pulling down (like a plate carrier) on your shoulders. Also, they go so low they create issues with bending over, as it will dig into your waist or just puff up at the top. A plate carrier on the other hand, is just high enough so bending over is much easier. Also they’re not very adjustable. Overall, I would not recommend them.
Plate Carriers
They carry the load, protect your torso from point blank shots, look amazing, are completely adjustable when it comes to size, adjustable when it comes to pouch placement, look amazing, feel amazing, what could be wrong, right? Price. That’s right, price. For a good plate carrier, you will have to spend about $40-60 (Condor MOPC, and Avengers JPC is the one I have in mind, and pictured below). Although on some facebook pages, I’ve seen them coming down in price lately. But if you can spend that much, it will be more than worth your while. My advice would be to try on some plate carriers, see if you like them and then buy one. Then put some money into what pouches you think you’ll need.
Remember, spend on what you can afford that will get the job done, but also one you like. BUDGET. You can always sell it later and upgrade. An LBV is something you shouldn’t cheap out too much on.
Head Gear
These come in two different forms: hard and soft, helmets and hats.
Helmets
While you may think they’re useless in airsoft, think again. I have heard too many stories of guys that ran into branches, fell onto a structure, fell off roofs, and have ended up in the ER room. I personally know that at the Kzoo field, my first time there the low hanging doorway nailed me right in the head, and it hurt, even with my helmet on. Even with that, I still hit my head on it every so often. Things happen; it can be a fast paced game. Now, you may think you can navigate around such accidents. If so, good for you! But I choose to veer on the side of safety. Also, they can complete a look you’re going for at the same time. The same rules apply as above: get one you like, not one you dislike.
Hats
They come in many different variations. Baseball caps, boonie hats, berets, the best choice would be whatever works for you. I like wearing my baseball hat every so often, but a boonie would do an even better for extended light combat scenarios. Such as RECCE missions or sniper missions.
Gear Color
Studies have found that in green environments, a green based camouflage with tan based gear actually is more camouflage than, say, a woodland BDU with an OD plate carrier. Also, tan gear sells more easily and is more readily available (and therefore cheaper) than OD gear (Ask me how I know this...). Hence, I would highly suggest khaki/tan gear all around, unless you can afford a medium, such as MultiCam. Not to mention, it looks amazing together.
So, bottom line, pick and choose wisely, depending on cost, durability, and performance. Ask questions, watch videos on it, read forum reviews, google it. As time goes on, you'll start upgrading to better gear, but for a start, think cost and durability. Worry seriously about looks a little farther down the road when you can afford both looks and durability. You get what you pay for. Now go start that kit!
More interesting pics:
Alright, so now that you’ve got an airsoft gun, you now want to set up a kit. Good thoughts.
Purpose of a kit: The purpose of a kit is to blend in with the environment, have the ability to carry a load that pant pockets wouldn’t be able to carry, and be able to carry it comfortably, protect from unwanted pains and aches (and sometimes dangers), and to be durable enough to sustain the amount of use and abuse you intend to put it to.
Performance vs. Looks
The old argument. Some say that performance is more than looks, and this is true. However, there is an extent to this. For instance, I would rather buy a car painted dark blue than one painted purple. But it all comes down to what you need it to do. So my belief is to buy the best performing gear you can afford, but be sure you can stand the look of it. Like, you know, polka dot camouflage, stuff like that.
Cost
As the saying goes, “The bitterness of poor quality lasts long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.” It truly comes down to how much you’ll be using/abusing it, and how much you’re able, or willing, to spend.
Say your budget is $40. You obviously can’t afford Crye Precision combat pants. I mean, they have those built in knee pads, and they’re highly adjustable and very highly comfortable, but you really can’t afford them. So instead, you go and buy some cheap TMC Combat pants (Crye replicas). Then after one game, you rip them. So sad. But guess what? You get what you pay for. Now say, you were smart and instead bought some used (or new) Propper BDU/field pants. They will last you for a very long time (seeing as they’re the issued set), be pretty comfortable, and will not bust your budget. That’s good thinking. Now later down the road you can always sell them for a good $30-40 for the set, and then spend a little more (like maybe $20 more), and now you buy a high quality set. And so on, and so on.
Now gear is a different animal entirely.
With gear, cheap stuff will rip much faster than a pair of pants or a shirt. So naturally, you should dish out a little more for this, and never buy cheap stuff, like a TMC or Rothco plate carrier. Always buy either RS stuff, or good repro brands like Flyye or Condor (Condor’s on the edge, though…)
Setting up the Kit
Now that you’ve got an idea of budget and how to spend, what should you spend it on?
Pants
Pants are much more important than your jacket. A jacket never makes that much contact with objects, but pants are constantly being slid on, etc. So these are very important. eBay is your friend! Look on ebay for some propper pants, or maybe some pants that have been issued. Or just go to a thrift store, they sell tons of camo gear and for cheap. I know a guy who picked up a multicam BDU set for $10 at a thrift store! My advice would be to either buy the issued stuff, or just buy a pair of Propper’s from evike or somewhere.
Jacket
Jackets are not all that important. They don’t rip too often and come in abundance. Again, look on ebay or a thrift store for a used or issued or propper jacket. If new, just go to evike or some other Airsoft site.
Shoes
Hikers. If you don’t have a good pair of hiking boots, this would be a good investment. The worst thing is when you have snow, water, or a rock stuck down your shoes… Tall “jungle” or “combat” boots are not necessary at all. Even the SOF guys prefer hiking boots to tall combat boots as they’re much more comfortable and just as durable.
LBV or Load Bearing Vest
This is probably one of the most, if not the most, important part of a kit. I have been in games with mags and gear stuffed into my pockets because I didn’t have any vest or chest rig or anything, and it’s not fun at all. Be sure to get a color other than black!
Chest Rigs
These are probably your best bet if your new to gear. Usually they’re cheap (like $20 or under for a decent one), and have enough pouches to hold anything you’ll need. My brother’s first chest rig was a $20 NCStar AK Chest Rig on an Airsoft site. Nothing fancy, held all his stuff, and never ripped on him. The Molle Chest rigs are nice, but only useful if you decide you’d rather not use a plate carrier. One downside: They offer no protection for your back or upper torso.
On ebay, I’ve seen some RS (real steel) Chinese or Russian AK chest rigs go for $15 or less.
Vests
Well, they carry your mags, and few other objects, but overall they’re pretty basic. The main problem with vests is that with a heavy load is they will pull forward on your back, rather than pulling down (like a plate carrier) on your shoulders. Also, they go so low they create issues with bending over, as it will dig into your waist or just puff up at the top. A plate carrier on the other hand, is just high enough so bending over is much easier. Also they’re not very adjustable. Overall, I would not recommend them.
Plate Carriers
They carry the load, protect your torso from point blank shots, look amazing, are completely adjustable when it comes to size, adjustable when it comes to pouch placement, look amazing, feel amazing, what could be wrong, right? Price. That’s right, price. For a good plate carrier, you will have to spend about $40-60 (Condor MOPC, and Avengers JPC is the one I have in mind, and pictured below). Although on some facebook pages, I’ve seen them coming down in price lately. But if you can spend that much, it will be more than worth your while. My advice would be to try on some plate carriers, see if you like them and then buy one. Then put some money into what pouches you think you’ll need.
Remember, spend on what you can afford that will get the job done, but also one you like. BUDGET. You can always sell it later and upgrade. An LBV is something you shouldn’t cheap out too much on.
Head Gear
These come in two different forms: hard and soft, helmets and hats.
Helmets
While you may think they’re useless in airsoft, think again. I have heard too many stories of guys that ran into branches, fell onto a structure, fell off roofs, and have ended up in the ER room. I personally know that at the Kzoo field, my first time there the low hanging doorway nailed me right in the head, and it hurt, even with my helmet on. Even with that, I still hit my head on it every so often. Things happen; it can be a fast paced game. Now, you may think you can navigate around such accidents. If so, good for you! But I choose to veer on the side of safety. Also, they can complete a look you’re going for at the same time. The same rules apply as above: get one you like, not one you dislike.
Hats
They come in many different variations. Baseball caps, boonie hats, berets, the best choice would be whatever works for you. I like wearing my baseball hat every so often, but a boonie would do an even better for extended light combat scenarios. Such as RECCE missions or sniper missions.
Gear Color
Studies have found that in green environments, a green based camouflage with tan based gear actually is more camouflage than, say, a woodland BDU with an OD plate carrier. Also, tan gear sells more easily and is more readily available (and therefore cheaper) than OD gear (Ask me how I know this...). Hence, I would highly suggest khaki/tan gear all around, unless you can afford a medium, such as MultiCam. Not to mention, it looks amazing together.
So, bottom line, pick and choose wisely, depending on cost, durability, and performance. Ask questions, watch videos on it, read forum reviews, google it. As time goes on, you'll start upgrading to better gear, but for a start, think cost and durability. Worry seriously about looks a little farther down the road when you can afford both looks and durability. You get what you pay for. Now go start that kit!
More interesting pics:
