All posts tagged Style 101

Why bother with paintball clothing

I just got done watching  a few videos on Youtube that were all about tactical vests and tactical clothing.   I was laughing in the first 5 seconds because all that I noticed that was different than the stuff we sell was we didn’t have the words “splat” written across the vests.   I think the old round ball paintballs are going to be obsolete in another decade and airsoft is going to get really good that kids will be playing with guns that look and function like the real ones and use the same holsters and tactical vests.   I got a Sig 228 airsoft gun last year and I didn’t have to buy a single holster to practice with it.

The Eotac style 101 vests and some of the 5.11 tactical vests are all you need if you are playing paintball or airsoft with an AK or M16 type of gun, magazines pouches are there and will work very well.   The real thing to think about when you are playing paintball or airsoft is the same that you would think about if you actually going to think about real world gun fight training, tactical pants, tactical shirts, tactical gear.  Durability and weight are issues as well as worrying about snagging on things.   The crap you put on yourself the more you gotta think about what you want to wear when you’re laying flat on your stomach.  Try wearing everything that you would wear with your CCW or tactical clothing and just show up at a paintball game.

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Tactical gear and taking to a paint ball game

I’ll admit this up front, some of the best combat training I have ever had was the number of years I played paintball with friends.  Not only did I learn communication skills and human behavior, but I learned about what kind of clothing I prefer to wear if I am going to be running around.  Things like car keys and cell phones can get in the way when you are laying down or swing you hands around.   Certain types of jackets can really restrict the amount of movement  you are needing and simple things like raising a gun up and trying to hold it in mid air can be stressful if you have lots of heavy clothing on.

The Eotac style 101 vests are very good tactical vests, but I realize the type of gear that swat teams and military may be putting on a vest may not be suitable for anything like this.   These vests are on the soft side and may be a little too long for those getting in and out of vehicles that may want handguns or gear to sit up higher on the chest line, but for playing paintball, these tactical vests is probable the best configuration for you.  The large rifle magazine pockets will hold paintball tubes and they are very deep that this will give you added security.   The soft flexibility is also useful and this vest will easily sit on top of whatever type of clothing you are wearing.  It makes a very good outerwear piece of clothing.   It is also easily washable although I do suggest you make sure you take everything that shouldn’t be washed out of the pockets, there are so many of them that it’s easy to get lost in them.

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Matching guns to gun cases

I am a strong believer in marking all of your gear, not just because you need to have your name on it, but it’s a good to keep your stuff well organized so you don’t run into an “aw shit” moment when you didn’t pack up something vital for your daily events.  I just spent a weekend hanging out with someone that locked up all of his guns, but didn’t keep all of the keys together and couldn’t open up one of the gun cases.   I suggest people have a range bag to keep tools and range magazines in and then a good tactical vest.   The reason I suggest these is it’s best to really keep putting everything in the same place and know that every time you go to the range, items A and B are always with you, and then bring whichever gun or ammunition you need.

I always match the rifle case to the gun and leave the magazines or the bare minimum of 3-5 of them inside the case pockets.   Sight in tools are always in my tactical vest along with ear plugs, shooting glasses and even a small bottle of bug spray.   I wear my Eotac Style 101 vest under some of my hunting jackets just because it’s a little bit of an overkill for hunting, but it has everything I need in it.   I keep field dressing gloves, tactical gloves and elbow pads in this, also.

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Tactical Vests as a range bag

How many times have you gone to the range for a day and forgot your sight in tools?   How many times did you forget ear plugs?  How many times did you forget the following, gloves, batteries, targets, screwdrivers and on and on.   Well this Eotac Style 101 vest has so many pockets that if you don’t keep your stuff organized you’ll lose it in the vest.  If you do keep your gear organized and assign each pocket for specific tools and practice,  the next time you walk out the door to go shooting, you’ll have all of your neccessities in your vest that you always bring with you.   You can even keep empty or loaded mags in it and have it become your active shooter bag for civillian SHTF purposes.

Sometimes I hear people snicker when they hear Tactical VestTactical Vest.   I guess its because so many of us have stories about the guy that shows up at a gun range and is ready for the tactical ninja battle of his life, but can’t shoot for ____.   He’s wearing all black, has a low end AR15 with a red dot on it and isn’t grouping his shots very well.   For those that are in law enforcement, we think about SWAT Teams or special operations.   Well, there’s another application for tactical vests.   A place to put all of your shooting accessories that goes to the range with you and it’s on you at all times.

 

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