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"They come running just as fast as they can, 'cause every girl crazy 'bout a sharp dressed man"
Clothing is always useful. Trust me. In airsoft though, you want particular types of clothing. In this section I'll attempt to run through some of the basics. I've covered Protective Equipment in its own section, so if you think I've missed something, check there first.
Right, first off you'll need to decide where you're playing, CQB or woodland. If you're doing CQB (Close Quarters Battle) or FIBUA (Fighting In Built Up Areas) then by all means go for the ever popular embassy storming favourite of basic black. I like black, 95% of the clothes in my wardrobe are black, the rest are mainly purple. However, given that most of the sites in the UK are based in woodland, then you're going to have problems. If you go trogging round the woods in your favourite SWAT gear, don't be surprised if you get more than your fair share of rounds coming towards you and become instantly unpopular with your team-mates. What you want is DPM.
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| BB Magnet | Stealth Master |
To the rest of us, this means camo gear. The basic premise of DPM is to break up the body shape that you normally present, by fooling the eye and making the brain fail to recognise that there's someone there. This lets you vanish in the undergrowth and then mow down the hapless opposition. In theory. This is covered in more detail on my tactics pages. For now, we'll take a look at some of the more common patterns you'll see. In the table below is a selection of some of the various camouflages. Again, there are variations on these patterns, as well as snow and desert camo. I've skipped these out, because they're unlikely to be useful unless you frequently go on stealth missions to the local sandpit.
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| British Army DPM | German Flecktarn | US Woodland |
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| Swiss Alpenflage, AKA Pizza Camo | French Army DPM. | US Marines digital(MARPAT) |
My personal choice is British Army DPM. In my opinion it looks better than that foreign stuff, and is easier to get hold of. There are a lot of different variations of British DPM, both by year of issue, and dependent on which unit uses it. You need to consider what you want it for, and how much you're prepared to pay. You can get basic used Soldier 95 trousers, jacket and shirt for about £20. Or you can get new kit for considerably more. Newer stuff (Soldier 95/2000 issue) is useful kit as it comes with many features such as Gortex lining, ripstop material, etc. It's also less faded, and faded camo tends to make you stand out more.
You can also get specialised kit such as that for snipers (pockets located on sides rather than front so it's accessible while lying down), or para gear. I'm a little reluctant to buy "Genuine SAS Issue" kit, on the basis that you pay a significant premium for the name and it inspires a "I'm hard-core because I'm wearing SAS gear" mentality. Still, if you want to it's your call. Bear in mind that a new SAS smock comes in at £175 and the trousers are another £65. Not cheap.
At the moment my woodland kit consists of Soldier 2000 gear, but previously I've gone for a basic 68 pattern combat smock with matching trousers. It's fully lined so it's nice and warm, has pockets for putting stuff in and should last ages. It's not ripstop or made of technical fabrics, so I use prudence when near brambles, and I proof it with Fabsil or Nikwax TX10 Cottonproof. Believe me, it makes a difference when the rain comes down. Medium showers are pretty much ignored by it, but it you're going to be in a lot of rain then you'll want to get proper waterproofs.
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| My old kit: '68 pattern Combat Smock and matching Combat Trousers. | |
Let's face it chaps, English weather isn't exactly renowned for being the best in the world and I shan't even mention Scottish weather. It's either cold, raining, or both. On odd occasions it also gives us blazing sunshine, which is usually on a five minute rotation with the above mentioned cold and rain. So, you've got your lovely DPM, but what to wear underneath? Initially I start with a T-shirt, either in plain olive green, or if I think it's warm enough to take my jacket off later then I'll wear one with a humorous slogan.
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Then, you have to take a look at the temperature. If it's a lovely sunny day, then this will suffice, as my combat jacket will keep me warm. If, on the other hand, it's yet another freezing cold Sunday morning at some ridiculously early hour, I'll chuck on my thermal longjohns, socks and a fleece. These are top bits of kit and no mistake. I can happily sit there waiting for the opposition to arrive while the rest of my associates stand around shivering and wishing they were back at base camp by the fire. It's money well spent. Again this kit can be picked up from Army Surplus stores, outdoor shops like Field and Trek, or motorcycling clothing suppliers.
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| Toasty warm thermal leggings. | Toasty warm fleece. | Toasty... look, they're socks, okay. |
As you might imagine, headgear comes in a large number of shapes and styles. Berets, helmets, boony caps, baseball caps, etc. You name it, it's probably been worn at some point (and yes, that includes inflatable Christmas trees, but I don't have the photo yet). Below are just two that I wear. Whilst I admit the scrim net makes me look like I'm trying out for Guns & Roses, it does do a good job of hiding the fact that I've got bright red hair. Flame red is not usually a colour associated with woodland, unless there's a forest fire. If you think that looks silly, to the right is my Arctic cap. Yes, I know, but when there's snow all over the ground and your ears have snapped off due to the cold then we'll see who's laughing. Hah.
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| Take me down to the paradise city... | I know, I know. Get over it already. | More sensible... |
Sturdy footwear is the order of the day when skirmishing. Numerous foxholes, branches, uneven terrain and vast swampy bits mean that you really don't want to be wearing trainers. You also probably don't want to be wearing your lovely expensive timberland hiking boots. What you want is a nice pair of combat boots. These come in a massive range of sizes, types, countries and prices. You can get a second hand pair for as little as £10 or you can buy a new pair of Matterhorn's for £200. As with everything else, go for something that suits your budget. They should have good ankle support and leather boots should be free from splits, as this will let water in.
I opted for Magnum Sympatex boots. Lightweight, breathable and waterproof. These were a general do everything boot for me (I don't bother with shoes or trainers), and unfortunately wearing them day in day out has taken its toll. The Gortex in the heel area has been worn through, so they're no longer waterproof there, and they're starting to crack on the flex points round the bridge of the foot. This seems to be the way with my boots as I have super destructive feet, apparently. My next purchase is likely to be a pair of properly fitted boots, probably from Altberg.
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| Magnum Sympatex Boots | British Army Proboots | German Para Boots |