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Friday, April 29, 2011

Tactical Summer Attire

Though I'm not a fan of warm weather, it is unfortunately the time when the group that I go laser tagging with, the OLCA, is most active.  The parks that we play at work well with different types of Camouflage, but the problem is that it's usually too hot to wear BDU's when the Humidity and Temperature are high.  Here in Omaha, summer heat can be a pain to deal with.  However, I have found a cool solution that allows me to utilize camouflage while keeping me cooler... or at least cooler than I'd be in normal BDUs!

The United States Marine Corps currently utilize Flame Resistant Organizational Gear (FROG) for many of their troops deployed in the Middle East.  It's designed to reduce the number of injuries resulting from fire and flash (especially burns), due to the increased use of IEDs in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.  While we're not dealing with explosives in our laser tag games, this camouflage is much lighter and more breathable.  It is also useful when I'm using a Tactical Vest to carry equipment.  Because the torso isn't camouflage, and made of a more breathable material, it makes wearing things like this a little easier.  The only problem is that it's only produced in Desert MARPAT.  While this is good for Fall/Winter games when things are dead, it isn't so useful when trying to hide during the summer in a woodland setting.
While I do own a full set of this Desert MARPAT FROG camouflage, I needed something more akin to a woodland setting... like Woodland MARPAT!  Only problem is that the USMC doesn't field any FROG-type Woodland MARPAT.  Thankfully, I found a knock-off brand that made a similar product.  However, instead of being Flame resistant, this gear is more accustomed to moisture wicking (like UnderArmour).  I also have my custom nametapes on it.  I use this for most of the games during the summer.

If you have any questions as to where I got these or what else I use for tactical gear, feel free to ask!



2 comments:

  1. I think I've seen similar things at
    airsoft-club.com

    And WOW your vest is so much more minimalist than mine, then again mine covers neck, shoulders and has a groin attachment, so do you prefer using smaller vests?
    Or did it just happen to be in your price range/olive Drab, which we know is the best colour for wargaming ;D

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  2. It's not so much that I prefer to use smaller vests, but quite honestly there isn't nearly as much gear to be carried when I'm using this for Laser Tag than for Airsoft. Although, when it does come to Airsoft, I still don't quite carry a whole lot. This is probably due to the fact that I participate in Laser Tag Games MUCH more frequently than Airsoft games.

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