Diving in with two feet... What next?
 

Thanks to the advice I've read here, as well as from local Manitoba groups on FB I've jumped right in on this stuff.

I've mail-ordered in an ICS G33 from Mach1 (thanks to some great Boxing Day prices), as well as doing some local shopping:

http://i.imgur.com/sO8LWd3l.jpg

I plan to add a flashlight to the 1911 for indoor CQB play and a red dot or ACOG on the G33.

I think I need to look at outdoor footwear and BDU as well, but then what? Expand my rig I imagine? I'm just looking for some advice about a smart purchase order so that I'm ready to play outdoors in the spring at this point.

Thanks for any and all advice!

So basically you've been here since 2006 and yet have no effing clue what's up ?

Whatever you want to be honest.

Those ballistics you have there they look like the Revision Desert Locust am I right? They're solid, I haven't used them much but my brother runs them. You basically have everything that's required.

As for footwear, civilian hiking boots in a subdued colour with ankle protection are good enough, and that's what I'm running lately (Salomon GTX from Atmosphere for $99, I think they have the sale still going on for another couple days). I've used them for 1 game but time will tell about summer use, someone else on here was telling me that I'm going to hate myself for buying the goretex if I step in water and they go over because the water will be trapped inside the boot. Find something that you like though, Converse, Oakley, Bates, etc. they're all good you just need to find something comfortable.

If you're solo. Spend good money on a green BDU, and then cheap out on your tan BDU, or vice versa. (This is because Green is the dominant color in Canada. You will want to wear it every chance you get)

Teams are often broken down into what color you're wearing and it's useful to have the option to switch or choose your team.

Pistol magazine pouches. (Belt)
Pistol Holster (Belt)
A good belt (HSGI makes some great shooting belts)
Good undergear (T1 wicking layers, Smartwool socks, Sock liners)
A good raincoat, don't get cheap softshells, spend $100 on a decent Goretex jacket from Mec. Don't buy PVC anything, you will cook.
A small assualt backpack. (Ebay, check out USGI surplus backpacks, you can get a 80L Arcteryx Hiking pack and an Assault pack for $120 shipped. And it's Marpat)
Mechanix gloves ($20 a pair) I say this because real oakleys are destroyed in a season of play, fake ones in half that.
Good boots. Don't get zippers, or goretex under $100. They will break and be cold when wet. Canadian MkII's can be found for less than $80 and will probably outlast you. (To agree with eveyone else, good hiking boots are the best right now. I have a hard on for ASOLO Flames. But I currently use Merrel MOABs.)
Wool watch cap. Great in the winter. Good at night in the summer.

Don't throw a flashlight on the pistol. You'll thank me later. It will also save you money.

Co2 Pistols shoot hot. Check your FPS before attempting CQB with it.

Fenix flashlight. Pocket clip. They are great flashlights, $20-$40. Don't weapon mount things you will rarely use. It makes your gun heavy. If you're going to a night game. Tape it to your weapon. 90% of people don't even use their flashlights properly in games.

Clear or Amber lenses in the goggles. You will hate yourself the second you are in a shaded bush. Can't see shit.

You will learn to hate face protection. Make it work for you. Something small and quick to take on and off will mean you're more likely to wear it when you need it (frontal assault).

Personal pet peeve: Armor carriers. Especially new players. Hard to feel your hit. Often you have to hear it. In an intense situation, or even just outdoors, you will likely not feel or hear when hit there.

Camelbak or some other water system. Bottle of water are also fine, but have a place for them full and empty so you don't litter.

I haven't mentioned a RADIO because new players shouldn't be allowed within spitting distance of one.

Dump pouches are a losing game. They are super useful for new shooters. Experienced shooters don't use them. They migrate magazines. Need to drop a magazine fast? Pocket. Then put that magazine back in your rig farthest away from your drawing hand and put your fullest magazine by your drawing hand. Eventually you will be out of ammo and your rig will be full. This is good. Better than to be out of ammo and still have freedom of movement then to have your awkward dump pouch flapping in the wind like a 10lb tumor.

There is my two cents.

Signed up originally planning to start playing, had a couple of kids instead. Getting back to it now.

Knock-offs given the price I paid but they seem solid. Your advice on the boots matched what I had assumed. Thanks!

Perfect, this is what I was hoping to read. The guns I have a handle on but the rest of the gear is a little harder to decide on the right direction.

Thanks!

Literally take those and throw them in the garbage. Right now.

You could not endanger yourself more than with fake eye protection.

$100 at a Canadian dealer (Tactical Products Canada, DS Tactial, One Shot, etc) and you will be set for eye protection.

That being said, I bought ESS glasses for $25 at a local surplus store, they were real, likely just fenced from the local Reservists unit.

You can exit your posts so you dont triple post.

I use run of the mill hiking boots. Some people swear by army surplus boots but in my experience military gear is frequently made by the low bidder. Then you end up paying a significant amount of money for surplus gear. Get a comfortable pair of boots that provide ankle protection.

Your rig needs 3 things really, hydration, magazine pouches and a dump pouch for empty magazines. You need a good sling and a good holster (shitty holsters do a shitty job of holding your gun). I had my pistol fly out of while I was running up a road way, which hurts especially when your pistol smacks into gravels and dirt, grinding to a hault a few feet away

Ehhh...... Toss them in the garbage and get some real goggles.

I'm sure you have a lot more life experience than I do, you only have 1 set of eyes. The Revision ballistics can be had for as low as $90-100, and if you need prescription the RX carrier is only $20-25 and the cheapest lenses from your optometrist should be about $100 (usually cheaper model Essilor, Zeiss, or Nikon lenses assuming non high index and single vision).

I also noticed you bought extra CO2 mags, you can use green gas magazines in that pistol, it's "CO2 version" for other reasons, they have an extra cutout to fit the CO2 canister in the pistol grip (because it's too wide for the mag). I remember those shooting something like 420 FPS on the first few shots off a fresh CO2 canister then normalizing to ~370-380. Way too hot for CQB (and way too hot if you need to engage below your MED's which is what the pistol is for).

Buy some of these right now. They're also available in black. I bought both, might buy more.

The goggles should be replaced with better ones asap, but keep them as a back up.

http://shopfiveten.com/P-43610700182...esert-Tan.aspx

Odd, I bought the goggles at a local Airsoft store, not online or anything. No way I get a surplus set for $30 with three colour lenses I guess.

I went with the CO2 mags for the GBB since our local indoor field is only partially heated. It runs about 10 degrees on average, maybe a little less, and I was told its cold enough that green gas doesn't even work after the first three or four shots :(

Holy shit...... 5.10 is AWESOME, I have a pair of Impact Lows for my flat pedals and was thinking of getting some climbing shoes from them (got La sportiva instead though). OP: 5.10 rubber is super sticky, it does wear out faster than other soles but you can't beat that price.

Cliffradical, why didn't I know about this 2 weeks ago.... I think I'm going to buy a pair anyways.

Just bought a pair in black and one in tan. Seems like a deal.

Goggles I'll return and rebuy. On the off chance they are legit, how can you tell the real from the fake?

How much did you pay for them and do you still have the box?

Second what model/brand are they? If Revision Eyewear $90-100 is about right for them. If cheaper, then they are suspect.

Look for a ANSI Z87 stamp on them, also look for a moulded date stamp on the frames. I'm not in town at the moment but if they are Revision Eyewear I can compare them against my brothers model.

I have to assume they are fake. $30, no box, just the black case, with three lenses.

Just noticed they don't have the logo over the bridge of the nose either so that's probably a tip off. When I bought them, I didn't know what the retail price was and just asked for their best eye protection.

Right?

These boots are fucking awesome and they were like $52 to my doorstep. No brokerage or customs fees (because I guess they're covered under NAFTA?).

I tried to hock these to all of my friends but nobody bit. Shuckles for them.

Hey Cliff, some people are saying those specific boots fit half a size small others say they fit like you'd expect..... I already placed my order though, is that true? I wear the Impacts in 9.5, I assumed that those boots would fit the same like the rest of their lineup.

Might have to do with their molded insole. My sizing is correct by the 'toe poke' method, but it's kind of ramped at the front so I can understand where people may feel it seems tight (vs a standard flat toe).
It oddly enough feels like they 'toe in' and grip like a climbing shoe because of this, and people who aren't used to purpose-made hikers/ climbers would find this foreign.
The upside is that breaking into a run is instantaneous and I feel like I could climb 10ft of chainlink fence without thinking about it.

I've done plenty of daily stuff and even worked in these, my feet are 100% a-okay, and the boots aren't even broken in yet. YMMV but I'd say they're spot on, if unconventional.

Edit:
Sorry for gushing like a satisfied prom date, but they really are pretty phenomenal. They work like a combat boot but they have that feeling only climbers do where they're like a layer of extra skin that you just forget about.
If they had a version that was CSA compliant I'd wear nothing else.

Interesting... I'm the market for new boots. Curious about fit as well.

Anyone have pics of them being worn? They look a bit on the big/bulky side and I usually prefer something trimmer. That said, can't beat the price.

They fit like my old desert boots did, but better in every way.
The ankles up the leg fit like socks, and your feet sit a lot lower in the outsole than the pictures would suggest. Everything is clean and rounded. Deal of the year 2014/ 2015 (Five Ten reps, I accept post-dated cheques).

Do you know if they are waterproof?

No way. They have eyelets for drainage like jungle boots, and are made of suede (where there's leather).

They're pre-treated though, so if you keep up your suede care they'll repel water if it rains, there's dew, or you're splashing through puddles.

Dragon, your thread is going to be derailed. :(
On the plus side, ShelledPants gave you a lot of good info.

Cliff, thanks for the link! I'm picking some up for me and some others.
You should post it up in its own thread. It'll be like the Propper goretex stuff a couple years ago...Everyone will be wearing it.

Fuck no, I want another cheque to clear so I can buy more lol

My posting here is pure noobwise benevolence, you're just lucky.

I don't know about eye protection too much..but what I did after buying a pair of Valken Serria goggles for 25 bucks, is to get my 400fps AK, and shot it multiple times at point blank range. Although the goggles are stamped with all the certification, but I was to make sure a cheap set wasn't faked by the chinese factories and break easily. After the test, I concluded a cheap set still works since there is not even a scratch on the lens. So I wouldn't go so far for a $100 dollar goggles..(I can't really return it either way since I bought it from Toronto and I live in Vancouver)

The only thing I really hate in my setup is the same face mask you had in the picture..It's such a pain to put on..And since I'm asian, my face doesn't really work either..I had to go and cut the wires to fit a little better.

Perosnally, I enjoy to wear Columbia hiking boots. Since I have like 3 pairs, I just wear them to play so I don't have to spend extra..I usually wear my least favorite one lol..but ankle support is so good in outdoors, people trip and fall like every game..I almost did once..

If you are going milsim, you need BDU..I don't because I only have time for some drop in games, so I just wear tan jacket and jeans or tan cargo. USA has some cheap BDUs..Although the quality of those unknown brands are a question.

Dump pouch do work. Its how you use it. Don't fill it up with empties. I never have more than one empty in it and it is a tiny dump pouch also.

Faster to put an empty into the pouch than fumbling it into your pocket. Once I place a fresh mag into the gun, (being right handed) I migrate full mag to my left and empties to the right.

Going to hit XT for an open game Sunday night at 8pm if any other 'Peg residents feel like shooting up the FNG.

Got my boots from FiveTen today and they are really comfortable. My G33 is here as well so I'm swimming in goodies at the moment.

Probably a minor.

No I did my age verification already and it just hasn't been updated here yet.

As I mentioned earlier I am coming back to this after having a couple of kids. They are old enough now that I have some spare time again.

Congrats on your family, and welcome to airsoft. There's been a lot of decent info here, sprinkled with some abrasive attitude. You'll have to forgive us as we get endless posts from people who refuse to follow rules and research. Everything you want to know will be unlocked when you AV status clears, that's another reason the system helps for the most part.

Here's some wisdom for you, hopefully it will help. When you get your AV starus you'll be able to see way more Canadian retailers. Some retailers are way over expensive and others are very reasonable, not a lot inbetween in this country. For instance buying the pistol I own out my way is around $400 - $450, buying online from another province was $280 - $350. See?

Another piece of advice is to figure out the culture of your local groups before buying all of your gear. Many places have minimum requirements on safety gear before you play. If you're on a budget it's better to have something that opens up as many doors as possible for you. Eyewear is a common issue, for example ballistic versus ANSI, or glasses versus full seal.

Always buy quality, and prioritize your purchases. You'll want quality boots and BDUs before night vision, or a radio and headset before you buy a third gun, etc.

Just some advice.

No worries, I've been on the internet a long time so a little attitude isn't going to bother me.

The point of this post was really about prioritizing purchases so that I could be ready to play in a variety of environments. Footwear and eyewear are covered, I have an AEG and a sidearm, next I'll be rounding out my kit for carrying my mags and getting a holster, green BDU and sling for the AEG. Basically what ShelledPants posted in round out what I already have.

Those are all good purchases. I personally wouldn't recommemd a CO2 pistol, they generally shoot really hot, and you own it as a close range/secondary. Get it chrono'd right away. Get good quality, light weight and comfy boots. I'd recommend mountain, jungle, or of course combat boots.

If you want quality BDU's the UR Tactical stuff is good and Crye is top of the line.

I bought the Team Soldier Multicam BDU's (kind of tan/green, it's designed as a transitional pattern) off armysurplusworld. If you want green Multicam Tropic, you're going to have to go with TruSpec (good stuff for what it is) UR Tactical (mid-high end) or Crye (high end).

OR if you don't want that pattern and get straight olive drab from a surplus store that's good enough (or Flecktarn is a good pattern as is US Woodland, Russian patterns, or the Danish M82 is kind of like an analogue version of CADPAT in my eyes, and whatever else there is out there)

$150 shipped to my door for the Team Soldier Multicam (transitional) IIRC. Will be a bit more for you because the dollar is a bit weaker (~80 cents on the dollar)

http://www.armysurplusworld.com/prod...roductID=47086
http://www.armysurplusworld.com/prod...roductID=54078

Same with what Ricochet says don't get a CO2 pistol unless you can use greengas mags in it, and if you do get a greengas pistol it might have high flow valves on the mags to get it legal to bring in, so if you are shooting a bit hot (for a pistol for CQB or engaging below MED's) you might just need to get some regular valves on it.

Congrats! Welcome back to the community then :)

My indoor field cleared the pistol already, they allow CO2 since the arena is pretty cold for a good chunk of the year and green gas tends not to work very well. The pistol is a dual gas version though so I can change it up when needed.

I'll look into the BDUs that you mentioned, L473ncy. SgtDirtNapps is also local to me so I'll check out their stuff.

You might want to contact your verifier,(esp. if its been a while) because your not on the waiting list

Who was your verifier?

Priest did my AV. I met with him January 2nd.

I'm pretty sure he logged in a did whatever he needed to do on his phone while we were at Tims.

Ahh... right you got the KP-08 and I mentioned that in a post on the first page. If it's fine for your indoor field then great. However like I said they do shoot a bit hot on a fresh CO2 capsule then normalize down to more reasonable levels.

And like the others said make sure your AV guy submitted your info correctly and follow up. When I did mine I just sent a quick message to verify that he did and got everything spelled correctly and whatnot (spelling mistakes do happen and people also do forget to update).

But thanks for being patient. I guess it comes with the maturity and the fact that you do have a bunch of stuff already and can afford to wait. You've been on the internet, I'm sure you've seen people who want everything now and aren't willing to wait.

Yeah you learn patience once you have helped potty train a couple of kids :D

I also moderate on the largest Detroit Lions fan site on the web, and run one of my own for tabletop wargaming. Forum stuff is second nature to me at this point.

I've dropped PrIeSt a PM and hopefully he'll follow up shortly.

If it's not mentioned...get a good pair of knee pads...
I didn't have one pair before and after a few matches, my knee start to hurt I didn't even hit it hard..just kneeling and shooting. It lasted a week before going away..

Going shopping tomorrow. I have quite a list O_o Any thoughts on choosing AOR2 as my camo? I've kind of fond of it.

Grabbed a drop leg holster at the military surplus place this week too.

Grab a camo you like, or hold off until you meet someone you like and then buy their camo. You've vot lots of time before outdoor starts and it becomes a necessity.

So PrIeSt hasn't been on since January 5th. Should I try another person to AV?

Also, I just dropped another little bundle on pistol mag pouches, BDU, knee pads, dump pouch, LiPo and charger, RDS, M90 spring, and rifle sling. Wallet is crying but I'm pretty damn giddy.

I managed to get a hold of PrIeSt so hopefully my AV request is in the queue now.