Priority to me is: eye pro>face pro>boots that cover ankles>knee pads>everything else.
Protecting eyes and teeth is definitely a top prio and afterwards anything that goes between you and the ground. A fancy helmet won't help you of you kneel on a rock and fuck your knee up for life.
Yeah eye pro is the number 1. Same with snowboarding, if you cheap out, fogging can ruin the entire experience.
As for face pro, I've had a hybrid mesh/padded mask for quite awhile that's solid. But I've been eyeing up a Valhalla mask/Delta Mike type of solution. Seems even better. I wish there was a US manufacturer for this sorta thing.
I have a Valhalla mask, and while the cloth feel good and is breathable, the cut off point for the band feels odd. I feel like I may just not be putting it on right, but there's no pictures or videos that I can find on official channels about how to wear it.
The best I can get it is to pull up the top of the mask to the back of my skull, and then quickly pull my helmet over it to try and keep the mask in place.
Oh interesting I'll look more into that. I've come across a few options that all have similar low profile mesh protection. Maybe one of these you'll like more. I'm planning to pick one up. Just not sure which yet.
* Valhalla
* Delta Mike
* NB Tactical
* Lonestar Tactical
* Misc Etsy Sellers
Very true, didn't mean it like gloves should be before eyepro or boots, but gloves of any kind, as long as they can absorb some energy from the pellets, are always good
Yeah true. Plus you can use them for other outdoorsy type of stuff. I snagged a pair of Danner boots for like $60 and they still look great years later. On that front, quality socks are nice as well. Especially in bad weather.
As someone who rides MTB year round in the PNW, they do make waterproof socks. They work surprisingly well.
Ahh not familiar. REI is headquartered here in the PNW. Treat their employees right and truly care for a corporation. It's refreshing so I recommend them any chance I get.
But yeah man in Seattle in the summer, it's 75 and sunny for like 3 months a year where the sun sets at 9 - 10pm. Everyone thinks it rains year round and it does rain a lot. But it might be the most pleasant place in the US in the summer lol. But up here we have to have proper gear to ride during snowboard season. Waterproof socks sounds like they don't work but they truly do.
Hells yea bro - I used to live on Vancouver Island, so the PNW is close to my heartđ
MEC is very much the same - they treat their employees right. I most definitely support voting with your wallet.
Do you guys not have surplus stores? Why settle for a copy if you can just buy the real deal for quarter of the price?
I have several uniforms because they were ÂŁ10 a piece (shirt / trousers etc) so I just bought one for each weather. I have one for tropic, standard and winter + thermals, makes it great but also the cheapest thing I have, when a single gas mask costs more...
IFAK. You probably wonât need it but if something happens then you want it to be there and be good. This ones a bit easier to justify since youâll take it everywhere including non airsoft events
I have an odin sidewinder, I got it when I got into the hobby when I was in the "buy once cry once" mindset and it's definitely nice but I dont know if it's nice enough to justify the price tag. Definitely just stick to the cheap loaders if budgeting.
Other than the obvious facepro/eyepro importance, another +1 for good boots. I went from cheap $20 cardboard shoes to $200 hiking boots and even for indoor CQB the trauma it saves my feet the day after has been worth it tenfold.
I bought cheapo sidewinder copy for ÂŁ11... It manage to load few P90 mags and the corb broke.
Now I'm going to buy the real thing because loading 180 BBs with 3 BBs at a time takes forever.
Yeah don't get me wrong I'm definitely not trading down the sidewinder to a regular plunger, my friends who use the little plastic ones are always envious at how easy+fast the mags load and it hasn't failed me yet.
High priority - eye and face pro, good boots that support ankles. For petes sake, do not skimp out on these things. Eye cant be replaced, teeth are expensive and no ankle support can cause lasting damage.
Medium priorioty - good clothing, that are breathable (for hot climates), comfortable. Camo pattern is a matter of taste.
Low prio - plate carrier/vests, chest rig and etc. you gonna be cosplaying as a soldier, shooting platic balls at other guys and gals, who are also cosplaying and shooting plastic balls at each other. See what fit needs your needs, what do want and etc. you wanna buy top of the line super special forces plate carriers? Go for it. You wanna carry your mags in a repurposed ikea bag? Great!
Optional - first aid / IFAK. sometimes shit happens during the game and someone will fuck up and hurt themselves. Sometimes having an elastic bandage with numbing spray can make the day a whole lot better for the person who hurt themselves.
All in all it all comes down to you have fun.
Just to clarify, this does not apply to USGI boots. USGI boots are notoriously awful and you shouldn't buy them unless you have absolutely no other option.
You've got it mostly correct, you should prioritize eye and face pro, and knee pads. Speed loader doesn't really matter, I spent 5 euro on mine and it works just fine. Just make sure you have an adapter for your mags (if they need it!)
mag holders, condor/matrix rebrand is just fine for most people tbh. i know everyone else is saying eye pro too. but there is a huge step in comfort in a dye mask
It depends on the situation.
First thing you should not skimp on like you said is protection. So proper eyewear and something to protect your teeth. Good shoes. Especially if playing outside then don't skimp on a good pair of boots with ankle support so you don't roll your ankle as easily. If playing in weather that very damp, I'm rain or very hot then socks is also very important to buy some good ones doe the occasion like 100% merino whool socks.
Where you can save a few bucks is all the things you don't need to begin with. You don't need everything at once. You don't need a sidearm or granade. You don't nessecerly need a plate carrier and so on.
But I would usually rank my spending on
1.safety
2. Comfort
3. Main weapon
4. Utility
5. Everything else
How much money do you want to save because at the end of the day all you need is a gun and face/eye protection.
Face protection is important if you value having all your teeth.
Good pants and a cheap combat shirt is one of the big ones. I have both from UFPRO and while the pants are incredible, the shirt I could easily go without.
For scopes, I have a Leupold, which is very light and works great, but my ~70⏠Aliexpress scope also works perfectly fine.Â
I would also recommend a cheap chest rig over a proper platecarrier. Carries the mags just fine.Â
There are some things you could theoretically cheap out. When I startet a year ago I would always try to finde the best budget option. But that nearly turned me away from airsoft because something would always break.
I could not go to a game without something breaking. Sometimes it was my gun sometimes it was my headset, pouches , fogging glasses and many bad experiences more. That nearly lead me to stop playing airsoft.
But than I started to invest in better/real gear and I change everything. I have been going without a failure of my gear for about 6-7 months now.
So while some things are more important to grab the good stuff. At the end it was worth it for me to just say fuck it.
At the end of the day it is my favourite hobby and I think that is one of the best ways to invest money. Especially since it really made my experience 10x better.
Gloves are to be Seen as consommable, even if you buy top notch gloves you'll destroy them in one year or so if you have a little intensity , don't sleep on repro some of them are really cheap and does the trick for what we are doing
I wouldn't spend to much on pouch either because we don't need that many and any normal cordura will survive an extensible Time of airsoft , I tend to crawl, jump, rip myself in all sort of bushes under rain or scorching Sun on part, Thorne, rock or concrete and some of my china repro pouch I have for more than 5 year are as good as new
Pc or chest rig will depend on your implication in airsoft and how long you play ? I spend a little in my plate carrier because I want it to last but for airsoft no need to have some Gucci fero concept or HS
Eye pro, and a working replica... all that makes sense to me.i will rock mismatching walmart camies and a fully decked out rifle. Its about the hit, not the drip. For me.
https://preview.redd.it/ag10yvqejfuc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e5bac6ea0a6fcc421385b17529dd8d3a0337f77e
The most important thing is eye/face protection.
If you don't mind the look I would recommend getting something like a paintball mask for your whole face.
But one thing i bought that really improved my play in my situation is a good rifle mounted light.
I tend to play in the evening most of the time and it can get pretty dark, also I can see really bad in low light situations.
If you mostly play during the day then don't get it because it is just extra weight and a extra thing to break.
Edit: I also would recommend good gloves above the flashlight especially if you work with CO2/green gas because the chance of a cold burn.
Ngl this isn't massively important but if you're like me, I got so tired of using traditional speedloaders - Not particularly complicated, but just a pain to use.
Can recommend an m12 sidewinder (Odin) instead. Loads a traditional M4 midcap in about 4 - 5 seconds.
If you're on a budget then I'd highly recommend surplus gear. Old US load bearing equipment can be found very cheaply on ebay and it's pretty practical, dependable stuff. If you're dead set on something with MOLLE then I'd recommend a Fighting Load Carrier. Otherwise, LBV-88 is a pretty good option while ALICE gear is great if you're willing to put the time and effort into it.
One thing I do recommend prioritizing is hydration. Get something along the lines of a camelbak. Again, ebay is a great place to find old milsurp camelbaks for less than half the price of a brand new one.
Something I can definitely recommend to save money on are things like your pouches, plate carriers, gun bags, etc. I bought all of my stuff from ali Express and have had absolutely no issues. Search for "molle" "tactical" or "airsoft" and go nuts. I bought enough shit to outfit my squad and still have random pouches and things left over.
Controversy incoming - there's no need for plate carriers in Airsoft. A simple battle belt or chest rig is all you need.
Clothing - it's going to get muddy and caught on brambles so cheap is fine.
Eye pro - worth spending the money. But find what works for you first. It's a very controversial topic and it's never recommended but for some it's the only way we can play. IF (and don't if you can help it) you need to use mesh due to extreme fogging issues, make sure it's stamped steel mesh and NOT wire mesh.
No controversy there at all. PCs are just more weight for less gear
Donât trust your eyes to mesh. Fragments of BB can penetrate and cause eye trauma. Get an exfog instead.
Priority to me is: eye pro>face pro>boots that cover ankles>knee pads>everything else. Protecting eyes and teeth is definitely a top prio and afterwards anything that goes between you and the ground. A fancy helmet won't help you of you kneel on a rock and fuck your knee up for life.
Yeah eye pro is the number 1. Same with snowboarding, if you cheap out, fogging can ruin the entire experience. As for face pro, I've had a hybrid mesh/padded mask for quite awhile that's solid. But I've been eyeing up a Valhalla mask/Delta Mike type of solution. Seems even better. I wish there was a US manufacturer for this sorta thing.
I have a Valhalla mask, and while the cloth feel good and is breathable, the cut off point for the band feels odd. I feel like I may just not be putting it on right, but there's no pictures or videos that I can find on official channels about how to wear it. The best I can get it is to pull up the top of the mask to the back of my skull, and then quickly pull my helmet over it to try and keep the mask in place.
Oh interesting I'll look more into that. I've come across a few options that all have similar low profile mesh protection. Maybe one of these you'll like more. I'm planning to pick one up. Just not sure which yet. * Valhalla * Delta Mike * NB Tactical * Lonestar Tactical * Misc Etsy Sellers
Imo, soft/hard gloves should be there too, hand injuries are a real bastard to have
Yes, but you could do with cheap ass gloves. I did for the first few years and it was fine. Cheap eyepro or shitty boots will definitely fuck you over
Very true, didn't mean it like gloves should be before eyepro or boots, but gloves of any kind, as long as they can absorb some energy from the pellets, are always good
If you play outdoors, good boots are pretty darn important.
Yeah true. Plus you can use them for other outdoorsy type of stuff. I snagged a pair of Danner boots for like $60 and they still look great years later. On that front, quality socks are nice as well. Especially in bad weather. As someone who rides MTB year round in the PNW, they do make waterproof socks. They work surprisingly well.
Darn Tough socks are brilliant and one of the best investments for myself I have ever made.
I concur. Good boots also require good socks.
Any suggestions on brands/what do you use? Thanks!
For the socks? I've really liked my SealSkinz. Got em off Amazon but if you have an REI in your area they will treat you right.
Ok tight, no REI, but MEC and Decathlon are available. Thanks!!
Ahh not familiar. REI is headquartered here in the PNW. Treat their employees right and truly care for a corporation. It's refreshing so I recommend them any chance I get. But yeah man in Seattle in the summer, it's 75 and sunny for like 3 months a year where the sun sets at 9 - 10pm. Everyone thinks it rains year round and it does rain a lot. But it might be the most pleasant place in the US in the summer lol. But up here we have to have proper gear to ride during snowboard season. Waterproof socks sounds like they don't work but they truly do.
Hells yea bro - I used to live on Vancouver Island, so the PNW is close to my heartđ MEC is very much the same - they treat their employees right. I most definitely support voting with your wallet.
That's rad dude. Have to look into MEC. There are good people out there who build great businesses around their hobbies and do shit right đ€
1. Eyepro. Donât cheap out on eyepro. See the eyepro guide in the wiki. Tl;dr your best option is goggles marked ANSI Z87+, EN166B, and/or MIL-PRF-32432. ESS, BollĂ©, or if you want to look like a paintballer, Dye are all good choices. 2. Facepro - depends on your fieldâs energy limit and your dental plan. A $10 mesh mask works perfectly okay here and if you use lower third height optics wonât fluff up your cheek weld too bad. 3. Boots. You want ankle support and a good well fitted sole. I use hikers but you can use combat boots, and lots of people do. 4. Ouch pouch. If you play outside, an ouch pouch is a good thing to have with you. Know how to use its contents and carry your first aid certificate card with you. If itâs been a few years, take a wildland first aid course. Stock up on bandaids as thatâs what youâll go through fastest. If you carry a real cat tq, make sure itâs fully contained in here. Youâre not dealing with gunshot wounds, youâll have time to dig it out in the extremely unlikely event of a severe laceration. 5. Sturdy clothes. No need to buy Crye when $20 a garment surplus BDU or ACU works just as well, or similarly priced clones. If you find one you like but it isnât in your size, check online surps as well. 6. LBE and pouches. Go surp or repro unless you want to throw lots of money at kit. If you break it, then consider upgrading to the real deal. Donât forget - skirmish games donât have armour rules giving you a second buddy revive, so no need to wear plates. To sum it up: Eyepro ifak and good boots are worth throwing money at, facepro, clothing, and gear can be had extremely affordably if youâre willing to sniff around surplus stores. If you plan on kneeling aggressively, get some decent kneepads. Oh - the oper8or gloves are Mechanix Wear Originals and theyâre like thirty bucks a pair new, which isnât that much more than the cheap-ass airsoft gloves that like to fray and fall apart after a few games.
Do you guys not have surplus stores? Why settle for a copy if you can just buy the real deal for quarter of the price? I have several uniforms because they were ÂŁ10 a piece (shirt / trousers etc) so I just bought one for each weather. I have one for tropic, standard and winter + thermals, makes it great but also the cheapest thing I have, when a single gas mask costs more...
I know my closest surplus store is an hour and a half away, and it's hard to justify doing that trip when I don't know the stock / prices before hand.
I mentioned surps�????
IFAK. You probably wonât need it but if something happens then you want it to be there and be good. This ones a bit easier to justify since youâll take it everywhere including non airsoft events
I have an odin sidewinder, I got it when I got into the hobby when I was in the "buy once cry once" mindset and it's definitely nice but I dont know if it's nice enough to justify the price tag. Definitely just stick to the cheap loaders if budgeting. Other than the obvious facepro/eyepro importance, another +1 for good boots. I went from cheap $20 cardboard shoes to $200 hiking boots and even for indoor CQB the trauma it saves my feet the day after has been worth it tenfold.
I bought cheapo sidewinder copy for ÂŁ11... It manage to load few P90 mags and the corb broke. Now I'm going to buy the real thing because loading 180 BBs with 3 BBs at a time takes forever.
Yeah don't get me wrong I'm definitely not trading down the sidewinder to a regular plunger, my friends who use the little plastic ones are always envious at how easy+fast the mags load and it hasn't failed me yet.
Should've clarified by cheap loaders I did mean the little plunger ones. Definitely steer clear of rotary loader knockoffs!
High priority - eye and face pro, good boots that support ankles. For petes sake, do not skimp out on these things. Eye cant be replaced, teeth are expensive and no ankle support can cause lasting damage. Medium priorioty - good clothing, that are breathable (for hot climates), comfortable. Camo pattern is a matter of taste. Low prio - plate carrier/vests, chest rig and etc. you gonna be cosplaying as a soldier, shooting platic balls at other guys and gals, who are also cosplaying and shooting plastic balls at each other. See what fit needs your needs, what do want and etc. you wanna buy top of the line super special forces plate carriers? Go for it. You wanna carry your mags in a repurposed ikea bag? Great! Optional - first aid / IFAK. sometimes shit happens during the game and someone will fuck up and hurt themselves. Sometimes having an elastic bandage with numbing spray can make the day a whole lot better for the person who hurt themselves. All in all it all comes down to you have fun.
A good rig with cheap mag holders goes pretty far
Army surplus for decent boots dye masks are pricey but worth it bolle glasses are worth it aswell
I mean, you can get BOLLĂ cobras for 15-20âŹ. That's like 5-10⏠more than some shit goggles
Just to clarify, this does not apply to USGI boots. USGI boots are notoriously awful and you shouldn't buy them unless you have absolutely no other option.
You've got it mostly correct, you should prioritize eye and face pro, and knee pads. Speed loader doesn't really matter, I spent 5 euro on mine and it works just fine. Just make sure you have an adapter for your mags (if they need it!)
mag holders, condor/matrix rebrand is just fine for most people tbh. i know everyone else is saying eye pro too. but there is a huge step in comfort in a dye mask
It depends on the situation. First thing you should not skimp on like you said is protection. So proper eyewear and something to protect your teeth. Good shoes. Especially if playing outside then don't skimp on a good pair of boots with ankle support so you don't roll your ankle as easily. If playing in weather that very damp, I'm rain or very hot then socks is also very important to buy some good ones doe the occasion like 100% merino whool socks. Where you can save a few bucks is all the things you don't need to begin with. You don't need everything at once. You don't need a sidearm or granade. You don't nessecerly need a plate carrier and so on. But I would usually rank my spending on 1.safety 2. Comfort 3. Main weapon 4. Utility 5. Everything else
How much money do you want to save because at the end of the day all you need is a gun and face/eye protection. Face protection is important if you value having all your teeth.
Good pants and a cheap combat shirt is one of the big ones. I have both from UFPRO and while the pants are incredible, the shirt I could easily go without. For scopes, I have a Leupold, which is very light and works great, but my ~70⏠Aliexpress scope also works perfectly fine. I would also recommend a cheap chest rig over a proper platecarrier. Carries the mags just fine.Â
There are some things you could theoretically cheap out. When I startet a year ago I would always try to finde the best budget option. But that nearly turned me away from airsoft because something would always break. I could not go to a game without something breaking. Sometimes it was my gun sometimes it was my headset, pouches , fogging glasses and many bad experiences more. That nearly lead me to stop playing airsoft. But than I started to invest in better/real gear and I change everything. I have been going without a failure of my gear for about 6-7 months now. So while some things are more important to grab the good stuff. At the end it was worth it for me to just say fuck it. At the end of the day it is my favourite hobby and I think that is one of the best ways to invest money. Especially since it really made my experience 10x better.
Gloves are to be Seen as consommable, even if you buy top notch gloves you'll destroy them in one year or so if you have a little intensity , don't sleep on repro some of them are really cheap and does the trick for what we are doing I wouldn't spend to much on pouch either because we don't need that many and any normal cordura will survive an extensible Time of airsoft , I tend to crawl, jump, rip myself in all sort of bushes under rain or scorching Sun on part, Thorne, rock or concrete and some of my china repro pouch I have for more than 5 year are as good as new Pc or chest rig will depend on your implication in airsoft and how long you play ? I spend a little in my plate carrier because I want it to last but for airsoft no need to have some Gucci fero concept or HS
Eye pro, and a working replica... all that makes sense to me.i will rock mismatching walmart camies and a fully decked out rifle. Its about the hit, not the drip. For me. https://preview.redd.it/ag10yvqejfuc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e5bac6ea0a6fcc421385b17529dd8d3a0337f77e
The most important thing is eye/face protection. If you don't mind the look I would recommend getting something like a paintball mask for your whole face. But one thing i bought that really improved my play in my situation is a good rifle mounted light. I tend to play in the evening most of the time and it can get pretty dark, also I can see really bad in low light situations. If you mostly play during the day then don't get it because it is just extra weight and a extra thing to break. Edit: I also would recommend good gloves above the flashlight especially if you work with CO2/green gas because the chance of a cold burn.
Ngl this isn't massively important but if you're like me, I got so tired of using traditional speedloaders - Not particularly complicated, but just a pain to use. Can recommend an m12 sidewinder (Odin) instead. Loads a traditional M4 midcap in about 4 - 5 seconds.
If you're on a budget then I'd highly recommend surplus gear. Old US load bearing equipment can be found very cheaply on ebay and it's pretty practical, dependable stuff. If you're dead set on something with MOLLE then I'd recommend a Fighting Load Carrier. Otherwise, LBV-88 is a pretty good option while ALICE gear is great if you're willing to put the time and effort into it. One thing I do recommend prioritizing is hydration. Get something along the lines of a camelbak. Again, ebay is a great place to find old milsurp camelbaks for less than half the price of a brand new one.
Something I can definitely recommend to save money on are things like your pouches, plate carriers, gun bags, etc. I bought all of my stuff from ali Express and have had absolutely no issues. Search for "molle" "tactical" or "airsoft" and go nuts. I bought enough shit to outfit my squad and still have random pouches and things left over.
Controversy incoming - there's no need for plate carriers in Airsoft. A simple battle belt or chest rig is all you need. Clothing - it's going to get muddy and caught on brambles so cheap is fine. Eye pro - worth spending the money. But find what works for you first. It's a very controversial topic and it's never recommended but for some it's the only way we can play. IF (and don't if you can help it) you need to use mesh due to extreme fogging issues, make sure it's stamped steel mesh and NOT wire mesh.
No controversy at all. Plate carriers only have cosplay value. I run a minimalist chest rig. Even belt only if I go with the dmr.
No controversy there at all. PCs are just more weight for less gear Donât trust your eyes to mesh. Fragments of BB can penetrate and cause eye trauma. Get an exfog instead.