Milspex Ciras Land Version (OD) – Review
Although I loved the my previous Viper tactical vest, I was starting to find that it I could not carry the amount of equipment I would take out on a typical skirmish. A recent purchase of double electric magazine for my g36, meant either adding yet another pouch on the belt, or it was time to consider a new vest which would allow me to easily attach new pouches in a suitable position and customise it to the way I wanted it to be. To me this meant going to a MOLLE based platform.
Skimming though my latest copy of of Airsoft International I read a review on a CIRAS vest. The CIRAS vest is a releasable armour system, and is currently the armour carrier in use by USSOCOM.
An example of the emergency release can be found on you tube.
Two versions of the CIRAS vest are available Land and Maritime
| The CIRAS land | This vest has a single flap in the front and the sides wrap around from the rear overlapping each other in the front where the flap is. The vest release point is located at the bottom of the vest. |
| The CIRAS Maritime | This vest has flaps on either side of the vest. The vest release point is located at the top vest. |
Emergency releasing either CIRAS vest is done by pulling a pull loop, which is attached to a single cable routed through the vest. The cable releases the shoulder straps, inner cummerbund, and outer cummerbund. With the weight of the soft armour and SAPI plates, the vest is designed to just fall away.
Not having the opportunity to try out the two styles of vest before buying I decided to go with the land version of the vest. A decision I was later going to glad I made.
Buying the vest
After almost settling on a Proud loadout (vest and pouches included) which would have cost me almost £170 + delivery, I came across a special deal on the website of Airsoft Skirmish for a Milspex Ciras Land Version for £109.99 including delivery.
The Milspex vest is MOLLE compatible and includes the same quick release system used in the Eagle vests, Detachable shoulder pads, Internal and external cummerbunds. Also included were removable soft armour plates (these were an extra with the Proud vest).
The following pouches are included.
1 X Admin Pouch
1 X Dual pistol magazine pouch
2 X Dual M4 / M16 magazine pouches
1 X Utility / Magazine Dump Pouch
1 X Gas Mask / Accessory Pouch
1 X Radio Pouch
Being the kind of person who likes a good bargain the order was placed and a couple of days later the vest arrived.
Unfortunately when the vest was unpacked I discovered the wrong one had been sent to me, I actually received the CIRAS Maritime Vest.
A quick phone call to Dave at Airsoft Skirmish, and a replacement CIRAS land vest was posted out to me (before he received back the vest from me), and he agreed to refund the postage once he received the Maritime Vest back – Thanks Dave brilliant service.
1st Impressions
I had arranged for the vest to be delivered to my work address as this is easier for me. On arrival I could not wait until I got home so opened this immediately. I was pleased to find the vest already assembled which was an added bonus, however if you ever purchase one and its not assembled a brilliant guide is available at Green Mountain Tactical.
| The vest was quite ridged and when sat on my desk it stood up by itself which is probably down to the soft armour plates . 1/2 of the office immediately came around to have a look and were “wowed”, the other 1/2 as usual thought I was a complete nut job.
The colour of the vest was quite a dark shade of OD (almost ranger green) this may be a problem when buying additional pouches as most other OD shades I have seen are lighter. However this does match the Blackhawk and Eagle Industries OD green shades. |
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Wearing and Adjusting The Vest
| I have added a quick guide on how to adjust and put on the CIRAS Land vest. This can be found here. Once properly adjusted the vest fits nice and snug, with no movement.
The only downside is this is quite a bulky vest when compared to something like the Viper LA vest I previously owned. The CIRAS vest is also 3 pounds (1.4kg) heaver than the Viper vest weighing in at 5.25 pounds (2.4 kg). All the pouches are MOLLE and can be positioned where the wearer prefers them to be located. This can be on the fount, side or even the back of the CIRAS vest. Additional pouches like hydration pouches can also be purchased. |
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The Pouches
As already mentioned this vest came loaded with several pouches already. The pouches supplied should suit most airsofter’s needs.
| Admin PouchThe front of the admin pouch is covered with Velcro, which is great for attaching any patches you desire.
Inside the pouch it is separated into 2 separate compartments for keeping maps or other thin objects.
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| Dual Pistol Magazine PouchI only discovered today that the flaps of each compartment can be adjusted and even removed.
Unfortunately as I had problems fitting my two Sig P226 magazines I purchased a Blackhawk dual pistol magazine pouch. I have since adjusted the original pouch and they fit perfect, Doh…
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| Dual M4 / M16 Magazine PouchesTwo sets of these pouches are included. Each pouch can hold up to 2 M4/M16 type magazines. Meaning you can carry up to 8 Magazines on the vest.
The right hand picture shows one pouch with a G36 magazine and my M16 style speed loader squeezed in. Again like the pistol pouch the flaps are completely adjustable, and can also be removed.
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| Utility / Magazine Dump PouchA handy pouch with a zip, great for holding a bag of BB’s spare batteries and used magazines.
I can easily fit my double electric magazine for my g36 in this with other items.
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| Gas Mask / Accessory PouchThis pouch would normally be used for a gas mask. However as this is not normally something used by airsofter’s you could fit anything else in it that you require (for example a canteen).
I have found that a gas canister will fit in this pouch and can be secured using the loops inside.
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| Radio PouchA large radio pouch has been supplied.
My Nikkai radio did feel a little lost in there and was difficult to reach to switch off. However this is ideal for larger radios like the Motorola XTN446.
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Field Test
| Out in the field this vest performs well, movement is not hindered, and everything feels well secured. I was amazed when jumping off walls and through windows by the fact there was little if no movement from the vest. It was great to be able to carry all of my Magazines and accessories and for the 1st time, I was able to take a gas bottle out with me.
On the downside it gets hot in this vest. In winter time is not too much of an issue, however now we are in the warmer part of the year this is a big issue. One way to reduce the weight and possible help reduce the heat retention may be to remove the soft armour plates from inside the vest. At some point I will have to test this. |
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Maritime Vest Drawbacks
I mentioned earlier I was glad that I purchased the Land and not the Maritime vest. There were three reasons for this.
- Although its was easier to get in and out off this vest. If you have to remove a pouch to access the side panel, it was awkward twisting you body to do this. Repositioning the pouches so that it did not have to be removed would help.
- I did not like the placement of the quick release point on the Maritime vest, as my chin kept catching this. Please note however as this vest was being returned I had not adjusted it to fit me correctly.
- The MOLLE loops on the edge of the vest (where the pistol pouches were) were very tight, I could not fit the pouch correctly. This however could have been just a problem on this vest. It certainly is not a problem on the Land vest.
Conclusion….
My opinion is that for an unbelievable price, the quality and usefulness of this vest can not be beaten. If items were purchased separately this would cost much more. I was pleased that I saved £70 (at the time) compared to the Proud vest which did not include the soft armour plates.
The biggest downside point would be that it does get hot in this vest. Unfortunately I gave my Viper vest away when I purchased this, as a result I ended up buying a 2nd hand Viper vest of a forum for those summer days.
Also its worth noting that Milspex do not make a great deal of additional pouches, and their shade of OD is hard to match. However saying that no matter what vest you get the OD shade will most likely be different to other manufacturers anyway so you would be restricted to their pouches for a colour match.
If you do find someone stocking Milspex OD pouches please feel free to PM me in the forums otherwise I will have to stick to Blackhawk or Eagle pouches
