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    Airsplat MC Combat Suit


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    Airsplat MC Combat Suit review by Booligan
    Discuss this review HERE
    Table of Contents:
    Introduction
    Ordering/Packaging
    Pants
    Combat Shirt
    Build Quality
    Pros/Cons
    Overall
    Introduction
    Camouflage clothing is a standard part of airsoft, with most players choosing one of the countless different patterns to wear during games. Arguments about the effectiveness of one pattern over another have raged on and on since the beginning of camouflage, with no clear winner in sight. My preferred pattern is MultiCam, as it offers nearly universal compatibility, especially in my normal AO, in the western US. The US Army recently agreed with me, deciding to equip several of its units with the pattern, citing its effectiveness in Afghanistan. Airsplat recently started carrying a combat suit in the MC pattern, complete with integrated knee and elbow pads, and a very versatile layout. I will be reviewing this combat suit today; covering all of the negative and positive aspects of it!
    Ordering/Packaging:
    As mentioned before, Airsplat recent started carrying this suit, available HERE, priced at $89.99 for the full set. It includes the pants as well as the combat shirt, with elbow and knee pads for both thrown in to top off this set. It is available in various sizes, but for this review, I am using the XL sized suit. For reference, I am 6'1", 210 lbs.
    Pants:
    I will start this review by discussing the pants. They can best be described as "overkill", with a multitude of pockets, zippers, panels, and nylon in somewhat random places. Every piece has its purpose though, and they are really designed to be used in combat.
    From this point on, click all thumbnails to enlarge the pictures.
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    Pants
    There are front pockets located on both sides, on top of the thigh. The topmost pockets are horizontally oriented, with velcro closures covering the inward facing openings. These pockets are oddly sized, but will fit an AR magazine fairly well, and they can be accessed while sitting down. These pockets are situated above larger pockets with outward facing openings, secured by zippers. These are pretty much your general use pockets, as they are the largest ones on the pants. To top off the strangeness, you will find a nylon strap and buckle running down the front of these pockets, attaching the waistline to the knee. Adjusting this allows you to bring up the integrated kneepads (more on these later) to the correct level.
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    Thigh pockets
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    Side zippered opening
    One of the best features of these pants are the integrated, removable knee pads. The front of the knees have a pocket designed to hold the included foam backed, plastic faced knee pads. These provide protection against most impacts that you will encounter in airsoft, including kneeling on uneven terrain. Because the pads are more or less built into the pants, you don't need to worry about them slipping down your leg, cutting off circulation to your lower leg, or any of the other myriad things that can happen with traditional knee pads. When it comes time to wash your pants, simply remove the pads from the pants, and wash them up!
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    Knee pads installed
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    Knee pad removed
    One unique feature about these pants is the ability to unzip the sides entirely, allowing you to access your legs without totally removing the pants. This is a combat feature, allowing you to access injured areas without having to cut or otherwise take off the pants. In airsoft, you will likely never need to use it, but it is quite nice to crack the sides open to get a little ventilation every now and then!
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    Side zippers
    The very bottom of the pants follow this "easy access" design, with inward facing "bell bottom" panels, secured with zippers. These allow you to customize your fit over boots, as well as remove the pants without removing your boots.
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    Groovy
    Back up top, you will notice the grossly oversized belt loops. These give you versatility to run even the largest belts, and keep these pants securely on your waist. The pants have a zipper fly with a wide velcro cinch at the top, giving you a fair bit of flexibility in your waist size, which is important with these, as there are no adjustment straps on the sides like most BDU pants. In my case, I wear a size 36 waist, and these XL pants fit just fine.
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    The keister, showing the wide belt loops
    Pants need to cover your ass, and these do that just fine. The knee pads are fantastic, and are really the selling point on these things in my opinion. You can drop down and take a knee without worrying if a pad will be there to cushion the blow, which is something I can't say for traditional knee pads. They are very functional while looking great, which, frankly, is what most of airsoft is all about.
    Combat Shirt:
    What good is a pair of pants without an equally effective shirt? I'm really happy that this set came with a "combat shirt", as opposed to a BDU or ACU style shirt. Combat shirts are usually designed as having stretchy, breathable material for the torso, such as Underarmour type fabric, with thicker BDU style material for the arms. Normally, the camouflage pattern will appear only on the arms, with the torso fabric being a solid complementary color. This is true with this shirt, as it has MC arms, and a tan torso section.
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    Shirt
    The torso section is very stretchy and breathable, which makes it fantastic for warm weather use. For cold weather use, doubling it up with an outer jacket, or layering some long johns underneath wouldn't be a horrible idea. One thing that I noted while washing the shirt is that hook side velcro will stick to the torso section, and removing it can cause mild runs in the fabric. Prevent this by ensuring that all velcro closures are closed before washing this! The collar is a mandarin design, which zips up for easy entry into the shirt.
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    Torso front
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    Torso rear
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    Zippered collar
    The arms, which are made of the same material as the pants, with a different reinforced material housing the elbow pads. The bicep area is treated to a side entry pocket on each arm, secured with a zipper. Loop side velcro adorns the outside of the pocket, giving you a convenient place to mount patches.
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    Side entry pocket
    Like the pants, the shirt features integrated, but removable pads, with a foam backing and a plastic outer shell. It's not really a super hard plastic, with a fair bit of flexibility to assist with installing and removing them. Unlike the pants, the elbow pads are inserted from inside the sleeve, sliding the outer shell out of the hole in the sleeve. The kit includes two straps that can be placed inside the sleeve to further secure the pad, but I didn't find it necessary to use them.
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    Pad and pocket
    The cuff is velcro closed, and has a wide range of adjustability for different wrist sizes. It covers a bit of the back of the hand, and works really well if you wear gloves.
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    Velcro cuff
    All in all, the shirt works great, and complements the pants really well. It gives you plenty of comfort and concealability in a lightweight, breathable package. The elbow pads are well positioned to protect you from door frames or other objects that you might hit, without being in the way. You never really realize that they are there until you need them.
    Build Quality:
    The material used appears to be similar to most other BDUs I've used, with single lines of stitching in most places. The really important structural bits have extra stitching in place, to keep this suit from splitting in half while you wear it. There were a few long threads, which were easily burnt off. The pattern is quite close to what it should be, and when placed next to my Eagle/STRAC Tech rig, it's nearly indistinguishable.
    Pros:
    Extremely functional design
    Great camouflage pattern
    Integrated knee and elbow pads
    Combat shirt is great when wearing vest or armor
    Overall comfort is fantastic
    Cons:
    Some rough stitching in places
    Not actual MC material
    Combat shirt material sticks to velcro
    Overall:
    I was in need of a new combat uniform, and this suit fit the bill perfectly. It's comfortable, should work great in a variety of climates (living in Utah, I see -20 through 100+ degree temps), and matches my gear perfectly. It's survived my first few outings in it without any major ill effects, and I think it should last a fairly long time before needing replacement!
    Many thanks again to Airsplat, and of course, Airsoft Retreat!