Gear Help!

[ThunderCactus]

There's like 4 or 5 shades of multicam, all visibly different from eachother.
Try to buy all your gear from the manufacturer, and get all your BDUs/ACU's/combat clothes in the same fabric, otherwise you'll look silly.
Tru-spec makes good multicam, their 60/40 poly cotton and 65/35 poly cotton is dominantly green. Whereas their 50/50 ripstop is dominantly tan.
Depends where you play.

As seen in this perfect example, everyone's gear is licensed crye multicam, but just different materials, so they come out different colors

[Curo]

A hydration carrier is best IMO I use one and I always have hands free water on hand to keep me cool and refreashed!

[ThunderCactus]

Originally Posted by Cobalt Caliber

A hydration carrier is best IMO I use one and I always have hands free water on hand to keep me cool and refreashed!

I like to carry tactical coconut drinks on hand for the same reason!

[Drake]

Originally Posted by Niloc

As for hydration, I was pretty much just going to bring a bunch of water bottles to the field and in between games drink one, but as I've never played I don't know how long the games are, so would you advise against this? In paintball games are like 20 minutes and you're back to the staging area, however I've heard airsoft games generally go on for much longer. If bringing a bunch of water bottles to the field for in between games works, I'll just do that, but if you think it won't do, I'll get a vertical utility pouch, it can definitely fit 1 water bottle plus it will be useful for any tools I'd need or maybe some food. Or perhaps one of those water bottle carriers.

I'm just gonna step in and say that's a really bad idea: as you seem to already be aware, airsoft isn't like paintball (except maybe for pure skirmishes) and it might be hours before you see the staging area again.

Secondly, notice how I'm starting a new paragraph here to go into another idea: not a giant paragraph, not a second post.

For real secondly, even if you did go back to the staging area every 20 minutes on a hot day in full BDUs with a rig, mags and other gear on, being physically active... 20 minutes is too long. You're better off drinking a small amount every 5-10 minutes than trying to chug a liter every 20-30.

Forget being comfortable in summer: you will be hot. Shirt/BDU jacket, heavy nylon rig, you'll probably have fake ballistic plates (plastic) or soft armor packs (usually closed cell foam) in it, a boonie hat or helmet, plus the weight of the mags, radio, etc. You're putting all this money into trying to get matching MC gear, don't be dumb: put some money into a good 3L hydration system.

There also is such a thing as drinking too much water (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_intoxication) so you'll probably want to get a few packs of electrolyte gel, too (basically like Gatorade in a concentrated gel).

And while expensive, you may also want to pick up a combat shirt to wear under the rig, instead of a BDU coat/shirt. Avoid the knockoffs, the real ones are much cooler (even my TruSpec combat shirts are warmer than my Halys L1 shirt and Crye FROG).

One last thing to consider before you start buying gear: do you want to just get stuff you like, or will you want to put together an impression (i.e., accurately match the look of a real military unit)?

[m102404]

1. NEVER cheap out on gear. Too cheap and it'll litterally fall apart. Pantac is pretty well made...and would probably be a base-line/low end of what's going to hold up to the rigors of hard use (for airsoft )

2. TRY to get your pouches and rig from the same manufacturer...as said, shades/runs/colours will vary....more so with some patterns vs. others. Same with BDU's, hats, etc..

3. ALWAYS carry some water with you. A bottle, a canteen, a nalgene bottle, whatever. Plus have MORE liquids on hand (i.e. at the staging area). Plus have MORE liquids in the car for the ride home. If you're not peeing...you're not drinking enough.

Often I'll run a 2L hydration pack in my knapsack with a couple of bottles stashed in there...and sometimes I'll have that on me, sometimes it'll be ditched at base/staging area....if I've ditched my pack, I'll take a bottle or two in my cargo pockets and/or stuff one in a spare pouch.

To skirmishes (i.e. 20-40min shoot 'em ups...then a reload "break" back in the staging area) we'll typically keep a case or two of water/gatorade at the staging area AND take fluids out to sip on in-play.

For longer day-30hr milsims...we'll carry out camping jugs of fluids (3-5 gallon containers). Roughly about 1.5x as much as we think we'll need. Helps other guys out...hedges bets on weather/etc...hot coffee/tea/drinks is a great moral booster

Better to have more fluids than needed than to run out....dehydration and heat stroke sucks ass.

[Curo]

It's always better to bring more.To my first game it was nearing 30 outside, at 9am but I brought an extra 20L of water, not just for myself but for anyone who needed it. Water is one thing you want extra off. Being out of ammo sucks, being out of water can kill you.

[kalnaren]

I carry a canteen on me (yea, I like the old fashioned canteens ) and have water back at the staging area I refill it with every time I go back. I also carry snacks on me.. typically trail-mix bars that are full of nuts and granola.. nothing with a lot of salt.