Planned purchases for the next 8 months

After looking thoroughly at my budget, and ogling tons of airsoft stuff, I've mapped out what I think I'm going to order, in a few bursts, over the next 8 months. I'm going for a grenadier loadout. I've got goggles, boots, a MARPAT TRU, gloves, knee pads, a MARPAT dropleg holster, and a MARPAT Interceptor. Here's what I've come up with that I "need".

November order:
bios
smart charger
2 speed loaders
hydration bladder
MICH 2000
goggle sling
helmet cover
comes to $109

This order augments my current gear and gets me ready for the next order.

February order:
beautiful
mid-caps
grenades
.25g bios
battery
propane adaptor
lube
grenade pouch
comes to $642

This is the gun and everything I need to make the most of that gun.

March order:
sidearm
spare mag
more .25g bios
comes to $162

I need a new sidearm with a low fps for close quarters, this seems to fit the bill nicely.

June order:
carry handle rail
night vision
more .25g bios
comes to $432

I know what you're thinking, and I respectfully disagree. It would take quite the argument to dissuade me.

Grand total: $1345

If I spend 5 hours airsofting every weekend, that's 20 hours per month, 160 hours over the course of 8 months, $1345 per 160 hours, and $8.40 per hour. Cheaper than laser tag or skiing, but more expensive than videogames or drive-in movies. Laser tag is fun, but way too expensive for what it is. I've only been once.

Anyway, thoughts? Substitutions? Dissuasions? I have a good coupon code for Evike, but didn't reflect that in these figures. The difference will go toward unforeseen expenses and things I buy locally.

Any particular reason you want a fully automatic USP? why not an MP5K?

WOW!!!1!!!1! Lots of stuff... some of its completely frivolous. Night vision scope...REALLY?!

@Jarhead: a pistol is lighter and fits better in my holster than an SMG would, and there isn't much of a price difference between regular GBB and full-auto GBB, so why not? I don't actually have any experience with gas guns, so more advice here would be helpful. Are HFCs reliable?

@Drummer: about a third of what Project Xenon (the team I'm on) does is night games, and it gets old fast trying to find the OpFor with cloud cover in complete darkness. It could be an unfair advantage, or it could open the way to some interesting one-sided gametypes. It's one thing to increase the power of your gun, but something completely different to open up new possibilities.

If nobody has night vision, nobody can be seen. Nobody wants to use flashlights or headlamps, because then they would for sure be seen. If one person had night vision, they could hunt the others, or vice versa, and they wouldn't be afraid to use lights because they'll be seen with or without them.

Also notice, it's the last thing on my list. I've got plenty of time to decide for sure.

Hmmm...well, that's a sufficient argument in my book.

Well, that's really all I've got. Plus, it's night vision. It's just plain awesome. I could still be talked out of it. Even in perspective, spread out over the lifetime of all this gear, $1345 is a lot of money, and would completely drain my disposable income for the duration. Strangely enough, this huge list could teach me how to be more frugal.

Hopefully it will...I mean that is an epically huge order. Yeah, there's a ton of great stuff on there, but do you really need it? I mean, if you're going to be the only one on the field with night vision, doesn't that kinda ruin it for the others? One guy who had over a thousand dollars to blow on expensive brand new guns and plenty of extra gear? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I doubt the other players are going to have all that to balance things out.

I see your point, I think I'd better nix the night vision. I needed someone to talk me out of it. Thanks.

The rest though doesn't seem too outrageous in the context of other Project Xenon members' gear. Any further advice on what remains?

Hmm, well I personally wouldn't get a grenade launcher. I wouldn't have a use for it, really. I can understand why you would get it though. I wouldn't because I play more minimal games, where the players' don't have more than a red dot sight as far as add-ons go.

So do I, the famous SC Village Chino is not very "milsim" friendly, and thats really what I want.
I'll still get one eventually, basically its just a giant shotgun...

Omega Lambda wrote:

@Jarhead: a pistol is lighter and fits better in my holster than an SMG would, and there isn't much of a price difference between regular GBB and full-auto GBB, so why not?

I see your point, but I have a suggestion: What do you think of the Well G55? It's an MP5K that uses gas and has full auto and semi. I, personally, would rather buy that. Just a suggestion

Looks nice, but I'm really looking for something more compact, like a pistol, that can fit in my holster. If I were to change my mind and get a different gun than the one linked, I would get some other pistol that either was or wasn't full auto, depending on price, reliability, and gun-specific details.

For a sidearm my priorities are as follows:
~140 for gun and 2 total mags
reliable (with proper maintenance)
CO2, gas, or electric (no springers)
FPS under 300 with .25s
No push-button clip release, must be lever or something. On my current sidearm the clip always falls out while it's holstered.
should use full-sized 9mm mags, smaller mags tend to fall out of my pouches
should have a rail
I prefer fiber-optic sights, but that's not a sticking point.

I like this one because it gives me the option of shooting full-auto, and it has a decent mag capacity.

Okay, I see your reasoning. Just asking!

I placed the first part of my order yesterday, and I've changed a few things. I ended up getting speed loaders, MICH, goggle sling, and helmet cover as originally planned, and also some new things:

goggle fan
admin pouch
small equipment pouch

These additions were inspired by my experience the previous day on the field. I have enough ammo for now, and I'm holding off on the hydration until later because I don't tend to drink much while playing. I've also revised my next order to try to bring the cost down and get my new gun ASAP.

The next order has been stripped down to just the gun, battery, charger, and .25 bios (and the 2 mag bonus if that deal is still going by the time I place the order). That will come to $425 or so including discounts and shipping.

Edit: I've once again changed this next part of the order which I expect to place in March: mid-caps, grenades, the propane adapter, lube, more .25g bios, grenade pouch, a dump pouch, and binoculars. The binoculars were also inspired by a game the other day, in which they would have been quite useful. This order should come to $208 or so with discounts and shipping.

This plan will leave me without a 40mm for a while after I get the gun, but it will mean that I get the gun sooner and the gun itself is already a beast (CyberTech has a similar model that he let me fire a few times).

Edit: I've also changed the order after that, which I now expect to place in May: sidearm, extra mag, hydration, more .25 bios, bandanna, flag patch, drop leg pannel, canteen pouch, and a fifth mag pouch if I get 2 extra mags with my gun. That order should then total $206 after discounts and shipping.

I'm excited about this first part though. I'm hoping that the helmet will work well with my goggles and that the fan along with some spray I got the other day (which doesn't work all that well on its own but worked great in conjunction with the wind) will keep my goggles clear.

I'm still a bit unsure of my choice of sidearm, and to an extent the grenades. Does anyone have any advice on GBB pistols? This will be my first one.