The Obligatory Gear Page

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The Obligatory Gear Page

My Weapons | Weapons I want

Goggles/Face Mask
Goggles are required to play in any organized airsoft game. Having worn glasses or contacts since I was 6 years old, I can tell you that you DO NOT want to even risk losing your eyesight or an eye to a stray BB. I've been taken out by goggle hits several times, and it's nice to know I have some good eye protection.

Some guys use the "sensei" style metal mesh goggles, you can get these in face mask form for $20 and remove the goggle portion if you want, but the elastic band looks a little cheesy to me. One definite benefit is that you can paint not only the mask part (which looks like a Darth Vader helmet sort of) but also the metal mesh itself. One definite drawback is that when the wind is blowing or a car drives by, the dust isn't stopped by the mesh, whereas with goggles it doesn't go directly in your eyes. If you play in a muddy area, same thing.

Some guys use the expensive Bolle protective goggles, I think mainly because that's what the "real steel operators" use. Personally, I think some guys glorify the SEALs and Rangers a bit too much by trying to use the exact same stuff they use. To me, whatever is cheapest and works fine is the best. When I get the cash to blow then maybe I'll get the "actual stuff" but for now I'm not worried about it. Oakley also makes quality stuff, but it's just as pricey. The good thing is, even their normal sunglasses are shatterproof but every person in the world it seems wears Oakleys. What's the point of being different when everyone's wearing the same thing? Anyway...

Shooting glasses like from Walmart aren't recommended by most people, but to me, if you want to take the risk, fine.

I use the JT Spectra goggles and mask. I have the all-black version but they have a green/black version also. The bottom part of the mask is a soft rubber that flexes a bit, but it still doesn't allow you to fully put your cheek against the stock of your weapon. That's why I got a riser sight mount for my weapon, because of the face mask. These goggles have a wide elastic band for a mostly secure grip on your head, plus a silicon bead on the inside of the elastic to grip your head really good. I think the silicon will grip short-haired folks better than long-haired follks.

The Spectra has a dual-lens setup so it's anti-fog but it is NOT a "NO-fog" pair of goggles. When the temperature goes down and you're breathing hard, they will still fog up. I rigged up a fan from Radio Shack parts, click here to see how I did it.

BDU's (Battle Dress Uniform)
BDU's are a staple of the airsof player. It's like the snow pants and bulky snow jacket of the snowboarder: they tell everyone out there you're ready to go.

There are tons of different types of BDU's out there. CQB players usually use all-black BDU's. Since I'm a woodlands (or outdoor) player all of my stuff is camo of one sort or another. Nearly every country that has any sort of armed force has their own type of camoflauge that is supposedly suited just for their particular foliage. German camo is different than Swiss or French camo, which is different than British or Russian camo. Everyone knows what the American camo types look like, just watch any modern war movie. There are a couple of new camo types that look great, the US Marine MARPATS feature a very small camo pattern that diffuses really well, the pattern is even smaller than the German Flectarn camo. I'm also looking for the new 3-color US desert camo, which blends in really well with sand and scrub.

Here are the different sets of camo I have:
- 2 sets (top jacket and bottom pants) of standard US Army Woodland camo
- 1 set of German Flectarn, this has a smaller camo pattern and just looks different, not many guys have this and I like European stuff. I got it because not many people have it, the smaller pattern works a little better in the shade, and people are usually looking for woodland camo when scanning an area.
- top only of 6-color US desert camo, I'm in the process of getting pants off eBay or somewhere. I got this partly for the desert camo, partly because it has patches on it from my dad's old German-based unit, the 3rd Armored Division.

Underneath the Camo
Under my BDU's I wear a wicking T-shirt and wicking underwear, made for backpackers and hikers. It's really light, synthetic material that moves the sweat you create from your skin to your outer layer (the BDU's). This keeps you dry and comfortable. I'll never go back to wearing a cotton shirt again. It doesn't matter what color the underwear are, but my shirt is green, just to go with the rest of the outfit. You can find these shirts and underwear starting at $13 (on sale) on up to $30 each, at places like REI, Campmor and other camping supply stores. The brand doesn't matter too much, just try it.

LBV (Load Bearing Vest)
The LBV is the replacement for the older ALICE gear (you can look up what ALICE stands for, but it's the web gear that was used all the way back from Vietnam) but is itself replaced by the MOLLE (pronounced Molly like the girl's name) system that the SEALs use. The LBV system uses the standard pistol belt that's been around since WWII and a cloth or mesh vest that has pockets sewn onto it, plus it's adjustable using a shoelace-style lacing system for any size person. There are plastic Fastex buckles on the front, and Velcro/snap attachments for the pistol belt on the bottom. The LBV uses a top row of magazine pouches (the inner two pouches hold 2 magazines, the outer pockets hold 1) and two compass/first aid pouches, one on each side. You can attach standard ALICE gear to the pistol belt, the front of each shoulder and also on the rear. There's also a place to attach a standard "butt pack", basically a huge fanny pack. My LBV is the older style, the newer enhanced, or "E" LBV has slanted magazine pockets.

I already had an Army pistol belt from a friend who went through college ROTC, so I picked up a standard LBV from eBay for $20. The pistol belts are $15 at Army/Navy surplus stores and my LBV was bought without the belt. My particular LBV is the older version, using cloth instead of mesh as the base layer, and the mag pouches are straight instead of the newer angled pouch layout. I'm not worried about it, I got the setup for $20. :)

On the LBV:
The radio is on my left shoulder with the wire taped to the pouch so just enough wire can go to my ear and I'm still able to move my neck as much as I need to. The PTT microphone is taped to the radio pouch also so I know exactly where it is. Having it flop around so you're not able to find it really sucks in the heat of battle!

The mag pouches on my left side hold 3 hicap mags. I use the left side exclusively for magazines because otherwise I have to take my hand off the grip of the weapon when reloading.

The mag pouches on my right side hold a 1000 rnd jar (in the outer mag pouch). I try to keep the jar as full as possible so it doesn't rattle much. The inner 2-mag pouch holds a red shop rag (so I don't get shot again after I get hit) and Power Bars. I can also put my multi-tool (Leatherman Wave) in this pouch.

On my back I made a pouch to hold my 70-oz. Camelbak. I used a large black nylon table napkin and a brass grommet kit (went over the grommets with black marker) and it is held in place with green para cord. The tube for the Camelbak is covered in camo burlap and the bite valve is concealed by the toe of an old OD green sock so the bright blue doesn't show.

I don't have a buttpack yet, I don't think I need the extra storage yet.

In my leg pockets I have my camo gloves and camo scarves (from CheaperThanDirt.com) when I'm not wearing them.

On the pistol belt I also have a nylon webbing/buckle set I made (you can buy the buckles and straps from a hardware store or outdoor store), this holds my mask when we're standing around waiting for a game. (This is a terrific idea, you can also use a black carabiner like the guy I borrowed the idea from.)

My SR-16 is attached to me by a 3-point sling and I have a full anti-fog face mask with fan and boonie hat. These three things are covered with camo burlap also.

A final note on the LBV: for short games, it's not necessary. For longer games (or if you go to "Ops"), it's helpful because if you're out of ammo, you're dead! I actually rarely use the Camelbak, because if the games are relatively short I wait a little bit to get some Gatorade from the cooler in my car. In long games or if I just can't wait I'll take a few drags from the Camelbak, though.

Pads
I use kneepads whenever I remember to put them on before my boots. These are real lifesavers, plus it makes it easier to live my non-airsoft life during the week. Low-crawling is lot easier to do with pads on, plus you're more willing to try it!

I have some German army surplus knee pads but they are white and bright green, so you have to wear them inside your pants. The two strips of Velcro really scarred up the backs of my knees and made them itch for a couple of days.

The best ones are the rollerblade-style pads with the hard plastic outer that is grommeted (those metal rings in the material are grommets) to the padding. Real Special Forces operatives use specially made pads that are thinner than the xtreme skater pads, but I already had my pads from rollerblading and am not going to shell out cash to replace something I already have that works great.

Boots
Army boots are the way to go. There are many variants, just make sure to get something that is used or issued by some sort of US armed forces. Walking through a stream in tennis shoes or low hiking boots is no fun, with Army-style boots you can walk through nearly a foot of water or mud and not worry about it. They'll take some time to break in, so put on some thick socks, tie them on and do stuff around your house to help speed the process along.

Boot care: you won't be skipping through the boonies but you should still take care of your boots. Scratches from rocks can be prevented with a layer of Shoe Goo or Goop (from a hardware store), but I'm generally careful about that. Get some shoe polish so the boots stay waterproof and don't dry out.

Boonie Hat
The Special Forces and other cool guys in the Army use the standard "boonie hat", basically a fisherman's hat with loops for vegetation and a chin strap. The vegetation is stuff like local weeds, small branches and other things that help break up the profile of your head so you don't look like you. You can use a $15 steel "pot" helmet if you want from a surplus store, but they're heavy and the boonie hat is slightly cheaper. CheaperThanDirt.com has boonie hats in Advantage Timber for $5, you can't beat that price.

Burlap
My closest surplus store sells rolls of camo-printed burlap, which is great for covering your weapons, face mask, boonie hat and other gear. Need to make a sniper ghillie suit? This is the standard stuff to use. There are newer materials like jute, whatever that is, but burlap still works great. After the first time you use it in the field, it starts to fray and really help break up the outline of your weapon and head if used right. Just look at my weapon in the picture, you can barely make it out against the camo I'm wearing.

Sling
The 3-point tactical sling is the way to go, no doubt. I was wondering about it before I tried it, and the standard 2-point sling just pales. With the 3-point you can leave your hands off your weapon and do stuff, and very quickly have your weapon in firing position if you need to. This is definitely money well spent.

More Camo
From CheaperThanDirt.com I picked up a cheap pair of camo "dot gloves", these have rubber dots on the inside of the fingers and palm to make handling weapons and things easier. They also go pretty far down the wrist, so when you're stretching your skin doesn't show. These were $4 for the pair.

I also picked up two Advantage Woodland camo bandanas, these are meant to be thermal scarves to keep your neck or head warm (I thought they would be more of a bandana-type material) but can help protect your neck. I got a neck shot once and it wasn't terrible but whatever you cover will help. If you don't have a boonie hat you can use one of them as a bandana. I have a big head (7 1/2 hat size) and the bandana totally covers my head.

I guess I'm a camo freak, some airsofters are gun freaks, others are gear freaks, some are combat freaks. I'm just a camo geek/freak. :)

Radio
I got a Motorola Talkabout 6220 radio (from eBay, I saved a few bucks but not much) to help out with communications. Some teams have guys that all have comm gear, the particular group I play with only has a few guys with radios. I could have gotten the slightly cheaper 5000 series radio but since I do camping and backpacking I wanted a model with the national weather frequencies, it'll help if I ever get lost in backcountry. Compare the 6220 to other Motorola radios here. Most airsofters use the Motorola radios so getting one of these is a safe bet.

I also picked up a PTT (Push To Talk) microphone/earbud. These are sold on the Motorola site for $30 I think, Frye's Electronics has them for $22. Radio Shack has compatible earpieces for $30 that have a more ergonomic earpiece but whatever, I have most of the mic cord taped to the radio pouch so there isn't much weight on the earbud. I also use bits of duct tape to hold the earpiece in "just in case". Haven't lost it yet.

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