What you can’t see you can’t hit (dumb luck aside). While this may be a truism, it is also a constant reminder that upper hand in (simulated, MilSim) battle belongs to the people who are- in addition to solid training and functional equipment- versed in the art in camouflage.
Naturally, in addition to improvised (home made or field expedient) accessories there is also a plethora of commercially available products, which may or may not help users in blending with surroundings. One of such products is Web-Tex’s Tactical Vest, Concealment, henceforth referred as Concealment vest.
Basic idea behind this product is very sound: cheap, lightweight mesh vest with sewn on loops to stick in either prefabricated material or local vegetation.
Concealment vest comes in a mesh bag with belt attachment point. Whole vest is constructed out of synthetic mesh, which is light but tough and ensures breathing. Wide elastic loops are sewn across the vest and can be used to enhance it with either local vegetation or artificial material. Cut is very comfortable; it is baggy enough to be worn over tactical equipment- even a bergen- and it will break a silhouette even if you don’t enhance it with vegetation. In addition, use of tactical equipment is enhanced by its open design, which enables problem free access to magazines and pouches. It is fasten with two adjustable Fastex clips on upper body and one Fastex clip around the belt.
As mentioned, there is a considerable number of 0.8 inch (20 mm) wide elastic loops all over the Concealment vest. Hood is detachable (fastened via Velcro and metal buttons) and has elastic loops sewn around the opening in order to enable attachment of additional material in order to break up the face area. And while not strictly a review matter: if you bother wearing Concealment vest, please camouflage your face. And while you are already dirty, apply the camouflage behind your ears and on your neck…
Back to the review: all critical parts (cuffs, for instance) are reinforced by stiffer Nylon material to prevent chaffing. Sewing looks very well done and stood the test admirably.
Sleeves are very wide and comfortable and they do provide an unrestricted movement. For serious use I suggest that you add “thumb loops.” Those are loops, which go around your thumbs and prevent sleeves from riding up.
Its open design suggests that this is not directed only to snipers but to all those, whose ideal is to stay concealed. In order to conceal it is not necessary to add burlap material- in fact it may even be better to to help yourself with grass and fern.
Who should consider purchase of Vest, Concealment from the Web-Tex?
– those who seek a cheap and reliable way to conceal themselves without any particular role;
– airsoft snipers should consider it as an excellent base for their own ghillie suit;
– and if you feel especially adventurous, you can shorten it and make your own assault ghillie. Assault ghillie is basically a ghillie, which covers head, shoulders and arms. Cutting is necessary, but this is probably your best bet to make an impressive assault ghillie.
We tried Web Tex’s Concealment Vest in couple of skirmishes. They revealed that our observation was mostly spot on. For your basic camouflage needs, local foliage is more than adequate. More serious application may demand upgrade with burlap and other commercially available materials, which will be covered in second installment of this review, where we will compare (pictures of) both setups.
All in all- Webtex’s Concealment Vest is a affordable and quality solution for all your airsoft concealment needs. You have to remember, that even the best tactical accessory won’t help you if you are careless. In other words: it is up to you to make Tactical Vest, Concealment work. All you need is a bit of patience and a pinch of common sense. Sadly, latter seems to be in short supply these days.
Test item provided by Web-Tex
