IBEX U.S. Special Action Tactical Vest 3 - ArniesAirsoft

Author

CardiacArrest

Registered: February 2005
Posts: 6

Review Date: 29/8/05

Would you recommend the product? No | Price you paid?: �48.00 | Rating: 5

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Lots of storage options, fairly cheap, light
Cons:	Too much velcro, pistol holster unwieldy, not easily adjustable

I purchased this vest almost two years ago now from UNCompany, an overseas retailer that I would recommend.

I haven't really noticed it anywhere else or on anyone else, but I thought I'd write this review just in case someone was looking for a vest at UNCO, since there are a lot to choose from. It is listed as the "IBEX U.S. Special Action Tactical Vest 3".

I got mine in OD. The only other color I see avaliable is black. The OD is nice, although a little shiny. In places.

The vest comes with many storage pouches-

1 pistol holster
3 large magazine pouches
2 small (pistol) pouches
3 more small pouches, 2 back 1 front
1 large pouch on the back
2 large pockets on the front and inside of the vest

The vest is set up in a modular sort of way. The two largest storage pieces are the pistol holster and the large magazine pouch, both of which are held in place by MANY (easily 9) buttons and lots of velcro. The vest actually comes with a second 3-mag pouch, in case you want to swap out the pistol holster for it, which is a different shape to fit wider magazines. Even owning a pistol I sometimes prefer to simply carry more magazines and leave the pistol behind. Another nice thing about this setup is that it allows you to switch the pistol holster to either side, I have mine set up as a crossdraw.

Unfortunately the amount of velcro used is devastating. The pistol holster is particularly bad, it is first attached to the vest via the button/velcro interface and then attached to that pad via more velcro. My M9 is about the largest pistol it can swallow, although it does have room for under-the-muzzle attachments. A velcro band with snaps reaches around the back of the holster to hold the pistol in place, which works well but is a hassle (and noisy) to get open. On the front of the holster is a small pistol mag holster, which is too narrow to fit my fat M9 mags but will easily accomodate those from a single-stack 1911. It has a velcro strap too (very noisy).

Even with all this velcro, a heavy pistol (my full metal M9) will slowly pull the holster off the vest, until it hits the first button (where it stops, leaving you with a little velcro dog-ear on your holster. Anything thats all abs will probably be fine, as all my friends glocks and 1911s are (the have the same vest).

The large magazine pouch is a better. As I mentioned before, it comes with two large magazine pouches- one for Mp5-shaped mags, and another for M4/M16 shaped mags. I do not think a G36 mag will fit in the latter (or former). Unless your mags are filled with lead, the velcro does a fine job of keeping it on. Unfortunately the bands that hold them in have enormous velcro strips to keep them shut (a ~2"x5" patch), and make all kinds of noise when you open them. This actually isnt as bad as it sounds since I (and most other people) change magazines after they've been firing (which is already noisy). The noise can also be used to fool people into thinking you're reloading.

The upper pistol mag holster works just fine but also has the large velcro straps.

Above that is button-snap pouch that is large enough to carry a hand-held radio right at shoulder height. Below and on the opposite side is another pouch about the same size that is open-topped with an elastic cord reaching over the top, held in place by a velcro/snap combo. I suppose the lower one is to hold the radio and the upper pouch to hold the handset, but since most radios have an integrated handset (as does mine) I don't use the lower pouch.

Also on the back is a large pack that can easily hold a t-shirt or maybe canteen, held closed horizontally by those plastic backpack-style clips. On the front there is another random pouch that is velcro-shut that is about big enough to hold two bars of soap.

And on the inside front of the vest there are two very large, flat pouches, again shut with velcro. They are both about 9"x10", and are good for storing a pair of gloves or maybe a mask.

Other features include belt loops which fit perfectly an ALICE belt, and cushioned shoulder pad to rest your gun against.

Unfortunately this vest is not all that adjustable. The shoulder adjustments for height have about 2" of play in them. The girth adjustments are a bit better, with maybe 8" of range. Unfortunately at 6'1" and 140lbs this vest just won't tighten up enough for me. Even my more normal-sized friends who come in about 150 and 5'10" have this vest tightened almost all the way. It doesn't tighten gracefully either, there are large tag ends left dangling to catch onto other things.

So, bottom line, if you are smallish, this is probably not the vest for you. This would be a good vest for a large person. Still, the extensive use of velcro makes it a tacky vest, not to mention very noisy. It is otherwise not constructed very...gracefully...but it generally holds up well. My only real structural problem has been the zipper, which while plastic and easy to zip, apparently cannot handle being shot 15 times from less than 10' away (I do not anticipate this being a problem for many other people).

At $48 this vest is cheap but no deal. I would not recommend it to anyone who is small, although unfortunately I cannot recommend you another. Being a small person myself I have found that its loose feeling makes me run much slower and tends to get me caught up in other things like my gun or tree branches. It has plenty of storage and is fairly functional, but ultimately I think you can probably <b>find a better vest</b>.

bronney

VSR am teh best!

Registered: February 2005
Location: Hong Kong
Posts: 1,349

Review Date: 30/9/05

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: �20.00 | Rating: 7

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Cheap
Cons:	Velcros and danglings hang slings.

I also got this vest without any research. I needed it in a hurry for a game the next day.

There isn't much to add except that if you're a small person like me, the 2 straps at the back can be adjusted and velcro'ed back so it's snug. Although by doing this, you inevitably create 2 more places where your gun sling can catch.

If you're for cheap, get this, saves you a 5" holster also. If you want something realy nice, just get those para-trooper chest rigs and use a proper leg holster.

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