Home made

[Wulfle]

I want to get into airsoft but any vest that I see, I hate. So I came to the natural conclusion of "Why don't I make one, instead?"?

So thats what I'm going to do.

I have a basic idea in my head and am going to be sewing it but any vest/pouch/holster templates or patterns would be nice.

Thanks in advance!
Wulfe

P.S. Admins, feel free to move this thread. This is the first DIY thing I have found so I have no idea where it goes.

[FirestormX]

If you put a MOLLE system on your vest, you can either use existing pouches (there's only a handful of "styles" that are drastically different from each other, in terms of pouches).
Or, if you do make your own pouches, you'll be able to move them around, if you find that you don't like where you originally placed your pouches.

[HackD]

What sort of 2nd line rig are you wanting to run?

Is it a vest, ie a law enforcement style that zips up the front?

Is it a full sized chest rig?

Is it a small sized chest rig?

Is it a plate carrier?

... what i'm saying here, is have you looked at the sheer variety available, in all styles of 2nd line equipment?

Not knocking your creative urges, but please do your research first.. when you say "Vest", that says to me, "limited exposure to the variety available, in all styles". It's better to pick out what will work for you, and build on that, rather than going scratch built..

Originally Posted by Wulfle

I want to get into airsoft but any vest that I see, I hate. So I came to the natural conclusion of "Why don't I make one, instead?"?

So thats what I'm going to do.

I have a basic idea in my head and am going to be sewing it but any vest/pouch/holster templates or patterns would be nice.

Thanks in advance!
Wulfe

P.S. Admins, feel free to move this thread. This is the first DIY thing I have found so I have no idea where it goes.

[jordan7831]

Did you try the usual places for vests? There are tonnes of vest styles, im sure there is something that would fit your needs. You could get a plate carrier with Molle attachment points and custom build it that way.

I dont want to sound negative, but building a vest is a large endevour unless you have a background in textiles, and the necessary skills and know how to put together something that will last.

It would be a shame to see a nice vest that you stitched together fall apart after a few uses because its home made. But as a project, I think this could be really fun and creative.

Edit: Why dont you give us an idea of what you are looking to design and maybe someone knows a production vest that has the design elements and features that you are looking for!

[j_march]

Ya I'm curious as to what your wanting. And how it could turn out. Any idea what you want?? I'm surprised you couldn't find something you liked. Is there a a style you've seen that you have liked in a movie? Or game??

[ThunderCactus]

As stated, there's hundreds of different vests, chest rigs and plate carriers out there. You just need to look harder, and not on airsoft sites.

[N_Force]

Not worth to DIY, even if you have those manufacturing sewing machine, materials and accessories, you still have to look for the patents and design, long process!

[ThunderCactus]

Also, knowing from first hand experience, nylon is much tougher than leather to sew.
I broke both sewing machines at warfighter tactical at least twice now lol

[Shatter]

You're probably better off checking out DIY Tactical if you really want to do it yourself.

Like others have said though, it's a very time consuming process to design and prototype your own vest. Usually what happens is you'll make something very similar to a product that's already on the market, with or lacking a couple of additional features, or made with a different material. It's generally not worth the expense.

[Wulfle]

OH MY GOD! The sheer number of replies I got in such a short time is amazing! It shows that everyone really cares about each other on this site.

So...vest. Yes i realize that was a mistake to not put the style I was looking for up. The "style" would be a full sized chest rig with MOLLE webbing so that I, as quoted from FirestormX, "can either use existing pouches (there's only a handful of "styles" that are drastically different from each other, in terms of pouches).
Or, if you do make your own pouches, you'll be able to move them around, if you find that you don't like where you originally placed your pouches."

To answer another question you all had. All the 2nd line rigs I saw, the ones I did like, were out of my price limit and those that were within were the ones I didn't like.

As for design. I was thinking of, as stated before, a plate carrier but a law enforcement style "vest" may be easier. I was going to have vinyl sandwiched in between a layer of pad or mesh and very tough cloth. Maybe 600D or higher! Any thoughts would help!

I will admit that I don't know a lot about airsoft, guns or military in general ( see what I did there ) but the amount of replies and love I got from the community in such a short time makes me certain that this project will suceed!

[Shatter]

What kind of chest rig were you looking at? Something RRV-ish? I know there's cheap China gear out there for less than $100. Try checking out the gear section in the Classifieds.

[j_march]

Can we have pictures of the expensive vests that you liked?? That would be cool.

[ThunderCactus]

Might wanna go to games and see what everyone else is wearing

[m102404]

There's lots of vest/chest rigs/plate carriers/etc...options and styles out there. And most of the "regular" styles you'll see are there for a reason...they're used and continue to be used and they work well. So, bear that in mind before diving into "I'll design my own".

There's cheapo airsoft stuff...so-so airsoft stuff...and real stuff. Prices increase accordingly. Basically for gear you get what you pay for. The cheapo stuff is basically as cheap as you can get...but the quality is so poor that it's a waste of $20. The so-so stuff (i.e. what used to be Pantac) is for all intents and purposes for airsoft pretty good. It's priced less than an AEG so it should be figured into your budget accordingly. The real stuff is typically much pricier...but will hold up to a lot of wear and tear, won't fade, has reduced IR signatures, etc....

The absolute best place to get gear is the Classifieds. Guys dump real stuff on there and when you see guys dumping gear it's because they've got so much other stuff that something has got to go. Throw them a good offer...pony up a couple of extra bucks to take more than just the one thing in a combo deal...and you'll probably end up with a very good deal. And if the guy is local and you can pick up you can sometimes get pieces for less than what you'd pay for shipping/duties for it otherwise.

You might have to get things here/there/everywhere to piece a setup together...but it's sort of fun and can be the most cost effective way to go.

Nobody wants to store gear they don't use...guys that have good gear have bins of extra gear that they haven't touched in ages. They want to get rid of it...they just don't want to take a huge loss because it was pricey to get in the first place. Be fair and in the end you'll be amazed at the good deals to be had.

[Wulfle]

The main look I am shooting for is ether Osprey, Interceptor or IOTV "style" body armor/ plate carrier.

I guess the main reason I want to do this is because I want this to be mine. This will be something no one else has. It will be made by me for me. I will know its capabilities and if it breaks down I can just tape it up and not fret about spending $200(exaggerated) in replacements.

Here is a good picture! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mo...components.jpg
I think I could make a pattern and try it with some cheap material just to see the fit and test my MOLLE making.

I appreciate all the love you guys have given me! It really makes me feel like a part of the community.
Wulfle

And thank you to Shatter for that link! 1000 internet cookies to you!!!