QUESTION AND REVIEW: A Snapshot Review of the Milsig Solid Gear RRV

MSG RRV in ACU (you aren't expected to understand that)

       There's a fairly new player at my field who I have on my Facebook, he messages me now and then asking about gear he's thinking about getting in the new season and what my opinion on certain items is and I usually humour him. It occurred to me that answers to his questions might be a good source of blog entries so I'm going to give my (hopefully) unbiased answers and opinions to his and other people's questions here for awhile and see how it's received.

       So he asks me: Hey Kris, should I get the Milsig RRV vest?

       I have to ask back: Do you run a gun with a mobile air in stock (13ci tank)? T8's only? 50-100 round pods only? Carry your loadout on your gut only? If you plan on none of the above then the RRV vest from Milsig is probably not for you. It's a little better for a recreational paintballers now that they have a back panel you can order which is remote line friendly. When I purchased mine in the spring I had to rig a bottle pouch to the straps that crossed the back which was more than a little awkward at times. At the time of my purchase the vest came with 2 2X2 Milsig mag pouches which also accommodated a 50 or 100 round pod if you removed the plastic T in the base of the pouch. The set up is not rigged for 140 round pods and remote tanks and definitely is geared toward people who plan on using the MATS stock on the Milsig.ca website and additional MSG pouches targeted at the recreational baller aren't out as of yet. My vest also came with a Velcro panel which fit nicely just below my neck and works well for placing patches of sponsors or favourite companies. This panel also is a pouch and the top can be pulled up to reveal a spot to carry some extra documents or flat goods. Two other pouches the vest came with were a utility pouch which I use for holding 10 round tubes as well as a bottle pouch for your drink, NOT your air tank. You could use it to hold a steel tank but it's not the most secure system.

Double Mag Pouch Fits 2X2 20 Round Milsig Magazines

       The Milsig MSG RRV is a good vest, but takes some getting used to, as do most Molle vest systems because there's a little bit of tedious weaving on of the attachments. You have to attach each individual pouch and it can be close to an hours work carefully assembling the vest depending on how tight the Molle webbing is to the surface of the vest. Looser webbing is easier to weave attachments on to but it also means more side to side, and up and down movement of those attachments. This means more abrasion and tugging on the sewn on parts of webbing, which then means faster deterioration of the vest. That's really kind of sloppy construction and fortunately Milsig's is a nice tight weave. You also need to regularly disassemble it to clean it because of gaps between the pouches and vest itself can have paint and other grit collect in them. I don't care how mold or soiling resistant a company claims their gear is, if you don't clean and care for it, eventually it's not going to treat you well. The buttons on Milsig's Solid Gear line are prone to rust too, though it's nothing out of control and despite this I still don't hesitate to recommend the MSG line to a milsimmer. When you wash it you need to leave the buttons undone while they dry and WD40 them when you're done cleaning to ensure there's no oxidation.

The Much Coveted Crye Precision Multicam MSG RRV Vest

       The RRV vest is also a little tricky to get in and out of with all the straps to buckle up and tighten it being located on your back. I can never seem to get my arms positioned at an angle that lets me pull the straps to tighten and usually need to ask a team mate to give them a yank before I head on to the field, loosening them is easier however. A zipper might have been handy in my case, such as that which is on the very reasonably priced Milsig Hydration vest but then it wouldn't be an RRV anymore would it? Comfort wise the vest scores a solid A, it takes a little getting used to the weight being on your chest as opposed to your back but it's a good feeling after awhile. Another thing is that the mags sit high up enough on your torso that there's no restriction of movement in your midsection allowing you to bend as far over as you like which can be difficult when using the long 140 round pods. Another thing those who have read my previous posts will know I've learned is that more $ does not always mean a better product. In this case it is true though, the MSG RRV is a beast of a vest and it does have a high price, especially if the model made of genuine Crye Precision Multicam is the vest your after.

EDIT: On Friday the 31st of December, Grey Ops will be having a give-away of a Milsig RRV in ACU camo. Follow the link and the instructions after the jump to be entered, it only takes a minute! http://www.greyops.net/2010/12/christmas-giveaway-milsig-msg-rrv.html