KIT & GEAR
BLACK CAM
discovered the 8FIELDS “Buckle Up” range of gear lurking
on the Taiwangun website a couple of years back, and I
have to admit for the price that this system has given me
great service since I added it to the “gear locker”! For
relatively inexpensive tactical gear it’s stood up to some
hard use both in games and in photoshoots for Airsoft
Action - and it’s still going strong.
The premise of the Chinese-made “BUCKLE UP”
system is really all about the plate carrier and how you
set that up. Some of us have been around long enough
that we have multiple sets of gear to use with different
AEGs, with different pouch configurations to take that
into account. What the “BUCKLE UP” system does is to
take that principle and give you a solution that is totally
customisable and that’s achieved by having different
pouch panels which do indeed simply “buckle up” to a
single plate carrier.
First off is the ASSAULT PLATE CARRIER in their “MB”
camo pattern and whilst this looks like other, much more
expensive items that I own, it retails for under £30! Now
you might think that for that price you’ll be getting
something “cheap and cheerful” and while the 8FIELDS
gear probably wouldn’t stand up to a real-world combat
zone, it’s certainly well enough put together to stand up
to the rigours of your local airsoft field! The fabric used
looks and feels to be a tough nylon mix and seems solid
enough and the stitching is actually far, far better than I
thought it might be and some attention has been given to
this area, with reinforcement in all the right places.
The plate carrier features front and rear plate panel
pockets (hard plastic “plates” are included but you might
want to upgrade these to something like those sold by
J-TAC Custom) with loads of MOLLE, good shoulder
padding, a cummerbund for a great fit and a fast-clip/
velcro front panel for quick changes of your kit to save
time. These clips and the large velcro panel are compatible
with all “BUCKLE UP” pouch panels and chest rigs - and
herein lies the clever bit!
Say you want to set up your plate carrier for general
“recon”; well simply attach your panel of choice (say for
“7.62 recce rifle” magazines) to the velcro and buckle it in
24
JUNE 2020
place. Running
hot and heavy
CQB? No
problem, just
add the “AR
or SMG” mag
panel and
you’re all set.
Rocking an
AK? Again, no
issue as there’s
even a panel
specifically for
this!
Basically,
with the
“BUCKLE UP” system you can have a plate carrier with
magazine carriage options for under £50 which is a
bargain in anyone’s book. If, however, you want to add
even further to the modularity of your overall system,
then there are even chest rigs that will slot right in, or by
adding a few 8FIELDS pouches (I chose a larger UTILTY
POUCH for a fiver and a MODULAR ADMIN POUCH for
£4.50) and an integrated pack or back panel (the ASSAULT
BACK PANEL for me, for reasons I’ll come onto…) you can
really tailor your load exactly as you want it.
I’m impressed with the “BUCKLE UP” system and as
well as running my original model at a few skirmish days
it’s also been used on a couple of photoshoots. Not only
does it look great but it’s already stood up to the same
abuse as my “real world” gear and acquitted itself well. If
money is tight but you fancy some great-looking, robust
tactical gear then I’d say do have a look at the 8 FIELDS
“BUCKLE UP” system as I believe it’s tremendous value for
money!
LOAD HAULING
Thus far everything I’ve chosen for the new loadout is very
much angled to creating it within a sensible budget but
there’s one area where I’ve learned never, EVER to scrimp
and that’s when it comes to gear haulers.
If you’re out on a skirmish site for the day and you can
return to the Safe Zone pretty much whenever you like,
then frankly there’s no real need for a pack but if you’re at
a weekender, scenario game, or MilSim where you need to
stay out on the field all day (and possibly longer!) then a
decent pack is a crucial part of your loadout!
All too often - and not just in airsoft - I’ve seen folk
have an absolutely terrible time because their pack didn’t
fit correctly, or worse still, that a seam or shoulder strap
failed and dumped their gear on the ground. Again, not a
problem if you’re close to the Safe Zone but a major ball-
ache if you’re humping your home on your back a mile or
two away.
To this end, this is where I’ll spend some money and
return to the Wisport pack range. As someone who
worked with rucsac manufacture in my younger years, I’ve