[Pheonix 797]

gixser is right. You need to load up on the essentials before you start buying more guns. If you can't go to a game and blend in to your enviroment and carry the needed gear then you'll be dead no matter what kind of pistol you have.

I have a G36 myself and am considering upgrading it somewhere down the road. You made a good choice of gun, but put a bit more into it before you start buying other guns. Get it upgraded to 350-400 fps with more mags and a 9.6V battery. Talk to Harley about that. He's a great guy and would be able to help you a lot
or talk to Ron (I don't know his forum name). That way when you go to a game you won't get outranged!

[yellowmonkey]

Don't forget some good eye protection... it's a MUST for CQB.

[azsarge]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by USMC-Greg</i>
<br />Get a vest (a load bearing vest from a surplus store will be fine- you don't need a blackhawk).
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No he doesn't.  He needs good gear, like a MAV.  Don't buy sh*tty gear, like USGI stuff.  And don't think this:

"Well, it's JUST FOR AIRSOFT, so crappy gear will work ok.  Maybe I'll buy somethig nice, and get a Blackhawk vest!"

There are a few things wrong with that.  First of all, I have gone through some gear while "just playing airsoft".  Gloves, packs, pouches, you name it, I've ripped it up.  I'm even getting chunks out of my Wellco boots (take note, TimW!).  Buying nice gear isn't just for "gearwhores" (although some like to think it's fun to make fun of people who like gear that doesn't suck a$$), it's for smart people.  Think of it this way, you can buy crappy stuff and replace it often, or you can buy nice gear to begin with and never replace it!  Gear failure sucks!

Don't tell me, I can't afford a Blackhawk vest now, I just need something to hold mags."

Blackhawk isn't the best you can get.  Don't think that if you spend too much on BPG stuff, that you have cool gear.  Sure, it might be "OK for airsoft", but <b>why settle for "OK"</b>?

Spend 50 bucks and get yourself a TT MAV if you don't want to spend alot.  If you can't afford that, then save up!  No one sets up a whole kit from the get-go.  It takes time to throw together a nice setup, meaning one that will work for YOU!  Don't buy what other people have (just because they like it), and don't by something just because non one else has it (in attempt to be different).  Buy what will work for you.

Also, don't buy crappy airsoft replica gear that isn't much cheaper than the real thing.

Go to a few games, and decide what you desire in a gear setup.  Think it out, and execute!  Shop around, ask around (within reason), and then do it.  You won't be sorry!

[busta_cap]

I must agree with sarge. I was about to spend a shizit load of money on a crap vest then decided to go MODular with a G & P AAV replica.. So just find your own preferance. Most guys around here will let you try on their gear and see how you like it.

[-Throttle Jockey- N152BR]

Thanks a lot for your advice azsarge. I think I like that gaurder SOG CQB vest a lot. It looks like it would fit my needs very well. Does anyone have any experiance with this vest? Thanks for all your help, especially you azsarge. I was on the edge of getting a cheaper vest from www.airsplat.com and between getting a slightly used Gaurder SOG CQB ($80), now I am pretty sure I am going to go for the gaurder vest. Thanks again.

-Scott

[gixser13]

I bought a cheap pair of boots for my first game, 29.95 mil spec knock off.
My feet hurt for 2 days after that, So on the next game I went out and bought a 120.00 pair of TRUE Marpat boots off ebay and WOW!
Then on my dropleg gun holster HUH! I already bought 4 and still dont have one that worth a crap(I keep buying cheap ones)
So I agree with Sarge on this also.. I have about 500 plus just in gear, but I use it for Camping and hunting also,

You get what you pay for.  Best thing for you to do is find someone getting out of the sport and buy all there gear

[azsarge]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by -Throttle Jockey- N152BR</i>
<br />Thanks a lot for your advice azsarge. I think I like that gaurder SOG CQB vest a lot. It looks like it would fit my needs very well. Does anyone have any experiance with this vest? Thanks for all your help, especially you azsarge. I was on the edge of getting a cheaper vest from www.airsplat.com and between getting a slightly used Gaurder SOG CQB ($80), now I am pretty sure I am going to go for the gaurder vest. Thanks again.

-Scott
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

Have you looked at REAL gear from http://www.practicaltactical.net or http://www.lightfighter.com?  Some of that replica gear can be really crappy, and some can be nice.  The SOG vest (a replica of one of the Special Operations Equipment modular vest) can be nice, but why gamble?

[-Throttle Jockey- N152BR]

Alright, I will be sure to check those web sites out. Thanks once again.

-Scott

[Raith]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by -Throttle Jockey- N152BR</i>
<br />...Does anyone have any experiance with this vest? Thanks for all your help, especially you azsarge. I was on the edge of getting a cheaper vest from www.airsplat.com and between getting a slightly used Gaurder SOG CQB ($80), now I am pretty sure I am going to go for the gaurder vest. Thanks again.

-Scott
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There are at least 5 of us on these that I know of that have used this vest and found it to be satisfactory.  I don't think you'll find it as beefy as the SOE vest its based on, but its good nonetheless.  Definately on the "higher end" of replica gear.  This vest is almost modular... You can change around some stuff, and even attach pouches that weren't specifically designed for it.  The "Guarderclete" (Kurn's term) vest I wore once was actually pretty good []

Its a decent buy.

The only issue that I can remember having with it was that it wasn't all that great of a vest to use a sling with because of the larger shoulder padding.

A quick mod to it that improves it by 100% is adding good plastic hardware to it, like real ITW Nexus fastex buckles instead of the cheap HK knock off ones.  Adding tri-glides can help manage the excess webbing, as well.  The SOE hydration pouch is a must for this vest.

HTH

[Greg]

I agree with azsarge about cheap gear. That's why I have one of blackhawk's most expensive vests. I also like USGI gear like alice gear and lbvs. You can get quality USGI stuff. It works in real life. I don't think I would ever use airsoft-specific gear like that stuff from HK, though. Unless it is just replica body armor or something else equally expensive. Spend some money of good eye wear.

[azsarge]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by USMC-Greg</i>
<br />I agree with azsarge about cheap gear. That's why I have one of blackhawk's most expensive vests. I also like USGI gear like alice gear and lbvs. You can get quality USGI stuff. It works in real life. I don't think I would ever use airsoft-specific gear like that stuff from HK, though. Unless it is just replica body armor or something else equally expensive. Spend some money of good eye wear.
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Greg, you aren't making sense![]

"one of Blackhawks most expensive vests"?  COME ON!  In my opinion, and my EXPERIENCE (with the same vest you own), there are many ways you could have spent that dollar in a more efficient manner.  If it works for you, that's great, but don't for one second think it's the best out there.

My point is to shop around.  Most people think Blackhawk is the top of the line, simply because their name is out there, and because they haven't shopped around.  While BPG stuff is not crap, it's not original and I don't like that.  I can count on one hand the number of items BPG has designed themselves.  That's pretty lame!  Add to that the fact that almost NONE of their newer stuff is made in the USA (most of the STRIKE gear is made in Vietnam, for god's sake!).

In the end, I'm not trying to insult users of BPG gear.  It's good stuff.  I'm just trying to tell people to look around alot, that's all!  Places like Practical Tactical sell quality merchandise only, so any choice will be a good one.  Scour the internet in search of more options, and you will always be more informed.

Third party sales are also a good source of good quality used gear.  If it's a good brand, and the seller gives good details of it's condition, you should be good to go.  I have several items bought from other people, and they are all in excellent condition!  the best part?  I got them at about 1/2 price of MSRP.

Cheers[8D]

[Greg]

I know blackhawk is not top of the line. I didn't pay the full price for that vest. I think we are all kinda saying the same thing in a stupid way. My only points are:
-Cheap gear isn't worth it
-But a lot of USGI stuff isn't cheap and a basic LBV will work just fine.

[azsarge]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by USMC-Greg</i>
<br />I know blackhawk is not top of the line. I didn't pay the full price for that vest. I think we are all kinda saying the same thing in a stupid way. My only points are:
-Cheap gear isn't worth it
-But a lot of USGI stuff isn't cheap and a basic LBV will work just fine.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

Agreed.

I don't want to argue with you, when I know we're on the same page.[]

[-Throttle Jockey- N152BR]

Alright, I found something else (becides the gaurder vest), the Blackhawk STRIKE molle system. I think it looks pretty good, and best of all you can obviously change the location of all the pouches (unlike cheaper vests I was looking into earlier). I know that Black Hawk gear isnt the best, but I am not looking for the best, I am looking for the best bang for my buck and this seems like a great deal to me (lifetime warranty). However this is still going to end up costing me $150 (maybe a little less) and I am not sure that I am ready to spend that much on my gear until later on. (Once I get more into airsoft, then I will look into buying some "REAL" gear like azsarge suggested) So I was looking on ebay, and found this. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... me=MERC_VI
I know that it doesnt have a warranty, so I am worried about how duarble and how well it will perform. It looks like the same setup as Blackhawk's STRIKE vest except that it comes with all of the pouches and other things for only $20 more. I e-mailed the seller, and he said the the company that it is made by is TTc. does anyone have any info on this company. So basically I have decided what setup that I want (the systems that are completely customizable). I just wanted to get your input on which one you suggest, the one on ebay, or the Blackhawk STRIKE vest. I dont know that much about gear or anything like that, so correct me if I am wrong about anyhting that I say. Thank you once again for your help.

P.S. Remember that I have a G36, so the mag pouches must fit G36 mags...

-Scott

[HavHav]

It looks like the same thing from airsoft128.com