LOL yeah dude, it's EXACTLY like that....fyi you have no idea what you're talking about.

Sure its like that in a third world country army. But i have NEVER heard ANY of my friends complain that they can't get their correct gear. Maybe it's different JUST in New York? Doubt it.

Maybe the CF have it though, sucks for them, and something should be done about that. Not normal that soldiers have to spend their own money for the correct gear, but i wasn't talking about the CF (as stated earlier).

WTF?

Thanks for that. Let me clear it up for you m8.

My friends in the US Army in NY/NJ never had to buy their own gear. Its all supplied to them. When a mistake is made, it is corrected. My cousin that works on the Charles De Gaulle (spl?) never had to buy her gear, it's all supplied. Again, when a mistake is made, it is corrected. Maybe it's different in Canada for the Canadian Forces?

You know what is really amusing?

If you look at who is arguing for low end replica gear versus those arguing for better stuff, the overwhelming low enders are newbs, and the overwhelming real gear supporters are long time players.

Just as amusing, I like how Ronan's signature says "STOP 1337-SPEAK" and "Type out your DAMN words"

Yet, just above this post he called ex-royal "m8."

wow.... just wow. You got me on that one. I'm ashame now, i have failed society because i spelled mate, 'm8'. You make me feel sad inside. But on the other hand it could have been much worst, which is what the signature is talking about. Not one m8 in a paragraph.

What I mean:p:
http://www.greenhill.org/facultyfold...uage/leet2.JPG
http://heptadecagram.net/parchments/...t-keyboard.jpg

I also prefer authentic gear and thats what I mostly use.

Ronan, you have no idea what you're talking about. Your two friends? They were the lucky ones. Supply chains are fucked up. That is their natural resting state. Guys buy their own gear because they can't get what they need or what they are issued sucks.

Can you guys stop assuming stuff? Fuck it's annoying. I don't have '2' friends in the army. Most of my High School friends (the close ones) ended up in the Army since a lot of people don't have US$40000 every year to go to a good college in NY.

None of them, ever had a problem concerning gear. So, yes i do know what i'm talking about (and i'm being pretty fucking precise on what i'm talking about). So if it's not like that where you live, or some place else, it does NOT mean i don't know what i'm talking about. It means thats its like that THERE, and not HERE (well there... since i left New York a year ago).

I'm being pretty precise for a reason, because it's not always going to be like that. So keep your "you don't know what your talking about" crap to yourself, and do what i do. Tell me how it is 'X place' and 'Y place'.

I'm not 'know it all' so thats why i'm precise on what information i give. I stated that its like that in New York and New Jersey. It's also like that on the Charles de Gaulle. I even stated it's probably not like that in Canada.

I would suggest that if you have money, experiment, but listen to those in the community who've been doing for a while and who have already thrown a pisspot full of money away trying to find the right 'stuff'.

My opinion lies somewhere in the middle.

Is authentic gear the shit to have? Absolutely, and in an ideal world where we all have the disposable income to pull it off, bravo, look the part you want to play with authentic gear.

In the meantime though, there are some gear makers like Phantom, etc, who make some *reasonably* good knockoff stuff at a reasonable price. Will it save your ass in the sandbox? No. Will it survive the continuous abuse of airsoft games? No, it will fail eventually. If you can accept that and you do your research on the look you want and match it to a reputable replica gear maker, kudos. Once again, buyer beware there is a lot of bad stuff out there as well.

As far as looking like a bag based on your choices, I've seen guys wearing $4K worth of awesome stuff and they look like bags anyways. Then I've seen some guys wearing minimalist well thought out replica gear that look 10x better. I think those who make the effort to research and listen to those with experience will be less likely to look like bags.

I can tell you when I started I looked like a total retard. Then I hung out with some really switched on folks, did a lot of reading and browsing and looking at photo albums, absorbed some wisdom and formed my own opinions. I now have about $10K worth of stuff in the closet - way more than I ever needed - some of it real some of it not.

Ultimately formulate your own opinion and then use your budget to meet your needs.

Shitty gear is shit (Eagle/BHI or better). Good stuff not only lasts (3 yrs/40+ games for my Eagle tac vest) but doesnt warp and fall apart. But sometimes you can look good on a budget: http://www.mediumdose.com/gallery/al.../aes.sized.jpg

BTW.. i started with a green civi jacket and white K-Swiss running shoes

Terrorists!!! :p

Don't the jeans bother you when its hot/humid tho? I can't stand wearing jeans during 'Florida' days (aka hot/humid days).

Off Topic: Scarecrow... how did you get your 'Unusual Sec Act Nazi' title??? I'm sure it's one weird story O_o

This is the voice of reason right here, in a perfect world, the thread would lock after this post.

Since a PTW hasn't spontaneous burst into existence in front of me, I guess we're still stuck in this hell hole.

Also as time goes on and you use gear you'll find things that work for you and things that don't. You'll start making functional decisions based on your last kit failure. Thats why you shouldn't run out immediately and buy that $1200USD plate carrier rig and populate it with $60 mag pouches. I've had stuff that was authentic that simply did not work for me, and the replica stuff that did. I've also had the opposite happen. Bottom line is I had to start some where, acquire, use, ditch, upgrade, wash-rinse-repeat until you find your happy place.

Yeah and opinions are like assholes, everyone has one. Just formulate your own based on use and adaptation.

It's not as bad as there: http://www.crymorenoob.org