c_spets_2-page

There's just something about cold, bleak days that I find stimulating. I'm not sure why that is. Anyway, This time out was typical of your end-of-year weather and I enjoyed every minute of it; not so cold that my fingers freeze and not so warm that I fear the heat of summer upon me. The weather bureau did , however, call for rain mixed with snow. We got frozen rain. Nice!

For this impression, the choice was easy. I wanted to use my V95 vest along with my reed rainsuit. The day before I received a parcel from Russia that contained some very sweet gear. Among the goodies was this splendid VSR pattern rainsuit - an item I have never seen before. Needless to say, I left the reed rainsuit in the car.

This impression was like the last. A very generic Spetsnaz look - one that might have been seen in Chechnya or training somewhere in Russia. Whatever the case, I liked the look very much and felt very comfortable in both the rainsuit and vest.

I tried to get plenty of shots showing these patterns against as many backgrounds as possible. Wasn't too hard as the geography has nice varied textures and colors. I also wanted to vary the distance to the camera. Getting around was dangerous business, though. Everything was wet and there are many rocks under foot. The kamysh pattern on the vest is probably one of the best all-around patterns and suits any environment. I was thrilled to have been wearing the old VSR pattern. The colors in this particular variant are wonderfully drab and I thought it was extremely effective.

The V-95 assault vest. This particular model is actually the Rex
Designs M21 vest. I still call it the V-95. It's the same damn vest
with all the same details... just made by a different manufacturer with a different designation. I like this one a lot. Easy loadout - the vest sort of dictates how one should gear up. This vest and it's many variants have been photographed plenty. I've always associated it as one of the "most Russian" designs and I am always looking for more of these in different patterns. It's only shortcoming in it's design is that it does not allow for the addition of more pouches and the pouches present are not modular and you basically have to be smart with the way
you stow your gear. I actually find this a benefit - I seem to take
only the absolute necessities and leave behind the things I can do without.

Noticeable here is the ANA maska in Kamysh (same pattern as the vest). I wore this as well as a 3-hole type from Splav in LES camouflage.* This mask is without question a wonderful way to conceal the face. It's made from 100% cotton and I hope the colors last.

You can see my left hand reaching for the velcro-closed kidney pouch intended for grenades. I kept first aid in there instead.

*see "maska" for more info on this item.

More views of the vest. It's amazing how easy it is to get to everything. The pouches are either snaps with velcro, velcro only, or snaps only. I won't get into detail right now. I'll save all the info on this vest for a gear review. These photos will give at least a rudimentary idea of the layout of the pouches. The Spetsnaz patch was subdued ever so slightly with some OD enamel spraypaint; just enough to tone it down a notch.

The ideal hood cinch; rather than a drawcord that circles the face,
this one wraps around the head just above the browline. A design that has it's origins dating back to WWII, this brilliant detail makes this rainsuit a pleasure to wear. I found that once the hood is cinched in this manner it moves with the head, allowing a full range of motion and peripheral vision. This is a truly great feature. I hate it when I turn my head and see nothing but the inside of my hood.

A view looking slightly down from the ridge. While set against the leaves I may not exactly dissapear, but we must remind ourselves that these patterns need color sympathy for varied terrain and seasons. I still feel this combination worked well as it was just perfectly drab and bleak. The shapes of the VSR rainsuit sort of mimic the bark on the heavy trees.

Worth mentioning is this small ruck intended for the 6Sh92 assault harness. While in my house the colors are superbly exotic but here against the fall leaves it seemed sort of perfect. This would make an excellent coloration for the very early fall when the leaves are at thier most golden and vibrant. Wish I had a uniform in these colors!!!

I finally got the hell off the high ground and found yet another stream. All day I noticed that I felt completely unencumbered by my uniform - one great reason for having a good rainsuit. Once I established that the coast was clear I took a break and drank down some much needed water. The square hard-shell US type canteen fits the back pocket of the vest exceptionally well. I wore my telnyashka shirt with dark blue stripes suggesting a Naval Spetsnaz impression. I also wore around my neck a section of an old french sniper veil. This is not the Mil-Tec repro but an original from the 70's. The gloves are Blackhawk Hellstorm. OK, so not everything is Russian issue.

Your average wannabe bad-ass photos. I figured I should get some pics of the rainsuit with no vest and without the hood cinched tight. I could probably fit my pioneer chest rig under the jacket. It's cut very full. The nylon isn't as heavy as others I have but withstood a full day of abuse... I really hammered this thing.

I ran out of pouch space so I improvised: I NEVER go out onto the field without my trusty electrical tape. I used some paracord to tie it to the nylon strap on the right side of the vest. I can't get over how few airsofters go without this. To me, it's just as important as extra batteries.

I think this is my favorite impression to date. I only have 2 here on wargear (at the time of this writing) and even countng the others I have uploaded around the net, I still consider this my favorite. It was easily assembled and the very, very rare VSR rainsuit just made my day. I think I took so many photos simply because I was so excited about the suit. Also because my AK74 is slowly becoming an actual representation of the rifle it's based on.

Nothing better than a great day of airsoft. I will miss the cold, bleak days and as the warmer weather approaches, I will be surely challenged to come up with some new and interesting "tropic" impressions for the coming summer season. More Spetsnaz impressions and surely some Russian Airborne impressions as well.

I will be sure to review in greater detail all of the items used on this page within the other realms of this site.

See you on the battlefield!

Camo