Smaller Freak Insert Case

Looking to free up a little room in the gear bag? If you use the "Freak" Insert system, you can free up some space by getting rid of that bulky case.

You have a few different options available: Custom cases come to mind, but why spend more when you could use that cash for another day at the field?

Looked into cigar cases lately?
I first saw this at the field and immediately hopped online purchased one of my own. At the moment I am only using 3 different inserts so this worked perfect. If you don't have a local cigar store (or one that supplies similar cases), go online and look into them. I picked up a "Perfecto 3-cigar case" for around 5 bucks. If you use more inserts, there are others (8-cigar case etc).

You can see in the pictures below that the inserts slide into the case no problem. Though, they are a tad loose.

I solved this with some spare CamoForm which can be picked up cheap online or military surplus stores. It can be used repeatedly and it will only stick to itself. It won't leave residue on your inserts or anything else it touches. A perfect candidate for this use. Although, if you don't have any handy, you could wrap them in anything from a thin layer of paper-towels or similar. I just don't like my inserts bouncing around or making noise.

With the camoform in place, the inserts fit just right. I only had to do one wrap and they do not move at all. This takes up far less room in the gear bag than the SP/GOG case. If you have more inserts, just pick another or a larger one. Much more cost effective and a real space saver.

APP (Allen Paintball Products) Gloves Review

I have exhausted all my google-fu trying to find a nice set of paintball gloves at a decent price. It wasn't hard to find gloves, but the prices are sky high. I don't need to pay as much for my paintball gloves as my motorcycle gloves thanks. They are not worth what the manufacturers are asking (in my opinion).

As said, I searched and searched and found many great looking gloves. The only problem was the prices. I am NOT paying 35-50 dollars for paintball gloves. That is ridiculous.  

I found I was being too picky. If I don't want a couple fingers, I can cut them off myself. I do prefer no index or middle, but I got over it quickly enough.
I headed over to the new Celanis Paintball website and purchased a set of Allen Paintball Products gloves. The price couldn't be matched by 90% of other paintball gloves (yes, I made that statistic up.. so what), so it was an easy choice.

Here I am after a few days at the field with them. They have performed great. The fit is still perfect and they are holding up wonderfully. The rubber on the knuckles saved me the other day. I had a hard spill, and that rubber knuckle scraped a rock. They are barely nicked, but saved me from a nice gash.

The gloves only come in green/black, so if you like to match all your gear together these may not be for you. They come in multiple sizes though, so there is bound to be one that will fit you. The "PAINT BALL" writing is a little corny, but I'm not too worried about it.

Overall, they are a nice pair of gloves. You could go out and pick up a set of mechanix gloves for around the same price, which I find the fit and feel comparable to. I would much rather support the little guys like Celanis Paintball though. 

Pursuit Pods Review

Pursuit Pods aren't too well known, but they were definitely worth looking into. I use mine for a pair of TPX's, but you may find your own use (paintball or not) for them.

Features listed on the Pursuit Pods website:

1. Seven individual chambers within the pod. 

2. Rugged rigid outer material. 

3. Innovative spring loaded cap with top sliding trap doors.

4. The pursuit pod holds 105 paintballs. 

5. Designed and built by a Paintball field owner with 20 years experience.

6. Excellent for storing non paintball related items

I bought a couple pursuit pods to use with my dual TiPX setup. The kind of pods you order depends on what you plan to use them with. All pods use the same 7 chamber design, but the volumes are different.

Pods and their primary uses:
-Pursuit Pod 70: Holds 70 paintballs total. 10 in each chamber. Ideal for stock class players who want to cut back on 10 round tubes.
-Pursuit Pod & CRC: Each pod holds 105 paintballs total.
-Pistol Pod: 8 paintballs per chamber for a total of 56 paintballs. Excellent for Tiberious Arms magazines and the old style TPX magazines.
-TPX Pistol Pod: 7 paintballs per chamber for a total of 49 paintballs. Excellent for the newer TiPX magazines.

Ordering/Shipping:
I placed an order for two of the TPX pistol pods and had them at my door within a week. No issues with the ordering process and fast shipping. You won't hear any complaints from me here.

Durability: These pods feel strong. The honeycomb design provides extra reinforcement for the outer shell, so I have no worries about crushing them. The lid also feels surprisingly robust. Even the hinge seems quite durable. There is a good amount of plastic around the metal pin that holds the lid to the pod. It is a tad bulky, but it is a good trade considering how many pod lids I have snapped.
The lid itself is thick enough to accommodate two small sliding doors. One on the edge, and one dead center. I don't see any way you could really break these either.
5 out of 5 stars.

Ease of use:
I did not buy these to reload a magazine in the middle of a fire fight. If you do, then you will look at this much differently than me. The main reason I bought this is to reload magazines during a lull or quiet moment in a game. No matter what (whether ten round tubes or these), reloading your magazines on the field is going to be tedious compared to emptying a pod into a hopper. Utilize those quiet moments to reload your empty magazines.
For the use I just stated, I don't think there is another product out there I would rather use. Ten round tubes work okay (after cutting them to hold 7 balls), but I would much rather keep track of one pistol pod than 7 cut down tubes.
Another benefit of this pod over tubes is you won't need a dump pouch. Just shove this into any 50 round pod holder and you're good to go.

Loading a pursuit pod is just like any other pod. Just pop the lid open and pour paintballs in until all the chambers are topped off. When emptying into a magazine or feed tube, open one of the doors (center or outer edge of lid), rotate the lid to a chamber of your choosing and empty.

Overall, I really like these so far. They probably aren't a necessity for the guy touting an electro around, but for the pistol guys I found nothing better. If you are out there fumbling around with tubes trying to reload your magazines, you may want to give these a shot. I carry one or two of them out there for the average/long rec games (with 6 or 7 mags) and doubt I will ever need more.  

Animal Customs Jersey Review

Introduction:
I haven't had a paintball jersey in at least 4 years. Most of the time you could find me out on the the field with Under Armour or a T-shirt.
I used to wear an Empire React SS jersey consistently, so this review will be based mostly on my experiences with Empire's jersey and the Animal Customs jersey.

Timeline and Ordering Process: 
October 1, 2011: Ordered jersey.
October 7, 2011: Received E-mail with proofs. I had a sizing question, and received a response the same day.
October 25, 2011: Received shipping notice. Jersey is now in the mail.
October 28, 2011: Received jersey.

The larger the sale (more jerseys sold), the better the price per jersey. CLICK HERE to view Animal's "team discount" page. We got a good price on them due to our number.

As you can see by the timeline above, everything was reasonable. For a custom jersey, you have to expect some time to pass. No issues at all with the ordering process.

Shipping:

Was expensive for some reason. That 12.50 I spent to have a featherweight jersey shipped in a small padded envelope deserves its own section in this review. I know shipping prices have gone through the roof and fee is probably covering "handling" as well, but it caught me a bit off guard. You have been warned.

Quality: 

Upon receiving the jersey, I immediately flipped it inside out and examined all the seams. There weren't any threads hanging out or areas that may have come loose with a tug. Very professional. The designs all looked great and there were no mistakes with the lettering/number.

 Just like other jerseys, I don't plan to go crawling through some briars or prickers, but if I happened to in a game, I wouldn't blame any damage on the jersey. All paintball jerseys I have used would hold up it seems, but would probably have a bit of wear after something like that.

Overall, I am impressed.

Now here is where it gets interesting: The other day (Saturday, January 7) I was out at the local field and went to bunker someone:

I came around the bunker, and as per field rules, called "surrender!" I waited a moment to make sure they caught on, then turned and looked away, focusing on someone else. Apparently no ref was around, because they didn't feel like surrendering and proceeded to light me up (le' pumper) with their space dildos (those would be electro's).

I got off the field and took a look at the most painful hit and found that it had blown a hole right through the jersey. Correct me if I am wrong, but a jersey designed and produced FOR PAINTBALL should not have this issue. I can only assume that due to the awesome welt and the hole in a jersey designed for paintball I received that the opposing player(s) were shooting ridiculously hot.

Edit: I understand that a paintball jersey is fabric, just like other clothing. Things happen, it can't be blamed on the quality of the jersey (like stated above) ;]

Comfort:

The jersey is as comfortable as pajamas, maybe more. The fabric feels great and it breathes very well. The material seems like it would hold up great in most situations. Apparently, it will not hold up to a close proximity shot by someone with a crazy/jacked velocity though. Be glad I got to test that instead of you. Keep in mind the ONLY time I have ever heard of this happening was to me the other day. I have never heard of it happening to anyone else (and I read around a lot).

Overall I would definitely purchase the jersey again. The price is good and the quality was on par with others in my experience and the price was great for what I received. Thank you Animal Customs, I will definitely be returning when I need another jersey!


Months later I am still using the same jersey, the small hole never got bigger and the jersey still looks unfaded and great!

Funny Moment in Paintball & More!

Ever forget what team you are on? Apparently I do! ^

also

Attack & Defend at Hurlbert Paintball in Mary Esther, FL.

New Helmet Camera Video

Whiskey Two Four (WTFPB) Ghost Rig

A couple months back, I picked up a Tippmann TPX and was looking for a way to carry magazines and 12 gram Co2 cartridges. I don't even consider vests (too bulky and restricting for me), so my options were limited. It was either a harness, waist/belt or leg rigs.

I contacted Whiskey Two Four looking for a pack that would suit me. The Ghost Rig seemed like it would the bill. While WTF does offer a TPX version, I wanted to play around with a few different configurations, so I ordered the MOLLE version.

I contacted WTF a with a few questions and was met with polite and helpful responses. Overall, the customer service was top notch. I have said before, and will say again: In paintball, customer service can easily make or break a company. I am happy to say that WTF left nothing to be desired in the CS department. Keep up the good work!

The ordering process was very simple and with in a couple weeks, I had the Ghost Rig in my hands. I also ordered 50 round pod pouch considering I plan to use pursuit pistol pod or two.

All I can say is WOW! I am very impressed!

Due to the MOLLE system the Ghost Rig utilizes, many different pouches can be used. From 140 round pods and pistol magazines to 10 round tubes and 12 grams, the options are nearly endless.

The first unique feature of the Ghost Rig is the way it is adjusted. You can see that on the version in WTF's pictures (the rounded corners) utilizes paracord (also known as "550 cord") laced between the MOLLE strips to adjust to almost anyones size.

Not only is that great because you know it will fit, but you are also getting multiple packs in one. If you don't need the back portion for some unknown reason, you could (theoretically) take off the back portion and lace cord or some material between the remaining two portions for a very compact pack.

My pack, as seen by comparing pictures (link above to WTF's pictures), is different the one located on WTF's website. Mine a squared version. I am unsure why it is different, but either way it works the same and looks great to me.

Mine also adjusts with MALICE clips holding the three MOLLE portions together. There is no paracord. Though I could install some (I am fond of knot work and making things out of paracord, so it is on hand) to mimic the rig in WTF's pictures. You can not see the clips in the WTF pictures, but I can guess they hold the back piece on over the two belt halves. You can see the MALICE clips here:

Due to the way this adjusts, keep in mind that the bigger you are, the more MOLLE space you have available. There is a total of 5x3 MOLLE slots on each of the belt halves, but due to my size I can only utilize 1 column. This is not an issue for me as the 3 rows of 12 slots on the back piece are more than enough room for what I carry at the moment. Basically, if you need more space, go eat some more fast food!

The belt itself is also different from others I have used. Most paintball packs I see use a similar system of 4 elastic/velcro straps that overlap to make a tight and great fit. At first glance, the Ghost Rig appears to use the same system. Wrong.

You can see in the picture above that there are 4 strips of elastic just like many other packs. Each is 4" wide and can be easily stretched to fit (once you have adjusted the MOLLE/paracord obviously).
The difference is that the elastic strips are sewn together (in pairs) to create a one overlap. Many packs are similar (Nxe, Dye, Empire), but overlap 3 times versus the 1 time here.
I can't say this system is better, because both work extremely well, though the WTF is slightly faster.

Comfort:
I have 3 packs right now, but can not compare to one (the PBMafia Joyride) considering it is not padded and would not be a fair comparison. Comfort is on par, if not better than my NXe 3+2+2.
The back support is great, and the padding is awesome. Unlike the NXe, this padding is much more plush feeling, but still extremely sturdy. Though softer, it gives great back support and more overall comfort.
Only time will tell if this padding will hold up as well. So far, I don't have a reason to doubt it will. You can see the differences in the photos below.
While both work well, if I had to choose, I would take the WTF padding over the NXe.

The personal touch was awesome. Check out the tag:

You may have noticed that I like to buy things that are made in the USA and this is no exception As it says on the tag: "Made with pride in the USA."

Overall this is a very well thought out design. The craftsmanship is obvious in the final product. I can't wait to get back out onto the field with this. I am considering getting rid of my other packs to use this exclusively. Why own 3 when I can just interchange pouches on one?

I haven't found a downside to the Ghost rig yet. The price may be a little steep compared to some other products, but I will definitely pay a little more to get the customer support of Whiskey Two Four and the confidence that I am buying one of the highest quality packs out there. Oh and if you didn't catch it above, I will always pay a bit more for something that is MADE IN THE USA!