Empire TZ 2010 Contact and LTD Paintball Pants

2 10 2009

The fall season is upon us and in the paintball world that means we begin to see next year’s paintball clothing! The first company to get their clothing out to us this year is Empire with their Empire TZ  2010 Paintball Clothing lineup. As per the last two years, they offer dual model lines, LTD and Contact.  The classic Contact line is their base model, with LTD hosting additional features, colors and patterns. While Contact is offered throughout the year the LTD is only made in one limited production run so if you like what you see, buy it now because when they are gone, they are gone!

Contact

This year’s Empire TZ 2010 Contact Paintball Pants went with a more subdued look, utilizing basic black over more of the pant and highlighting with color blocks and piping. Their classic diamond pattern padding is used throughout the front, thighs and hips to ease crashing into the ground, paintball hits to sensitive areas and encourage bounce. Ample formed padding for the knees helps protect without being too bulky. All zippers are covered by neoprene piping to soften the target area and the squeegee pockets are neoprene lined as well.  To clean paint splatter of your lens between games there is a microfiber cloth on a bungee lanyard so you can clear your lens without fear of losing the cloth. The waist has velcro adjustable sizing pulls and 2″ wide belt loops in case you want to wear your big ol’ studded leather belt while playing! They are available in Black, Blue, Red, Olive or Silver.

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LTD

While Empire Paintball went with an understated look for Contact, they really went crazy with the LTD! Following the modern fashion trends of load and frantic all over patterns, the Empire 2010 TZ Paintball Pants are for the player looking to be noticed on and off the field. The LTD pants feature more articulated knee padding with kevlar reinforced skid zones to strengthen and prolong your pant’s life. They incorporate more slide padding in the hip region that extends farther down for safer and more comfortable slides into bunkers. The ankle area features a velcro sizing cuff and zippered leg that lets you easily slip the LTD Pants on and off over our playing shoes. That way, you can change into shorts for lunch or long breaks between games and not have to slither in and out of your sweaty shoes. The Empire TZ 2010 Paintball Pants are available in Plaid, Star, Skyline, Waffle and Tipsy.

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Empire TZ 2010 Paintball Pants Sizing Guide

  • X-Small     – 28-30in Waist, 30in Inseam
  • Small          – 30-32in Waist, 31in Inseam
  • Medium     – 32-34in Waist, 32in Inseam
  • Large          – 34-36in Waist, 33in Inseam
  • X-Large     – 38-38in Waist, 34in Inseam
  • 2X-Large   – 38-44in Waist, 35in Inseam
  • 3X-Large   – 42-48in Waist, 36in Inseam




  • JT Pro Chest Protectors!

    30 09 2009

    We just got a screaming deal on these JT 08 Pro Armor Chest Protectors and have them for a steal of a price. These were without a doubt the best chest protector ever made for paintball but really… they were priced too high for most people to take notice! We bought them up at a steal of a price and now offer it to our customers at over a 30% savings.

    Most chest protectors either A) Fit like a cardboard box, or B) make you look like a pro football linebacker. The JT 08 Pro Armor have a comfortable stretch shirt base that breathes to help keep you cool. Attached to this base is dense yet flexible memory foam. This foam is only half as thick as other competing products, yet it absorbs paintball impacts even better. This padding moves with your body so you don’t feel like you’re wearing football pads.

    Taking the sting out of being hit by the paintball can be a big confidence booster to making game-winning moves, especially among inexperienced and youth players.  The JT 08 Pro Armor Chest Protector delivers.

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    Check It Products Mini Sniper Pump Paintball Markers

    8 08 2009

    Check It Products is one of the older companies in paintball famous for high quality aluminum marker upgrades, especially Autococker parts such as their rebuildable Autococker ball detents, delrin bolts and Autococker valves. Thus, it only makes sense that they release a 100% Autococker compatible pump marker!

    The Check It Mini Sniper Pump Paintball Marker is in all respects a perfect clone of the old school Mini Orracle, fitted with a pump kit and Check It parts. The pump kit is machined aluminum and delrin, butter smooth with deep cuts for a sure grip. Air is fed to the valve via the vertical regulator. The bolt pulls out the back so you can run a pull through squeegee clean through the entire action of the marker in seconds. Genuine Check It parts on the marker includes a Check It Unimount On/ Off ASA, Check It Autococker Ball Detent and Check It 2K+ Autococker Slick Bolt with Delrin Pull Pin. A 14 inch 2 piece .689 barrel helps put the paint downrange, though like all traditional Autocockers the ball rests ahead of the detent in the barrel (the detent is there to prevent doublefeeding, not rollouts). Thus, it is recommended to invest in a few barrels of various bore sizes or to invest in a kit such as the Smart Parts Freak or WGP Kaner Kit.  The feedneck is threaded and will accept the whole range of aftermarket Autococker threaded feednecks.

    Built to perfection and endlessly upgradeable, the Check It Mini Sniper Pump Paintball Marker is a sure winner available in many color options, perfect for your first pump marker or when stepping up.

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    Tips for Playing Paintball in the Summer Heat

    31 07 2009

    Well, we are in the midst of summer now and while you may have some free time to play paintball more often the heat of summer can play havoc with gear and your body. Paintball Online wants you out there playing so here’s some suggestions for going out to play this summer.

    1. Coolers are your friend.

    Bring or invest in two coolers, with at least one being a family-size Coleman or similar brand. I suggest one that will fit at least two cases of paint and has a slot for a padlock. Keep reading and you’ll see why.

    2. HYDRATE! HYDRATE! HYDRATE!

    Really, this cannot be stressed enough. Dehydration will ruin your day and is easily avoidable. Drink a pint of water early in the morning before going to play, and drink a pint of water while gearing up. One trick to avoid debilitating dehydration is to get fluids in you before you begin strenuous activity. Did you buy two coolers? Good, make sure one has ice and several bottles of water and real fruit juice, not soda or sugary psuedo-juices. Between games, drink a few ounces even if you’re not thirsty. If you don’t drink until you are thirsty you’ve waited too long. For big games and scenarios definitely invest in a hydration bladder. Models such as the NXe Extraktion Hydrate will attach to the MOLLE webbing on your tactical vest. Another trick is to carry a waterbottle with a spigot top and keep it in one pod slot in your paintball harness.

    3. Protect your paintballs and CO2 tanks.

    Did you get a big cooler? Good, because you need to store your paintballs and air tanks in there. Summer heat will cause the shell of your paint to soften and expand. They deform in your loader causing jams, swell up and cause feed problems in your marker’s breech and hit like a bean bag, refusing to break on target. Store them in a cooler and keeping this cooler in the shade, padlocked and chained to a tree or your car if at a public field. This will keep them at a consistent cool temperature as long as possible. If its really hot, don’t put ice in with the paint. The humidity from the ice will be almost worse than the heat itself. Instead, take an ice pack or a frozen bottle of water, wrap it in a small towel and place it in the cooler. This will keep it a few degrees cooler and not ruin your paintballs.

    When you come off the field, remember to lay your gear down in the shade! A pod is a natural greenhouse and a few minutes of intense sunlight will transform your paintballs into a spongy mess.

    CO2 tanks are especially notorious for blowing their burst disc if left in the sun. Store them in the cooler as well. HPA tanks are not as volatile in the heat but that doesn’t mean you can just leave them in the sun, either. Intense summer heat is not good on the seals in your regulator.  Keep them in the shade when not playing.

    4. Invest in good paintball masks and spare lenses.

    Summer heat means sweating in the sun, and sweat translates into mask fogging. The more humid a locale you play in, the more likely it will happen. To alleviate this as much as possible, invest in a good paintball mask with a thermal lens. The dual pane lens helps prevent fogging much better than single lenses. Invest in a spare lens as well because a lens change is often in order in high humidity conditions. If your goggle system lens change system is slow, consider just investing in a second mask and switching between the two, letting one cool and air out while you play in the other.

    Goggle fans are kind of loud and noisy but work wonders. Its better to hear a loud buzzing sound but be able to see than hear all the incoming paint whizzing by your head and not see where its coming from! You can get the JT Vortex Goggle Fan for JT goggles, the Dye Invision Turbine Goggle Fan for Dye goggles and the Proto Turbine Goggle Fan for Proto Switch, Axis and Axis Pro goggles. The Invert 20/20 Paintball Goggle already has a fan built-in.

    Bring several sweatbands or bandanas and wear them Karate Kid-style around your forehead. These will absorb sweat and keep it from rolling down in your eyes and evaporating on your lens. Swap them out throughout the day as they become soaked. Consider headwear that will keep you cool and vents heat. Between games, take your mask completely off your head and either hook it over loader or carry it. Don’t wear it on your forehead; the hot humid air radiating off your head will ensure you fog!

    Glinting sun in your eyes will ensure you can’t see your opponents. Consider a smoke goggle lens and use your goggle visor.

    5. Don’t over do it.

    Heat exhaustion and dehydration will sneak up on you and then quickly lay you out. No one will think less of you for stopping under the occasional shade tree for a few minutes here and there. Good knee pads will let you kneel down and take a load off the feet comfortably. Don’t forget to drink some water while you’re stopped, too!

    6. Be aware of the sun.

    If you can help it, try to attack and defend through areas of trees or other shade. Once you leave the protection of the shade you can overheat quickly. The paintballs in your pods are also going to turn into gooey blobs if out in the direct sunlight too.

    Don’t forget the sunscreen! You’re going to get a serious sunburn if you do. You’re not out there to get a tan so don’t mess around and use SPF 30 or higher. Remember that you’re going to sweat a lot so look for a waterproof brand that will stay on through moisture. If it is used by surfers then it’ll work great for paintball. Apply in the morning and again during the lunch break. Make sure you get the back of the neck and the forehead… nothing looks worse than a goggle tan line!

    There you go, a few tips to help keep you on the field this summer. Remember to drink that water and periodically rest!







    Blue JT Spectra Paintball Goggle Summer Sale!

    28 05 2009

    Hello all,

    JT called us and made us an offer we couldn’t refuse. They had a surplus of JT Spectra Flex 8 Thermal Goggles in Navy Blue and negotiated a sweet price to take them all. Now we could have milked it, continued charging $59.00 as the other Flex 8 masks but that’s not what Paintball-Online is about. We find killer deals and pass it on to the customer. So right now, while supplies last, you can get the JT Flex 8 Goggle in Blue for just $29.99! That’s a premium thermal lens goggle for the same cost as most replacement lenses alone.

    One thing we’ve noticed when we do goggle specials is that customers often order in twos, whether it be buddies ordering together to save on shipping or for both sons and daughters. To make the deal even sweeter, we are doing a twofer price for $56.99! That’s two Blue Flex 8s for less than the cost of one Olive, Red or Gray!

    The JT Flex 8 Paintball Goggle features the classic Specra Thermal Lens, rated by many as the best goggle lens system ever in the sport. The Spectra provides 260 degrees of distortion free vision and excellent fog prevention with its dual pane construction. The Flex 8 utilizes JTs ‘Dual Fusion’ process that seamlessly welds rigid plastic venting to softer, more pliable base material. The result is a facemask that retains its structure for blunt impact protection (no whacks on your nose or lips!) yet flexes with you for comfort, like when you press against your shoulder stock or bonk the ground during a slide. The JT Flex 8 also features a short visor for playing in the direct sunshine or rain and a chinstrap for safety. Having had a mask snag a tree branch and get yanked off in a paintball firefight once, I highly recommend using the chinstrap!

    Get’m while you can!!

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    15 05 2009

    Be sure to enter to win a 2009 Dye DM9. Drawing will take place on June 30th, 2009.
    http://ping.fm/fkKcC





    New Bob Long Technologies Hard Parts

    28 02 2009

    New to our inventory is a selection of hard parts from one of the oldest and most respected names in paintball, Bob Long Technologies. Bob Long has been in paintball forever… I remember him at a field I visited in 1989. He started off doing custom versions of other manufacturer’s markers and equipment before designing his own. The Intimidator was the marker that pushed him to the top and he continues to crank out more designs such as the latest Gen 5 ‘Timmies’ such as the Protege and Vice as well as the groundbreaking Marq platform and super hot scenario M-Tac.

    While best known for his shooters, Bob Long and company are less known for their quality hard parts. Made from high quality materials and machined to very tight tolerances, each piece fills a niche that almost every player needs. One other fact about Bob Long’s hard parts sets them apart from the majority of the paintball industry… THEY ARE MADE IN THE USA! Bob Long insists on this. He could outsource to cheaper labor and materials but he refuses to lose any of the quality control he has built his reputation on by using select  US machinists. First up is the Bob Long Gear Drive ASA. One new trend is the rail-less ASA which bolts directly to the gripframe without needing a second piece as a mount. The problem in the past has been that the frame screws needed to go through so the ASA tended to be rather long, heavy and with small air passages that could constrict pressure flow. Bob Long fixed that by developing the Xpress Mount. This system puts two stainless steel threaded posts into your gripframe first. Then you slide on the ASA and secure it with two side-tapped set screws. This allowed Bob Long to slim down the ASA and still retain structural integerity. The macroline fitting is a straight model attached to the front and goes through the on/ off knob. The knob is geared inside for a smooth action that doesn’t bind up under pressure. In other words, you can still easily turn your pressure on or off even with paint-slick fingers! The Gear Drive ASA is available in Polished or Dust finishes.

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    Of course, some people still want to use their favorite ASA or want a few more options of where to mount their tank.  We now have three models of Bob Long rails to accommodate your needs! For those players who want a low profile mount right under their gripframe their is the Bob Long Dovetail ASA Rail Mount. Machined from aluminum with great attention to detail, this mount accepts the frame screws through the bottom first, then you slide the ASA on. Unlike similar designs that are prone to cracking, Bob Long left more metal in the middle of the mount for strength. A side tapped set screw secures our ASA and your air tank to the marker for a lightweight, low profile set up.

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    Some people need the tank a little more forward, whether its because of shorter arms or just wanting a better balance. For those players there is the Bob Long Xpress Mount Horn Drop Dropforward Rail. This mount utilizes the Xpress Mount system again to make room for the dovetail section to be moved forward. This places your ASA and tank approximately 1″ forward and 1/2″ down, placing the center of weight more under your hand and not towards your shoulder. With better balance your wrist does less work and thus less fatigue.

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    Drop forwards are often frowned upon by the ‘tournament’ crowd, but for the wrong reasons. In their quest for ‘high speed low drag’, they have forgotten that long-term comfort is often more important than short term comfort, small and tight configurations. The huge dropforwards of yesteryear are a hinderance and no longer necessary because of today’s smaller HPA tanks. However, many player’s still need small to mid sized dropforwards for proper fit. A good example is my wife, who at 5 foot 3 inches can’t reach the foregrip of her marker with a 68ci tank on there  unless she has a mid-sized drop forward installed! It also helps younger players by moving the center of balance between their hands so they aren’t working to just keep the marker level. For these players there is the Bob Long Dovetail Mount Mid Drop Dropforward. This quality built dropforward locates the tank forward 2 1/2″ and down about 1 1/2″. This is a comfortable placement for probably 95% of the players out there. The Mid Drop is extensively milled both for looks and to reduce weight. One set screw located in an easy to reach position secures your favorite ASA to the dovetail rail.

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    Everyone makes feednecks these days, but not all are created equal. Some are good and some are awful. Bob Long Lever Lock Feednecks are a step above the ‘good’ category. Every cut, carve and thread on each of these feednecks I have seen are perfect! The locking lever utilizes purpose-built screws and a brass pivot that fitted to the lever arm. This allows a smooth lock and release without binding or the edges grinding under tension. Metal is cut away where it can be spared but left in place where its needed. In the quest for lighter weight I’ve been seeing a lot of snapped feednecks coming through our pro shop so I appreciate a little thought into making things that last. we currently stock the Lever Lock Feednecks in threads for the older model Smart Parts Ion/ SFT Shocker, the new Smart Parts thread (Ion XE, NXT, Eos) and in Dye thread (DM series, Proto Matrix, Rail and SLG).

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    At Paintball-Online we stopped carrying most aftermarket bolts for the Smart Parts Ion/ Ion XE.  They were no better than the stock bolt and were snapping left and right. However, the Bob Long Ion Pillow Bolt made the grade and is now part of our catalog. Bob Long designed the Pillow Bolt for his top of the line Marq series markers and the technology has trickled down to the Ion. The design features a cushioned rubber ‘pillow’ at the face of the bolt to lessen the impact of the bolt contacting the paintball. Rather than slamming a fragile paintball with what is essentially a high speed cookie cutter, the ball instead is pushed along on a shock absorber from breech to barrel. This reduces breakage when shooting even the fragilest tournament paintball or when playing in cold winter conditions that turns paintshell brittle. I put one in my Ion, then in my wife’s Ion and now I recommend it as an essential upgrade!

    One last piece of Bob Long parts that has been in out catalog awhile but deserves mention is the Bob Long Filtered Fill Valve. This is another must-have that I installed on mine and my wife’s HPA tanks.  These are precision machined fill nipples with a threaded dust cap. The cap screwsin place and is held tight by a friction-providing O ring. No more lost caps! The fill nipple itself is hardened for strength and has a replaceable filter to keep dirt, metal shaving and other debris from entering, preventing damage to the seals of your tank regulator and marker. The last fill nipple you will ever buy!

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    Bob Long continues to lead the paintball industry in design and innovation. Bob Long has played and won at every level and every style of paintball and won’t sell anything he wouldn’t use himself. You can’t go wrong with any Bob Long product!





    The Pinokio Electronic Paintball Loader

    15 12 2008

    This winter has been the Battle of the Loaders, one piece of equipment that virtually every paintballer needs and depends on. A loader needs to feed quickly and reliably, stand up to abuse and have a motor that can stand up to long periods of running under tension without burning up. Weight is a serious consideration as well, because a couple of ounces doesn’t seem like much until you’ve been packing a marker all day long. While a war of marketing has been going on by two manufacturer’s over their new loaders, there’s another loader that’s been flying under the media radar but gathering a cult following… the Pinokio.

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    The Pinokio Loader was designed with the big game/ scenario player in mind but has been showing up on the markers of well-known tournament players such as and Nicky Cuba of the LA Ironmen and Team Destiny. Due to its unusual shape its scorned by some players… then again, so was the VLocity and HALO when they first came out! We just brought the Pinokio in to stock so I decided to delve a little more into them… and was pleasantly surprised.

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    Let’s get one thing straight from the beginning… the Pinokio is not a Ricochet! While OEM’d from the same factory and sharing some components from the now-defunct loader company, the Pinokio is quite different. Paintballs feed down into a carousel where they are indexed between four soft paddle arms. A flexible flap sensor extends in the feed path. When the sensor is up the motor turns on until the feedneck is stacked with paint, holding the sensor in the down position. The soft paddles doesn’t so much forcefeed as it shuttles paint into the feed path, alleviating the ’soup maker syndrome’ other forcefeed loaders often have with brittle paintballs. Its a simple system without eyes to get dirty or misaligned.

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    A quick word about the servo motor. This unit was originally designed for remote control scale racing boats… its sealed very well! I chatted with the designer of the Pinokio today, who told me that not only do they routinely demo the Pinokio running underwater but that they’ve actually used a loader to blend margaritas. While I don’t recommend this (using it as a blender, not the margaritas), I mention it because a little rain isn’t going to shut down the loader. The motor is rated to 37 volts, but the Pinokio only uses two 9 volt batteries. No worries about overloading and burning it out as the motor is never even close to being run at full power. The manufacturer’s claim is 30 BPS… while I don’t have the equipment to properly refute this claim, I will say that you will be hard pressed to outrun this loader short of a very irresponsible and dangerous ramping setting on your trigger !

    The body is where the Pinokio derives its obvious name. The shell of the loader is in four pieces: left body, right body, battery door and nose cone. The nose cone slides on via two grooves in the sides and secures in place by a spring loaded latch. Two noses cones are provided, Stage 1 and Stage 2. The Stage 1 nose cone is a traditional loader shape for a capacity of 250 balls. Most other competitors max out at 170-190 balls. Stage 2 is an elongated cone that extends out the front for an insane 400 ball count!

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    Now before you judge the looks of this, think about the possibilities… it takes no tools and about 10 seconds to switch between cones. Imagine you are playing in the woods, fighting your way to a fort which you need to take and then hold. You use Stage 1 for mobility on the way there, then switch to Stage 2 for when you need to lay down some serious paint in defense. Nothing stops your opponents like a never ending stream of paint coming at them. The Pinokio will hold almost three full 140 round pods! Some back players on speedball fields are picking up on the Pinokio in Stage 2 as well. The long nose cone is still the same target area when viewed from the front and even from a bit of an angle you’re still going to get nailed in the hard goggles. They can go over twice as long off the break without reloading or even need to reload at all in shorter three man formats where you rarely shoot more than three pods.

    The battery door slides on and locks in place without tools. The body lines are designed to add structural integrity to the overall shell and make wiping hits off between games easy and fast. The lid snaps down like the older Halos and will accept most feed gate systems like the CORE Halo Speed Collar and the Virtue Crown. One button turns the Pinokio on and off, recessed into the rear of the body where it won’t break or accidentally get turned off.

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    You’ll hear many players who’ve never actually seen a Pinokio in person complain how ‘big’ they are. Big? With a Stage 1 nose cone the Pinokio is virtually the same height and length as a Halo B/ Reloader B and less height than a standard VLocity. It is longer than the VLocity but not as wide.

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    Want yet another awesome stat? The Pinokio with Stage 1 nose cone and two 9 volt batteries weighs in at 1 pound ! Stage 2 complete with batteries weighs in at 1 pound 3 oz. Compare that to the Halo B’s 1 pound 8.4oz or the VLocity’s 1 pound 2.4oz. (Thanks to Mike at TechPB for the weights)

    While the Pinokio is a bit more expensive than most loaders it is surely not the most expensive either. What you’re getting is an insanely light, crazy fast loader with the ability to quickly increase ball capacity to the scenario equivalent of a heavy machine gun. Designed for rec ballers but getting noticed by speedballers, the Pinokio is a solid investment to compliment your marker.





    The New NXe Extraktion Series Tactical Harness System

    8 12 2008

    NXe has been providing camo options for paintball players since their inception, offering 2 Pod and 3 Pod camo belt pouches, a popular wraparound 4+1, a full vest and a light vest and the trend setting Elevation Series. About a year ago my sales rep told me that they had something in the works to appeal more to the high end woodsball/ tactical player. Now this really piqued my interest because scenario/ rec ball is finally recognized as a significant portion of the industry… and I love new toys for myself as well !

    Finally, NXe felt the product line was ready for the market. The Extraktion Series is a modular harness and accessory system utilizing elements from both their previous paintball harnesses and current military/ police gear. The beauty of this system is that it can be set up as just a traditional waist pack, a light shoulder harness-style vest or a full vest, easily customized to the role you’ll be on the field that day. Everything is available in either a green digi camo (similar to MarPat but not as much browns) or good ol’ SWAT black.

    The backbone of the Extraktion system is the BASE waist belt. Anyone familiar with the Elevation Series harnesse will see the instant similarities. Textured dense rubber foam wraps around and grabs your lower back for comfort and three big rubber-covered foam points cushion where the harness meets the base of the spine and prevents the whole works from twisting around. A two part stretch waist belt, similar to a lumber lifting belt, wraps around your waist for a snug and proper fit. On the front of this is a convenient velcro ID pouch with a plastic face so you can keep your scenario ID or mission card tucked away safely yet show it to a ref in an instant. Instead of the usual static pod slots and tank pouch across the back there is MOLLE (Modular Lightweight Loadbearing Equipment) webbing to let you place whatever accessories you want wherever you want them. Extraktion’s MOLLE webbing is also a bit different in that it is the loop (fuzzy) side of velcro. Most of the accessories have the hook side on their backs for more ‘grab’ and more secure mounting. Two stiff plates with more MOLLE are positioned on the front of the BASE harness as well.

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    The BASE in itself is a versatile system giving you tons of options and excellent mobility for quick missions, belly crawling through thick brush and general recreational play. However, for big games/ scenarios where you might be out on the field for hours at a time you need extra room to carry more gear. Extraktion offers two choices for this, the FLANK light rig and the SHELL heavy vest. These attach to the BASE via plastic rings and adjust for length. The adjustment straps feature thick sturdy velcro and are elastic to stretch and move with your as opposed to your body twisting around inside .

    The FLANK is more of a rack/ rig than a vest for a smaller and more mobile load out. The FLANK is comprised of a large back panel and two front shoulder panels connected by stretch material. The outer material is a tough nylon fabric while the inside is mesh lined for ventilation with thick padding at the shoulder cup, base of the neck and lower back for comfort. The back and two front panels are covered in rows of MOLLE webbing.

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    The SHELL is a more traditional tactical vest layout. Attaching to the BASE, the SHELL provides maximum real estate for mounting gear. Again its a durable nylon fabric, mesh lined and padded, with loop velcro MOLLE webbing. One feature I like is that the left front side side of the SHELL lays over the zipper. This gives you a bit more mounting space and keeps paint and crud out of the zipper!

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    Next comes the fun part… accessory pouches! Each is available in green digi camo or black.

    RELOAD pod pouches are what you will buy the most of. These utilize the same S2 technology as NXe’s Elevation harnesses in that the pods are encased in a formed low-friction slot with elastic ejectors. Pods slide in and out with ease. To increase the mounting capabilities of the RELOADs they were designed with a narrow no-nonsense pull strap, external MOLLE webbing and attachment straps that can be angled outwards. This allows the user to stack additional RELOADs between or on the side of others.

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    The FUEL tank pouch features a stiff backed base and two sets of velcro for horizontal or vertical mounting. Two long keeper straps hold the tank in place and is spacious enough to accomodate even 88ci tanks.

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    The CARGO is a general purpose pouch with padded sides to protect whatever it carries. The zipper has a large pull tab to its easy to grab with gloves on.

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    The HAUL is a dump pouch that quickly folds out, providing a handy sack to carry empty pods or scenario props you need to collect. It can fit up to 6 pods.

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    Need to carry some paint grenades? The FRAG grenade pouch will transport every size paint grenade on the market. It has an elastic band inside to help lift smaller size grenades up for easy withdrawal.

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    HYDRATE is one accessory every big game/ scenario player should have. Dehydration is a serious matter for any day of paintball and having it on you the whole time makes the day much more enjoyable. This hydration bladder pouch packs double sets of three attachment straps each for a secure mount. Included is a 2 liter hydration bladder and hose with bite valve for no-hassle fluid replenishment. Because HYDRATE uses up so much space NXe took a tip from the military and added six rows of MOLLE webbing and two cinch straps on the back to build over, such as the FUEL tank pouch.

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    The DRAW holster is different from every other paintball pistol holster out there. Because there are such different shapes to paintballs pistols, from the Tiberius Tac 8 and Miltec G1 to Sheridan PGP, the Extraction DRAW holster is designed as two sleeves. You wrap the inner sleeve around the underside of your pistol, then wrap the outer sleeve over the top for a custom fit! Three attachment straps on each side allow an ambidextrous left or right hand draw.

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    The CHART map/ document pouch will hold up to an 8 1/2″ by 11″ sheet of paper, yet folds to a convenient 5″ x 6″ size. It clips through MOLLE webbing by a strong metal clip and rotates 360 degrees so you or others can view your field map, mission objectives or scenario documents with ease.

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    COMM is a radio pouch featuring a split elastic strap to fit most sizes of radios and cel phones. The MOUNT is a unique poch that provides an adjustable bank of four elastic loops. These loops can hold 12gr CO2 cartridges, ten round tubes, small flashlight, folding squeegee… you name it. The LOOP is simply an elastic loop that can carry a pod, similar to those found on NXe’s high end harnesses. The difference here is that it can attach via a MOLLE strap anywhere you want it. A simple and cheap way to carry a few more pods out with you… and they make a great holster to slip the quick disconnect end of your remote in when its not attached to your marker.

    comm2 mount2 loop

    The new Extraktion is going to be a huge hit. It is possibly the most versatile load bearing system in paintball right now with its ability to become three different size harness systems with just a few minutes of mixing and matching… and its the only MOLLE waist harness system at this time. For the same cost as a high end waist harness and tac vest you can have it all in one, saving you more gear bag space!

    Here are some sample configurations from my own personal set of Extraktion gear…

    A light set up on my BASE with a FUEL tank pouch for my remote, three RELOADs and a rear mounted DRAW holster to keep my Tiberius Pistol tucked away where I won’t crawl on it. A CARGO zipper pouch for my small items and a FRAG grenade pouch rounds out the front.

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    My usual light load for most trips out on the field during a big game when I’m not going too far, here using the Extraktion system with a BASE harness and a FLANK rig. On the back are four RELOADs for 560 rounds, a HYDRATE water bladder and a FUEL to hold my remote tank. On the front is a CARGO pouch to carry my valubles, a HAUL pouch to pick up prizes (most of the local big games here hide pods on the field with raffle tickets and such) and a FRAG grenade pouch because I typically will do a banzai grenade dash when I’m out of paint and ready to head back in…

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    Hint… since the interface between MOLLE webbing and straps needs to be snug its sometimes hard to get the straps through the webbing. A trick is to slip the tip of a butter knife under the webbing and lift it a bit. This way the snap slides under the knife blade and doesn’t snag on the webbing!

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    Limited Edition Black Chrome Invert Mini Paintball Marker

    9 08 2008

    Here’s a little something I’ve been waiting months to talk about. Select dealers got a chance to place orders for a limited edition Invert Mini, something that not everyone would have a chance to carry direct from the manufacturer. When I saw it my jaw dropped, its one of the most gorgeous finishes I’ve ever seen on a paintball marker! Then came the hardest part… keeping quiet. I consider many of the paintball sales reps I work with friends as well as business associates and I honor their requests to keep a soon-to-be-released products hush-hush (if only the rest of this industry would do the same !).

    Well, they finally arrived yesterday! I brought the box into my office…

    and was greeted by a pair of white gloves, the kind they give you to handle rare books and valuable antiques.

    Lifted the next layer of foam and… wow, it was more beautiful than I remembered!

    These are Limited Edition Black Chromium Invert Mini Paintball Markers, polished and then plated in the expensive black chrome finish as seen on custom Harley-Davidson motorcycles and other luxury vehicles. These cost a little bit more than your standard Invert Mini but the money is well worth the stares and “ooooh, can I hold that” comments you’ll be getting at the field. There are only 1000 being made ( a usual Mini LE run is 2000 markers) and each comes with a numbered Certificate of Authenticity.

    These things are so shiny and polished that if you look in the following pictures you can clearly see my reflection holding the camera. Thats what the gloves are for, so dealers in showrooms don’t get the marker covered in fingerprints!

    Here’s a chance to pick up a truly beautiful paintball marker with performance to back it up !