Your Best Gear Purchases

[Shriven]

Oakley gloves

WAS Weesatch

Any mag pouch with Bungee retainers.

[-MOOSE-]

1. Hatch "CQB" Operator Gloves, they are great! Made with a leather palm and fingers, Nomex on the back of the hand and around the wrist, along with Kevlar stitching. The leather are made up of different layers across the palm, allowing it to move with the motion of your hand. Slightly padded on the lower part of your hand, away from the thumb and close to the wrist. There is elastic on the inner part of the wrist, the elastic is stitched to leather. Elastic is also along the Nomex at the base of the glove and you can attatch a large strip of elatsic that wraps around the wrist for even a more secure fit. I love these gloves!!! I've used them for more than 6 months and before that a local SWAT Officer had them, he gave them to me because he needed Foliage Green ones and these are tan. They have been very abused, the stitching is comming off on the back of the index finger and the space between the thumb and index finger, no worry though, they'll last!!! The finger tips has been burnt by touching a hot suppressor, making the tips very thin. No worry about that either, I cannot see any sign of weakness from them what so ever. They stay very cool and protect your hand from hot sand, BB's, rocks, etc. Great piece of kit!!! I woulnd't hesitate to buy another set when these are to worn out, long time till that happens though

 

2. ESS Profile NVG's, I don't have the turbofans as I wish I did but I got these pretty much NEW for basically nothing. Only problem I've had was the foam, it didn't allow air circulation and so I cut it off. The goggles don't fog now and the holes from where the foam used to be are quite small. The inside of the lens is currently scratched because I decided to be an idiot and wipe it(when the foam was there) with some safe cloth that had a strip of Kevlar stitching on it, that scratched it up! Good thing that lenses aren't that expensive, and now I can get a Gray onstead of clear.

 

3. Swedish M90F Uniform Set, to be honest, I love this more than anything in the world but because of where I live, it has to go low on the list. Also for free, several sizes too big, extremely hot to wear in SoCal, wrong colors for SoCal too. It just doesn't work here, but it still looks amazing! I love the cut of both the jacket and trousers, purely genius. In Northern Europe its the tits, its an amazing design in every way! As I said, and I cant say it enough, I LOVE THIS UNIFORM! Though I would only recommend it for use in Northern Europe and then I would only recommend the real military issue uniform although they are very hard to get ahold of. That pretty much all I can say! Its truly great!

[Reincarnation...]

TAD Shealth Hoodie. Most awesome piece of clothing I have ever bought and I do buy a lot. TAD store is an awesome to visit and well it is TAD. Use it everywhere I go; airsoft, hike, work,etc. The water repellent material is a lifesaver for when I have to work my second job with deals with a lot of ice. Not only does it keep me nice and dry but in a critical situations I can theoretically collect water dew inside my hoodie. Fashionable and fuctional.

 

Oakley M Frame. Eye protection and stylish. Seeing how I had complication with my sight prior to airsofting, vision is a second gift. I always have my oakleys with me and you never know when you may be asked to come range shooting. Plus mine WILL be multicam-ed. I don't know when or how long but it will.

 

Kershaw Onion. Favorite knife. Use it for everything I do. Still strong and kicking. Never know when you may be in the need of a knife.

 

All above is my Everyday Carry (EDC)+others.

 

Close but not there yet, my "Tactical Tailor Rainer Exclusive Mini-Mav" and "Camelbak hydration"

[Fatal]

Oakley assault gloves. I got these from my mechanic and saved my knuckles many time over. Great piece of gear.

 

EOD Leatherman. Another thing that I acquired, slightly different from you standard multi-tool and a great thing to have on you.

 

Polartec PCU Level 3 Fleece. The warmest thing hands down, I have had other Polartec items but this is my favorite one yet.

 

 

[Mr Foxhound]

Eagle Industries Universal Chest Rig: SKD version, CB

Comfortable, High speed, and light. Everything I wanted

 

Merrel Sawtooth Boots

Way more comfortable then the cheap 5.11 boots I had. Always stay tied, perfect size. Tossed my old Insoles in and had amazing boots.

 

Blackwater I-0 MOLLE holster.

Just like a good holster, but MOLLE. Work gear, Draws clean, Fits the gun like a SERPA when ajusted.

[Brakoo]

1. Danner Desert Eagle boots, feels like sneakers since they're so comfy. Gore-Tex wins in the rain and in bad weather and to make it even better they came with a pair of 20$ socks for free that helps me stay cool in them.

 

2. Bijan knee pads, best kind of knee pads out there... ever !

 

3. Leatherman wave, it's always with me on the field and even at home I end up using it a lot.

 

I have a bunch of other cool things to list such as EI Ciras, EI RRV, EI/SKDtac chest rig, Surefire lights of all kinds and a lot more but hey that shall be my top 3.

[DUSTER:recon]

Camelbak Ambush

[owmanthathurt]

1. LBT 1195J. Got it for cheap. i actually had two of them. my first one i got for 200 bucks. the second one i got for a dollar and gave it to my team mate. my first and favorite vest.

2. LBT 1961A. low profile, lightweight and enough real estate for me.

3. replica MBITR with real H-250/U handset and blade antenna. just cuz it has a handset!

[Danke]

1) Camelback, being able to drink on the spot keeps me happy. Mine's a Thermoback.

 

2) ESS Profile NVG Turbofan, I can see and that's that.

 

3) Oakley Tactical boots, the pair is lighter than just one of my old leather boots.

 

Honorable mention to any knee pads (no more cactus needles), Hatch gloves (fits like a glove), Serpa holsters (solid and secure with a one finger release), and current vests and plate carriers (so much choice you'll find what you need prebuilt or make it yourself).

[CAPAIRMAN]

3. ATS RAID pack and framesheet.

 

2. TAD stealth jacket

 

1. Old surplus poncho liner. I have to get another so I can just leave one in the car.

[[BS]_MARS]

1. VTAC sling

 

2. TAD Stealth Jacket

 

3. Merrell Moab Boots

[Bronco5150]

1. TAD Stealth Jacket

2. Eagle Land CIRAS in CB

3. Safariland 6004

[Dentonboy]

I had to think long and hard about this, but;

 

1) Patagonia PCU soft shell jacket - to see me through those cold winter months. Pricey, but real-steel quality. Ebay.

 

2) Safariland 6004 Beretta 92F holster - after months of trying Viper and Pantac examples, I bought this off eBay, then I bought the gun. Comfy, solid and you can trust it to hold your gun. Again, pricey but worth it.

 

3) Bushnell Holosight. Like an EOTech but without the hood casing. I just wanted one, and it is everything you want in a sight. Stupidly pricey, but I had to get one, without paying EOTech prices. Ebay again.

 

I'd also recommend ALTA kneepads (you've guessed it, eBay) and NOMEX flight gloves (On Patrol). And a shemagh bought from a militaria shop in Brighton is a great bit of wear (as you all know) for many a loadout.

[Jaager]

SPOSN Gorka-C - Its just the best uniform ever. its so warm i can sleep in it instead of a sleeping bag.

Splav M32 - I love this vest its got pouches in the right places and for everything i need.

ANA Noch91m - Is also a really good BDU.

 

[raito]

mine:

 

Merrel Passage Ventilator

 

Oakley SI boots

 

ESS Profile NVG

[James Kelly]

1. Eagle SKD all MOLLE Chest Rig in ranger green.

2. *rickrolls* Sporting Goods ANSI shooting glasses.

Best $5 I ever spent.

3. Dexter Meadows kneepads

[validtumoralarm]

1) Blackhawk Hellstorm SOLAG gloves with nomex and kevlar

 

2) HSS Desert Storm Kneepads

 

3) 5.11 ATAC 8" Sidezip desert boots

[Chimpy]

*cough* As interesting as reading a load of lists are how about some reasoning? *cough*

 

As the OP asked for:

Post your top three, what each is, why you got it, and how it's been.

[Hewes]

i got a vietnam flak vest from the war and peace show for £12 mint condition and 1969 dated

 

shemagh- best thing i ever bought!!!

[talon_0315]

So post your top 3 up here so we can all see, something posted could be the new end-all beat-all gear wise. Post your top three, what each is, why you got it, and how it's been.

 

In order of preference - and I'm going to list five.

 

1) Safariland 6004, right-hand, P226R, no light, black.

At about $120 USD MSRP, the 6004 series of drop-leg tactical holsters is an expensive but worthwhile investment. I bought it because I was sick of losing expensive $30 gas blowback magazines and even the pistol because the thumb snap came loose.

 

The thumb-operated, push-button retention system is secure and allows for quick draws. The Kydex body will take abuse, such as falling onto concrete with body weight on it. The design of the holster also keeps the pistol's magazine release from being inadvertently activated.

 

It looks very OPERATOROPERATOR too.

 

2) Oregon Aero BLSS Upgrade Kit for PASGT helmets

If you have worn an original PASGT Kevlar helmet with the old suspension harness, you know exactly how painful that helmet is to wear. Headaches were common, the suspension tended to dig into the scalp, and the user could never quite get the helmet to fit right.

 

With this upgrade kit which swaps out the harness with foam padding, the old K-pot becomes more comfortable to use and much more impact-safe. The padding allows the weight of the helmet to be evenly distributed along my head, and nothing dug into my scalp. Also, the strap is a four-point system, which makes the helmet extremely secure.

 

3) Spec-Ops Brand dump pouch, olive drab

Dump pouches have become popular, especially after MAG and STAR came out with affordable midcap magazine bundles of between eight to 10. However, many pouches could hold six or seven magazines and typically had to be neatly arranged.

 

This dump pouch could carry 12 30-round AR magazines hastily shoved into it (and not neatly arranged, which is an important consideration) and securely carry them. It can be belt-mounted, which is my preference, or put on a MOLLE leg panel. A handful of dump pouches - MAXPEDITION's Mega Rollypoly, Full Clip USA's Dump Pouch, and TAD Gear's RDDP1 (Rapid Deploy Dump Pouch) - are the only ones that can come close to the mag capacity. The only downside to Spec-Ops' pouch is its relative bulkiness, but that's to be expected if a pouch is being expected to hold 12 rifle magazines.

 

It was one of my first investments, and it's held up extremely well.

 

 

4) Hatch Operator Kevlar gloves, full length, olive drab

My OD Nomex flight gloves suffered blowouts at the fingertips, and I noticed that some thorns were making it through the light material. The Hatch Operator gloves and its Kevlar material is more suited for the abuse an Airsofter can put gloves through, such as grabbing onto tree limbs or protecting skin against glass shards. The stitching along the fingertips and the wrist allow for a secure fit, which helps with weapons handling and comfort. They've withstood a couple of games with ease and little sign of wear.

 

 

5) Alta Superflex kneepads, black, with buckles.

These are extremely popular kneepads, despite the advent of the new kneepad inserts that can be used with newer BDU pants. They are comfortable, will stay in place despite low-crawling and running, and are relatively inexpensive. This was also one of my first investments, and it's held up extremely well.

 

 

[Coldgunner]

Battle Belt

 

in comparison to my plate carrier, it is so much lighter and far more cooler in warm weather.

 

ESS Profile Turbocams

 

GODLY! Never had any issues with fogging and the lenses require no treatment other than a quick wipe with a damp cloth.

[tomster]

PCU L5 set. I wear the jacket a lot!

 

CIRAS something I've always wanted and was able to buy due to the low US Dollar value vs high Euro value.

 

Marpat goretex parka - best quality hardshell I own!

[RC-1138]

1. My EI CIRAS. Thought I was buying a Phantom (at the time) replica, but turned out to be an authentic Eagle (mis-packing on the distributor's part), ended up only paying $300 for it brand new.

2. Blackhawk Desert Ops boot. I'm convinced their the best tac boot's out there.

3. Blackhawk MOD 1 knife. Not sure if this is considered "gear" but I carry it with me all the time now and definitely one of my favorite items.

[Minds]

1. ESS ICE 2.4

2. Mechanix wear Original Glove

3. Casio G-Shock DW6600

[Rattler]

After thousands spent in gear, I really miss my good 'ol alice gear... Not too much junk but just enough storage.

 

And I LOVE my Danner boots