Junkie In The Trunk - Issue 2 - 4Q 2008 PART 1 - BT MERC VEST
While we iron the kinks out of the new Junkie "Review" section and get it running, I'd like to post the BT Merc vest review for reading. This is a hot product and worth looking at closely by any serious scenario or woodsball player.
Enjoy!
The BT Paintball “MERC” Tactical Vest
Welcome to the second installment of the PBJunkie.com review, “Junkie in the Trunk”. Picking a new rec-woods-scenario paintball product each quarter, we put it through its paces and feed you the results so you can decide whether or not it’s something you would like to use in your game.
In this issue, it’s a return to ever innovative BT Paintball for a new product to review. The BT Paintball Merc Vest was a good candidate.
I have to admit, working at Gunfighter Paintball Pro Shop has its advantages. When my partner, Woody “Wolfen” Lovill, told me that he had ordered a new vest system from BT Paintball, I was skeptical. I’ve been using one particular brand of vest for over four years and I was really not interested in changing. It was like the old, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” kind of attitude.
The day came when UPS Ricky delivered the BT shipment from Kee Action Sports. (If you aren’t up on the Who’s Who in Paintball, Kee is the exclusive distributor for BT Paintball.) Must be a really sweet deal for Ben Tippmann and I would imagine it saves a few headaches for both parties. But if you know, or have ever met Ben, he’s the nicest guy in the world and he deserves the success. But I am straying from the subject.
When I saw the Merc vest for the first time, I was interested. It looked good with snappy styling. When I unzipped it and saw the built in back support straps, I was very interested. This made me willing to check this vest out and see how it worked.
BT actually makes three different vests; The Merc is to top of the line and is designed like a full military MOLLE vest. The HRT is an “over the head” vest that uses MOLLE attachment technology; and the Static vest is a slimmed down, hybrid version of the Merc for those who don’t care or need to have a lot of gear riding on the front. The vests themselves are all offered in a wealth of colors, as long as that color is olive drab.
But just what the heck IS a MOLLE vest and where do they grow? Well, I just so happen to have a little history lesson on the MOLLE, (MOdular Lightweight Load carrying Equipment), thanks to the U. S. Army Infantry School:
The modular lightweight load-carrying equipment (MOLLE) system will be issued to Army units beginning in October 2001. One of the main components of the system is its nylon mesh vest with removable pockets to accommodate different carrying needs. Examples of the MOLLE's versatility are the fighting load carrier configurations for rifleman, grenadier, pistol, SAW gunner, and medic.
Developed at the U.S. Army Soldier Systems Center (Natick), the MOLLE is an Army and Marine Corps item that replaces the aging ALICE (all-purpose, lightweight, individual carrying equipment) pack and integrated individual fighting system introduced in 1988.
New technology centers on the MOLLE's frame, which was first built as a model in a Natick facility. Instead of the tubular aluminum used with the ALICE, a new anatomically contoured frame, made with a plastic originally used in automobile bumpers, has dramatically increased durability, functioning in temperatures ranging from -40 to 120 degrees F. In tests, several ALICE frames cracked after a single drop at 33 feet per second, while the MOLLE frames took the same abuse five times without any damage.
The system also advances load-carrying ability with its new suspension system. Heavily padded shoulder straps and waist belt are adjustable for varying torso lengths, eliminating the two sizes of the ALICE pack. More weight is distributed at the shoulders and hips, and during a prolonged road march, soldiers can shift the weight to improve comfort.1
Sounds like it can take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’. Although the BT MERC vest does not come equipped with the space age plastic frame, it does come as rugged as needed to handle the toughest paintball game going.
Base Merc Vest (MSRP $78.95)
I’ll start with the base vest. As I already said, the Merc vest comes in olive drab. It is strongly stitched with a myriad of sewn, tacked and overlapping webbing straps. The openings and patterns that they create enable the user to add accessory items by either threading the items straps through the webbing and fastening the snaps; or by doing the same and attaching the accessory to the Velcro sections sewn to the vest. I’m telling you, this puppy is as tough as they come.
And any wussies out there listen up! There is NO padding or cushion in this vest. It is one hundred percent MAN UP! There is very comfortable ventilated mesh material that makes up most of the backing. To that is sewn the “strong as steel webbing” that holds your attachments. There are a few runs of the webbing material that run in strategic places of the vest to reinforce stress points.
If you like to have a cool sip of liquid while you’re running around on the field, the Merc has a hydration bladder pocket/sleeve sewn into the back. It is as spacious as pockets come and will accommodate up to a 3 liter bladder. A gallon of water weighs approximately 8 pounds, so you might consider a 2 to 2.5 liter model from Camelbak as your water-tender. There is a handy cloth loop that hangs from the tag area on which you may hang the bladder. My Camelbak bladder has a built on hook. But others may find one of the mini-carabineers handy at securing the bag.
Across the top back is a super sturdy carry/drag handle that could even serve as a pull strap in case you needed to be dragged off the field like an old and tired body at the end of a game. A reinforced circular pass through hole is also there to facilitate routing radio/mike cables and the hydration tube to their spots.
At the top fronts of the shoulders there are snap down epaulets to further secure wires and tubes. These work in conjunction with the rear plate I mentioned earlier. They give your com wiring the most secure routing you can get. And there are two, (one on each side), Velcro panels just beneath the epaulet area that can serve as name plate strips or attachment reinforcements for wiring. No more wads of wire or using bread bag twist ties to keep your plumbing straight. There’s also a set of “snap straps” that run around the bottom edge of the vest. BT calls them belt loops. They’re a little long for typical belt loops, but if you run one end of each strap up through the bottom MOLLE strip and pass it back down, it snugs everything up just right.
Now we get to one of the best features of this vest. It saved my butt and I’m sure it will help all of you guys out there who moan and groan about that prince of pains… your back! There is a heavy duty harness sewn and integrated to the lower back section of the vest. When you swing the vest on, you bring the double flap, thick Velcro panels up, then adjust and secure them just like you would one of your best tourney harnesses. Zip up the front of the vest and adjust the SIX side straps to the desired tightness and you are ready to be the ultimate woods paintball fighting machine. Well… not quite yet.
BT MERC VEST Available in S/M; L/XL & 2X/3XL
Usefulness Factor - Basic component on which all others grow. Gotta have it.
Dead Weight Factor – The only weight it adds is to your coolness factor.
NEXT - Accessories to make your vest YOURS...
Enjoy!
The BT Paintball “MERC” Tactical Vest
Welcome to the second installment of the PBJunkie.com review, “Junkie in the Trunk”. Picking a new rec-woods-scenario paintball product each quarter, we put it through its paces and feed you the results so you can decide whether or not it’s something you would like to use in your game.
In this issue, it’s a return to ever innovative BT Paintball for a new product to review. The BT Paintball Merc Vest was a good candidate.
I have to admit, working at Gunfighter Paintball Pro Shop has its advantages. When my partner, Woody “Wolfen” Lovill, told me that he had ordered a new vest system from BT Paintball, I was skeptical. I’ve been using one particular brand of vest for over four years and I was really not interested in changing. It was like the old, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” kind of attitude.
The day came when UPS Ricky delivered the BT shipment from Kee Action Sports. (If you aren’t up on the Who’s Who in Paintball, Kee is the exclusive distributor for BT Paintball.) Must be a really sweet deal for Ben Tippmann and I would imagine it saves a few headaches for both parties. But if you know, or have ever met Ben, he’s the nicest guy in the world and he deserves the success. But I am straying from the subject.
When I saw the Merc vest for the first time, I was interested. It looked good with snappy styling. When I unzipped it and saw the built in back support straps, I was very interested. This made me willing to check this vest out and see how it worked.
BT actually makes three different vests; The Merc is to top of the line and is designed like a full military MOLLE vest. The HRT is an “over the head” vest that uses MOLLE attachment technology; and the Static vest is a slimmed down, hybrid version of the Merc for those who don’t care or need to have a lot of gear riding on the front. The vests themselves are all offered in a wealth of colors, as long as that color is olive drab.
But just what the heck IS a MOLLE vest and where do they grow? Well, I just so happen to have a little history lesson on the MOLLE, (MOdular Lightweight Load carrying Equipment), thanks to the U. S. Army Infantry School:
The modular lightweight load-carrying equipment (MOLLE) system will be issued to Army units beginning in October 2001. One of the main components of the system is its nylon mesh vest with removable pockets to accommodate different carrying needs. Examples of the MOLLE's versatility are the fighting load carrier configurations for rifleman, grenadier, pistol, SAW gunner, and medic.
Developed at the U.S. Army Soldier Systems Center (Natick), the MOLLE is an Army and Marine Corps item that replaces the aging ALICE (all-purpose, lightweight, individual carrying equipment) pack and integrated individual fighting system introduced in 1988.
New technology centers on the MOLLE's frame, which was first built as a model in a Natick facility. Instead of the tubular aluminum used with the ALICE, a new anatomically contoured frame, made with a plastic originally used in automobile bumpers, has dramatically increased durability, functioning in temperatures ranging from -40 to 120 degrees F. In tests, several ALICE frames cracked after a single drop at 33 feet per second, while the MOLLE frames took the same abuse five times without any damage.
The system also advances load-carrying ability with its new suspension system. Heavily padded shoulder straps and waist belt are adjustable for varying torso lengths, eliminating the two sizes of the ALICE pack. More weight is distributed at the shoulders and hips, and during a prolonged road march, soldiers can shift the weight to improve comfort.1
Sounds like it can take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’. Although the BT MERC vest does not come equipped with the space age plastic frame, it does come as rugged as needed to handle the toughest paintball game going.
Base Merc Vest (MSRP $78.95)
I’ll start with the base vest. As I already said, the Merc vest comes in olive drab. It is strongly stitched with a myriad of sewn, tacked and overlapping webbing straps. The openings and patterns that they create enable the user to add accessory items by either threading the items straps through the webbing and fastening the snaps; or by doing the same and attaching the accessory to the Velcro sections sewn to the vest. I’m telling you, this puppy is as tough as they come.
And any wussies out there listen up! There is NO padding or cushion in this vest. It is one hundred percent MAN UP! There is very comfortable ventilated mesh material that makes up most of the backing. To that is sewn the “strong as steel webbing” that holds your attachments. There are a few runs of the webbing material that run in strategic places of the vest to reinforce stress points.
If you like to have a cool sip of liquid while you’re running around on the field, the Merc has a hydration bladder pocket/sleeve sewn into the back. It is as spacious as pockets come and will accommodate up to a 3 liter bladder. A gallon of water weighs approximately 8 pounds, so you might consider a 2 to 2.5 liter model from Camelbak as your water-tender. There is a handy cloth loop that hangs from the tag area on which you may hang the bladder. My Camelbak bladder has a built on hook. But others may find one of the mini-carabineers handy at securing the bag.
Across the top back is a super sturdy carry/drag handle that could even serve as a pull strap in case you needed to be dragged off the field like an old and tired body at the end of a game. A reinforced circular pass through hole is also there to facilitate routing radio/mike cables and the hydration tube to their spots.
At the top fronts of the shoulders there are snap down epaulets to further secure wires and tubes. These work in conjunction with the rear plate I mentioned earlier. They give your com wiring the most secure routing you can get. And there are two, (one on each side), Velcro panels just beneath the epaulet area that can serve as name plate strips or attachment reinforcements for wiring. No more wads of wire or using bread bag twist ties to keep your plumbing straight. There’s also a set of “snap straps” that run around the bottom edge of the vest. BT calls them belt loops. They’re a little long for typical belt loops, but if you run one end of each strap up through the bottom MOLLE strip and pass it back down, it snugs everything up just right.
Now we get to one of the best features of this vest. It saved my butt and I’m sure it will help all of you guys out there who moan and groan about that prince of pains… your back! There is a heavy duty harness sewn and integrated to the lower back section of the vest. When you swing the vest on, you bring the double flap, thick Velcro panels up, then adjust and secure them just like you would one of your best tourney harnesses. Zip up the front of the vest and adjust the SIX side straps to the desired tightness and you are ready to be the ultimate woods paintball fighting machine. Well… not quite yet.
BT MERC VEST Available in S/M; L/XL & 2X/3XL
Usefulness Factor - Basic component on which all others grow. Gotta have it.
Dead Weight Factor – The only weight it adds is to your coolness factor.
NEXT - Accessories to make your vest YOURS...
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