Updated Field Communications Setup
Updated my field communications setup for the 2015 season: Baofeng UV5R+, Bowmen headset & U94 PTT
Pilgrimage to Tactical Tailor
I am a gear whore and proud of it. I own more “gucci”, real-world gear than any airsofter should and am perfectly OK with that. When I first started playing, there was very little knock-off gear being made, so the majority of us had no choice but to get the pricey operator-grade gear. Granted this
Gear: FRS Headsets
Let me start with an insult; if you’re not using a radio when you play airsoft, you’re doing it wrong. We all know that communication on the field is vital to success and a big part of how well you communicate is the quality of your headset. I have both a cheap solution as well
Gloves: Hatch Operator
One item of kit that is often overlooked is quality hand protection. When I first started playing, I thought gloves were more part of an impression than essential kit, but man was I proved wrong. I think I played maybe 3 games before I realized how wrong I was. From cuts, to bb-hits, to burrs and even a bent back finger nail… I paid the price for my ignorance. The great glove search was on, and after reading many reviews and looking at pricing, I got no where. Only after I started talking to the local ‘vets’ did I discover the joy of the Hatch Operator series gloves.
Protecting Your BDUs
I have been using this trick for a few years now, ever since I put my wife in charge of caring for my BDUs post-game day. Normally, I am very particular about my gear and how I gear-down from a game but when it came to my BDUs, I just tossed them into the laundry machine and called it a day. I noticed that after 3 or so washes, the color was fading, significantly changing the effectiveness of the pattern on the field. At roughly $70 USD a set, I can’t afford to replace my BDUs on a regular basis, but what choice did I have?
Now, my wife has a BA in textiles and a graduate degree from FIDM. Needless to say, she knows a whole lot more than I do when it comes to fabric. When I presented the fading problem to her, she went into action. Apparently when working with denim, the factory dye bleeds each wash, which is why your jeans break in and fade with each wear. She used a trick of the trade on my BDUs that have, so far, locked in the color of my new BDUs. There is mild fading, but far from the 3-wash-fade that I was experiencing. The following works best on new BDUs but can be applied to old ones as well.