FEATURE
REALLY USEFUL
some of them were exceptionally good.
A common misconception about radios is
that more output is good, as it must mean
more range and better cut-through in
congested areas. I suspect that this is partly
behind the popularity of Baofeng non-
PMR handsets, with their higher-than-PMR
output. However, that misses the point:
the true strength of a good PMR radio, or
indeed any radio, is its ability to receive
well and I have used a couple of sets,
Binatone (believe it or not) and Motorola,
which excelled in that respect and as a
result allowed unfettered communication
right across sites. As an organiser that
radio was my right hand, connecting me,
as it did, to other staff who could make
things happen if required. The single best
example was when a player dislocated their
knee in a fall. The ease of communication
ensured that he was attended to almost
instantly and the arrival of paramedics
happened as smoothly and as quickly as
possible.
Load carrying equipment. I’m unsure
whether or not this falls into the same
category as airsoft guns, but I think not. A
really good example of why this is useful
is holsters for side arms. Lots of players
start with a generic, nylon leg holster
which are basically good for ensuring that
you lose magazines and pistols - or both!
A good holster will ensure that none of
that happens and makes sure that you
can get to your secondary as quickly as
possible. Likewise, well designed, well-built
loadbearing gear will spread the weight of
your equipment while making it easier to
get to what you need. I know that latterly
I moved away from full CIRAS-style vests
to much lighter and more useable rigs as
function began to outweigh style and my
willingness to wrap myself in a tactical
corset!
Maybe cool sights are the most useful
thing? Yeah, but no, but yeah. Sure a good
red dot sight or a short dot scope can be
really useful but how often have all of us
walked our fire onto the target simply
because it’s easy to see where white BBs
are going?
You can see my problem here – this isn’t
the easiest question to answer. Leaving
aside the individual ability and motivation
of each player, there is little dispute that
good kit makes everyone’s life a bit easier.
I don’t necessarily mean expensive kit, just
stuff that works and doesn’t fall apart.
But is that the same as “useful”? Eye
protection is useful if you don’t want to
risk being blinded, but that wasn’t what I
was thinking about.
My problem here is that “useful” is an
awfully wide term and I am struggling,
even as I write, to understand what my
original question actually meant! My
whistle was “useful” as was something to
drink, or a good supply of decent ammo -
which was most useful?
Honestly, I can’t come up with one,
single item. The more consideration I give
this the more I come to the conclusion that
it wasn’t a case of one supremely useful
item, rather a complete package of things
which in my case was arrived at over years
of trial and error. It was a combination of
all the items I have already mentioned and
more; paracord, electrical tape, ibuprofen,
pens. The list is long, and the majority of it
had a place in my kit and lived there. The
years and changing roles would alter it
along with the occasional purge to get rid
of rubbish and weight.
The question is probably unfair, to
you and to me. If you can come up with
one item, I’m impressed, but I can’t.
Communications were vital both as a
player and especially as an organiser, but I
could manage without them if absolutely
necessary and the same is true of so
much else. Damn! I had hoped to find
a nice clean answer, shining on a plinth
to be held aloft but no – as far as kit is
concerned, I think it simply mirrors airsoft
itself; it’s an ensemble piece and greater
than the sum of its parts.
Next month, an easier question – whats
the meaning of life?! AA
“DAMN! I HAD HOPED TO FIND A NICE CLEAN ANSWER, SHINING ON A PLINTH TO BE
HELD ALOFT BUT NO – AS FAR AS KIT IS CONCERNED, I THINK IT SIMPLY MIRRORS
AIRSOFT ITSELF; IT’S AN ENSEMBLE PIECE AND GREATER THAN THE SUM OF ITS
PARTS.”
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