FEATURE: FAVORITE LOADOUTS

has become eminently clear to me that I’m not the only one moving away from the “operator” look to something altogether more streamlined, as you’ll see from the rest of the Legionnaires!

If I’m going “full rattle” though, then it’s most definitely my GreeZone gear; PenCott GreenZone is sadly still not the easiest pattern to create a “top to toe” loadout in, and you’ll have to search a bit to complete your gear setup. Having said that, more and more manufacturers are taking the pattern up, and I’m certain that this trend will continue!

But what of The Legion? What do they have to say about their favourites?

Jon: “Oooh... I sit on the fence! I love the grey man

approach; jeans, t-shirt and shirt, with a low profile chest rig in a bag, topped off with a baseball cap and my trusty Wiley X Nash glasses. If I’m going camo, you better believe it’s PenCott GreenZone and WildWood, specifically the UFPro Striker XT Gen 2 Shirt and Pants, Gen 2 Boonie, Helikon Windrunner in Pencott Wildwood and for now Viper Kinetixx Gloves and Speero Alcor boots. Eye Pro is still Wiley X.”

Stewbacca: “OpFor all the way! My final trip to Copehill was probably my favourite loadout in general. I finally worked out most of the kinks in things, getting a genuinely comfortable loadout down which kept me warm or cool enough as and when, and we all had the same OD jackets and 6094 style Plate Carriers as a team, and made use of a mixed bag of guns and trousers. I quite like the M81 pattern and wish I’d brought those trousers here with me. In general I like the layout, comfort and practicalities of the South African Assault Vest, although I ended up building my own similar setup from the FLYYE EDC hydration pack and clipped on PLB padded belts with setups for each main gun that could be interchanged to suit, I found that much more comfortable and modular than the non-PALS setup of older SAAVs.”

Miguel: “Well, being part of an “organized” team, we follow specific uniform rules and guidelines. All our accessories are in OD (vests, belts, kneed pads, etc.) and right now we use three different uniforms: M81 Woodland, ATACS-AU and full OD green. We do

a few combos among them, like ATACS-AU pants + OD top, but my favourite is still the M81 Woodland, combat pants and combat shirt for hot weather or normal top for colder weather. As you know, most of

my gear is from Viper Tactical, I use the Gen 2 M81 Elite Trousers, Technical Harness (just the belt), Gen 2 VX Plate Carrier w/ Ready Rig, Charger Pack and Scrote Pouch, Venom Boots, OD Fast Helmet or M81 Boonie, VX Gun Sling, gloves from Armored Claw and ESS eye pro.”

Boycie: “I really don’t think I can say I have one particular favourite loadout. I tend to move between several different combinations. It really just depends on the site, game day and who I’m going with so the decision it usually only made in the week that runs up to the event. I have enjoyed putting together some law enforcement loadouts over the years, one in particular was a Police SFO one. This wasn’t based on

any specific force area but with the weight of the vest, clothing and equipment, carrying out some “training” on a hot day it certainly gave me a bigger appreciation of the job that Police do in all weathers. Currently I am really finding it fun to just wear my Clawgear tactical jeans, First Tactical Boots and Invader Gear “Red Cell” red plaid UBACS. When I go to sites, I usually get some good comments about where people can buy the shirt and “What are your patches?”, which I explain are the Airsoft Action Legion Red Cell group patches. This sometimes results in a conversation about what we, in the Red Cell, do. Also currently my armour carrier is the Templar Gear TPC which sports the Airsoft Action Legion patch.”

Jase: “My favourite loadout...that’s a tough one when you don’t have a lot of kit, hahaha! Pretty much in the twelve years I’ve been in the game I have only ever run a Multicam loadout, but then MilSims are more my thing. From a pair of RAF issue trousers in MTP back in the day to the Viper Gen 1 and now Gen 2 combats trousers, but always rocking an MTP UBACS. Having a young family I could never justify buying lots of different outfits but in the last three months I have bought some AOR1 clothing for that “SEAL Team” look. I have always loved the digital camo and am chuffed with my new acquisition. I did run a PMC look back in past but that was on the very odd occasion, but I always end up running my Multicam loadout.”

Chris P: “Some may have thought it’s my Aussie Navy kit that would be my choice, but it’s actually my Navy SEAL Stoner Gunner loadout is certainly my favourite. It’s been improved and changed over a period of 15 years (when I found a new bit of research material), and as simple as it looks it’s easy to get wrong. Now it’s 99.9% correct, the jeans are modern as vintage Red Label Levi’s are well out of my price range! Sadly, it doesn’t get used as much as I may like to use it but it’s always there in my heart as a labour of love.”

Hana: “My Multicam loadout is the one I wear the most, as it works on any terrain, but today I’d like to share my personal favourite clothing from O.P.S, the A-TACS camo suit, comfortable and reliable, A friend in Hong Kong recommended it to me, for wear in CQB and outdoor games. It provides great concealment and flexibility in the wild! I like the Cobra

buckle hard-belt like I used in training and play to provide stability and loading pouches, but because it’s a wide belt is always too big for me as standard!”

Robbie: “My absolute favorite kit is a combined 100% cotton DPM and Smersh. hands down my most comfortable, baggy, good-camo-tac; the Smersh as a belt set carries awesomely and my AK supplies I like in the butt pack. Sadly, I’ve recently sold some of my airsoft gear due to my impending house-move; in fact some of the only things I actually kept of my airsoft stuff are two GBB AKs, a pair of Glocks, the Smersh, and my full set of DPM. Yeah, definitely my favourite!”

Bjorn: “I love my “game inspired” loadouts, and my latest is the “Nomad” kit from the famous game Ghost Recon made by Ubisoft, in this case the “Breakpoint” version ( I have done the “Wildlands” setup before and I have actually played some airsoft games wearing that kit too, but that’s another story!). The Breakpoint kit is based upon or around the 5.11 Tac Tec PC and holds several pouches from High Speed Gear, such as three AR mag pouches, one pistol pouch, one grenade pouch and an M249 mag pouch that also is used as waterbottle pouch, or to stock more AR mags. My setup also includes real steel plates for the right feel. On the chest you’ll also see five extra shotgun shells ready for those close encounters! To the setup there is also a 5.11 AMP 24 backpack holding everything you need for a shorter mission plus extra guns/ shotguns on the sides and an extra utility pouch from High Speed Gear.

“At the waist you find an Octa Versipack by Maxpedition that can hold your phone, radio, lightsticks, bandage or maybe some extra pistol mags. Pants are in MC for this setup , and these come from OPS (by UR Tactical) as they were the most similar ones to the character. Boots had to be my LOWA mids as the ones for the character were a PITA to get hold of as they had gone out of production a long time ago! There’s a Dropleg holster holding a Glock as I couldn’t get hold of a two tone (black and tan) Sig Sauer M17. The other leg holds the classic Ka-Bar knife! Kneepad(s) from Hatch. Glove(s) from Oakley. Glasses from Wiley X. Watch from Suunto. Cap is made from own design produced by a local company. Primary gun is one of the Ghost guns from Evolution International.

“This setup works just as fine as any of my other setups I have ready in my airsoft wardrobe, and that’s what makes it even cooler. I will admit that carrying guns on the side of the backpack isn’t that workable but I have tried it. Carrying four guns at the field doesn’t make you fast to say the least.... So dropping the backpack at the field is the best way to go. Only thing I missed out in the field was a Camelbak but that could be sorted out by carrying the backpack and put the bladder in that, so you can actually transfer some gear setups straight to the field! And hey, who doesn’t wanna look like a cool game character in the field?”

Of course, though there’s always someone TOTALLY organised with their gear (happy to say it’s not just me!) and in this case it’s one of our newest Legionnaires, Dan in the USA, so I’ll round up by showing his “kit list” in full:

Primary LBE: • Tactical Tailor Fight Light one-piece MAV (modded) • Tactical Tailor Fight Light X-Harness • G-Code Softshell Scorpion magazine pouches (4x) • HSGI dual-pistol magazine TACO • Milwaukee Custom Kydex RACC • Tactical Tailor smoke / flashbang pouch • Milwaukee Custom Kydex Raven M12 carrier • Warrior Assault Systems 1.5L hydration pouch • Camelback 1.5L hydration carrier • Ferro Concepts PTT retainer

Subload: • Ronin Tactics Shuto belt • G-Code RTI optimal drop platform • Milwaukee Custom Kydex Airsoft Elite holster • Haley Strategic “Anything Hook”

Comms: • Disco32 amplified U-94 PTT • SRS Tactical Avengers • Baofeng UV5R w/extended battery pack and Nagoya NA-701 antenna

Clothing: • Oakley SI stretch-fit hat • Blackhawk SOLAG fingerless gloves • Crye G3 M81 Combat shirt and pants • Lowa Zephyr’s

Misc: • Moondog Industries flexible unjamming rod • Dark Angel Medical trauma shears • 3M electrical tape • Nikon Fog Eliminator dry wipe cloth • Leatherman WAVE • ESS ICE eye-pro • Extra Ramset .22 cartridges

Gats and Noisy Things: • Custom LCT AK104 • Custom RWA Agency NOC • 4x AK-74 magazines (+1 on the gun) • 2x G17 magazines (+1 on the gun) • Odin M12 Speedloader • Airtech Studios Odin adapter • Airsoft Innovations Bang 22 Xtreme

THE CAGE: BEST KIT

CARRYING ON THE THEME OF THIS ISSUE, THIS MONTH BILL GOT TOGETHER WITH THE MEMBERS OF THE AIRSOFT ACTION LEGION AND RED CELL AND ASKED THEM ALL ABOUT THEIR FAVOURITE GEAR AND, FOR THE CAGE, IT’S ALL ABOUT A SINGLE ITEM THAT HAS REALLY MADE A DIFFERENCE!

Lucky rabbit’s foot? Favourite rubber chicken? Old, dented coffee mug? What is it that you value most when you head out to an airsoft game? What is that one single item that you never leave home without and what does it mean to you?

Over the years I’ve been privileged to work with some of the very best gear manufacturers out there and I’m lucky enough that I continue to do so! With that in mind I’ve been able to try a million and one things that should, could, maybe make my “airsoft life” just that little bit sweeter! Some, like a solar charger for my electrics, have been mind-blowingly good, but others have just left me thinking “WTF”!

C’mon, we’ve all done it, haven’t we? Seen that “thing” online and mentally gone “I MUST have one of those or my life will be incomplete!” only to shudder in apt dismay and utter disappointment when the UPS guy arrives and you find you’ve bought a complete lemon… Yup, me too!

But sometimes there is genuinely something that you find that makes ALL the difference, something that is insanely useful and effective, or simply something that you just love with all your heart and can’t be without. It’s that one thing that brings you joy in some unfathomable way when you head out to play airsoft, or that makes being out in harsh conditions just that little bit easier. It’s the thing that helps you keep going either physically or mentally when you just want to give up, and it’s a VERY personal thing that others may not even begin to understand as much as you try to explain it to them.

Okay, I have an old notebook that’s been with me for years and has notes from games and events scribbled in it until the pages feel like soft fabric, so much have they been written on! It’s covered with GreenZone and it’s been in my hands at every trade show I’ve been to in the last five years and it sat beside me in the darkest days following my surgery. It’s full of things I want to remember about the best days of airsoft, notes and jokes with friends, plans for future articles that are now long in the past, and just… memories of airsoft! It’s a treasured possession and always gets stuck somewhere in my kit bag to this day!

On a more practical level the one bit of kit I never head out without is a 3L hydration bladder, and I learned hard and fast when playing in Florida during the really “hot and humid months” that this could quite literally be a lifesaver! The number of times over the years that I’ve seen players fall by the wayside due to poor hydration is uncountable, and I’ve seen some pretty horrific sights when this leads to real dehydration and

heat exhaustion. My Camelbak, and more recently SOURCE, hydration systems are ALWAYS in a pack on my back, or that pack is within easy reach.

I was once told by one of the guys behind the invention of the hydration system that “if you feel thirsty, you’re already entering the first stage of dehydration”, and that has always stuck with me, so yes, if you ask me on a purely practical level what my single “must have” would be, it’s that hydration system on my back!

TEAM TALK

BUT… what of The Legion? I asked them “In all your time playing airsoft what is the one thing you have bought or been given that’s become a “must have” item when you head off to play?” and this is what they had to say!

Robbie: “My must-have that I was given... a premium midcap speed loader. Somehow someone bought me a blue speed loader that never jammed, was easy to use, and, well it never jammed. It was-is amazing. Funny that something so simple but wow it makes a difference!”

Jase: “My one stand-out bit of kit I was given has to be the Viper lid Bill gave me when we did a photo shoot for Viper back in 2015, I still wear it to this day, tried and tested!”

Jimmy: “Without a doubt, it has to be my Heroshark Mako hex-mesh goggles which are in fact made using Bolle Tracker frames. The best eye pro I have found, and I’ve tried so many different pairs, and while all will offer you the protection needed there is no real way of beating the dreaded fog. That’s where the hex-mesh holds its own, guaranteed to never fog up. The hex-

mesh has been designed to not only give you exceptional protection from BB impact but they also give the user a great field of vision as opposed to other mesh which really can limit your sight, especially in dark surroundings. After a little while wearing them your eyes adjust and you forget you’re wearing mesh. There are some days I’m able to wear lenses but the conditions have to be just right, whereas mesh, it is four season friendly. It also depends on my headgear for that particular day as to what I use. As long as Heroshark keep producing the Mako I’ll keep wearing them in the knowledge my mince pies will be safe!”

Hana: “The one of the “must have” I think will be full mask. I think protecting our face is an important part of what women care about, haha…”

Dan: “That’s going to be hard one to choose. There are a lot of specific items that are “essentials” such as eye-pro, hydration, etc. and these selections have stayed relatively static for years and years now. But I guess the one piece that really made a difference (in comfort and usability) for me was changing up the way I carried my sidearm.

“About a year ago now, I switched from a vest mounted holster to a Ronin Tactics Shuto belt, which is a 2-piece affair that has an inner and outer belt.

This provides an extremely stable platform for

my G-Code optimal drop platform which runs a Milwaukee Custom Kydex holster with RTI mount for my RWA Agency NOC. This is a nice bit of kit that can be scaled up or stripped down as needed. For pistol only games, I can ditch my vest and just run the belt and a few spare mags in Kydex carriers that can be quickly mounted via Tek-Lok attachments. This setup also does double duty for my real steel as the RTI system makes swapping holsters out a breeze!”

Miguel: “I would say gloves; here the woodland is really dry and spiky, so having good protection for the hands is important.”

Stewbacca: “I’d probably go for my FLYYE EDC Hydration pouch as it formed the very useful basis of that custom SAAV style loadout I moved towards over my latter years before finishing up with TMC 6094 plate carriers and then leaving the UK.”

Bill W-R: “The one piece of kit I cannot live without would have to be my dump pouch which doubles as a tactical Haribo carrier!”

Iggy: “It sounds silly, but for me it’s a hat or headgear of some sort. Eyepro is a given but a hat I can’t leave without! It all stems from when, as a youngster, we used to roam the fields and forest outside our town with various single-shot BB guns, shooting each other until we literally couldn’t take being shot anymore. That all changed when Tokyo Marui introduced the AEG (Airsoft Electric Gun) that