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"Everybody's happy now, everybody's singing, everybody's happy man... we're Bullet-proof!"
In airsoft, like so many things, having the right kit can make all the difference. These next few pages are to show you what kit I find useful, and hopefully you will too. As a token effort at being responsible, I wrote the protective equipment page before anything fun like the weapons section. This is because you can rent guns. You can't rent another set of eyes.
One of the first things you need in airsoft is eye protection. Don't even think of having a game without it. The standard issue is usually a pair of mesh goggles, as seen in the table below, to the left. These are better than nothing, as they stop bits of plastic flying into your eyes at high speed. However, they're difficult to see out of when it's not bright, and they make it difficult to determine small details (such as branches moving, etc.) due to the lines of mesh being out of focus and blocking your vision. Some people wear respirators, but this may not be the wisest move. Not only do they get very hot, but the eye pieces are not necessarily shatterproof; there are substantiated reports of bb's shattering them and carrying on through in tests.
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| Mesh face mask | JT Flex 7 face mask | Bolle T-800 goggles |
Another choice is to go with paintball goggles, which have a number of advantages.
Most days I wear tactical goggles, as seen to the right. However, if you follow this path, then you'll need:
If you do wear goggles by themselves, be aware that it can be pretty painful if shot in the ears, mouth, lips, etc. Especially from an upgraded rifle. When it's cold. If it's cold enough you can always wear a balaclava, which will take some of the sting out. I would recommend going for a decent one made from technical materials rather than just wool. Wool balaclavas are nice and cheap, but you get very hot in them very quickly and they have none of the nice features such as wicking, etc. If in doubt, either an army surplus place or a motorcycle clothing specialist should be able to provide something suitable. Another option is the shemagh. While it doesn't take as much sting out, it's better than nothing and also helps to camouflage your face.
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Yet another in the list of places that it's painful to be shot is the hands. Invariably one takes a round between the knuckles, right on the tip of the finger, or on a fingernail. Anywhere where it hurts basically. In order to prevent this, gloves are a good idea. Not only do they stop shots from hurting, but they also prevent your hands getting spiked by poisonous plants, getting splinters or getting cold. This is particularly important in the winter, as playing whilst cold and wet will get you fed up fairly quickly. Again, there are a wide variety of gloves available to choose from. In the table below, you can see some of the options:
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| Northern Ireland Gloves | Soldier 95 Gloves |
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| Nomex Flight Gloves | Hatch SWAT Gloves |
On the left we have the traditional Northern Ireland gloves (or Fridges, as they're sometimes known). These have padded knuckles (some with steel plate inserted), which are ideal for when you're resting your weapon on top of your hand on a wall. They can get wet and sometimes cold. Next up are the current issue Soldier 95 gloves, shown here in ever popular black. These are my personal choice as they are thinsulate lined. They're comfortable, warm and waterproof. Thirdly we have Nomex Flight Gloves. Whilst I haven't used any of these myself, they seem popular with a number of people. Finally, there's tactical SWAT gloves. The pair shown are by Hatch, but many companies do a similar thing. They're more suited to summer work due to the fingerless nature of them, but are useful because of the extra control you get, making it much easier to swap mags, play with radio controls, etc.
Normal headgear is covered under clothing, but I thought I'd briefly take a look at helmets here. There are a few different types, but the most commonly seen are the British Army Kevlar MK6 helmet and the US PASGT helmet. A MK6 will set you back £20 to £35 or so here (assuming second hand, there's no reason to buy a new one). They're quite heavy, but if you're going for the full military look they can add a certain something. They're also very useful if you're doing FIBUA/CQB, as they prevent you from knocking yourself insensible when you smack your head whilst climbing in through a window. Also they take the sting out of rounds to the head, which invariably hurt more at close range.
The PASGT helmets are very similar in function and use, the styling is different though. I'm not sure of the second hand price of these, as they're harder to get hold of over here. You can buy them new no problem, but they're a few hundred US dollars. Alternatively, you can get a replica from Redwolf. I believe these are made from ABS plastic, but I don't know how they hold up to knocks. Should be fine for BB's though.
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| British Army MK6 Kevlar helmet | American PASGT style helmet |
Yes, you heard me right, body armour. Personally I think this is overkill for most games, but it has its uses. Again, there are a couple of types available. The British issue Body Armour Cover, and the American Fragmentation vest. Whilst these are available to pick up with fragmentation armour in them, I advise against it. It's damn heavy and will make your purchase expensive. My alternative is to buy the cover which is about £8 or so and fill it with camping mat foam. This does a good job of stopping BB's and paintballs, as my test assistant will vouch for (Thanks Boglin!). I also personally started the trend for wearing body armour as clubwear, but that's a different story.
Body armour is primarily useful for CQB games to stop things hurting quite so much. I advise against it for woodland, as you won't feel shots from range and this could lead to people getting upset about hits not being taken. Of course, you could always use this as part of the scenario, but be advised that this will mean an increase in the number of headshots.
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