Tactical Tips: Tactical Gear Optimization

By on December 12, 2017

When heading into your next skirmish or battle you want to be a smooth operator, cool, calm and confident that no matter what strikes next, you’re ready for it. Alike a lot of other airsoft gear, tactical gear has a lot to do with your own preference and comfort level, whether you are wanting a full loadout for anything or a lighter loadout so that you can be the stealthy recon element on the field, you can optimize your tactical gear for these purposes.

In order to start optimization, you need to consider a platform for all of your gear, this could be a few different choices. Vests, chest rigs, plate carriers and battle belts are all solid platforms to start you tactical gear optimization. Starting from the easiest is the vest, typically today any gear is cover with M.O.L.L.E. or Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment, and this means you can fully customize your gear to what you are using. MOLLE has changed the way a loadout can be uniform to your own for personal preference and ease.

Tactical Vests


Vests are a very good baseline for tactical gear because they can haul your needs for a lower cost. Vests are very simple because they aren’t very complicated to put on, they don’t need much adjustment and they will do just about anything you need them to. A tactical vest is a great first choice for the new airsofter, as they are also typically less expensive than any other tactical gear. Check this airsoft pistol review guide to find some cool airsoft idea. From a tactical perspective, however, they are a middle of the road rig, because they can haul most everything you need, they typically with provide adequate protection, however they can feel constrictive and even restrict some movements.

Chest Rigs


Chest rigs are another good choice; though they provide less protection they are lighter and sit higher on your body for more free movement. Chest rigs are good for a more experienced player who knows what they need in a fight and can make sure that they have all their gear pretty specifically set. Chest rigs are good tactical gear because they will keep your game energized but not exhausting you. However, they normally won’t hold as much gear as other alternatives, so less gear, less protection, but also less weight to haul.

Plate Carriers


Plate Carriers are one of the most popular choices to a competitive player for multiple reasons. On the top of the list is the realism of wearing tactical gear that is typically what is worn for protection in real combat. This makes a lot of sense when you figure that there is probably a reason that they are so popular. Normally if you wear a plate carrier you are going to want to invest in some fake plates or “sappy” plates, this will make the carrier fit properly on your body.

Carriers are awesome because they will hold all your gear securely and can also be an alternative to run a lighter loadout, so they are very versatile tactical gear.  The best part of the plate carrier has to be the comfort when in play, these don’t move on your body when you have the plates in and you can always find what you need for that reason. Along with keeping you mobile there is a lot of upsides, but the downsides are that plate carriers are typically the heaviest loadout, and that they are more complicated to put on get off and get adjusted.

Battle Belts


Any player that can play solely off of a belt is a very comfortable player, but there are a few things that can make you play a tighter game none the less. There is a MOLLE rig called the battle belt which can provide more real estate for your tactical gear and accessories. The Battle Belt can also give you a more comfortable experience by padding your hips from all of the gear. Otherwise, a battle belt though restricting what you can have on you is a solid light loadout that can be very effective if you get acclimated to playing a light game, this may even be a more solid night loadout than any other.

Overall the choice of tactical gear is going to be your own, for personal use you will want the most comfortable rig for you. The pros and cons of all of the options are pretty obvious, but some of the cons can be softened depending on how you create your tactical gear use. Whether using a vest of a new player or a plate carrier of experience you can be the one showing how good your tactical gear is just by your ease of use.

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