Arg! Help me kit out a leprechaun!

[surebet]

Oh god I hope she doesn't see this thread...

Long story short, my girlfriend had a blast at OP: HABOOB and now wants in. My only problem is that I have no clue as to what will and won't fit her.

I'm used to having to kit my wide assed 6'5" frame, but with her 5'1"½ (she beats me up if I don't mention the ½, please let it not be goofy tiem...) I'm not sure what does and does not fit.

Here's the shopping list to date:

Goggles: Good ol' pair of Wiley SG-1s, she tried mine, loved them. The seal look fine.

Vest: Main problem. I'm a CIRAS kinda guy, but I don't think she's looking for a vest weighing half her body weight. A wasatch would have been my first choice, but I don't think Pantac makes one in mall-ninja black. Furthermore, most rigs are rated 5'5" to 6'3", though in my case the CIRAS fits me fine. Halp?

Pants and shirt: 5.11 all the way!

Gloves: Thinking of the EB Oakley clones in their smallest size. Input?

Boots: Covered for now with a rather sweel pair of hicking boots.

Input?

[amano999]

Just get her a vest. My wife uses a $50 guader vest in black or OD and it works fine for her. Simple to put on and holds plenty.

[Endymion]

IIRC she was running a P90 at Haboob, correct? What will she be using as her primary weapon? That should be considered before deciding on any type of chest rig. If it's to be any type of AR, there are many choices available in all sorts of adjustable rigs and webbing. Eagle Universal Chest Rig comes to mind - very light, very fast, very adjustable.

[surebet]

Originally Posted by m102404

If that's how big you are...put her in your hydro pack and have her jump out when the fighting starts!

BAHAHAHAHA!!!

Oh my, you're going to hell my friend...

Shemags are already purchased too, thanks for the heads up for the Eagle rig, looks nice.

[surebet]

Originally Posted by Endymion

IIRC she was running a P90 at Haboob, correct? What will she be using as her primary weapon? That should be considered before deciding on any type of chest rig. If it's to be any type of AR, there are many choices available in all sorts of adjustable rigs and webbing. Eagle Universal Chest Rig comes to mind - very light, very fast, very adjustable.

P90 as a trainer, then she wants to move on to an SPR of some sorts.

Ultimatly AR-15 for both of us, but right now she seems ok with a single P90 high cap. Just want her to get used to a vest before tacking plenty of crap on it.

[Syn]

What about large in boys sizes for vest, pants, shirt. This is what one of my GF did years ago. Even boys size 5 or 6 she would fit for s hoes.



edit: ***** <--- that word is "s hoes" . Why is it stared out like a swear word? Strange.

[rideout]

this guy should have alot in her size.

http://www.fugly.com/media/IMAGES/Fu...el_soldier.jpg

[Laike]

Ahh, the I'm small, and my gear is huge problem. I know it too well. Albeit I think your girlfriend is gonna suffer from it a bit more, I at least have 4-5 inches on her.

First of all, I'd like to say, let your girlfriend try stuff on. She may put on a small CIRAS and like it. If you can go to a good surplus store and let her try stuff on, or if some small framed gear whore wouldn't mind let her try on his/her closet, it'd be a serious plus here.

I'm all for chest rigs. They tend to be less bulkier and adjust them for size easier. There should be a few MOLLE ones out there. I believe Drop Zone Tactical makes one, though I'm not sure if it's available in black.

I'm 5'6", female, and small framed. My small CIRAS is still a tad too big for me. I don't actually fit snugly in it unless I've got my winter jacket on. and yes, I've adjusted it for size. But hey, I love my CIRAS, so I'm willing to put up with the slight size issue. So if your gf likes the idea of a CIRAS, let her try it on. She may be willing to put up with the slight size issue because of it.

I'm sure RaiDen can attest to the amount of cinching I needed to do for my old UTG ACU vest. I had it velcro'd to it's smallest size and it barely fit. I don't think anyone smaller than me could fit in one of those vests as I wasn't all to confident on how much area the velcro was actually sticking to the fuzzy side of things. But hey, if you can find a small enough vest, go for it.

This is a long shot, but some of the asian retailers sell their stuff in Asian sizing. If you're willing to make do with some quality, that may be an alternative.

In the clothes, I found for BDUs, it was a bit hard having odd sizes. Alot of the BDUs and stuff are made for small men, women being the afterthought. I believe some companies make pants and other pieces tailored for women. She might want to look into those. But for BDUs, I must stress, go into your local surplus store and try them on.

In regards to the gloves, I have very very small hands, and I needed Oakley Extra Smalls which I have yet to find a pair of. Unless your girlfriend has monstrous hands for her frame, you may be having a very tough time looking for gloves. I ended up finding some chinese knock off kevlar gloves in small and some leather gloves my mom found at Costco. Once again, this may be a situation of finding something out of asia in "asian size". If you can, see if you can buy the gloves at a brick and mortar retailer. I found when working with smaller hands, it's safer to be able to try them on and make sure they fit right. I find small is NOT that small.

Also, is black a must here? Cause if you can get away with OD or CB then stack black pouches here, we'd open up alot of possibilities.

In the end, I want to really stress again to let her take a look a things for herself, try things on, etc. Provide suggestions on what she needs and doesn't need, but she definately needs to find something that she likes and feels comfortable in. So keep all doors and possibilities open until she closes them. She needs to find something she loves! Because if she loves it, she'll make sure it works, whether it be modifying straps or searching the ends of the earth for something in extra small (warning: your wallet may cry over this). All in all, happy hunting. Feel free to shoot me a PM if you guys need any help with hunting for small sized gear.

[ShelledPants]

Also, have you considered a blast belt? You could fit a bunch of mags on the molle fitments, and all the weight is on your hips.

[Qlong]

EB's replica Oakley's are pretty bad... Do not trust their sizing, Med fit like XL and they don't stock anymore Small fit asian anymore, and that spec sheet on the bottom there, well I don't know why that's there. It's completely inaccurate. There was no real leather in that glove so my palm tore within a week.

[decoy]

+1 to Laike.

I think the girl should get to choose her own gear, damnit. jk.. :P

MEC has some awesome XS gloves for those of us with tiny hands...see here!

[panda86]

I use a vest from Ehobby on ebay, and they do make them "asian sized"

I'm a slim guy, and the vest fits me well, it can be cinched up smaller than others I have tried (gone through 3 vests to find the right size).

It's definitely not high end mil spec quality, but it's held up so far and for $30 or so, it's a steal.

My wife has tried on my BDU's (SR size propper, etc..) and they fit her, and she's only about 5'2"

[Farmboy]

My daughter is about 5' - 2" and has tried on a ton of gear cause I get the same questioned poised to me every now and then.

TAG Plate carrier - will fit down to her size, however it covers her entire upper body.

TAG MOLLE Chest Rig - works extremely well, however the straps would have to be cut or rolled up as there is lots of extra

ATS Plate Carrier - works well, again though really long straps

HSGI Weesatch - not bad however it hangs a bit to low

HSGI DACH - fits really well

ATS Low Pro chest harness - fits really well

TAG Gladiator - fits pretty good for hieght however a touch loose through the waist area

[Drake]

I think she should look at plate carriers. They make some pretty small ones (all the way down to the size of a single Medium SAPI plate), like this:



(that one looks like a DBT FAPC, and yes it comes in black).


If it's still too big on her, she can always wear a PACA underneath.

[Mizfit]

I am 5'2" and have the same issues...watch for Men's small short in BDUs. I have been pretty lucky in finding these fairly regularly. As odd as this will sound, I have a found that fleamarket vendors (i.e. Stouffville ON) seem to have a good selection of BDUs, jackets, flight suits in small sizes. Since they are not quick sellers, you can usually talk them down to cash - no tax.

Watch EBay for boots...seems to be a pretty regular selection of mens small sizes recently.

Gloves - I have used size Med but find they are often falling off. Marks Work Warehouse has construction gloves in small (I Kryloned the non-OD sections when necessary).

Couple things to watch for in chest rigs: (1) placement of shoulder straps - they are usually meant for wider shoulders than the average female. Not noticeable until you are on the field and it starts to slip back and forth, or you are trying to shoulder your weapon and it keeps hitting the hardware. (2) I find my first line is covered by the rig as it hangs below my waist. Sometimes gets in the way of the drop pouch or other pouches on my belt.

Happy hunting!