Are some airsofters better kitted out than professionals.

[emilianoksa]

By some, I mean the sort who can afford to  spend loads on the most expensive sorts of American tactical kit.

I've heard that soldiers are often issued with kit that they don't like and can't wait to discard if the possibility presents itself. One American airsofter had a friend out in the forces in Iraq or Afghanistan who bought a number of Condor products because they were superior to the stuff he'd been issued with. Apparently British soldiers often invest in their own kit too. But they aren't buying all  the Gucchi gear from what I'm told. They couldn't afford it.

After all, government departments tend to go for the cheaper stuff rather than the best. I mean they don't dish out WAS stuff to British soldiers do they? And how many times have we heard about soldiers having to go without essential kit?  Or being issued with stuff that doesn't work?

And as for the American preppers who spend thousands on firearms and seem to know what they are about,  you are more likely to see them using Condor than Crye, Blue Force Gear, High Speed Gear, Arc'teryx and the like. How much kidology is going on when it comes to tactical loadouts?

 

[Tackle]

Good topic, I've often considered the usually high quality of nearly ALL brands of airsoft kit, compared to issued kit.

BUT before anybody starts saying X or Y is shit, my comparisons come from the kit I was issued with, which I'm sure some of the older players here can relate to, it was the mid eighties & issued kit was generally dms boots/58 pattern webbing/68 pattern combats etc, compared to that stuff even viper kit looks top quality.

bigger question is the ridiculous levels some players take their kit to, stupidly expensive kit just play airsoft in, just because some "operators" have been seen using it.

i have (& continue to be) guilty of buying kit that I end up not needing, but at the time looked almost essential, but I have been realistic in how much I spend (or so I tell the wife lol  )

 

[Adolf Hamster]

i think it's less about the quality of the kit and more the ability to taylor your loadout to yourself personally.

my rig is a total cludge but it works for me and it's comfortable.

for example i like drop leg holsters, some folk like belt holsters and some like cross draw/plate carrier mounted. in the military for the most part it's a case of you get what your issued, whereas an airsofter can pick what his preference is.

 

[Georgeturner2001]

Lad I was talking to told me his friend In the army bought himself viper gloves as they were miles better than what were issued! 

 

[Druid799]

Thing is kit has come on in leaps and bounds in the past 20yrs , as tackle said in our dim distant dark past the kit me and him was issued was prity much unchanged dramatically since the 50’s and it was made of canvas and when it got wet it quadrupled in weight !

The osprey system is amazing compared to that stuff and the new virtus kit is that much better again (as long as you don’t use the back support but that’s another story !)  Lizzie is also giving out a lot of Blackhawk kit as well now and that’s real top shelf kit . As to squaddies not buying Gucci kit , yes it’s bloody expensive but you also have too remember most will think “I’m not buying that with my own money to use in work !” Again back in our day the kit we were issued really was that shit so you had to buy a lot of kit your self , I had my own burgen,sleeping bag,bivi bag, gortex waterproofs and my own petrol cooker just for starters ! 

 

[Tackle]

There were a few bits of kit worth having, ni lightweight boots, the green foul weather waterproofs etc, but yeah the bog standard kit was shite, & it didn't help that you were threatened with a charge & reprimanded if you were caught using non issue kit at certain times.

shit I remember a mate spending over £140 on lundhag boots, which at the time was nearly two weeks wages, seemed ludicrous but then he was the only one with warm dry feet on exercise.

when goretex came out it was like all your Christmases had come at once.

you bloody youngsters don't know that your born lol.  

p.s. we did have one bit of kit that, IMHO , was better than issue kit today............

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[Rogerborg]

I'd opine that "Mil-Spec" means "Designed by committee, made by the lowest bidder."

 

[Druid799]

I'd opine that "Mil-Spec" means "Designed by committee, made by the lowest bidder."

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Ha ha ha very true mate ! Night before the ground phase started in the 1st gulf war we had a rousing speech (well he thought it was !?) by our CO and as he finished the RSM stood up and said “be carful , don’t be a hero unless you have plenty of witnesses and remember lads your kit was made by the lowest bidder ! “ ??

 

[TheFull9]

I don't think the questions being asked are even the right ones in the first place.  There are a good few British Army Infantrymen rocking stuff like Arc'teryx and similar brands from the continent, then there are lots who buy viper et al (which I can tell you is demonstrably worse than issued stuff) because.. guess what?  People have different opinions on how much they wanna spend and different understanding levels on what materials are good, which companies stitch together their stuff in a way that'll last, who has good warranty support etc.  Some folks in different services will happily drop the coin to make their lives more comfortable, some will not.

There's kit that's definitely better than it was back in the 90s and there's some that's gotten worse through budget cuts.  Boots for example are way better, the body armour provides far more protection but is a lot heavier and bulkier, the smocks are made to a far lesser standard since the move to MTP etc.  Ups and downs.  Some stuff still hasn't changed at all for decades with the possible exception of the camo pattern.

There are a tiny number of airsofters with exactly the same shit as DEVGRU to include dual tube NVGs, thermals, the latest IR lasers and optics etc, but reality is it's not Cryes that win wars it's .50s, GMGs, rocket launchers, artillery, apaches, brimstone and cruise missiles so the individual's kit honestly is a tiny drop in a big ocean.  Not saying it doesn't matter because when you're the one with sandy boots it matters an awful lot to you, but that's reality.

 

[Lozart]

Thing is that there seems to be quite a number of 'softers that rightly or wrongly are quite vocal about how gucci their kit is and this seems to provide a skewed perception of what most people use. I'm pretty sure it's a small percentage that actually can and will spend the money on top shelf gear to play toy soldiers!

 

[newsh]

I don't have a problem with anyone who wants to spend their hard earned on full Crye gear and Team Wendy helmets and genuine optics etc - if they want to do that then fair do's.

What i do have an issue with is when a small percentage of the above proceed to belittle and preach at anyone who does not follow their example. I tend to find that this small percentage fits into the 'all the gear no idea' category and get their ass handed to them more often than not.

 

[Adolf Hamster]

Thing is that there seems to be quite a number of 'softers that rightly or wrongly are quite vocal about how gucci their kit is and this seems to provide a skewed perception of what most people use. I'm pretty sure it's a small percentage that actually can and will spend the money on top shelf gear to play toy soldiers!

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indeed, personally i don't get the stigma around running cheaper gear, at the end of the day the only person that's going to suffer is you if it ends up breaking. and unlike in real war kit breaking down doesnt mean dying.

i'm perfectly happy with the knowledge that the majority of my gear comes from amazon's bargain basement, hell the closest thing i have to "gucci" is my nuprol holsters and even that's not exactly top of the line

thing is, it's comfortable, it fits me, and it hasn't broken (yet), and i'd much rather spend the money on unicorn guns than worry about having an awesome loadout.

the only real area i'd consider worthy of proper investment is eye pro and boots, those are the 2 things i refuse to skimp on.

 

[Lozart]

What i do have an issue with is when a small percentage of the above proceed to belittle and preach at anyone who does not follow their example. 

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It's not just the gearwhores that can get preachy though...

 

[newsh]

It's not just the gearwhores that can get preachy though...

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Yes very true

 

[TheFull9]

Not sure why so many topics end up coming around to gear snobs or elitists, wasn't a question in the OP nor do I see these people hanging around and giving anyone abuse because they bought a cheap issue bit of camo or whatever.  On the flip side I see plenty of posts on here from folks who feel it's ok to imply anybody who buys expensive guns or gear is an idiot and their life choices are implicitly 'wrong'.  Not saying the former doesn't happen around places, but when I go to the average sunday skirmish I see 98% of people wearing basic, economical kit and maybe 1-2 out of a crowd of 50 with expensive stuff.  

 

[Jedi_Master]

Thing is that there seems to be quite a number of 'softers that rightly or wrongly are quite vocal about how gucci their kit is and this seems to provide a skewed perception of what most people use. I'm pretty sure it's a small percentage that actually can and will spend the money on top shelf gear to play toy soldiers!

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Gucci do kit now? Cool I need some new eye-pro to go with my Luis Vuitton gun case.  True that the majority playing toy soldiers down at Games Workshop wear what they like. :lol:

 

[Tackle]

Not sure why so many topics end up coming around to gear snobs or elitists, wasn't a question in the OP nor do I see these people hanging around and giving anyone abuse because they bought a cheap issue bit of camo or whatever.  On the flip side I see plenty of posts on here from folks who feel it's ok to imply anybody who buys expensive guns or gear is an idiot and their life choices are implicitly 'wrong'.  Not saying the former doesn't happen around places, but when I go to the average sunday skirmish I see 98% of people wearing basic, economical kit and maybe 1-2 out of a crowd of 50 with expensive stuff.  

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Maybe the op should change the title to "WHY Are some airsofters better kitted out than professionals."

 

[TheFull9]

Because it's their money and they choose to be?   Topic complete.  If people aren't able to comprehend the universal notion of varying personal preferences, budgets etc then I'm all out of ideas.

 

[Lozart]

Gucci do kit now? Cool I need some new eye-pro to go with my Luis Vuitton gun case.  True that the majority playing toy soldiers down at Games Workshop wear what they like. :lol:

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This would match better 

Not sure why so many topics end up coming around to gear snobs or elitists, wasn't a question in the OP nor do I see these people hanging around and giving anyone abuse because they bought a cheap issue bit of camo or whatever.  On the flip side I see plenty of posts on here from folks who feel it's ok to imply anybody who buys expensive guns or gear is an idiot and their life choices are implicitly 'wrong'.  Not saying the former doesn't happen around places, but when I go to the average sunday skirmish I see 98% of people wearing basic, economical kit and maybe 1-2 out of a crowd of 50 with expensive stuff.  

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It's beyond me too but there does seem to be some impressive chips on shoulders in airsoft. I think the vocal minority (at both ends of the scale) skew the worldview and give the impression that anyone that doesn't share their view is wrong and as a whole it's an attitude that is damaging to airsoft in general to be honest. As far as |I'm concerned, what whatever you like, spend whatever you want - if you take your hits and play fairly then that's ALL I care about.

 

[djben9]

This would match better 

It's beyond me too but there does seem to be some impressive chips on shoulders in airsoft. I think the vocal minority (at both ends of the scale) skew the worldview and give the impression that anyone that doesn't share their view is wrong and as a whole it's an attitude that is damaging to airsoft in general to be honest. As far as |I'm concerned, what whatever you like, spend whatever you want - if you take your hits and play fairly then that's ALL I care about.

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i agree!.....i dont know what the fuss is about, i buy whats useful to me and within a budget as i know its gonna get 'trashed', i just wanna go out and fire the plastic death on a sunday to have time away from family on my own. I have WAS stuff but also other things ive got that may be cheaper but does the job, mainly as i usually buy when on deals or hold out for one!!  :lol:

played a night game at TG last year, there wasn't many, 10 i think, one team had a few with real NV, we had the £50 set from COD from 2009 i think!....we won!  :lol: :lol: ....and they admitted they just couldn't see us....

as long as people have fun, play fair and hopefully have a laugh as well, that all that matters!............let you know sunday night!