Phantom CIRAS (Maritime Version) - For all you peeps that were wondering

Somehow I think if they can manage in Iraq we can manage here.

[lt_poncho]

Airsoft is for the Airforce...A/C and all...go MegaFoRcE go!

[zulu342]

I picked this up yesterday and am quite impressed. Initially I thought it was too small (OD Maritime S) but after some adjusting, the fit was good with room to expand.

There definitely is a lot of velcro on this thing. Why is that? I would think buckles would be a lot easier to use and make a lot less noise.

[stone_cold]

hi there. im planning to buy a phantom CIRAS (maritime version-khaki-medium). i have a few question though....... does the phantom ciras have the same size as the milspex ciras? i know that milspex ciras can accomodate big sizes. im 6' tall and weighs about 260 lbs with a waistline of 42". will the phantom ciras medium fit me? ops:

nice vest i was going to get one but i decided on somthing else i forget wut its called ill post a pic tomorow

[stone_cold]

got one already.... it rocks!!!

[Jar|-|ead]

Yeah i just got my phantom ciras martime version coyote brown...im loving it...great vest...but i really dont vouch for the pouch quality...but over all..its GREAT!!!

[scooberoo]

My turn. I just saw a Phantom CIRAS Coyote from a friend yesterday. It was size small. I am 135lbs size 30-32 waist 5'9 tall. The fit on across my body was perfect. I don't know what setting it was in the rear velcros, but the side flaps' PALS lined up perfectly to the front PALS. No gaps. There was no soft armor or no 0.25inch thick closed cell foam padding to act as replica soft armore. I think that would help give the vest some thickness.

I examined the stiches on the PALS webbing. They look decent. They are not as good (perfectly aligned, consistent length ) as the real Eagle CIRAS (my brother has one). They won't matter since most PALS will be covered with pouches.

Anyway, the thing that bothered us the most was the wires on the shoulders stuck out too much. If you are tall, you might be annoyed with the shoulder strap/padding covers as they will be off centered. As if they apprear to fall down in the back.

The vest's bottom was at my belly button. For me that's perfect since I'm able to bend more freely. The PALS in the chest have 6 rows down and 6 columns across. Same as the Eagle CIRAS Maritime Small.

The side flaps would also be a problem if your radio has a long antenna. When you pull up the flap holding that radio, the antenna would poke you.

The best part that caught my attention in the Phantom was, the Coyote Brown color is indeed Coyote Brown. I put my Tactical Tailor (new generation) , BHI, and Patriot Performance Materials pouches next to the Phantom. Big smile. Unbelievable folks. We have found the perfect match. Yeah. I was thrilled. PPM pouches tend to have a greenish tint, the BHI tended to be lighter, but the TT was paaaarfect! I own Diamond Back Tactical (Battle Lab) pouches as well, but those are in the darkest shade of Coyote Brown. They are more of "Brown." Forget the Proud CIRAS Coyote. That is what I call "Chocolate Brown". To each his own. Not bashing on the Proud.

Another plus is that the PALS webbing color matches the vest's fabric. The vest doesn't look cheap because of that. Most do. Quickly glancing at the fabric, I'd say it was Cordura 1000 Denier.

So, what's not so good about the Phantom CIRAS? The inner mesh fabric is lighter in color than the real counterpart. It's light tan. The Eagle is tan. Just letting you know, some folks pay attention to detail. Real vest is $475 USD brand new. I believe HK stores are now selling Phantoms as stand alone vests for about a $100USD. Don't quote me on the price, I'm just relying on my memory from last week.

I don't own one yet. I just wanted to give my opinion. It's definitely worth the price. Perfect for the average milsimmer. Hardcore gearwhores need not read my review. You know the deal. Those mid lever gear whores would probably buy the Proud separately, then buy real brand name MOLLE pouches.

Jeesh, editing already:
The wires on the shoulder stuck out because of the adjustment/ settings of the shoulder straps. Adjust them tightly, then the wires would be gone. Your head will be in for a tight squeeze though. My head is small, still, but my ears stick out like Ernie from Sesame Street.

Doh, first post here. Brief Intro. I'm playing airsoft since 2003. Sold my sould to the airsoft devil. I got loads of pics of my M4, M4 CQBR, SPR Mk12 Mod zero, homemade prorno, I meant homemade M4 Shrike, M9 Dolphin, etc posted in the galleries, and I never contributed to the forums. LOL.

Nice review everyone, especially Shinjit! That is the Shinjit man!

[shinjit noir]

Originally Posted by scooberoo

My turn. I just saw a Phantom CIRAS Coyote from a friend yesterday. It was size small. I am 135lbs size 30-32 waist 5'9 tall. The fit on across my body was perfect. I don't know what setting it was in the rear velcros, but the side flaps' PALS lined up perfectly to the front PALS. No gaps. There was no soft armor or no 0.25inch thick closed cell foam padding to act as replica soft armore. I think that would help give the vest some thickness.

I examined the stiches on the PALS webbing. They look decent. They are not as good (perfectly aligned, consistent length ) as the real Eagle CIRAS (my brother has one). They won't matter since most PALS will be covered with pouches.

Anyway, the thing that bothered us the most was the wires on the shoulders stuck out too much. If you are tall, you might be annoyed with the shoulder strap/padding covers as they will be off centered. As if they apprear to fall down in the back.

The vest's bottom was at my belly button. For me that's perfect since I'm able to bend more freely. The PALS in the chest have 6 rows down and 6 columns across. Same as the Eagle CIRAS Maritime Small.

The side flaps would also be a problem if your radio has a long antenna. When you pull up the flap holding that radio, the antenna would poke you.

The best part that caught my attention in the Phantom was, the Coyote Brown color is indeed Coyote Brown. I put my Tactical Tailor (new generation) , BHI, and Patriot Performance Materials pouches next to the Phantom. Big smile. Unbelievable folks. We have found the perfect match. Yeah. I was thrilled. PPM pouches tend to have a greenish tint, the BHI tended to be lighter, but the TT was paaaarfect! I own Diamond Back Tactical (Battle Lab) pouches as well, but those are in the darkest shade of Coyote Brown. They are more of "Brown." Forget the Proud CIRAS Coyote. That is what I call "Chocolate Brown". To each his own. Not bashing on the Proud.

Another plus is that the PALS webbing color matches the vest's fabric. The vest doesn't look cheap because of that. Most do. Quickly glancing at the fabric, I'd say it was Cordura 1000 Denier.

So, what's not so good about the Phantom CIRAS? The inner mesh fabric is lighter in color than the real counterpart. It's light tan. The Eagle is tan. Just letting you know, some folks pay attention to detail. Real vest is $475 USD brand new. I believe HK stores are now selling Phantoms as stand alone vests for about a $100USD. Don't quote me on the price, I'm just relying on my memory from last week.

I don't own one yet. I just wanted to give my opinion. It's definitely worth the price. Perfect for the average milsimmer. Hardcore gearwhores need not read my review. You know the deal. Those mid lever gear whores would probably buy the Proud separately, then buy real brand name MOLLE pouches.

Jeesh, editing already:
The wires on the shoulder stuck out because of the adjustment/ settings of the shoulder straps. Adjust them tightly, then the wires would be gone. Your head will be in for a tight squeeze though. My head is small, still, but my ears stick out like Ernie from Sesame Street.

Doh, first post here. Brief Intro. I'm playing airsoft since 2003. Sold my sould to the airsoft devil. I got loads of pics of my M4, M4 CQBR, SPR Mk12 Mod zero, homemade prorno, I meant homemade M4 Shrike, M9 Dolphin, etc posted in the galleries, and I never contributed to the forums. LOL.

Nice review everyone, especially Shinjit! That is the Shinjit man!

Props to the detailed review. Hope to see you posting more, as we've all seen your amazing works in the gallery section.

I actually ended up selling my CIRAS, not because of build quality, but it didn't suit my needs. (the velcro is a real hassle to put on and off, and there's no real way around it for putting it on and off).

[scooberoo]

Here's some pics:

Guy in the rear has the Proud CIRAS. Guy in front left has the Phantom CIRAS. Guy in middle has the Paraclete RAV. Guy on right has the Eagle Plate Carrier with cumberband.


Proud CIRAS worn too loosely.


Phantom CIRAS in action.


Left guy wearing the Phantom. Don't look at the dork on the right, that's me doing a Tactical Urkle.

[stone_cold]

Originally Posted by scooberoo

Here's some pics:

Guy in the rear has the Proud CIRAS. Guy in front left has the Phantom CIRAS. Guy in middle has the Paraclete RAV. Guy on right has the Eagle Plate Carrier with cumberband.


Proud CIRAS worn too loosely.


Phantom CIRAS in action.


Left guy wearing the Phantom. Don't look at the dork on the right, that's me doing a Tactical Urkle.

very nice kabayan :-)

[Jar|-|ead]

bro im LOVING the phillippines patch...im flip myself...but i got a desert canadian patch..

[scooberoo]

I managed to find a pic of a real CIRAS in OD that a guy was selling in another forum. The CIRAS is size small. He spray painted the vest with black polka dots using a perforated mesh thing. I believe he was selling the vest for $380.

[wolphsnyper]

I know its 3 weeks since the last post...

I have this vest in CB. In fact I'm writing this review while wearing it

I am 6', 205.

This is the first nice vest I have owned. I was a bit of a cheap wad and always bought 100$ or less vests.
I decided to treat myself and plunge in on the ACS order.
I like the velcro, it gives the vest the feeling that it isn't going anywhere.
The mag pouches were very snug, but I leave my mags in them when storing and that has seemed to help soften the material up a bit.

I won't bother repeating the excellent reviews here.
The medical pouched doubles nicely as a canteen pouch as I do not use a camel back set up. The grenade pouch doubles nicely for now holding my FRS radio as I too am looking for a nice radio to fill the "Saber type" pouch.

As far as heating. I have used it twice indoors and sweat like a bugger! But then again, wearing a bdu jacket, pants, gloves, hat and boots then get the ol heart rate up and anyone would get hot!

Wearing it outdoors, was a cool month ago...so it was very nice.

It was the starting point of a complete overhaul of buying new gear coyote brown inspired!

I am glad I bought this vest and everyone on the team who has bought one too is very happy with it!


Me and my baby!

[INVISO]

I won't add too much details to the excellent reviews. My Phantom CIRAS OD MEDIUM LAND VERSION that I ordered from ASC is a excellent piece of equipment. Take your time to ajust the fitting. I'm 6'2"/210 and 38 waist. It took me 15 min and now it's like a comdom.

For those complaining about the velcro. I must point out that this is a PLATE CARRIER (PC) not a TAC VEST (TV) . There a big difference. A PC is suppose to keep in place the strike plates, so they won't move while you receive a dose of lead. And this PC can be worn over a standard body armor.

And like wolphsnyper, i'm very happy with it!