Newbie looking to get geared up

[Trouble11]

Hello everyone. I am new to airsoft and looking for advice on gear. I'm 37 yrs old and employed so please don't mistakenly think your talking to a child. (I intend to be age verified ASAP). Regarding budget, as many of my friends would say....I have more money than sense....by this I mean that I am willing to spend some money for quality stuff. I don't need, nor can I afford all top of the line but I don't want the cheapest either. All I have so far is my primary, a G&G TR16 R4 Commando with Li-po battery and charger. I am looking at the G&G extreme 45 as a secondary but would be willing to spend a little more if anyone has a recommendation. I am aware of the basics that I need, being proper eye and face protection, and good pair of boots. I am also aware that my setup would be different for a skirmish as opposed to a 24hr or more game. What I am really more interested in is opinions on a chest rig or vest, what pouches, hydration techniques and that sort of thing I would want to include. I have been asking questions of anyone willing to answer and I usually get the response that its all your preference which I understand completely and I am sure I will make my own adjustments as time goes on, but if anyone out there could let me know what they use and why, where they locate things on their rig and why it would be greatly appreciated. The mag for my primary has a 450 round capacity, therefore would I really need 4 or 5 or 6 extra mag pouches? Answers to questions like that and any other advice or opinions you could provide would be greatly appreciated. And thank you for taking the time to read this long winded post.

I Should also mention that Army Issue in Port Credit (Mississauga) has become my new most favoritest store in the world so anything available there would be preferred. Everyone there has patiently answered all of my questions and treated me very well.

[Danke]

If I lived where you did I would just go here for hands on advice on what gear is best for you.

http://armyissue.com/

[Trouble11]

Originally Posted by Danke

If I lived where you did I would just go here for hands on advice on what gear is best for you.

http://armyissue.com/

LOL thanks Danke, I think I was editing my post the same time you responded. I have been there and they have been great. Just looking for as much advice as possible before I start shelling out the cash.

[lurkingknight]

if you're just going to skirmish, I would go super light weight with emphasis on just going out for a shits and giggles good time... in that case, a few more high caps and a very light weight belt rig or chest rig to carry it is all you really need.

If you want to get more into milsim type games, you're going to have to outfit yourself with midcaps, the guys who milsim generally don't look kindly on winding highcaps. It's up to you how much you want to carry at that point, 10 mags? maybe more?

Be careful of what your pistol will chrono at you don't want your sidearm to shoot hotter than your rifle, as you'll be using it in closer. I'm not sure who makes that gun for g&g but it might not be the best choice (price and quality). Look at KJW pistols to see if you like something in there, something that runs on propane/green gas is far more suitable.

You're going to need something carry mags. Depending on how many mags, and depending on how heavy you want it, there's chest rigs, belts, vests, plate carriers... go check out army issue like danke said, nothing like being able to actually put it on and see how it fits.

Other things you may need:

pistol holster

Depending on the pistol, don't cheap out on the holster. I had nylon holsters drop mags out of my 226 twice, and had I not found the mags, I'd be out 80 bucks worth of mags. That loss along justified the expensive for a real steel serpa holster. It's by far the most favorite thing I've purchased. Super comfortable on my leg, doesn't move around, doesn't drop mags, and easy to draw from.

Water... how much and how you carry it is up to you. I generally carry a bottle of gatorade on my vest or belt in a radio pouch, and on my back I have around 1L of straight water in a camelbak or carrier integrated into my vest.

leave room for radio somewhere, you may not need one now, but keep it in mind.

I have an admin pouch to carry a bottle of bugspray, a couple simple tools, my kill rag, a couple cliff bars what have you.

While you don't need all real gear to play, some of it really is made to beat on and it'll take it without letting up. Other times it can be overkill, I mean do you really need to spend 80$ on a riggers belt that has a rating on it that can tow a truck when all you need is to keep your pants up?

I'm still running the condor vest I bought almost 3 years ago, and condor is probably on the lower end of what most people will buy, but some of my condor stuff is pretty low end, double pouches that were sewn with unequal sized pockets so mags wouldn't fit in one side, and too lose on the other.... silly stuff like that.

[Danke]

I started out with a tac vest, then switched to a molle plate carrier, then a Rhodesian vest, and then back to a tac vest, then a chest rig, then a chest rig with a soft plate carrier, then a chest rig with a chicken plate carrier.

All along with a variety of other parts like battle belts, a plethora of holsters with various fixing points, camelbacks and other fixtures.

Really only you can say what you like. Some people like the light weight setup of a chest rig like the Chi-Coms; others want to have a full on plate carrier and move their pouches and gear around each game.

Check out the photo threads and you'll see how folks run their gear. As a rule though you want to be able to get to all of your pouches and gear with out struggling too much.

For new players a Molle plate carrier or Rhodesian rig is a very good compromise till you get your personal set up figured out. I still have all my gear except the plate carrier and I'll run out other rigs once in a while to change things up.

[Kuro_Neko]

Highcaps (the large capacity ones you have to wind) are frowned upon in many if not most serious airsoft groups for a variety of reasons. So you're likely to want to get some real/low/mid-caps at some point. Whether you get real/low/mid depends on your play style and how realistic you want to be. Personally I got into airsoft primarily for the realism so I'm realcap all the way.

As to Vest/chest rig, that depends alot on personal preference, play style and partially on your size. Big guys can full-on plate carriers easier then little guys can. For the most part, a chest rig should suit your needs better then a full vest or plate carrier. The full rig is great when you're doing a week long patrol in the middle of the sandbox, but for half hour skirmishes less then 50 ft from your ruck you really don't need to be carrying all that much. For molle versus fixed rig, there are pros and cons to both. Molle is generally bulkier, and considerably more expensive, but is configurable. Fixed rigs are more streamlined and considerably cheaper, but as the name implies the pouches are fixed and can't be changed. I personally knew exactly what I wanted in a chest rig and knew I was unlikely to change when I went shopping, so I purchased a fixed chest rig and haven't had a single regret.

As to extra gear: If you're getting a sidearm you're going to want a dropleg holster. This is going to depend a lot on the pistol you get but considerations most people think about are wobble when moving, solid retention and quick draw. I personally care much more about the first two then the last, so I got one that is extremely solid on those two at the expense of the last. Price tag is another consideration. A simple nylon holster can be acquired as cheaply as $30, or a full-on SERPA tactical rig for in the area of $170 and everything in between.

A few other pieces of gear you might want to consider:
good eye protection (ESS goggles are great)
good footwear
a red dot sight
duty belt
sling (one point or three point)
a drop pouch for spent mags
keepads (Alta makes great ones)
shooting gloves
camo bdu
some sort of hydration (simple belt canteen or camelbak)
~8-10 mags for your rifle
maybe an extra mag or more for your pistol (depends on what you use it for)
gas adapter (so you can use basic propane cylinders for your pistol mags)
spare battery
good charger (universal smart charger is a good affordable choice)
gun case
a decent ruck and/or seabag to carry all your gear

The total for that list above is about $900, and that's getting a considerable amount of it second hand or cheaper versions. It could easily be as much as $200 more. Add the ~$350 you paid for your rifle and the ~$250 you'll pay for your pistol and you're starting to talk some serious money. When I step on the field, I'm wearing or carrying about $2500 in gear. That's not even counting what's left in my ruck which is about another $800.

Airsoft is not a cheap sport to say the least. It's generally accepted that the absolute minimum you need to get into it is $500, and it's usually more like $1000-$1500 if you go with quality gear. I've seen a few people do it for less then $500, but it takes a fair bit of time, effort and jury-rigging. And of course quality tends to be a problem at that level.

My Classic Army M15A4 Tactical Carbine without external addons but upgraded internally
(total cost = ~$600):


My baby, CA M15A4 Tactical Carbine with m203 grenade launcher, red dot sight and taclight
(total cost = ~$1000):


Me in my full primary kit
(total cost including the guns and a few things you can't see in the pic due to angle = ~$2500):

[lurkingknight]

that's probably more of a long term list.. a lot of that stuff you don't need to start playing.

[Stealth]

Originally Posted by Kuro_Neko

Boner jams.

Sorry, had to.