From time to time you can struck gold in airsoft. It comes in different forms. From the last item in stock to some original piece of gear your cousin brings home from the army.
My golden opportunity came in the form of a dressmaking firm called Šiviljstvo Lipovec. It is a family owned business that specializes in production of protection wear for different customers. And here comes the twist. Owners son is an awid airsofter and a member of one of the best clubs in Slovenia. They are calling themselves the Airsoft Club Bad Company Slovenia. But I digress.
The idea for a limited run of Russian uniforms came from him. As the Slovenian airsoft community has a bit of a problem acquiring the GORKA style uniforms.
First run were the standard uniforms from the west. But soon they focused on production of GORKA uniforms. The Slovenian GORKA is not a 100% replica as the work put in making one goes beyond mass production. Each uniform is tailored to the customer. So in a sense you are receiving the unique uniform that fits your needs and desires. So the term bespoke camo uniform fits beautifully.
And now something about the uniform
As you can see the cut of uniform follows the design of the standard military GORKA but this is where the similarity ends.
The uniform is made of the original nylon-cotton fabric with the Digital Flora print and the high abrasion fabric from Klopman. The Europe’s no. 1 manufacturer of high quality fabrics. The decision to use this kind of fabrics made this into a winning combination. As the whole uniforms feels light but rugged. The cut of the uniform allows all body motions without restriction so it is even good for hand to hand combat if you are going that far in airsoft.
The hood is excellent. Offers protection against the elements but at the same time allows the unobstructed vision of your surroundings.
On all the stitches the firm offers 1 year warranty. If something breaks they are willing to repair. Where do you get this kind of support for garments? I have not came upon this kind of service in all my long airsoft career.
You can also put knee and elbow pads in the pockets sews in the uniform. Excellent for long games where you crawl a lot. The design of the uniform also allows the tucking of the pants in the boot, as it has extra material sewn in the inside of the trousers. And that also offers an excellent protection against ticks that are ever present in our woods.
And now a bit of the test how this uniform hides in the bushes.
As you can see the combination I chose works really well in our woods (you can find me on the left side of the pictures). But as I said before you do not need to stick to anything. Your imagination is your limit.
A bit of pros and cons:
PROS:
- Excellent design
- Superb stitching with a 1 year warranty
- Made to customer specifications
- Durable fabric
- Comfortable wear
- Machine washable (1 month hard use – 10 wash cycles – still in excellent condition)
- Price from (70 to 200€ – depending of the design and materials ordered by the customer)
CONS:
- Manufacture time (up to 3 – 4weeks)
As you can see there is not that many cons. And if you ever wanted the uniform that is tailored to you then you can not miss with this firm. Contact them through facebook and they will be in contact with you soon. On their page you can also see some other uniform designs you can order.
For me this was one of the best purchases and I have already a new uniform in production with even more personal customizations.