Tactical Vest

[Gantaliano Hoff]

Looks like you found it on ebay...

No. No. No.

I think it looks pretty cheap.

Like Sarge said earlier. Get this.
http://www.diamondbacktactical.com/Batt ... 98C90.aspx
If it's more than you're willing to spend right now, then save up a little longer. You won't ever have to get anything else, it will last. The other stuff won't.

[Ludo.Kressh]

My opinion would be to go for this one if choosing from this and the first vest you showed us.  This looks sturdier (I'm no gear expert, and I'm just basing that on what I can see).  You know it can hold AK mags, and it's definately modular (MOLLE-style straps across it).  It also can carry plenty of other stuff as well.  Personally, I'd shy away from it just because of how far the pouches are from the body, making it a bit awkward to carry your weapon sometimes, like on a sling.  That's just personal preference.  Where did you find this, and how much is it?

I see what your saying with the sling/gun.  I think the 2 ammo pouches are "forward" persay because they are holding 3 real AK mags, which adds a lot of weight to the pouch.

I have STAR AK-74 Mags, which are plastic/metal.  They wouldn't put that much weight on the pouch.  Plus the 3 point sling I currently have I can adjust so the gun rests over the pouches.

[Ganef]

Think about going prone with those plastic bread loaves hanging off the front of your vest too... i don't know about you but I cant stand more than the thickness of to mags against my ribs.

[Ludo.Kressh]

Looks like you found it on ebay...

No. No. No.

I think it looks pretty cheap.

Like Sarge said earlier. Get this.
http://www.diamondbacktactical.com/Batt ... 98C90.aspx
If it's more than you're willing to spend right now, then save up a little longer. You won't ever have to get anything else, it will last. The other stuff won't.

The problem is that vest, although cool, does not have all the features I would like.  And yes if it was possible to attach other pouches etc. that would wind up being in the upper hundreds of dollars.

It's not that I don't have the money to buy it, it's the fact that I don't want to spend that much on a single product.  Albeit if I don't I will end up with a product of lesser qaulity, but it doesn't bother me because I treat my items well. (I am not saying you guys don't)  Everything I have bought for airsoft to this day has not been the best.  It as been the decent and they have lasted me many years.

I am looking for the median in tactical vests.

[azsarge]

Looks like you found it on ebay...

No. No. No.

I think it looks pretty cheap.

Like Sarge said earlier. Get this.
http://www.diamondbacktactical.com/Batt ... 98C90.aspx
If it's more than you're willing to spend right now, then save up a little longer. You won't ever have to get anything else, it will last. The other stuff won't.

The problem is that vest, although cool, does not have all the features I would like.  And yes if it was possible to attach other pouches etc. that would wind up being in the upper hundreds of dollars.

It's not that I don't have the money to buy it, it's the fact that I don't want to spend that much on a single product.  Albeit if I don't I will end up with a product of lesser qaulity, but it doesn't bother me because I treat my items well. (I am not saying you guys don't)  Everything I have bought for airsoft to this day has not been the best.  It as been the decent and they have lasted me many years.

I am looking for the median in tactical vests.

Then buy something crappy.

I like nice quality things, and I made my suggestions based upon that.  

If you'll settle for the lesser product, I'm sure any rig out there will do.

[Ganef]

Median is $100-$200 range. Cyre armor chassis are like several thousand, CIRAS and RAVs are in the $300-$500 range and then you have the plethora of surplus junk in the $20-$30. If you go with something modular it will run you in the hundreds of dollars no matter how you look at it. But!!! you can resell it even after a lot of use for nearly the amout you paid and since it is modular you can change it at will with very little further investment.
If I have followed this Thread right, you want a vest that:
Holds AK mags
Holds Pistol mags
Has a GP for storeage
Is comfortable
Has a Hydration carrier
Modular if possible

The most inexpensive legit solution is buying a MAV, Xharness, Hydration carrier, AK mag pouches off of the sale page at tactical tailor ( www.tacticaltailor.com ) you will spend barely over a hundred bux and it will have all that you require.

If you do not want advice and just want to settle for a disposeable rig that will make due, then by all means buy the $50 junk. But seriously $100 is not that much to spend on good gear, and you are not buying all one item, you are buying multiple modular items that can all be sold on their own.

[Ghostsequel]

The problem is that vest, although cool, does not have all the features I would like.  And yes if it was possible to attach other pouches etc. that would wind up being in the upper hundreds of dollars.

It's not that I don't have the money to buy it, it's the fact that I don't want to spend that much on a single product.  Albeit if I don't I will end up with a product of lesser qaulity, but it doesn't bother me because I treat my items well. (I am not saying you guys don't)  Everything I have bought for airsoft to this day has not been the best.  It as been the decent and they have lasted me many years.

I am looking for the median in tactical vests.

I see where you're coming from.  There are a lot of people who are willing to spend the multiple hundreds of dollars to buy special-ops style tactical gear built for withstanding a good while in a hostile environment...and then they go play airsoft with it, a few hours at a time, maybe once or twice a month.

I think you're caring far too much what other people think of your gear.  I think what you need to do is figure out how much you want to spend (seems like between $50-100, right?), what you want that gear to do, and then buy it.  If it lasts you six months or a year of playing, and it gets busted, who cares?  If you liked the vest, go buy another one.  You're still spending less money than a bunch of the wanna-be commando guys.  Buy what you like, and if someone else doesn't like it, screw 'em.

[Ludo.Kressh]

Thanks everyone for your input, I have now made my decision.

[TimW]

Ghost,

All well and good, but he came here asking for advice and feedback on some items he was thinking about buying.  Well, he got them.  It seems he had his mind made up already about what he was going to buy and perhaps wanted some affirmation that he was doing the right thing.

With few exceptions, the words "inexpensive" and "long lasting" do not go together in the gear world (his exact phrase was "something around 50$ with good utility that will last me a while").

Though the materials might be inexpensive (Cordura being about $6 per yard, a few cents of thread and a couple bucks in webbing and hardware), the expense comes in teh labor and the building/design and quality control.

It's real easy to use 600 D nylon "Codra", cotton thread and someone who doesn't give a rat's ass about what they're making, as long as they get their bowl of rice for the day.  So then you get a vest that costs like $8-10 to make, and it sells for $50-$60 + shipping from Asia.  So, you're up to, what?, $80 or so?

As Ganef pointed out, for only a few bucks more, you can get something made here, out of real Cordura and nylon thread, by a company whose livelihood depends on making quality GEAR, not some sewing factory who is turning out whatever is currently popular.

If you can find one, the South African P-83 vests are/were one of hte best deals and values out there for AR or FAL/M14 users.  Alas, they don't work well with AKs.

So, since he came here asking advice, he got it. And decided on something.

Gear is like that Fram Oil commercials: "you can pay me now, or you can pay me later...."

[azsarge]

The problem is that vest, although cool, does not have all the features I would like.  And yes if it was possible to attach other pouches etc. that would wind up being in the upper hundreds of dollars.

It's not that I don't have the money to buy it, it's the fact that I don't want to spend that much on a single product.  Albeit if I don't I will end up with a product of lesser qaulity, but it doesn't bother me because I treat my items well. (I am not saying you guys don't)  Everything I have bought for airsoft to this day has not been the best.  It as been the decent and they have lasted me many years.

I am looking for the median in tactical vests.

I see where you're coming from.  There are a lot of people who are willing to spend the multiple hundreds of dollars to buy special-ops style tactical gear built for withstanding a good while in a hostile environment...and then they go play airsoft with it, a few hours at a time, maybe once or twice a month.

I think you're caring far too much what other people think of your gear.  I think what you need to do is figure out how much you want to spend (seems like between $50-100, right?), what you want that gear to do, and then buy it.  If it lasts you six months or a year of playing, and it gets busted, who cares?  If you liked the vest, go buy another one.  You're still spending less money than a bunch of the wanna-be commando guys.  Buy what you like, and if someone else doesn't like it, screw 'em.

Ok, you made your point.

Here's how I see it.  I need some gear for a specific loadout.  I find a good platform, then add some pouches.  It ends up costing me over 200 bucks.

I use it for a year or so, get it dirty, maybe even paint it.  

Then I get sick of it, and want to move on to something else newer or better.  THIS is where spending that extra mon ey pays off.  Not only has the gear lasted this long at all, but it's still in great condition due to the materials used and the design.  I can sell the same rig for damn near what I paid!

So, I got to use a great kit for a year and only lost about 20 bucks?  Thats a hell of a deal to me!

I'm done telling you not to throw away your money.  It's yours.

But, in closing, let me make a few points.

Bad gear will not last.

It will not work as well as good gear.

It has NO resale value.

If people make fun of you because you have shitty gear, big deal.  We are all adults here and can take a little bit of friendly ribbing from pals whom we airsoft with.

[Ghostsequel]

Ok, you made your point.

Here's how I see it.  I need some gear for a specific loadout.  I find a good platform, then add some pouches.  It ends up costing me over 200 bucks.

I use it for a year or so, get it dirty, maybe even paint it.  

Then I get sick of it, and want to move on to something else newer or better.  THIS is where spending that extra mon ey pays off.  Not only has the gear lasted this long at all, but it's still in great condition due to the materials used and the design.  I can sell the same rig for damn near what I paid!

So, I got to use a great kit for a year and only lost about 20 bucks?  Thats a hell of a deal to me!

I'm done telling you not to throw away your money.  It's yours.

But, in closing, let me make a few points.

Bad gear will not last.

It will not work as well as good gear.

It has NO resale value.

If people make fun of you because you have shitty gear, big deal.  We are all adults here and can take a little bit of friendly ribbing from pals whom we airsoft with.

All well and good, but that's your approach to gear man, not his.  Coincidentally, I tend to agree with you here.  I'm coming up with a plan for my next vest/rig, probably buying it from DBT, and in about the same price range as you mentioned.  All I'm saying is he has an idea of what he wants, quality and capacity wise, so let him go for it, man.  He just has different expectations from his gear than you or I do.  Nothing wrong with that.

Speaking of which, what did you settle on, Ludo?  And let us know how it turns out for you.

[Ludo.Kressh]

I settled on a Modular Vest(MOLLE style) made of Cordura Nylon.  It has 2 ammo pouches which can hold 3 AK mags each.  It has 4 GP pouches, and a utility pouch.  It allows for the attachment of a water pouch on the back.  Inside of the vest are internal mapping pockets for a pistol and some mags.

I like the modular vest because I can attach and detach what I need for the mission.  I like the non-bulkiness of the vest as well.

[TimW]

I settled on a Modular Vest(MOLLE style) made of Cordura Nylon.  It has 2 ammo pouches which can hold 3 AK mags each.  It has 4 GP pouches, and a utility pouch.  It allows for the attachment of a water pouch on the back.  Inside of the vest are internal mapping pockets for a pistol and some mags.

I like the modular vest because I can attach and detach what I need for the mission.  I like the non-bulkiness of the vest as well.

Got a picture?

[azsarge]

I settled on a Modular Vest(MOLLE style) made of Cordura Nylon.  It has 2 ammo pouches which can hold 3 AK mags each.  It has 4 GP pouches, and a utility pouch.  It allows for the attachment of a water pouch on the back.  Inside of the vest are internal mapping pockets for a pistol and some mags.

I like the modular vest because I can attach and detach what I need for the mission.  I like the non-bulkiness of the vest as well.

What kind of rig is it, and where did you buy it from?

If you got that for under 100, you got a deal.

BTW, GP and Utility are somewhat synonymous.