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Discussion: Are tectical vests a good idea?

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SasquatchJim	Are tectical vests a good idea? Aug 20 2009, 9:35 AM EDT Until recently, I was a firm believer in tactical vests. The ammount of pockets, holsters, and other accessories would make your gear a whole lot easier to carry. But, then I read on the "army surplus stores" thread how somebody (I think it was DevilNuts) pointed out that it would pretty much be saying: "I have cool stuff. Kill me and take it." (Yes, I know he nor anyone else actually said that, but that was the idea I got from it.) Given my lack of military experience, assuming airsoft isn't counted, I thought it would be better to ask the opinion of others on tactical vests. So, what does everyone think of them? (P.S. I looked, and I didn't see any other threads like this. Although, if there is one, I'm sorry.) Post reply 1 out of 2 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you? Keyword tags: armor clothing gear opinion tactical vest
Zaitch	1. RE: Are tactical vests a good idea? Aug 20 2009, 9:38 AM EDT Personally I like mine, it'll come in handy like you said. If someone wants to kill me for it then that's pretty low, but I wouldn't expect any better from them. Carrying it all in a holdall is harder, plus the same guy who wants your vest probably wants what's in the bag too Post reply 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
DevilNuts	2. RE: Are tactical vests a good idea? Aug 20 2009, 9:53 AM EDT \| Post edited: Aug 20 2009, 11:10 AM EDT I am not against deuce gear (ILBE) but I think flak jackets or interceptor vests would be a bit too much. Personally, I don't plan on putting myself in a situation where "combat" will even be an issue. I do think that if you make yourself look like a badass, people will generally regard you as one. That can either be a good thing, or a bad thing depending on the type of people you come across. You may find that dressing up like GI Joe gets you shot at a little more frequently, and closes more doors in your face when you're looking for a safe place to spend the night. Apparel like that says "I want to fight," and most people want anything but. Do I own tactical gear? Tons of it. Come Z-day, you will find me wearing jeans, sneakers and a nice warm hoodie. Post reply 4 out of 5 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
SasquatchJim	3. RE: Are tactical vests a good idea? Aug 20 2009, 12:38 PM EDT "Carrying it all in a holdall is harder, plus the same guy who wants your vest probably wants what's in the bag too. " Yeah, you're probably right. However, if you put your sutff in a school backpack or something, then it may look less assuming than a MOLLE pack. Oh, and DevilNuts, I agree with you as well. Interceptor vests would be a little over-the top, and just because someone looks badass doesn't mean they are. Personally, If you see me in an outbreak, I'll probably be wearing either a white or black T-shirt, jeans (or a pair of camo shorts in the summer) and a camo hat. Post reply 0 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
SasquatchJim	4. RE: Are tactical vests a good idea? Aug 20 2009, 12:39 PM EDT Sorry to double-post, but I just realized I misspelled "tactical" in the thread. Whoops. Post reply 2 out of 4 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
JasonRedfield	5. RE: Are tactical vests a good idea? Aug 20 2009, 12:47 PM EDT Good point, but in my opinion, the advantages of the gear outweigh the disadvantages. Besides, if they're going to kill me and take my stuff, they'd probably do it whether or not I was wearing my "overt" tac gear. Besides, there is that whole intimidation factor. Post reply 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
Flashlight50	6. RE: Are tactical vests a good idea? Aug 20 2009, 12:59 PM EDT I think it depends on the person, and how much gear you will want to carry on your person. If the person is small it is hard to find a tactical vest that isn't to loose, if the person is heavy (like myself), it's hard to find one that's not tight. Post reply 2 out of 3 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
DevilNuts	7. RE: Are tactical vests a good idea? Aug 20 2009, 1:07 PM EDT " Besides, there is that whole intimidation factor. " That works both ways. Some people you dont want to intiidate, and some of those people will shoot you because they will assume you are there to intimidate them. It's a double edged sword, and you had better be able to walk the walk because "live by the sword, die by the sword" applies whether or not you are a true badass or just faking the funk. There is something to be said about discretion while armed. Post reply 2 out of 3 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
ak_fred	8. RE: Are tectical vests a good idea? Aug 20 2009, 1:16 PM EDT I personally like tentacle vests. j/k I'll have to say its not appropriate in all situations, however it may prove to be useful in other ways. Personally, I dont think anybody will really give a rats a$ if you are all geared up and just trying to survive, I think it might be par for the course. I'm assuming that alot of people will be thinking the same way. If you are going for a more subtle look, perhaps a hunting jacket or even a fishing vest may prove to be almost as effective as a tactical jacket without being so "in your face". I have a leather hunting jacket and I love it, its soooo useful, even if I"m NOT hunting, I love it because of the storage capacity. Awesome jacket to have on trips where you need to haul all sorts of little bits around in cool to cold weather. I gotta admit, if I saw somebody roll up on me with a 5.11 tactical jacket with hydration pack in the middle of a Class 3/4 outbreak gives them a little more cred than say a guy with a backpack. We do judge on appearances Lastly there are some valid daily uses for tactical related wear. Now for instance my buddy has "tactical" shorts, (5.11) series, its a daily wear thing where he keeps his mini HP laptop, Iphone, etc.. Honestly, they just look like cargo shorts to me.. Post reply 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
DevilNuts	9. RE: Are tectical vests a good idea? Aug 20 2009, 1:21 PM EDT "I gotta admit, if I saw somebody roll up on me with a 5.11 tactical jacket with hydration pack in the middle of a Class 3/4 outbreak gives them a little more cred than say a guy with a backpack. We do judge on appearances" Yes, we do. I would immediately begin looking for the easiest way to kill him should he misbehave. I like the hunting/fishing gear. It is less overtly threatening. Personally, I would rather downplay my tactical knowledge and surprise everyone around me, than the other way around - writing fat checks with fancy gear that my ass can't cash. Post reply 4 out of 5 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
JasonRedfield	10. RE: Are tactical vests a good idea? Aug 20 2009, 1:26 PM EDT "That works both ways. Some people you dont want to intiidate, and some of those people will shoot you because they will assume you are there to intimidate them. It's a double edged sword, and you had better be able to walk the walk because "live by the sword, die by the sword" applies whether or not you are a true badass or just faking the funk. There is something to be said about discretion while armed." That's a given. I'd be avoiding contact with people post-Z-Day as a general rule, though. And if the people shoot me because I'm wearing a vest and they assume I'm a bad guy... well, sucks for me, and that's on them. They probably would've opened fire regardless. I'm not saying I am a badass (nobody who is would say that they are...), but I'd do my part. There's something to be said about discretion in general. Not just while armed. Like I said, I'd avoid contact with anyone except in possibly a few special cases. Like I said, in my personal opinion, the practical benefits of tactical gear outweigh the possible consequences. It can't be argued that a tactical vest will be a helpful piece of gear. But the odds of someone capping you for wearing one strike me as somewhat low by comparison. Your mileage may vary. Post reply 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
JasonRedfield	11. RE: Are tectical vests a good idea? Aug 20 2009, 1:28 PM EDT \| Post edited: Aug 20 2009, 1:36 PM EDT "Personally, I would rather downplay my tactical knowledge and surprise everyone around me, than the other way around - writing fat checks with fancy gear that my ass can't cash. " That's a damn good philosophy. Obviously not one I can emulate, but a good one to live by if you can. Tell me if I'm weird here, but I'd actually be more weary of people in hunting gear and the like than tactical gear. Maybe it's because I associate tactical gear with the military, police, or other "good guys". Naive, I know. As for civilian clothing, I'd be indifferent to that apparel. Post reply Do you find this valuable?
ak_fred	12. RE: Are tectical vests a good idea? Aug 20 2009, 1:37 PM EDT "Yes, we do. I would immediately begin looking for the easiest way to kill him should he misbehave. I like the hunting/fishing gear. It is less overtly threatening. Personally, I would rather downplay my tactical knowledge and surprise everyone around me, than the other way around - writing fat checks with fancy gear that my ass can't cash. " Awww.. dammit,, I was gonna wear my born to kill t-shirt and I got this kewl helmet :) Yeah, although useful, it kinda put out the creepy vibe.. kinda like the guy with all the guns, at the obama rally do you really want to be standing next to him?.. But then again its really hard to say what kind of gear most people will be sporting in a crisis, perhaps the tactical vest will be the typical gear. Lets look at this from another viewpoint.. what if its a disadvantage not to be wearing the tactical vest?.. Even if you are posing a false front, does it not make you look odd if nearly every other person is?.. ... Lol! I'm a Z-world fashionista! :) Just remember black tactical vests always go great with khakis!! :) Make sure to accesorize with your favorite black rifle! :) Post reply 1 out of 3 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
DevilNuts	13. RE: Are tectical vests a good idea? Aug 20 2009, 1:45 PM EDT I think it's silly to assume that most people will be dressed like rambo. Rough guess, but I would say only 1-2% of Americans have access to bona fide tactical gear. While many civilians aspire to wear tacgear, many more than that have absolutely no interest and wouldn't even know where to find it or if they did, what to do with it. I find the notion that most people will be dressed like commando recon warriors to be utterly ridiculous. Post reply 8 out of 10 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
Littlejon126	14. RE: Are tectical vests a good idea? Aug 20 2009, 2:27 PM EDT A great substitute for a tactical vest is using a fly-fishing vest. Tons of pockets, typically available in natural colors and not scary looking - you can put magazines in the pockets and they disappear, rather than sticking out. Serves a similar purpose and keeps hostility levels to a minimum. I think DN has certainly got the right idea here - you would want to tone down your appearance, not make yourself stand out by getting geared up. While it might be a great idea to feel like a badass, it's probably better not to portray yourself as something you're not. Hell, DN is even trained to use the junk and opts not to - this should be an important fact to consider. I'm not opposed to drop-leg tactical holsters, because it gives you more in portability than it takes away in threatening appearance - but frankly, I prefer the old fashioned strong side carry anyways, having had to carry a pistol every day for work. Its a little less overtly threatening, more concealable and much faster deployment because it's easier to reach. Concealed would probably even be better, as long as it was quickly deployable. Frankly, if you need something to carry all of your junk at your fingertips, a high quality (with good buckle) pistol belt geared up like Batman's belt is probably a better choice. It'll hold your pistol, flash light, spare mags, handcuffs (be careful where you carry these), and just about anything else you can think of..... but the big problem you'd find here is that people will start thinking you're a cop, and that could be a really bad thing, especially if you happen to find the dredges of society. Post reply 4 out of 4 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
Zaitch	15. RE: Are tactical vests a good idea? Aug 20 2009, 2:54 PM EDT What about the protection offered by tactical vests? Nowhere near ballistic, I know, but they're fairly tough and should stop a Rhodes style stomach opening. The Hong Kong assault vest I have has some form of neck protection, too Post reply 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
DevilNuts	16. RE: Are tactical vests a good idea? Aug 20 2009, 2:59 PM EDT "What about the protection offered by tactical vests? Nowhere near ballistic, I know, but they're fairly tough and should stop a Rhodes style stomach opening. The Hong Kong assault vest I have has some form of neck protection, too" Mostly no. Flak jackets may afford some protection against slashes, but not against stabs or punctures. The material is designed to repel shrapnel and nothing else. SAPI plates will offer some protection against bullets. Regular tactical Load Bearing Equipment offers NO PROTECTION of any kind. It's just there to hold your shit. Post reply 2 out of 4 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
Zaitch	17. RE: Are tactical vests a good idea? Aug 20 2009, 3:00 PM EDT Thanks for telling me now, wouldn't want to find out the hard way :D Post reply Do you find this valuable?
NorCal_Survivors	18. RE: Are tactical vests a good idea? Aug 20 2009, 4:18 PM EDT Hmmm ... If I am - essentially - "going to war", that's how I'll be dressed. I can't think of a single real disadvantage to a decent cross-draw tactical vest that isn't far outweighed by its advantages. Post reply Do you find this valuable?
DevilNuts	19. RE: Are tactical vests a good idea? Aug 20 2009, 4:27 PM EDT Oh, we're going to war? My bad, I thought we were trying to survive the apocalypse. By all means, let's kit up then. Anybody want some face paint? Post reply 4 out of 5 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?

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Discussion: Are tectical vests a good idea?

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