TheFull9

This'll be the super unpopular option, but if the ICS is out of stock maybe you can save enough to afford it by the time it's back in. If there's one thing I'll claim to be a world expert on it's judging whether a replica is close to a real L85 and my ICS is definitely very good as airsoft guns go.

Decent plate carriers often won't list sizes of the carrier exactly because you buy PCs based on the size of armour plates that go in them. If you're already a big guy and want to wear a smock/jacket, then I don't know of a JPC style PC that's not going to look really off scale to be fully honest. That and the SRU kit seems to be one size and based on counting the PALS columns visible in the product picture it may be a fitment issue for you, unless you've tried on in person already maybe? Look up the sizes of SAPI plates for starters, that'll give you some info.

I was worried for a sec that the actual goggles were cheap chinese shite. Nicely done. There's one thing I'll happily be called a gear snob about every single day and that's eye pro.

My mate Rich there is modelling ESSTAC pouches which also use KYWIs on the Crye airlite convertible chest rig; another combo that could be configured to do what you're wanting. I don't personally know of any different but more value-oriented gear brands that will achieve all this though, you'd have to go with chinese clones of the crye/ferro/spiritus, which I don't recommend but loads of people do. If you're asking about connecting a rifle sling to a chest rig definitely do not, those setups suck balls just get a simple quality 2 point sling - tried, tested, used by the best. Having any kind of dangler hung even lower than usual below that side-pull pouch is gonna be wank for kneeling/sitting/squatting and I don't know of anything in the world that'll stop that huge slap flap you'll have created from punching you in the nethers.

This or this plus this insert. Or jam a pack of MP2s in to one of the original HSP chest rigs. The rest of the questions I don't really grasp tbh, is the OP missing an image above the hyphenated list? Personally I've used the SS micro with the Spiritus elastic inserts quite a bit and reinserting mags is fine, takes 2% more effort vs MP2s or KYWIs you just have to angle the mags a bit at first and rock them back in.

I bought some of the Smiths a while back purely so I had a set with a battery pack that's easily relocatable, but I've owned a couple of pairs of ESS Turbofans for.. more years than I can remember. I rate kit the most if it basically vanishes while in use and I don't notice it and the ESS fall well in to that category. I've got plastic mask lower halves zip tied on, I put that combo on my face with the fans on the low setting and go about my game with no worries at all. Being the cheapest of the 3 I'd say go with the Revisions unless you want a specific colour or to move the power supply; but all great eye pro that I couldn't do this hobby without personally.

The best thing I ever figured out in terms of buying belts was my waist size in PALS columns (i.e the slots). Obviously if you already have a belt that's good you can just count, but as a very very rough guide PALS spacing is 1.5" horizontally so if you know your legit waist size with a tape measure you can figure things out before any potential belt related purchases if the website sizing guide is iffy or just nonexistent.

There's no way MTP is ever better than DPM, literally dozens of unqualified airsofters who spend their entire lives at one site and irrationally hate anything popular because it's cool to be different have told me so. If you want uniforms just get surplus issue stuff, commercial offerings (BTP, MTC etc etc) barely get within sniffing distance in terms of the quality for the price point. Windproof and waterproof are 2 entirely different proposals, most issue uniform is fairly windproof the smock in particular but it's still extremely breathable. Anything that's actually close to waterproof cooks you alive soon as you do much exertion and do NOT fall for the bullshit descriptions at airsoft retailers that describe any softshell jacket as waterproof; utter shite. Wear a t-shirt and a standard PCS smock, put a fleece or whatever under it if you're not moving much in the cold and have a goretex jacket somewhere to hand if you expect it to really hammer down - that'll cover 95% of UK weather.

As you say above, you can get lots of likes but putting together a smart loadout and still be comfortable and not hate your life as soon you stop standing in the safe zone and step on to the actual field, 100% doable. I just wouldn't recommend any emulating of guys who are doing full on balls-out cosplay for photoshoots if you do actually want something that's good looking but is also genuinely practical. I also do disagree with your sentiment that practicality and efficiency are mutually exclusive to be honest. The main thing I'd say is, if you put on a PC and helmet then a ghillie jacket with hood, you'll have covered up 80% of the PC and helmet anyway and you'll sweat your tittays off, not to mention being slow, uncomfortable and getting snagged by both foliage and structures - ergo you won't actually look cool. Oh and the helmet will potentially snag inside the ghillie hood too and restrict your head. Personally I own one of these but I'd only wear it with a chest rig, if I go for PC and helmet it'll probably be for indoors and hence no fake trees on me. Just some experience I've gained having spent a fuck ton of money on gear over the past 15 years, as I always say how you wanna spend your cash is up to you.

Kinda key point I've not seen mentioned; a strobe's of little effectiveness and personally I found that they're somewhat distracting to the user too. Certainly don't aid aiming that much compared to a normal light. The people who really know what they're doing and have access to all the kit they could ever desire don't use them, better off to just learn how to actually setup a weapon mounted light so it's accessible and practical, then learn how to actually use that light the right way. Oh and make sure it's protected from hits and you actually have good batteries. Oh and spare batteries. And.... A light with plenty of umph does the job of essentially hiding your exact position to the person you're lighting up if they're much at all adjusted to the dark, despite what the urban myths say.

I'm pretty sure I've seen this originally posted on Instagram and this is very, very much an Instagram loadout. This is in fact the pinnacle of tacticool IG cosplay. Could you play a skirmish in it? Yeah of course, the reality will just be quite shitty in use compared to a well done loadout. First off, day NODs (probably dummies). An extraneous amount of bullshit strapped around legs that will make running 5x harder than needed, not to even mention the fact the holster's round their knee. Pretty sure the left leg bag is something from WW2. Half ghillie that clashes hugely with the zero effort put in to camouflaging the rest of the stuff he's got on. Gun setup is pure butt-produce and all based around social media posing not any sort of real life experience. PC with ghillie doesn't make a lot of sense. Overall attempts to mix the cool stuff from both real-world recce and CQB gear and will be ineffective at both. If any given person is more in to the dress up than anything else that's 100% fine but they should never be under any illusion that it'll be practical in the woods. This kit looks like it's from a video game and the tac gear in video games is almost always horribly done in every respect other than looking super cool to 15 year olds who don't know anything about real gear.

eBay UK for cheap surplus MTP and DPM Flecktarn.co.uk for budget-to-mid range stuff that hits a nice value point Hueys.co.uk Tactical-kit.co.uk for more gucci stuff UKtactical.com is a steady bet British Tactical is great but takes a smidge more knowledge to understand and C2R fast are about to launch their site if you're feeling rich and want what the SAS use these days. The majority of the rest of the tactical gear available in the UK is clones imported from China and some is good for airsoft and some is hot garbage, you roll the dice.