GXG Deluxe Tactical Paintball Vests

This was the first ever mil-sim paintball tactical vest I had ever purchased. After getting into paintball me and several friends started playing mil-sim woodsball. For those who don't know, mil-sim stands for military simulation and the goal is to dress/look like soldiers/police when playing paintball to add to the realism of shooting and being shot at.I used this vest off and on for about two years. The positives are that the vest offers a tremendous layer of protection in the chest/stomach area so when you are shot, many times you don't even feel it. That's how thick and padded the vest is. The vest also offers a wide array of pockets and features that include built in pod/HPA/CO2 tank holder in the back. There are some military-esque features of the vest where one can hold paintball grenades and smoke grenades when playing. The vest is also very solidly made and is not made cheaply by any means. It did take some rugged abuse through the woods, getting shot numerous times, and that included crawling on the ground, moving, and hiding in the woods.The negatives for me was that the vest was extremely bulky. I found it difficult lugging 4-6 pods full of paintballs, a big CO2 tank that had a remote hose to my Tippmann Project Salvo marker. The weight of the pods and tank in the back caused the vest to slide down my back most of the time and one time, feeling like it was putting pressure up on my neck area with me having to re-adjust it constantly. This was the big reason why after 2 years I did decide to stop using it and go to more of a speedball aspect of the game.If GXG was able to make an updated version of this so that it didn't constantly slide down my back, that would be great and would be a reason to jump back into the mil-sim games. Although I've seen some other molle style vests that seem to be better and less bulky than this vest.

I mainly picked one of these up because I wanted to start using a remote line setup with my woodsball marker, and I don't care for the weight distribution on belt styled harnesses. Once I read about this vest having modular pod and tank pouches, I was sold. Having the ability to customize the height and position of your pods without moving the entire vest around on your body is one of the best things I have experienced since I started playing with heavier woodsball markers. It's true that there are molle vests that provide even more flexibiltiy, but I didn't want to break the bank on something that I only use maybe 5 times per year.This vest also has PLENTY of storage space for all of your tools and extras that you need on the field. There are pockets galore of all shapes and sizes on this vest, and if you really need more than that, you may have other concerns. It's true that the back zip up pocket is probably too small for a full sized water bladder system, but I have just been using an open pod pouch to carry a 20 oz. water bottle if I need it. Granted, I haven't played any big scenario games where you go for long periods of time without breaks either.There are some drawbacks to using a vest like this though, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who wants to do a lot of sliding or diving around on the field. This isn't a good carry option for a speed ball player or for someone who really gets low and crawls around since it can inhibit movement to a certain degree. You will be fine if you are slow and cautious (see old and accident prone) like me.I've mostly used this vest during the colder months so far, but I can forsee that the extra foam and not-so-breathable material of this vest might make things a little toasty during the hot summer months. I may not use this rig for all seasons, but it may be a non issue since most harnesses will cause you to heat up a bit anyway.Another drawback of using a vest is that you don't always feel your hits when someone eliminates you. The same can be said if you get hit on a belt harness when the ball hits your pods or something, but a vest covers a much larger area of your body. The ones you do feel will almost never sting like they do when you are less protected which is a big plus.Belt style harnesses do allow you to maintain a smaller target profile for your opponents, but they also have the tendency to shift around if you don't buy a good harness. I personally have a Valken Fate belt harness that I wear when I'm not using my remote line. It's all about preference, and what is most effective for any given scenario.Overall, I would say this vest is a good investment for anyone looking to add some new carrying options to their paintball kit, or for those who like to use a remote line on our paintball markers. This vest is versatile, and can be customized for fit and comfort to accomodate a wide range of players looking to change their loadouts.For those wondering, I chose to place the tank pouch on the far left side (I'm left handed) so that my remote line doesn't have to stretch as far when I switch to off handed shooting. The pod carriers are stacked horizontally on the right side so that I can reach all of them easily with my right hand when I need to reload. If I were to use this without the tank and remote line, I would most likely have the pods sitting vertically. Luckily, they don't stick out past my side in the horizontal arrangement as many of the belt style harnesses do.To make a long story short, I am enjoying this vest, and would recommend it to any woods ball player.

When I was looking online for tactical vest for scenario play this vest kept coming up. I was super hesitant because of how cheap it was and felt like I wasn't going to get a quality product. After no luck online I decided to order this item. When I received it I was proven wrong.Pros-The quality is mid-high level, it feels really good and fits perfectly (I'm 5'8 165 lbs), pocks are deep and you can definitely fit a lot of equipment in them. Good enough padding but not too much to feel like you have to take it out (but you can if you want a lighter vest). The pods I have in the picture at dye 150sCons -One thing that I dislike about the vest is on the back there some velcro that extends further then need be. It goes about an extra 6 inches down from where I have the pods in now (I currently lifted it up in the picture to show you can hide it), but I just don't understand the functionality of it. Seems super out of place and unneeded. Also the radio pouch isn't detachable but you are able to tuck in the pocket in the middle pouch so it's not too invasive.

I've used this throughout several large scenario games, including Invasion of Normandy (world's largest paintball game) and it functions wonderfully. I rinse it off with a hose as soon as I'm done and it's good for the next.I'd recommend taking out the padding on the inside. It's not needed and only makes it hotter. The build quality is great on it. I've run with a full load of pods, remote line with large tank and other accessories on it (at least 50 lbs) and it still held up beautifully despite running, jumping, crawling, shooting and getting shot repeatedly. I plan to use it for many scenario games to come. 100% worth the money.