A GUY I KNOW MAKES
PAINTBALL GEAR. That’s a
bit of an understatement actually,
after two decades in the game. I
could be talking about just about
anyone in paintball when I say
that. However, this particular guy
I know making paintball gear
is Chris Rangel, a card-carrying
American hero, Marine veteran
and family man who happens
to love the game and play it on
the regional and national levels
season after season, winning
trophies and standing on podiums
as prestigious as the World Cup.
So when this particular guy makes
paintball gear, he makes it from
the perspective that he plays in
it constantly and after a weekend
grinding points at the field, he
knows what works and what
doesn’t. His company is UNDR
and one of his latest products is a
set of Operator Pants that, once I
saw them in Flecktarn, I knew I had
to have.
For some in paintball, getting gear
from UNDR because Chris is a man
who served our country and makes
paintball gear out of his love for the
game is more than reason enough.
However, many paintball players
may actually want to buy gear that his high quality, worth
the money and that performs well inside the net where
the paint flies. They’re both good points. The good news
is, UNDR’s Operator pants deliver. They look good, are
well-made, well thought-out and appear built to handle
season after season of rough play whether in the arena or
in the trees.
Paintball pants are a tough thing to make and get right
without losing your ass. Players want it all: comfort, style,
breathability, plenty of pockets, durability and light weight.
And for the price they pay for a good pair of paintball
pants, they SHOULD want it all! The problem is, you can
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go too far to one end of the spectrum pretty easily. Make
them all-but indestructible (remember those JT bull denim
cargo pants?) and there’s a good chance they’ll be heavy
and hot – no good for tournaments or long days of play
in the heat of the summer. Make them cool, comfortable
and lightweight and there’s a good chance the first time
a player dives into the snake or slides into a back corner
the knee will split wide open. Chris and UNDR have found
a great mix of all the features a modern, serious paintball
player demands from a high-dollar, high-performance
set of paintball pants. That he offers them in Flecktarn,
as I’ve already mentioned, only made matters worse for
me because that’s the pattern I was wearing when I won
my very first paintball tournament back in the nineties, so